Publisher: DX Varos Publishing (June 21, 2022)
Category: Historical Fiction, Action/Adventure
Tour dates: July 6- 26, 2022
ISBN: 978-1955065504
Available in Print and ebook, 325 pages
Description Inseparable by David Kruh
Tommy knew the right thing to do was turn them in to the cops. But that wasn’t the adventurous thing to do!
What happened to the three men who escaped from Alcatraz prison in June, 1962? Did they meet the same watery fate as dozens who preceded them into the cold San Francisco Bay? There is credible evidence two of them – brothers John and Clarence Anglin – not only survived but lived for years in South America. Inseparable is a fictional account of how a 13-year-old boy named Tommy helped them to freedom.
Tommy O’Conner was an only child whose mother, a widow of the Korean Conflict, had been left to make it on her own. She passed her independent, sometimes lonely spirit, to her son. But Tommy was also, in many ways, no different than other boys his age who dreamed of adventure. Then, one June day in 1962, his daydreams were interrupted by the real thing when he came face to face with John and Clarence Anglin – two of the Alcatraz escapees – and made the decision which would change all their lives.
Review Inseparable by David Kruh
“Funny, the places one goes when faced with utter
exhaustion and uncertainty. John found himself thinking about a day many years
ago when his parents, flush with some extra cash given them by a grateful
farmer whose harvest had been especially good, took them to a movie. John still
remembered the feel of the nickel, heavy and cool in his hand as he and his
siblings lined up outside the theater. He couldn't remember the town, but he
remembered the movie. Mutiny on the Bounty.”
Three prisoners escape from Alcatraz in this
electrifying new historical fiction novel from author, David Kruh. Based off of
the real life escape from the island in 1962, 'Inseparable: An Alcatraz Escape
Adventure,' tells the story of what might have happened to the prisoners who,
in real life, were never officially confirmed to have survived.
Frank Morris and the brothers, Clarence and John
Anglin make it to San Francisco after rowing across the bay on a raft made of
stitched together raincoats. After being split up, Frank makes it to a
different part of the shore than the brothers, but all three face the same
problem of trying to get as far from Alcatraz as possible—without being seen by
any police.
Nearby, a young boy named Tommy O'Conner wakes for the
day, excited to spend some time with his friend, only to stumble upon Clarence
and John Anglin, waterlogged and exhausted. After the brothers confess to Tommy
that they escaped from Alcatraz, he decides to help them anyway.
Meanwhile, Frank makes it to a group of abandoned
forts and begins searching them for supplies, working his way west with the aim
of eventually finding a car to steal so that he can get out of San Francisco
altogether.
This is a fantastic work of historical fiction by
David Kruh. It is clear that he did painstaking research but he also has a keen
sense of character purpose and an incredible plot! ‘Inseparable’ is my new
favorite this year!
View Trailer Inseparable by David Kruh
Guest Post David Kruh
Fiction Based On Real History
First of all let me say a big hello to the readers of My Tangled Skeins Book Reviews. I have been asked to provide some tips on writing a fiction book based on real history. This is a great question because, after years of writing non-fiction books (mostly histories relating to my adopted home of Boston, Massachusetts) Inseparable is my first historical novel.
For non-fiction history my regimen has always been by first compiling the facts of the person, place, or event I am writing about. Once I have all the facts in hand, I then figure out an entertaining way to tell the story. Perhaps “muscle memory” explains why I began work on Inseparable the same way, by compiling the facts about the June, 1962 escape from Alcatraz by three inmates in a prison-made raft. But here was a challenge. Thanks to the 1979 Clint Eastwood movie and the wildly popular tour of Alcatraz Island, millions of people have a basic knowledge of the escape, and are aware the escapees were never found, alive or dead. This meant, with so many well-known facts about the escape, my novel had to provide a plausible scenario in which all three not only survive their trip across San Francisco Bay, but two of them make their way to freedom.
What was the phase of the moon? How cold was the water? How often and when did the guards perform a count of prisoners? When and where was one of the makeshift paddles constructed by the escapees found? How and when did the three inmates (Frank Morris, John Anglin and Clarence Anglin) begin serving time in Alcatraz? Why didn't the fourth inmate involved in the construction of the raft make the trip? Details and more details.
I did not want to run afoul of the “Comic Book Guy.”
Fans of the Simpsons cartoon know the character I'm talking about. He's the one who confronts the star of a blockbuster movie with “excuse me... but in the thirty-third minute of your movie a background player can be seen holding CD player which everyone knows wasn't invented for another three years...”
It's not like I was obsessed with CBG but I'm glad I dove as deep as I did into the details of the case because not did they add authenticity to the book, but they provided opportunities to create more fully-formed characters. For example, on June 12, 1962 (the day after the escape) the Coast Guard sent out a fleet of ships of all sizes into the bay searching for what many expected would be the bodies of the escapees. What's it like to be on a Coast Guard boat churning through the water? What did the crewmen wear? What was the chain of command? What was the procedure if and when an object – or a body – was spotted? Even more important, what was the procedure if an escapee was see alive, perhaps even armed? I decided to put two newly-trained crewmen on one of the boats as a way to help those of us with little or no experience on the water to experience the thrill of the search through their eyes. I was lucky to have a former co-worker who had been the captain of a Coast Guard vessel in the 1980s. She provided details of being a “boot” I could include in the narrative. I did similar deep dives into the lives of Alcatraz guards (who lived on the island), the main grocery store in Sausalito (where my adventurous teenager collects food for the two escapees he has decided to help), and the process of welding (which the boy's mother learned working in Sausalito's wartime shipyard.)
I think the best analogy is of an artist who works in clay. They often begin their work by building a wire frame in the shape of their intended piece. The sculptor then layers clay on top of this framework to create their art. For the novel my Coast Guard veteran friend provided the framework. I added the clay – my fictional characters of two raw cadets, each with different personalities and different reactions to the grind of searching thousands of square miles of mostly empty water.
When writing your own work of historical fiction my advice is to ask yourself “if I lived in the time and place of my book and met my fictional character would they look and sound as if they belonged there?” This also applies to the fictional events you have inserted in your fictional history. Learn all you can about the era, the people, and where your action takes place. The more fluent and comfortable you are, the more credible and acceptable the fictional elements you layer on top will be.
I hope you enjoy Inseparable.
About David Kruh
A frequent contributor to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald and History Magazine, David is also a published and produced playwright, and a popular lecturer on a variety of historical subjects. ‘Inseparable’ is his debut novel.
Website: http://https//inseparablealcatraznovel.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/david.kruh
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Giveaway Inseparable by David Kruh
This giveaway is for 1 print copy and 2 eBook copies open to the U.S. only. This giveaway ends on July 27, 2022, midnight pacific time. Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter only.Follow Inseparable by David Kruh
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Thanks so much for hosting David! I am so glad you enjoyed 'Inseparable'!
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