Steve Renfroe

Mom’s book is finally available! I’m very proud of her accomplishment.

Steve Renfroe, the notorious sheriff turned outlaw, has long been a legend in Alabama. This novel is based on his life.

After the Civil War, during the bloody years of Reconstruction, the handsome Renfroe became a hero by rescuing Sumter County from carpetbagger rule.

With his election as sheriff, his downfall began. Driven by personal demons, and the fear of losing his wife, Renfroe committed crimes that turned him into a hunted outlaw.

No jail could hold him for long. His brilliant escapes added to his notoriety. As his crimes grew more daring, he became known as the Terror of Sumter County. Unable to turn back, Renfroe continued down a road that would end in tragedy.

This is his story, told as it might have been.

Advance Praise for Steve Renfroe:

“Stephen S. Renfroe’s legacy is a source of unending fascination and speculation. By juxtaposing his family life with the public drama, [Kilgore] adds a tragic dimension to Renfroe’s story. Students of Black Belt culture and folklore, as well as anyone interested in the continuing mystery of a remarkable man, will want to read this book.”
– PAUL M. PRUITT Jr., Special Collections Librarian, Law School, University of Alabama, Author of a new introduction to Alabama’s Outlaw Sheriff, Stephen S. Renfroe

“Steve Renfroe was the handsomest [outlaw] in Alabama. This real-life rogue parlayed his charisma into a position of power and influence in the county seat of Livingston, Alabama before he became the most wanted man in the state. Recreating the turbulent Reconstruction days, Katherine Kilgore spins a tale based on the real Renfroe, but adds her own indelible touch to her novel of love and betrayal!”
– NAN GRAHAM, public radio commentator, author of Turn South at the Next Magnolia and In A Magnolia Minute

“An intimate view of history, a fascinating picture of how it may have been for this capable but flawed man and the woman who married him.”
– JOHN S. NEEL, former publisher, Sumter County Home-Record.
Author of A Lively Mind: The Story of Lynn Arthur Smith, A Gifted Teacher

“My wife and I both have read the book and thoroughly enjoyed it. [The] book provided many unique twists to a story that I have heard repeated often in Sumter County. People in this area will be anxious to obtain a copy.”
– RICHARD HOLLAND, Ph.D., President, University of West Alabama
President, Sumter County Historical Society

“I found Steve Renfroe to be a fascinating character and followed his story with great enthusiasm. This carefully researched book increased my insight into the Reconstruction Era in the South, of which I knew little. Part notorious criminal and part victim, Renfroe was caught up in the turmoil of a difficult time in history that often brought out the worst in men.”
– ELLEN REULAND, author of Leaf Burning: Poems of grief, hope, and moving on.

Now available on Amazon

I’m Not Dead Yet

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Whew. The work project deadline has been met and I’m beginning to get life back to normal. I’m really excited about resuming work on my WIP, and there’s a freshness to the entire book for me now.

My mom has received all of the cover blurbs for her novel, with a scheduled release date of December 4th. So she’s very excited, too.

Don’t Wait Up

Duck and Cover

No, this post isn’t about the government’s ideas on how to protect yourself during a nuclear blast, nor is it about Carrie Vaughn’s brush with lightning. It’s only about what I’ve been up to lately.

The Cover
Yesterday I did the final touch-ups on my mother’s dust jacket cover design, and she’s sending it off today to the publisher. We’re really looking forward to seeing the final product.

The Duck
I’ve been feeling a little like Howard the Duck recently. While Howard was “trapped in a world he never made,” I’m trapped in a world I did make. I’m trying to finish up my outline for the second draft. My first draft had no formal outline, as I forged ahead in pure pantzer style. But now I’m paying the price. I think I’ve finally settled on the right approach, but there’s still quite a few details to work out. There’s a strong temptation to try and keep scenes and subplots I’ve already written in the first draft (many of which “worked”). I must be strong and only keep what’s best for the story.

Writing Withdrawal

I decided to abstain from writing about a week ago. I’d just finished the first draft of my novel, so why not take a couple weeks off, rest the brain, and get some other things done. Sounds good, doesn’t it?
 

I felt like Hunter S. Thompson in rehab. I was lost in bat country. The bats had taken my darlings. Alone and bereft, and growing weary of the Thompson metaphor, I forced myself to get out and reclaim my former life.

I dusted off my old copy of Richard Hittleman’s Yoga book. I’ve practiced various forms of Hatha Yoga, Chi Kung, and Tai Chi Chuan over the years, and this book has remained one of my favorites. Simple and effective–kind of what I strive for in my writing.

I went out to an actual honest-to-goodness real movie theater and saw The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. It was well made, and will definitely appeal to fans of the books. The scary part was that it cost me $40 for two people ($10 per ticket at a 4:10pm show, and $20 total for minimal food and drink). It’s been awhile since I’ve been out to see a movie–is this normal now? It’s so much cheaper to buy the DVD and see it on the home theater.

I finished the dust jacket for my ideal reader’s new book! Yay. I’ll post it when the book comes out.

But in spite of all the good intentions this week, I have a confession to make. I’ve already started streamlining my book. I haven’t looked at the manuscript yet, but there were certain high-level things I knew without a doubt had to be done. So I’m just working on that. With the dust jacket work completed, I’ll have time to work on my book again. I think the high-level work will keep me busy at least until my self-imposed two-week abstention from reading the manuscript is over. Yes, I’ve rescued my darlings from bat country.

Cover Design

Winner of the AAR 2002 Best Historical Cover
To Kiss a Spy
by Jane Feather

Newly published authors are at the mercy of their publishers for determining the cover art of their new book. Most people I’ve come into contact with have been happy with their covers. When your publisher is willing to spend the money, you get covers like the above contest winner.

I’ll be spending the rest of the week working on the dust jacket cover artwork for my mother’s upcoming historical novel–which I’ll shamelessly plug when it’s in print

Her novel is based on the real-life story of a famous outlaw sheriff in Livingston, Alabama shortly after the Civil War ended. Having retired from writing after previously selling two historical romances through Dell Paperbacks and HarperCollins, she is thrilled to see this novel go to print.

We did a lot of research into commissioning artists for the cover art. I cobbled together some concept designs using stock images, with the intention of providing them to a cover artist as a basis to work from. But as I put them together I realized one cover looked promising. My mother loved the cover, so that’s what she’s going with.

I’m trying to talk her out of retirement (can a writer ever really retire?), but she is resisting. She had a lot of fun (I think) doing rewrites based on my suggestions. Now if I can talk her into getting that mystery novel ready for submission…

First Draft Celebration

Yay. I finished my first draft of IA (I’m abbreviating the title for now) yesterday. Now that I have a little time on my hands, I thought I’d start a writing blog. IA came in at almost 80,000 words, and I probably averaged 2000 words a day. I’m forcing myself to avoid the manuscript for two solid weeks until I begin the next draft.

IA falls in the vampire fantasy genre, but I hesitate to label it Urban Fantasy. It’s a contemporary series with a female protagonist, but it’s third-person and more action-oriented. Think 24 (the good seasons) meets urban fantasy.

It’s been years since I made a serious effort at writing fiction. I’ve written many short stories over the years, and even a completed novel awhile back. But I’ve never tried to sell anything. I’m going for it with IA. I have no delusions about getting published. I know that can be a long hard road, and it may never happen. I’m writing for the love of writing. If I get published, that’s icing on the cake.

My “ideal reader” is a twice-published author and a wonderful editor/critic. She thinks IA is close to being ready for submission as a first draft, and that I will find an agent and editor in no time at all. Then again she’s family, so I’m trying to take her enthusiasm with a grain of salt