David Thompson is BACK! He was kind enough to interview about his writing and new novel, His Father's Blood (#2 of Legends of Family Dyer) Last month, I read and reviewed this 5-star paranormal tale!
Q: In your novel, His Father's Blood, you write about shape-shifting. Do you believe it's possible to shape shift?
A: I know I’m splitting hairs here, but in the novel, I describe John and Sally Ann’s adventures as Skinwalkers. I believe this is possible as it is transferring consciousness to an animal, or feeling such an intense degree of empathy that it appears so. I’m sure you’ve at some point had an intense desire to change someone’s mind about something or for them to do something you didn’t think they would? Hasn’t it often come to pass just as you desired? I think this is similar. We’re not far from transference with computers, but to modern minds, the technological is easier to accept than the spiritual.
By contrast, Shape shifters actually transform their physical aspect, like the werewolves of lore. (Although I suspect those legends had their base as skin walkers also.
Q: Was there any symbolism in the animals the characters chose to shapeshift into? What would you shapeshift into if it were possible?
A. Yes. To me, bears symbolize inner strength, courage, and family. The bear is thoughtful and independent, with little need for fellowship. The bear is strong-willed and loyal.
I consider cougars to be strong, unpredictable, and merciless. What I’ve read of Native tribes’ beliefs appears split between the animal being a noble hunter or an evil omen.
A bear would be my choice if I could skinwalk. I’ve been told it’s my spirit animal.
Q: Are there Native Americans who mix witchcraft into their culture?
A: To answer this, I think I’d need to define witchcraft and I’m reluctant to do so. As you know, many independent minded folks have died for being different, for not toeing the arbitrary line society scratched in the sand. They called them witches.
Native American religious beliefs and ceremonies were certainly different from Judeo-Christian ones. It’s my personal belief that most ancient societies practiced a paganism that many would consider witchcraft today. I find the world-wide parallels between these stone age belief systems astounding.
Q: What inspired you to write a novel with Moll Dyer? Are you from Maryland? What exactly is the legend of Moll Dyer about?
A: I am from Southern Maryland, raised very near the spot where Moll met her demise at the hands of a vigilante mob. I heard her tale told around most of the campfires of my youth.
I’ve actively researched her life since I first heard her tale—sometime around 1967. This was difficult given there was little historical proof of her existence. True, there’s a road named after her, and likewise a small stream. There’s the rock purported to be where she breathed her last. Most researchers miss the colonial letter describing her “countenance” in an unfavorable manner. Still, we’re mostly left with legends—oral tradition—once the only historical record, and still a valuable resource for historians. There’s a basis to the old truism “where there’s smoke, there’s fire.” How apt is that for Moll’s tale?
I interviewed dozens of local families- families resident in the area since Moll’s time. Each had their own version of Moll’s life, with minimal variations (although some contradictory). As there is a dearth of historical records, it is to this oral history I focused my efforts. (According to the Archives of Maryland, the 1st loss of county records was in 1768 when records kept at the home of Owen Alien (Allen?) were burned. The Archive notes this only as an FYI as “every surviving court record of the period (colonial) was destroyed in the fire of March 8, 1831”). To add to the confusion and speculative nature of the search, Ancestry.com lists five pages of Dyers on passenger lists arriving in the United States during the period. Even these records are incomplete as “lists were not kept for every ship and many have been lost.” A minimum of six known Mary or Margaret Dyers were possible candidates for “our” Moll. (The endearment “Moll,” by the way, was a common nickname for Mary, as well as for any “M” feminine name including Margaret, Martha, Martina and Melinda, etc.). None meet all of the oral history criteria.
What can be derived from the legends associated with Moll Dyer? Although there are some small deviations to the legend, the majority of local families’ oral traditions agree: she was an herbal healer and hermit. Most state her origin was Ireland, although she likely arrived on a passenger ship from England. She arrived on our shores single and unaccompanied and never married. She preferred the company of the Native Americans to her European neighbors. She dressed in a manner of lost affluence (threadbare clothes originally made from the finest materials). She froze to death on the coldest night of 1697 after a citizen’s mob burned her small cabin to the ground. (FYI, with this information, “Sister Witch, The Life of Moll Dyer,” includes all variations of the story using historical events and a bit of inventiveness to explain any disparities in the oral history. I didn’t feel it would be faithful to her legend and her life to have done otherwise. (I added fictional paranormal elements for the same reason.))
I didn’t fabricate a correlation between any segment of the legend and other past lives lived. It’s unnecessary to make her story more real. Her tragedy speaks to its own truth and …perhaps that’s enough. My thought is that Moll Dyer is everyone who’s faced injustice or been mocked for being different; those scorned for their beliefs and tormented for living a life true to themselves. She is anyone condemned at the court of public opinion and castigated for their lack of popularity or political correctness. She’s the embodiment of Sarah Goode of Salem fame, Anne Frank, John the Baptist, Joan of Arc, Anne Boleyn, Rosa Parks and…the list goes on and on! Moll could be the patron saint of them all.
I believe Moll Dyer would be proud of her legacy—that she’d feel some measure of peace and exoneration from the tales told of her today. She was once used as a cautionary tale- a warning to little children to behave, but no longer. Now we remember Moll whenever we’re bullied, accused without cause or feeling friendless. Perhaps she gives us a twinge of conscience when we are the ones doing the bullying? It warms my heart to think so—that some good is our final inheritance from the tragedy of Moll Dyer.
Q: What tribe of Native Americans are from the Maryland area? Are there legends associated with them as well?
A: The Piscataway, Patuxent, Conoy, and Chaptico were local Algonquin speaking tribes. I’m sure I’ve missed some also. The Susquehannocks often travelled through the area- to raid the above tribes’ villages. The Susquehannocks were part of the Iroquois Confederacy. The local natives saw the interloping Europeans as allies against this common war-like enemy.
Q: What are you working on now? Please share your links.
A. I’ve begun a second installment in the Falconer series, a prequel to “Sister Witch, The Life of Moll Dyer,” and made small inroads into a mystery/thriller. As my mom would’ve said- I have too many irons in the fire!
Thank you for doing the interview, Dina! It’s much appreciated! My links below:
https://www.dthompsonwrites.
https://twitter.com/Thompson_
https://www.facebook.com/
https://www.goodreads.com/
https://www.amazon.com/dp/
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