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Question 1: How did you come up with the idea for "Discord
In Harmony"?
Answer 1: My Father actually suggested to me the idea of a kleptomaniac musician living in a small town.
I don't think the result was exactly what he had in mind but I think he would still be pleased.
Question 2: Your characters
are so well drawn. Is the character of Sheriff Haley based on someone you know?
Answer 2: To be honest, I guess Cletus
Haley is really based on my idea of what constitutes a decent honorable man, the kind of man I would admire and like to know.
If I've drawn his portrait from anyone, I guess it would be from Harper Lee's Atticus Finch in "To Kill A Mockingbird" or
the character of Jim McKay in the movie "The Big Country" based on the 1958 novel by David Hamilton. (Funny, both of those
characters were portrayed by Gregory Peck in the movies!)
Question 3: Even though the characters and story are fiction,
there is a lot of historical detail in the book. Did you have to do much research?
Answer 3: Yes. Being a post-WWII
baby, I didn't have firsthand knowledge of the Depression era so for nine months I researched U.S. history during the years
of the Depression, California history (both pre- and post- entry into the Union) and the cultural history of the day. Since
I was also outlining the book at the time, I'd make note of things that would come up that I needed to find out about. For
example, were there commercial refrigerated trucks in 1937? What was the California highway system like at that time? How
many high schools were there in San Luis Obispo County in 1937? Even things that might seem insignificant could affect the
believability of the story. I was also aided by some very nice people in different fields of expertise who went out of their
way to help me.
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