Storyteller’s words captivates literary luncheon as New York Times bestselling author Lisa Wingate speaks at sold out event at Bosque Arts Center
CLIFTON – True book lovers can curl up in a chair and completely lose track of time, buried in their book; off on an adventure, solving a mystery, time traveling to another period in time or learning about other cultures. And of course, they all have their favorite genres and authors.
At a literary luncheon hosted by the Bosque Arts Center on Jan. 13, a room full of New York Times bestselling author Lisa Wingate devotees enjoyed being in the presence of their favorite writer, hearing her speak about her work and how it touches her life.
True fans, mostly women, coming from far and wide, several of the attendees have all of Wingate’s 30-book oeuvre; one being Curtice Ann High from Waco. She especially loved the author’s first books which were positioned in Central Texas, which were so relatable. Her son Lance was one of the three men in the audience; he was treating his mother to this special lunch. “Nothing compares to Lisa,” High said. “She is my favorite author in the whole wide world.”
Visiting their daughter in Woodway, Lisa and Steven Umbach from Galveston snatched up last minute tickets for the event. Wingate happens to be one of Lisa’s favorite authors, who loves the historical aspects of her writing.
Teresa Danford from Round Rock and Sarah Scheffler from Pflugerville, representing their Christian Fiction Book Club, love Wingate’s diversity, but primarily the strong Christian messages of her books.
“Her books reinforce what I feel and believe,” Danford said. “They turn us back to God. Especially the Sisters book, that shows that bonds rooted in God are stronger.” Scheffler usually listens to e-books, but luckily found her favorite book “Prayer Box” in a local book store for Wingate to sign.
There was a trio of admiring authors, from a Stephenville writing group – students of the craft of writing – came to hear a proven success storyteller. Other attendees besides Bosque County, came from Whitney, China Spring.
While she loves the research and history for her novels, Wingate said the best thing about people reading her books is the human-to-human connection they create. Her book “Before We Were Yours” especially cemented a very extraordinary community.
A wizard of the both written and spoken word, the captivated audience hung on Wingate’s lips as she detailed the inspiration, the research and birth of her book “Before We Were Yours.” The novel – which remained on the NYT bestseller list for over two years, translated into 40 languages and sold over three million copies – is based on one of America’s most notorious real-life scandals in which Georgia Tann, director of a Memphis-based adoption organization, kidnapped and sold poor children to wealthy families all over the country. The book fictionalizes and brings to life a dastardly facet of America’s past.
After a summer book tour to promote her novel, people started showing up at events with notebooks filled with adoption stories, birth certificates and photos of family members and even some of the snatched children themselves – now in their 80s and 90s – came to listen to Wingate speak. These people wanted to connect with fellow victims/adoptees, and consequently get help finding birth records or any other information about their origins. It snowballed to the point that Wingate decided to host a reunion at the Elmwood Cemetery in Memphis, where an unmarked burial plot was to receive a headstone. The plot contained 19 children who died in the care of the Tennessee Children’s’ Home Society. \
This reunion turned out to help a lot of the adoptees and their families. It gave them a reason to talk about it finally, with their peers. One adoptee said he always felt he was alone, did not look like his family, and did not fit in. He now is a proud member of the “Don’t Fit in Club.”
“We became the intersection of all stories caused by this one malignant person,” Wingate said of the four people involved in the significant reunion. While Wingate didn’t want to upset people or disrupt their lives, she felt the stories needed to be preserved before they die out.
The reunions and the survivors’ stories and experiences led to “the rest of the story,” in which Wingate discussed the sagas of families which came to light. These incredible stories resulted in the follow-up nonfiction book “Before and After” which Wingate co-wrote with Judy Christie.
Master storyteller Wingate also give a sneak preview of her new book coming this summer "Shelterwood." Again, this book is based on shocking historical events surrounding children. It tells the story of Oklahoma’s “elf children in the early 1900s,” Choctaw children who fled corrupt guardians to survive alone in the forest, and a National Park Service law-enforcement ranger who rediscovers their story in 1990.
“Each story begins with an inspiration from life, and after that, the writing is a journey of discovery,” Wingate says on her website. “I never know where the story will go, or how it will end, or who the characters will become, until the last words are written, though as a writer and as a person, my heart always goes to happy endings.”
Wingate expressed her joy that there is a resurgence of book clubs, communities built around books rather than television shows. One lady had at least 10 books with her for Wingate to autograph after the luncheon and presentation. And all the books provided for sale were snapped up, with the avid admirers all wanting them personalized with Wingate’s wishes and signature.
“When we read, our brain lights up,” Wingate said. “We build life experiences reading. Books build a common experience too, and we learn about each other as we discuss books. I love being in a room with people that love books.”
Photos by SIMONE WICHERS-VOSS
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a wonderful story about one of the best authors around wriiten by one of the best reporters around