Did you always want to be a writer?
What are some of your favorite books and writers? Why?
Have you also written fiction and, if so, explain how the process is different for you?
Was there a moment that led you to begin writing non-fiction?
How did you first become interesting in the topic of your book and what made you want to write a book about it to tell a particular story?
How long did research for this book take and did you know at the beginning that it would take the direction that it did? What did you learn from the process of writing it?
Were there any surprises when you were researching the book?
What about the topic of the book do you want readers to come away understanding?
If you could choose one book to read over and over for the rest of your life, which book would you choose?
From your perspective, what has been your greatest accomplishment in life?
Are you working on anything new and, if so, what can you tell us about it?
a discussion with Tim Darnell
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Actually, I studied political science in college, with the goal of one day going into politics and elective office. When I graduated in 1983, I got a job as a news and business reporter for a metro Atlanta weekly, making $165 a week. It cost me more to work there than I made, but I loved it. And I've been hooked ever since, even though I actually did run for state representative in 1988. Writing has always come fairly easily for me. You remember those school book reports we used to do, where we had to turn in an outline before we wrote the paper? I hated doing those; it was always easier for me to just sit down and start writing. Writing and reporting is the best profession you can find to meet interesting and famous people. You have the feeling that, at the end of the day, you actually are a bit more knowledgeable and have a little more insight into the world than the average person on the street.
I enjoy sports biographies of any kind, particularly if I can get them autographed! Baseball books, as you might imagine, are great, but I also enjoy autobiographies from professional boxers, wrestlers and martial artists. My favorite political autobiographies are of the late U.S. Senator Hubert Humphrey, The Education of a Public Man, and current U.S. Senator John McCain's Faith of My Fathers. I have a wide variety of books on various historical figures, from Scotland's William Wallace and Rome's Julius Caesar to our own Teddy Roosevelt and Sam Houston, and everyone in between! History of any sort is a huge interest of mine. To understand and appreciate the present, we have to understand and appreciate the past. When it comes to fiction, I like Tom Clancy novels, because of their realistic geopolitical and military storylines. I like John Jakes' historical fiction as well, particularly the Kent family chronicles. As a kid, I grew up as a big fan of gothic horror novels, such as Shelley's Frankenstein and Stoker's Dracula. I also enjoy some science fiction.
I've never had any fiction published, but I am continuing to give it a shot. I've developed various outlines and synopses for historical novels that I'd like to write and sell, and I've written several sample chapters for them. Writing fiction gives you a lot of room to let your imagination run wild, and as a past newspaper and magazine writer, it was hard for me to do that at first. Now, I'm having a lot of fun in my spare time developing characters and interesting plots and storylines.
Professionally, I've never written anything other than non-fiction. Non-fiction is dictated by the subject material, and so it's a little more grounding to rely on those sources than your own imagination.
I began researching the Atlanta Crackers for a magazine article; unfortunately, the magazine went out of business before my article was published, so a lot of people missed out on the greatest baseball article ever written! Anyway, once I found out that the Crackers were one of minor league baseball's most successful franchises in history, I was amazed no one had ever written a book about them. There are books out there on tons of other baseball teams, but not the Crackers. I love history and also a cool and fun challenge, something that not many other people would undertake. So, that's how it all began.
I thought it would take about a year to do the research and the writing, and I was pretty much correct. I had the idea of presenting a season-by-season, chronological story of the team, and that's what happened. However, I didn't anticipate needing a sentimental introduction and conclusion to the book until it was completed. Something was needed to start off the tale and wind it up in the same vein, and that's where I had some fun writing some colorful prose.
Yes, that so many people remember and are fans of the Crackers! A lot of writers, reporters, ball players and other sources told me that the only Atlanta team that people are interested in is the Braves, and that no one remembers the great Crackers! That's not true at all; there are thousands of fans out there, both locally, nationally and internationally, who are interested in and remember this outstanding franchise. I was also surprised that I developed a kind of bond with the late Earl Mann, who was owner of the Crackers and one of the greatest sports figures in Atlanta history, even though I never met him, he passed away long before I began researching the book. Owning a professional baseball team myself last year, made me appreciate the quality of the man even more. Personally interviewing the players who were on the team was especially memorable. And of course, I got all of their autographs!
The main thing I want to convey to readers is that at one time, in our not-so-distant past, baseball franchises did indeed serve their communities. Players were loyal to owners, teams and cities, and that loyalty was returned. Believe it or not, baseball players were once humble and gracious, and they did indeed play for the love of the greatest game ever invented, not to build a bottomless financial reservoir. There was a time when players didn't charge kids for their autograph, and owners stood up for what is right and good. Some were truly concerned about what was best for the game, not for what was best for their bank account. Fans of our modern-day game may have a hard time believing this, but it's true.
The Book of Virtues, by William Bennett. It has everything -- compelling stories with strong messages, historical lessons, and intellectual insights, all in a volume of both literary and factually based tales and allegories.
Just being a writer, I suppose. People say there is no such thing as time travel. But they're wrong. Writing is how we communicate with future generations. There are stories and books written hundreds and thousands of years ago that are still being popularly read today. I'd like to think that maybe after I'm gone, someone will pick up something I wrote and be moved by it, in some way. That's kind of cool.
I'm working on a project for Hill Street Press dealing with Georgia Tech, and I'd also love to do a history of Georgia Tech football for Hill Street as well. On the side, I'm working on a historical novel/screenplay based on the life of Jacques DeMolay, one of the greatest warrior knights in medieval history, and another personal hero of mine.