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Blogs by Sylvia Dickey Smith
Southeast Texas & Jean Lafitte 9/11/2007 1:02:32 PM
What does a writer do when she wants to learn more about the history of an area? She heads to that part of the state and gets busy interviewing folks with tales handed down through the ages.
All of next week, I will be in southeast Texas doing just that. Thanks to Penny at the County Record, who ran an article soliciting stories handed down from one generation to the next, I have the names and phone numbers of a number of people with just such information.
There's nothing I would rather do than sit down and listen to tales such as these. Tales of those who sailed with Jean Lafitte, or who were involved in smuggling of slaves from the Caribbean, to be sold like cattle, to plantation owners back east. To explore any spirits left over, waiting to be heard. To looking at family trees that connect today with yesterday. To contemplate whether Jean Lafitte was really a man named Francois Boutte, or if Francois Boutte was really Jean Lafitte in disguise.
Whether or not any of this can ever be proven remains to be seen, and more than likely will remain a mystery. But it's exciting to think about, and to dig into what facts are left waiting for inquisitive folks like me to find.
What does this have to do with my third mystery book in the Sidra Smart series? Well, we'll see, but I rather suspect Sid will dig up something of interest.
And, my publisher has invited me to write a non-fiction book on the topic, to come out around the time as the third mystery--so I'm packing up and heading east! Anyone with any information on such is invited to post a comment on this blog, and leave your email address. I'll be in touch!
More Blogs by Sylvia Dickey Smith • Southeast Texas & Jean Lafitte - Tuesday, September 11, 2007 • My Daddy always said... - Tuesday, September 11, 2007
