The Life of Little George Henderson
Intriguing, mysterious, and heartfelt, The Life of Little George Henderson takes a step back in time to follow the incredible journey taken by one of Arizona’s earliest and most well-known pioneer families.
Based on a true story, after a construction crew finds a 120-year-old headstone in remote Dewey, Arizona, the research behind it reveals an adventurous, yet harrowing tale.
Follow the Henderson family and their little boy, and explore their lives as cattle ranchers, gold miners, and aspiring politicians, and discover the life challenges experienced by the pioneer family and the earliest settlers in the wild west.
AVAILABLE NOW
AVAILABLE NOW in e-book or print at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, SCRIBD, Rakuten Kobo, Smashwords, and Tolino.
The Life of Little George Henderson
Interview With the Author, Jennifer D. Anger-Baeta
Q. What inspired you to write the book The Life of Little George Henderson?
A. From the moment that I received the phone call regarding the headstone, I was consumed with it. It was a very unusual thing to find, and the research unfolded a lot of information that told the story of what happened. The more that I thought about the information over time, the more I developed an emotional connection with the information and to the little boy, and it became important to tell his story.
Q. How do you research your books?
A. Because my books are true stories, my research is based on vital records, periodicals and other publications, or other documents that can be used to answer a hypothesis or to explain how a specific event occurred. A lot of the information that was included in the book was available on the internet. However, in order to discover other important facts about the boy and his family and to create their real story, it required several visits to a number of museums, and to multiple libraries. If it couldn’t be proven through documented evidence, it wasn’t included in the book.
Q. How do you come up with the subjects of the book?
A. The subjects and the events were real subjects and real events. The characters are defined by their known and real characteristics and real traits whenever possible. In this book, The Life of Little George Henderson the only real change was to the name of the Sheriff that took the call and went out to visit the site where the headstone was found. Other than those types of subtle changes, I try my best to keep every character as true to form as possible by explaining the character that they were in real life.
Q. Do you hear from your readers much? What do they say?
A. Yes. I love receiving feedback from my readers. It’s one of the most rewarding aspects of writing. Most people are very supportive when they let me know what they thought of the book. Some of my readers have asked questions about the characters, and others have asked about the descriptions and about Arizona.
Q. Do you hear from your readers much? What do they say?
A. Yes. I love receiving feedback from my readers. It’s one of the most rewarding aspects of writing. Most people are very supportive when they let me know what they thought of the book. Some of my readers have asked questions about the characters, and others have asked about the descriptions and about Arizona.
Q. What is your definition of literary success?
A. Perhaps there is more than one definition for literary success. Having the book published is one measurement or definition of success. Another way to define literary success is by considering the artistic merit, and whether or not it provides readers with depth, insight, and scope. Last, success might be measured by the number of people that have read about the little boy and are more educated and aware of Arizona’s early history. Success is writing a story that connects the past with the present in a way that readers can enjoy without looking at it as a history book.
Q. What advice would you give to a new writer, someone just starting out?
A. One of the most important things that I have learned is that the story needs to be clear. It’s not enough to have a vast or robust vocabulary. Every paragraph needs to be written intentionally. A new writer’s story needs to be cultivated, and crafted, and it takes a lot of time and a lot of rewriting to create a manuscript that an agent will be proud to present to a publisher. My suggestion to new writers is that they should consider creating a schedule or a routine for their writing time and try to make writing a habit. It’s easy to become overwhelmed by the process, but good writing habits will help to break down these barriers.
Q. How many unpublished ad half-finished books do you have?
A. Honestly, I’m embarrassed to admit this, but I completed my first book more than 20 years ago. I finished it, and then I did absolutely nothing with it. It’s one of those unfortunate things that happens, and I have completed 3 manuscripts, and another 4 half-finished manuscripts that I have done nothing with. It took a while to find a subject that I was really passionate about and was motivated enough to put in the time that it takes in order to make a manuscript perfect.
Q. When will the next book come?
A. My agent is currently expecting me to have a manuscript ready in late June, and the book is expected to release in late July. However, I am currently ahead of schedule on my next project, and I am reasonably confident that I should have a manuscript ready sometime in April. I need to discuss it with my agent, but there will likely be a new book release sometime in May.
