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Coalwood Boy
With Homer Hickam
Author, "Sky of Stone"
Monday, Oct. 8, 2001; 2 p.m. EDT
The author of "Rocket Boys," which later was retitled "October Sky," is back with his third memoir, "Sky of Stone". ("The Coalwood Way" was the second.) Homer Hickam's memoir is the story of a boy who fulfills his dream of going to college but after one year is forced back to the small mining town he thought he left forever, with his future uncertain.
Homer Hickam will be online Monday, Oct. 8, at 2 p.m. EDT, to discuss his book about a young man's journey to adulthood.
Submit your questions and comments before or during the discussion.
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Sky of Stone
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Hickam is also the author of "Back to the Moon" and "Torpedo Junction," as well as numerous articles for such publications as Smithsonian Air and Space and American History Illustrated. He lives with his wife Linda Terry Hickam and their four cats in Huntsville, Ala.
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Homer Hickam: H3
Homer Hickam: Good afternoon, all. I'm really glad to be on-line with folks today. Tomorrow, my new book Sky of Stone is going to be available in bookstores all across the nation. Then I'm going to be on tour for the book. A lot of authors are canceling but I think it's important for me to be out at the bookstores showing that Americans are not afraid, that we still live in "the home of the brave." Sky of Stone is, after all, a story of heroes in a time of trouble. In fact, it's about a town in a whole lot of TROUBLE!
Adelphi, Md.:
Do you visit Coalwood very much?
Homer Hickam: I do now! After the first "Coalwood" book - Rocket Boys (also known as October Sky) came out, I went back to Coalwood to attend a special day for me declared by the governor. I was a little bit unhappy with what I found - the coal mine closed and the people there mostly unemployed. But Coalwood people are strong and cleaned up the town, rebuilt Cape Coalwood, the old launch site, and now have an annual October Sky festival that I'm proud to attend. I just got back, as a matter of fact where we signed over a thousand books, including 800 SKY OF STONEs!
Washington, D.C.:
Can you give us a hint about what kind of trouble Coalwood is in?
Homer Hickam: Coalwood is filled with people who love to tell stories and sometimes those stories are about troubles. SKY OF STONE tells of a time when my father was accused of causing the death of one of his top foremen. There was also something wrong with a man in Coalwood who was known as the Secret Man because he was on the company payroll but did no work - mainly because he'd been hurt in the mine years ago. When I came "home" after my freshman year in college, all of a sudden I found real trouble - I'd lost my college money and I was forced to work in the mine. Then, on top of everything else, I fell in love with Coalwood's first woman mining engineer, a woman who was bound an determined to overcome Coalwood's superstition that no woman would ever be allowed in the mine...
Bethesda, Md.:
Is Huntsville, Ala. officially called Rocket City?
Homer Hickam: It sure is. Rocket City, USA to be precise. Coalwood is known as Rocket Town, USA.
Arlington, Va.:
Can one ever go home again?
Homer Hickam: I didn't think I could. After I'd gotten a year under my belt in college, I thought I'd outgrown my home. But my mother always was up to something and she managed to send me back to Coalwood. When I had to work in the mine (something I'd never done, no matter what you might have seen in the movie October Sky), I really learned what my home was all about and the good, brave (and colorful) people who raised me. Yes, I know you can go home again because I did it, and I still do it.
Washington, D.C.:
Where does Sky take up. Is it a continuation of the trilogy or a flashback?
Homer Hickam: SKY OF STONE is a continuation of the story begun with ROCKET BOYS and THE COALWOOD WAY. Only this time, there are no rocket boys. They've all left Coalwood and I'm wishing I could, too. The timeframe is summer, 1961, a year after the gold medal in the National Science Fair. I always saw my "Coalwood" books as a trilogy. This book finishes the story of my life in Coalwood. I think it's the best of the three.
Western Virginia:
My father grew up in Bramwell, just a little ways away from you at approximately the same time. He's really enjoyed reading your books. I noticed on your Web site that you'll be making an appearance at Virginia Tech the day after his birthday. I'd really like to take him there. So I guess my question is: what can we expect? Are your appearances usually just signings or do you also do readings?
Thanks for giving my dad and the rest of us kids such a good picture of his and your past!
Homer Hickam: I always give a little talk before I sign books and ask for questions. I love the Q&A sessions. We have a lot of fun at my book-signings. I make sure of that! And I sign anything, not just my books (I mean within reason, of course). I also stay until the last book is signed, the last question is answered. I have the best fans of any author in the country and they deserve the best from me, too! I look forward to seeing you and your dad.
Riverdale, Md.:
Were you pleased with the movie version of October Sky? Might Sky become a movie or is it too close to the first one?
Homer Hickam: I was very pleased with the movie even though it very much simplifed the book. I was involved very closely with the making of the film and the people who worked on it were top-notch and proud to be on a project that wasn't just blood and guts but a good story. The movie has inspired millions of people to go after their dreams. What could be better than that?
Will SKY OF STONE become a film? It is being looked at by several producers. Hollywood is a place that's sometimes hard to figure, though, so I don't lose much sleep wondering what they might do. I think the book has a good chance or maybe be folded into a television series. I'll be visiting Los Angeles after the book tour to discuss a television series based on my Coalwood books.
Cleveland Park D.C.:
Is Sky a true story?
Homer Hickam: SKY OF STONE is a true story written in the form of a novel. I call the genre a "novoir," or a novel-memoir. In other words, I use the techniques of a novelist to tell a true story. I like to say that if I change anything from what actually happened (a rare occasion), it's for the purpose to tell the story even truer. Sometimes, condensing what happened, or inserting it in a slightly different place, can reveal the truth better than simply telling the story sequentially. I love it when my readers say they couldn't put my books down. That's because I labor over them so much to tell a good story. Any writer who writes books that aren't entertaining shouldn't write at all.
Washington, D.C.:
October Sky really is an anagram of Rocket Boys. You do that intentionally? Whose idea was it to change the title?
Homer Hickam: Very well observed! Actually, the director of the movie, one Joe Johnston (who also recently directed a little movie called Jurassic Park 3) came up with this. Universal Studios wanted to change the name from Rocket Boys because they were afraid that women wouldn't watch a movie called Rocket Boys. My boss at NASA at the time was a woman who liked rockets and boys and I doubted that but... Anyway, Joe bought a new computer and tried out the anagram software just for kicks and put in Rocket Boys and out popped October Sky. This was on the same day he'd edited the scene when I looked into the October Sky and saw Sputnik. He said he knew that was "was cosmic!"
Fairfax, Va.:
You sound genuinely interested in your fans. What keeps you away from the cynical side?
Homer Hickam: I have always been an optimist. I was even that way when I was in combat in Vietnam. It came from the people who raised me who always said - We are proud of who we are. We stand up for what we believe. We are not afraid. It's a good way to be in these perilous times. When I tell my stories, I think this sense of optimism always comes through.
Washington, D.C.:
How does it make you feel knowing your books are studied by students in schools? Are you a local hero?
Homer Hickam: I love that students study my books and, of course, teachers are my heroes! We've even heard from Columbine High School that they use my Coalwood books to encourage their kids. That makes me feel very proud and honored. Am I a local hero? Well, here at the house, I still clean the cat's litter box!
Alexandria, Va.:
How do you remember so many things from way back then?
Homer Hickam: I have several memory cues that help out an awful lot. I have all of my dad's mine diaries for one. He kept a daily diary all the days of his life of what was happening in the coal mine. Although it's mostly about work, he also entered the weather and sometimes, too seldom, he'd enter something of a personal nature. I also have the capacity to mentally place myself in Coalwood, walk its old streets, go up on its mountains, go down in the mine, kick through the brush to the old launch site, and touch and even smell the place. When I do that, the memories come flooding back in every way, full of color and light and all of a sudden, I'm really THERE!
Of course, part of the trick is to also put myself into the mind of that boy. I'm not that boy. I'm a grown man. It takes me quite a while (and lots of thrown-away pages) to get into the voice of that boy. When I do, though, the pages are written at supersonic speed!
Fairfax, Va.:
I've enjoyed both of your Coalwood books immensely. You manage to capture the life of working folks in a small town.
Two questions:
1. Did you ever come to terms with your father?
2. What are your fondest memories of Virginia Tech?
Go Hokies!
Homer Hickam: On coming to terms with my dad, yes we did come to an understanding. Of course, I had a wonderful moment with him when he came to the old range and watched us Rocket Boys launch our last rocket. But later, as I write about in SKY OF STONE, I came to understand the true nature and courage of the man. He was willing to sacrifice himself for the good of his town. He loved Coalwood and his job more than himself. That made me come to terms with him, if not the other way around. I always knew, in any case, that he loved me. I also came to understand, and appreciate, why he couldn't show it except in indirect way. But I think my dad was great, and also my mom. I think having interesting parents is a wonderful thing, even when it's sometimes makes for life to be just a little hard.
My fondest memories of my college years at Virginia Tech was building a big brass cannon there. It is still around and fired when the Hokies score a touchdown. I named it "Skipper," after another hero of mine - President John Kennedy. That's a book in itself, I suppose.
Adams Morgan, D.C.:
I've only seen the mpvie October Sky, which I thought was great. Did you pick up your acquaintanceship with Von Braun? Did you marry your high-school sweetheart? And putting aside fond sentimental memories (I loved the shot of Sputnik passing overhead as the character who played you in the movie was descending into the mine), is coal-mining viable and necessary in America anymore in its present form? It seems so incredibly dangerous.
Homer Hickam: Whoa. There's lots of differences between the movie and the book. For a comparison, go to my web site www.homerhickam.com. There's lots of other great news and stuff there, too.
Yes, coal mining is a necessary industry for the United States. For one thing, it's used to make steel, not just for energy and heat. But its use as an alternative energy source is extremely important for our country when we depend on foreign sources for oil. It can be made to be quite a clean fuel, too, if scrubbers are used.
Coal mining is dangerous but many safeguards have been put in place to make it much less so. Most mines these days are automated. Miners have to know how to operate computers and complex machinery to mine coal. The days of pick and shovel are long gone!
In SKY OF STONE, though, I tell of taking one of the toughest, most dangerous jobs in the mine - that of laying railroad track under the 5-foot roof. Then my team of college boys gets in a race with another group of hard-bitten, tough miners and... well, there hangs part of the tale.
New York, N.Y.:
How does an engineer become a writer?
Homer Hickam: All engineers need to know how to write. It is the engineer who can get his or her ideas down on paper that often gets the work!
But I was always a good writer because I was a good reader. My third grade teacher said I'd make my living someday as a writer. She was distressed when I decided to become an engineer!
When I came back from Vietnam, I started to write even though I worked as an engineer, eventually for NASA. I wrote for magazines and I even wrote a book - my first title TORPEDO JUNCTION that was a best-seller back in 1989. It was the story of the battle against the U-boats along the American east coast during World War II. I have always thought of myself as a writer. Now, that's what I do full-time and I love it!
Washington, D.C.:
Does Sky of Stone have any relevance to current world events?
Homer Hickam: I think SKY OF STONE is, at its core, a story of the heroic nature of the American people. We are all from Coalwood in that regard. It is always good to look back and remember other times when they were hard or dangerous and how people got through them with pluck and good humor. It tells us that we can also persevere.
Oakton, Va.:
Are you a nostalgic person by nature? Do you lament the past or just like returning to it?
Homer Hickam: It's funny. I'm not much nostalgic! I know that sounds strange to hear from a writer of memoirs but it's true. I just like to tell good, interesting stories and some of the very best ones I know happened back in Coalwood when I was growing up.
Arlington, Va.:
What are your cat's names and how much do they figure into your life?
Homer Hickam: My cats are Paco, Maxx, Flopsy, and Batman. They're great cats and good company and I confess Linda (my wife) and I dote on them a lot. We don't have kids so I guess that's part of the reason. Paco was the first cat to meow in space so he's a bigger celebrity than me. When once I was conversing with a lonely astronaut in orbit, I played her the "meows" of Paco, a cat she really liked. Later, NASA said it was the first time cat sounds had been heard in space!
Falls Church, Va.:
Did it bother you that the movie was not exactly like the book? Did they change significant things?
Homer Hickam: It doesn't bother me because the movie is such a good story. The screenplay wasn't exactly like I'd have done it but every author says that. Yes, they did change significant things but I won't go into them here. The best thing is to read Rocket Boys (also known as October Sky) so you can know the differences. People who love the movie also love the book but for different reasons!
Washington, D.C.:
What's your next project and how long do they take to do?
Homer Hickam: I am right now writing an epic novel that is set on the Outer Banks of North Carolina during World War II. It is principally about a Coast Guard officer who must defend against marauding U-boats (they sank over 200 ships off the Outer Banks, by the way). It's also about some very interesting, colorful people who lived on those barrier islands back then including a horse cavalry regiment made up on Texas and Oklahoma cowboys!
Usually, my Coalwood books take about a year to write. This novel will probably take two years since I have so much new research to do. I love the process of writing, though, everything about it. To me, the most wonderful thing is sitting down behind the word processor and just writing. I also love the rewriting. I think the real magic of any work comes out during the process of rewriting.
Washington, D.C.:
Will baby boomers like Sky of Stone?
Homer Hickam: Are you kidding? EVERYBODY will like SKY OF STONE! No, seriously, certainly folks of the BB generation have always liked my Coalwood books. I write my books to be first and foremost entertaining and page-turners. I think a lot of readers who like John Grisham are going to like this one, too. In it, I get to write some juicy courtroom scenes - mountain style!
Arlington, Va.:
How do you think your education at Virginia Tech contributed to your future successs?
Homer Hickam: I got a first-rate education at Virginia Tech. I went there for the strength of its engineering program. As I write in SKY OF STONE, however, I got in a little trouble at first because I thought I'd already reached my goal by just being there and forgot to study! There are quite a few scenes that take place at Virginia Tech so I'm interested to hear what folks from my old school think about them.
Washington, D.C.:
I have to say that I saw October Sky ... it was an incredible movie and now I want to read both that and this new book. But I just think of you growing up poor in a coal-mining town and how close you came to not making it out of there -- and then flash forward to today and here you are doing a chat on the Internet. Wow.
Homer Hickam: Thanks. I have to pinch myself sometimes, too. At heart, I guess I'm still that boy back in Coalwood. It was my mom who always made sure I was properly humble. And she still does!
I hope you enjoy my books.
Rockville, Md.:
Thanks for the Rocket Boys book. My 12-year old read it -- not always easy to get him to read.
Homer Hickam: I'm not surprised. Rocket Boys is not a kid's book! It's written for adults. But I'm proud of him for reading it. I used to read adult books when I was a kid, too. Every time my dad put down a book, I picked it up and read it. I read Grapes of Wrath when I was in the second grade!
Blacksburg, Va. :
Was Va Tech an all male school still when you attended?
Homer Hickam: Virginia Tech was co-ed although there were only about 200 women out of a student body of around 3,500. Va. Tech was essentially a military college at the time, something I didn't know until I got there. I quickly shaped up, though, and learned how to march and shine shoes and do all the military things. I wished we had a cannon, though, and that's what I spent a good part of my college career doing - building that cannon. By the way, I got most of the brass for the cannon from my dad's coal mine. He had adopted the motto - It's better to give than to have it stolen!
Arlington, Va.:
October Sky portrayed your father as being opposed to your education... yet, how many miners kept a daily journal and read "Grapes of Wrath?" Do you think he missed his calling?
Homer Hickam: Well, that was the movie version of dad. My father didn't oppose me going to college but what he wanted was for me to become a MINING engineer, rather than an aerospace engineer. Dad was a great intellectual who read constantly. He also taught himself advanced mathematics. He was probably the best mining engineer (although he didn't have a degree) in the country back in the 1950's and 1960's. I'm very proud of him.
Homer Hickam: Well, this has been great. I hope all of you get a chance to read SKY OF STONE. Check http://www.homerhickam.com for all the latest. As I said, I have the best fans of any author in the world and I appreciate you all. Just remember this:
We are proud of who we are.
We stand up for what we believe.
We are not afraid.
God bless,
Homer Hickam
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