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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 24, 1997)
Monday • November 24, 1997 ^mber 2t|__ L Thf. Battalion IFESTYLES Rip latemi - Ellei - plucky^ aveler retu pn, is no A new twist on an o Id Texas tale played Rip?, I ordina Austin-based author uses fact and fiction to reate his debut novel Not Between Brothers laver wai it alone. Iiportantfa By Travis Irby Staff writer ustin-based author D. Mar- . ion Wilkinson combines Lhistory and personal expe- ence in his debut novel Not Be- ween Brothers. Wilkinson’s book is a 660-page pic covering Texas history during le war for Texas’ independence >n SI Live to liani put Weaver gainst Mexico. prove I was- The book’s title, Not Between bothers, comes from a speech given h series,te ySantaAnna, the president of Mex- VTheYearc :o during the Texas Revolution. 1 andtheH it involves the adventures of ng Girl,ii lemy Fuqua, a pioneer who comes :e Storm lo Texas at the behest of Mexico. Remy has to deal with the rum- ilings of revolution and the rigors of laul he pioneer life. iaug a ) so enc j s U p odds with a Comanche warrior named Kills Vhite Bear and on the front lines of he batt le for Texas’ independence. Not Between Brothers won the les, tookc, ^ us tj n Writers League’s 1997 Violet landdiste ; rown Avvard for best novel, and it guest toi | safe, it’s 3 'fnheiiet'! I in hisopc as a gray bow-tie 1 ''': louncer art blows toffi natorial ly beat# \n ersatz ft leans look u I worked on it for three years; it was a labor of love. 1 would see and talk to the characters. They were part of my life so much.” D. Marion Wilkinson Author of Not Between Brothers lingdebut vas also an award finalist in the Heandl Vestern Writers of America, Inc.’s aki opens Silver Spur award. Wilkinson said the accolades Ifll^lp justify the effort he put into W |the novel. “I worked on it for three years; twas a labor of love,” Wilkinson cas iaid. “I would see and talk to the haracters. They were part of my ngalest if eso muc h.” Wilkinson had a history minor in ‘El st on smow hweet je It buss : really* on he 34-H ■andB land j with 0 tuyS' art of Lys l ) ,l,l u college, and he put his interest in the subject into making the novel. “I must have read anything and everything on the subject of Texas history and during that time in America,” he said. Wilkinson’s devotion to histori cal accuracy has earned the praise of his peers. Dr. William J. Scheick, a J.R. Mi- liken Centennial Literature professor at the University ofTexas and a friend ofWilkinson, said the author’s atten- don to detail was excellent. “As far as I know there is nothing inaccurate on the part of the re search,” Schieck said. Schieck said the book does a great job of weaving historical fact and compelling fiction. “It is a thought-out, well-re searched, literate piece of work,” Schieck said. “Wilkinson is a great storyteller.” While many of the characters in the book are factual, die book’s pro tagonist Remy Fuqua draws on some of die author’s personal experiences. “Like me, Remy is part French and Scotch-Irish,” Wilkinson said. “It is a source of great conflict between widiin himself and his family. “These conflicts came at a time when there wasn’t a ‘white;’ Euro peans were still culturally separated in this country.” Wilkinson put great pains into cre ating the character Kills White Bear. “He is in part based on Crazy Horse,” Wilkinson said. “Kills White Bear comes from a middling posi tion in the tribe to become the greatest leader.” Not everyone thought Wilkin son’s opus was such. When he first started marketing Not Between Brothers to major pub lishers, they were not interested be cause of its factual content. “Every major publisher said the same thing, ‘too much history, take out the facts, keep the story,’” Wilkinson said. Wilkinson did not want to change his vision of the book. Instead he started shopping it out to some of the ; in .will Iron 1 ! 1 Get the scoop on a job that could change your life. For more Information on how you can become a part of The Battalion Spring Staff, attend the informational meeting Monday, Dec. 1, at 7:30 p.m.or Tuesday, Dec. 2, at 7:30 p.m. in Room 003 Reed McDonald Bldg. Meanwhile, pick up an application in Room 013 Reed McDonald Bldg. Applications are due by 5 p.m. Thursday Dec. 4, in 013 Reed McDonald. For more information, please call Tiffany Inbody, 845-331 3. Ut ■ ■ iipfpipiitf llllilllifii ■H I D. Marion Wilkinson country’s smaller publishers. One of those publishers, Boaz Publishing based in California, de cided to publish the book. Tom Southern, a Boaz publisher, was indifferent when he first re ceived Wilkinson’s manuscript. “Someone gave me this 1,200 page manuscript, and I was con tent to let it sit there,” Southern said. “But one night I couldn’t sleep, so I started to read it, and I couldn’t stop. It was an engrossing piece of work.” Coming from a smaller pub lisher, it took a lot of work to get the word out about the book. Sarah Austin, Community Rela tions Coordinator for Barnes and No ble in Houston, said she happened to luck into a copy of the book. “I received a copy, and I thought it was a great book,” Austin said. “So we got Wilkinson in here to do book signing, and it was well received.” Austin said Wilkinson has been in several times since, drawing an ever increasing group of fans. The book’s popularity has grown without major advertising. River Oaks Bookstore in Houston has sold almost 400 copies of the book, beating out authors such as John Grisham and Tom Clancy. Mike Pugh, Wilkinson’s publicist, said the novel has steadily been picking up steam. “Since the Violet Crown and Silver Spur awards, there has been a lot of interest in the book,” Pugh said. In the end, Wilkinson said he wanted to create something he took pride in. “I am extremely proud of its accu racy and objectiveness,” Wilkinson said. “It doesn’t whitewash history.” Ben m HELL Oumt.u.! Now Open New Location • 721 Texas Ave. S. • 696-3346 • Behind Red Lobster www.JJspackage.com JJ Ruffino ‘73 1600 S. Texas Ave. 693-2627 College Station BACARDI SILVER 750 ml 80° 99 SKOL VODKA 1.75 ml 80° $049 Bud & Bud Light s-|2 99 24 PK. 12 Oz. cans Miller Lite & Miller Genuine Draft $ >99 24 PK. 12 Oz. cans George Duboeuf Nouveau Beaujolais 750 ml Set^ranrs 1219 N. 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