Interview with Kimberly Collins

Kimberly Collin’s Blood Creek gives voice to the women who fought during the West Virginia Coal Mine Wars of the early 1900s. Collins dives into the lesser-known coal mine wars and tells the untold story of the women of Appalachia. Ellie Cline arrives in West Virginia the talk – and envy – of the town, hanging on the arm of John Havers, top lieutenant to Tom Felts of the Baldwin-Felts Detective agency. And Ellie has a past. And secrets to hide. Through a colorful cast of characters and captivating setting, Collins brings to life a part of our American history and tells us a story that must be told. 

First, if you don’t mind, in your own words, tell me about your book Blood Creek. 

Blood Creek is the first book in my series, Mingo Chronicles. The story weaves love, betrayal, and murder, through complex relationships. The story is set against the backdrop of the West Virginia mine wars, which took place in the early 1900s. The mine wars in West Virginia ultimately resulted in one of the largest armed insurrections in US History. I’ve set out to tell this story from the female perspective.

How did this idea first come to you?

I had wanted to tell the story of the mine wars for a long time. It is a part of American history that has been grossly ignored and forgotten. I grew up hearing the stories about the mine wars; however, they were always told from the male perspective. A few years ago, my cousin told me a story about my great-grandmother and some horrible things she went through after the Matewan Massacre. I knew at that moment I must tell the mine wars story from the female perspective.

I read that you grew up in West Virginia and had a personal connection to the coal mines. First, why is that such a poignant time in history? And tell me about your personal connection? 

The early 1900s were pivotal for American labor. The United States was a young industrial nation and workers’ rights and safety had not really been considered prior to this time. Coal was fueling our industrial growth at the expense of the miners and their families. With greed as a motivator, keeping the workers down was paramount to most of the coal operators.

Kids as young as 12 and 14 were working in the mines. Safety was too expensive to be a real consideration. The situation had gotten to the point where the operators were not even paying the miners with U.S. currency, but with scrip that could only be spent at the company store. The company store charged exorbitant amounts for the goods the miners bought. The workers were trapped in a system they couldn’t get out of.

Growing up in southern West Virginia, you can’t not have a personal connection to coal—it’s been the only game in town for over a century. Every man in my family worked in the coal mines. But the most notable coal miner in my family is my mother. She was one of the first women to work inside the mines.

She and several other women had to file a class-action lawsuit to get that right in the late ’70s. When the mine superintendent asked her why he should give her—a woman—a job when he had men with families needing the job, she asked him why she—a woman with a family—wasn’t worthy of that job. She left his office and the fight was on. And she won!

How did you come to learn about this part of your family history? 

My great-grandfather and his brothers were instrumental in the early formation of the United Mine Workers of America. They were involved in the events leading up to and following the Matewan Massacre. The UMWA has always been a huge part of my family’s history. Union issues and strikes were something we understood and discussed from an early age. Growing up, my family and community were all about coal.

How did you balance true Appalachian history with the fictional characters?

I wove my characters around the mine wars events to give an up-close and personal perspective rather than regurgitating history. I wanted the reader to be in the midst of the action and not simply watching from a far hill. There is a delicate blend of real events and people and fiction.

What misconceptions do you hear about Appalachia? 

Appalachia is a colorful tapestry of stories, people, natural beauty, hardship, and grit. Growing up, I was always captivated by the tales of the mountains, the miners, the hauntings. However, as an adult, I hear gross misconceptions and see so many caricatures of the place I call home, that I can’t not write about Appalachia to help set the story straight. My hope is that through the art of storytelling I can bring the magic of Appalachia to readers everywhere.

Ellie is such a unique character that seems far ahead of her time. How did you develop this character? 

I grew up in a family of mostly women and I took a lot of that strength and fortitude and applied it to Ellie, Polly, and Jolene. When I started Mingo Chronicles, I had never heard Ellie’s real story. During my research, I found a snippet about Tom Chafin. Tom is my brother-in-law’s great-grandfather. Upon further discussions about Tom with my brother-in-law, his father, and his cousins, I learned a lot about the real Ellie. She fascinated me and I couldn’t not make her my central character. She was a woman who did as she pleased and danced to her own music. For Ellie, this was frowned upon by society.

I took a lot of liberty with Ellie’s story while trying to keep her true to her character. I think we so often assume that women of that time period and Appalachia were docile and not very educated. It was a man’s world and I think women of that era had to be strategic and smart to get what that wanted and needed—they didn’t have a voice. They didn’t even have the right to vote.

The male heroes during this time period received far more attention than the women. Why is it important to tell the women’s stories in this part of history?

As with many historical accounts, the women are not central to the story, if mentioned at all. During this time period, women didn’t have a voice. The reality is the women were fighting this war as hard as the men. For instance, Mother Jones was a force to be reckoned with and took the fight all the way to Congress. The women in the coal camps had to protect their homes and families against every atrocity, hardship, disease, and hunger. These women need to have their story shared as part of the regional history. Blood Creek weaves the fierceness and intelligence of Appalachian women against the backdrop of a masculine world and an uprising. 

You really transport the reader to the early 1900s. What research did you do to really become familiar with this time period?

I read everything I could find on the history of West Virginia and the mine wars. I also wanted to know what was happening in the rest of the world during this time period to have some context of world events and how the area fit into the bigger picture. Growing up hearing the stories of the mine wars and the struggle, it felt isolated to Appalachia and the small world I occupied. After doing extensive research I feel I have a much more complete picture of how coal fueled our country for over a century. 

Was there anything, in particular, you were surprised to learn about?

There were so many things I discovered that I had never heard—especially the violence during the Paint Creek and Cabin Creek strike. I knew the Baldwin-Felts machine was violent, but I had no idea about most of the outright criminal activities. For instance, the Bull Moose Special was a stunning discovery. I think I had a peripheral understanding of the players; however, learning about how much of a hand Wall Street and national politics played in the events was interesting. Martial law was declared several times, and there were quite a few US Senate hearings on the violent events in the southern West Virginia coalfields. 

I also learned about other similar labor uprisings across the country, not just in the Appalachian coalfields. For instance, 129 women and 17 men died in the Triangle shirtwaist factory fire in New York in 1911. This tragedy led to the passage of over 30 health and safety laws in New York. Butte, Montana had its own labor struggles between miners and mine owners including the murder of a union executive in 1917 and the Anaconda Road Massacre where mine guards shot 17 miners in the back as they attempted to flee. I think we take our workers’ rights and safe labor practices for granted today. It’s important that we remember those who fought and died for the rights we enjoy today.

Tell me a little bit about the weekend photoshoot at Tug River that you did with your niece, who is depicted on the cover.

My niece, Natalie, is the great-granddaughter of Tom Chafin—a key character in Blood Creek. I knew I wanted one of my own photos on the cover and Natalie was the perfect model. I took the cover photo before I had written the scene with Ellie in the river or even had the book’s title. The photo was definitely a catalyst for both the river scene and the title.

We took over 1000 photos that weekend. We were on the rocks, in the mountains, on the railroad tracks, in the river. We were everywhere! My sister was also part of the shoot and I will be posting more photos from that weekend on my website and social channels as the publication date draws near. 

Why is the Tug River such an essential part of Mingo County? How did you weave that into your book?

I wanted to tell a story that was as much about the place as the people. Any story about Mingo County wouldn’t be complete without the Tug River, which has been as much a force in the lives of the people in Mingo County as the coal. She floods every spring and wreaks havoc on those who live within reach of her destruction. In 1977, the river flooded and nearly wiped out Matewan and a few other towns along her banks. My little hometown was devastated and has truly never been the same. In Blood Creek the river is both friend and foe—from Ellie reminiscing about playing on the riverbank as a child, to creating a secret language called River Talk with her sister and cousin, to the river nearly consuming her. 

Why don’t impoverished areas of the United States make it into fiction? And why should they be? 

I think people tend to have a negative perspective of Appalachia that is not accurate; therefore, they tend to pass over stories about the area. Which is unfortunate for them, because Appalachia has an untapped wealth of stories. Fiction can change those perspectives and the narrative from one of impoverished, ignorant hillbillies to one of a people rich in history and fortitude. The best way to learn about people and their lives, why they stay in certain situations, why they do the things they do, is through story.

I’m hoping Blood Creek and Mingo Chronicles sheds some light on the real Appalachia and the strength and determination of the people. Appalachia has a lot of history and some delicious stories the world is missing out on. Besides, it’s a beautiful state that everyone should at least read about. It’s truly wild and wonderful.

—

Kimberly grew up in Matewan, West Virginia. Home of the Hatfield & McCoy feud and the legendary Matewan Massacre that sparked right in the middle of downtown in 1920. It’s been many years since Kimberly lived in West Virginia, but she does go home as often as she can. She loves those mountains, the river, the people, the history—all of it. Kimberly currently lives in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Kimberly is currently working on The Massacre (Mingo Chronicles: Book Two). Mingo Chronicles is a fictional account of the historic southern West Virginia mine wars that took place in the early 1900s. The Mingo series follows the lives of several dynamic women bound by fierce loyalty, love, and death. It’s complete with murder, love, betrayal, a brothel, and those beautiful mountains. Mingo Chronicles has a cast of characters that won’t soon be forgotten.

About the interviewer:

Nicole Pyles is a freelance writer, occasional book blogger, and Blog Tour Manager for WOW! Women on Writing. She loves working with authors to promote their books and hopes one day someone will be promoting her books (assuming she writes a book one day). In her spare time, she loves spending time with family, writing short stories, tweeting, and watching movies. You can say hi on Twitter by following at @BeingTheWriter and check out her writing portfolio at http://npyles86.journoportfolio.com.

About BLOOD CREEK

“She always wanted more than she had. Would it ever be enough?”

In 1912 West Virginia, starving coal miners are arming themselves and threatening to strike. Wealthy coal operators have hired the Baldwin-Felts Detective Agency to protect their fortunes and crush the rebellious miners by whatever means necessary–no matter how violent. Long-smoldering resentments are about to erupt into one of the largest armed insurrections in US history: The West Virginia Coal Mine Wars.

In the midst of this powder keg atmosphere, Ellie Cline arrives in Charleston on the arm of John Havers, a top lieutenant to Tom Felts himself. Ellie becomes the envy and talk of Charleston high society. Young, breathtaking, and, as the gossips whisper behind her back, a kept woman. Ellie doesn’t mind the gossip. She adores being the center of attention. She loves the parties, the fine dresses, the jewelry. This is the life she always believed she deserved. Could it at last be enough?

But Ellie has a past–and secrets. A husband on the run for killing her lover. A baby daughter living with her cousin back in Matewan. A new lover she sneaks into her bed while Havers is away. And her biggest secret of all–Ellie is a spy.

Uniquely positioned to know the battle plans of both sides, Ellie straddles two worlds–the sparkling, high society life of Charleston and the family roots that still twine deep into the coal dust of Matewan. Now Ellie must choose between luxury and loyalty, between escape from drab small town poverty and love for her family.

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Category: Interviews, On Writing