SULTRY CHILDHOOD MEMORIES FOR KETA DIABLO

I’m happy to welcome Amazon Bestselling author Keta Diablo, whose book appears in the anthology COME LOVE A COWBOY. Keta’s addition to the anthology is THREE FOR THE WIN. The anthology of eight books is available for only 99 cents at the Amazon buy link, http://amzn.com/B01D5876UK

Sultry Childhood Memories

By Keta Diablo

The dictionary says sultry means to be hot with passion or to be capable of exciting strong sensual desire. But sultry can also mean sweltering or torrid. Have you ever heard a word that reminds you of a certain time and place, almost like déjà vu?

When I hear the word sultry, it reminds me of only one thing—TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by Harper Lee. I know it’s a silly analogy. Most of the time sultry should remind one of steamed heat or perhaps conjure up an image of Marilyn Monroe standing over a street vent, her short skirt billowing about her.

Not me. When I hear the word sultry I’m taken on a journey back to my childhood, seventh grade to be exact. That year, my teacher placed a copy of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD on my desk with a simple note, “Read this. I hope it opens many doors for you.”

At the time, I thought it a strange note, but then Miss Holmquist was rather strange. (Picture a short, stout woman with flabby upper arms that juggled when she worked the chalkboard.) Still, the woman piqued my interest with her odd message. How could books open doors? Why did I want to read about an old lawyer in a southern state I knew nothing about? And, what’s more, what kind of man would name his children Jem and Scout?

I took the book home and several days passed before I opened it and read the first line, “When he was thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow.” Hmmm. “Ms. Harper Lee, whoever she is, has my attention now,” I said aloud. “Who is Jem and how did he break his arm?”

From that moment, I was hooked—mesmerized by the story, in awe over the character names, Boo Radley, Aunt Avery, Dill, Atticus, and Calpurnia. I’m still in awe of the plot, the personalities, and the vivid neighborhood descriptions. So, why does the word sultry remind me of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD? Because, for the first time in my life I realized that by simply turning the pages, I could feel the sultry heat, taste the prejudice and agonize of the hatred between black and white.

“So what did you discover in this book?” Miss Holmquist asked two weeks later. I didn’t know where to begin. Should I tell her about the rollercoaster of emotions I went through while reading? Do I dare ask why the jury convicted Tom even though I prayed they wouldn’t? Or maybe I should tell her how brave Scout was when she diffused and explosive situation between Atticus and the bigots of the town with a simple, “Hey there, Mr. Ewell, how’s your boy Henry doing?”

I didn’t ask her any of those things, but I did tell her about every sentiment I felt. Mostly I told her about the bitter taste in my mouth over a word called prejudice, and I told her I felt the hot, sultry sun of Maycomb County.

Some days, I wish I could go back to 7^th grade and ask Miss Holmquist if she knew one day TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD would be one of the best-loved stories of all time, that it would earn many distinctions since its original publication in 1960. I’d ask her if she thought it would win the Pulitzer Prize one day and be translated into more than forty languages. And Miss Holmquist, do you think it will sell more than thirty million copies worldwide and will be made into an enormously popular movie?

You know, I think Miss Holmquist would have said, “Yes, I do think Miss Lee’s novel will achieve all those things and more, but the most important thing, Keta, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD will transport you to the sultry heat of the deep south and will take you to places you never dreamed existed.”

And I would say, “Thank you, Miss Holmquist.”

Keta Diablo, Author

Keta Diablo writes contemporary and historical romance. Her most recent story, THREE FOR THE WIN, appears in COME LOVE A COWBOY, an anthology of 8 contemporary western romance stories. You can find Keta on the web in the following places:

Blog: Keta’s Keep at http://keta’skeep.blogspot.com

Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/KetaDiabloAuthor

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/ketadiablo/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/ketadiablo

And don’t forget you can read Keta’s story THREE FOR THE WIN in COME LOVE A COWBOY along with seven other stories for just 99 cents at Amazon http://amzn.com/B01D5876UK.