Why would a Canadian set her story in Texas?
Blame it on Mexico.
Blame it on Mexico.
My sister and I had whooping cough. I was five; Joanne was two. She was the reason we had to seek out a warm, dry climate for Christmas instead of visiting family in Montreal. Since my parents weren’t exactly flush with funds, they packed up my father’s company station wagon and we drove south, headed for Mazatlan.
With the self-centred clarity of a child, I only remember the parts of the trip that had an impact on me. I remember the switchback roads in the mountains. Dad loved them. Mum and Joanne were throwing up. Me - who was car sick on a straight road - was morbidly fascinated by the sheer drops out the side window.
I remember eating peeled shrimp like candy... and my first real pineapple.
When we finally reached the beach, I stepped on a crab and was scared of the sand for years after.
For some reason, I also remembered Laredo. I don’t remember much about the town except the name. It etched itself on my consciousness; the sound of the word was as exotic and exciting to me as Paris or Istanbul might be to someone else.
Travelling to Mexico became a family habit for a while - especially after we acquired a camper. It was in the camper that I started reading Zane Grey and Louis L’Amour. I had run out of Georgette Heyer and had not yet developed an interest in the mysteries my mother brought along for the trip. Dad gave me a copy of Riders of the Purple Sage, followed a couple of L’Amour’s short story collections. Suddenly I started taking an interest in the country we were travelling through. The United States - particularly Texas - ceased to be a geographic obstacle between home and our destination.
"Too often I would hear men boast of the miles covered that day, rarely of what they had seen." - Louis L'Amour
When I needed to research Texas history and geography for Under A Texas Star, memories of those trips floated up to the surface.
One other trip cinched the deal – but it wasn’t one I took. My parents decided to go to Mexico when my mother retired. The family camper was long gone. Instead they outfitted a van with a kitchenette, bed and porta-potty. Feeling a bit envious, I wished them bon voyage one chill November morning. A couple of days later, they called from the Mexican border.
They had forgotten the vehicle permit. They couldn’t get into Mexico.
Stifling a laugh that I would have paid dearly for, I suggested they visit Texas while they were there – and bring back guide books. I was setting my mystery in the old west.
Alison Bruce started writing stories when she was twelve and hasn’t stopped yet. Under A Texas Star is her first published novel.
"...This novel is filled with accurate settings, genuine voice, and unexpected humor. And if you're more interested in the thriller or detective or romance or mystery genre, there is enough of a romance angle and an in-depth murder investigation to satisfy everyone." Amazon.com Review
"Alison Bruce has crafted a heroine every red blooded postmodern female wishes she were..." Amazon.ca review
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Your book breathes of Texas, and I am dying to visit the state once more. This time, El Paso.
ReplyDeleteMy travels as a child were with my aunt and sisters through the foothills and into the Rockies. Perhaps that's why my first published novel THE TRAZ is set in the shadows of Alberta's mountains.
ReplyDeleteI was fortunate that my parents loved to travel. We combined my dad's business with trips across Canada; went to the haunts of my mother's youth in England; escaped Canadian winters in Mexico and had adventures in Europe and Africa. Those travels are much more precious to me than any money my folks could have left me.
ReplyDeleteAnd it's all grist for the mill.