Inspiration, part 2--Denise Hildreth

Mrs. Sidney asked yesterday for the inspiration behind the book,
Flies on the Butter. I received such a lovely answer, that
I've made it its own post :)

From Denise Hildreth:

Here is the story behind Flies on the Butter:

I had just finished my third in my Savannah series when my editor asked me if I had another book in mind. I said, "Sure, two more Savannah books." She was thinking something completely different. I assured her I didn't know how to write anything different. She assured me I could.

So, one day driving down the street here in Franklin, Tennessee where I live I was listening to my new Wynonna Judd CD when the song "Flies on the Butter" came on I honestly had to pull over to the side of the road because the tears were falling so fast and furious. I immediately
knew this song was a book.

This song simply said:

Old tin roof
Leaves in the gutter
A hole in the screen door big as your fist
And flies on the butter.
Mamaw's baking sugar cookies
We were watching cartoons
I heard her holler from the kitchen
which one of you youngin's wants to lick the spoon.
Old dog napping on the front porch.
His ear just a twitching.
I fell asleep on grandaddy's lap to the sound of his pocket watch
tickin'.

Oh, Oh,
Doesn't seem like it was all that long ago.
Oh, oh
You can dream about it every now and then, but you can't go home again.


The song reminded me of everything wonderful in my childhood that I would never be able to go back to. But more than that I realized that there was a generation living now that would never know the simplicity of the life so many of us once lived. The world where we had the first icee, by freezing a glass coke bottle, popping the lid and watching the icee float up to the top. Or our lamps of lighting bugs stuck in Mason jars. And I knew I wanted to take people back to that simpler time. But I also knew that there needed to be a story line threaded through there that was representative of today. So, I began to write Flies on the Butter.

Many of the childhood memories, (the good ones and a few of the mischevious ones) are mine. And the grandparents are taken after my maternal grandparents and Christopher is my older
brother. And the food, well, Lord knows I love to eat, so all of the food is something my mama fixes!

But that is how Flies on the Butter first came to life in my heart and then made its way to the page.

Thank you again Julie for asking. And for the opportunity to share it.

Blessings,
Denise

www.denisehildreth.blogspot.com