History written not by the victors
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Since my first novel, THE GILDA STORIES, was published in 1991 I have had amazing success with it. The book remains in print and is used in a number of different types of college classes especially fantasy lit. It still has a great fan following among vampire enthusiasts and it doesn't hurt that the TV series, "True Blood," is spawning new ones every week!
One thing I regret about the publication is an element I failed to provide---historical context. Because the book is a genre novel I wanted to ground it more firmly in historic reality. It follows an escaped slave in the early 1800s who is rescued by two women who are benevolent vampires. The novel is her coming of age story over the next 200 years and the themes of power and responsibility as well as how we create family are so universal and urgent the readership is as broad as possible...fans and non-fans of vampire lit.
However, I'd originally envisioned a facing page for each chapter (each takes place in a new decade) with reproductions of actual historic newspaper or magazine headlines. It would have been a simple way to remind the readers of what social issues were in threading through the culture some of which were underpinnings in the novel. For example in the chapter taking place in 1919, the main character, Gilda, volunteers to help African American industrial workers who're being displaced by white men returning from World War 1, much as happened to women workers after World War II. I would have loved to picture some statistics about migration patterns, returning vets and the rise of lynchings introduce the chapter.
But I just never got it together to collect the material and get it to my publisher. I think it would have given the book much more resonance...ah well.... The book is still in print so I guess I shouldn't complain.
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Evie Shockley says:
the gilda stories!!!
Jewelle, I love love love The Gilda Stories (including the extra story you published in Dark Matter) and I'm so glad to have a chance to thank you for writing them. It's great (and, given the way things usually go, amazing) that the book has never been out of print over the years. One thing this makes possible, to address your "woulda-coulda-shoulda," is the publication of a revised (anniversary?!) edition, at some point down the line. In that new edition, you could include the contextualizing materials you meant to provide in the original. That would be fabulous!
That said, you should know that I don't think it is necessarily the author's responsibility to make all that context available to readers. Shakespeare didn't annotate his own plays, right? : ) When a writer produces a great work, it inspires readers (and this includes teachers and critics) to do the research necessary to get the most out of the book. Who knows how many people Gilda has inspired to look up the numerous historical references the book makes???
Peace.