Author Terri J. Haynes is shining the spotlight on a lesser known historical event in her latest release. I recently spoke with her about The Daughter of Shiloh.
Tell me about your latest book.
The Daughter of Shiloh is a story of heartbreak and recovery. Lealia Bevard and Milton Rafferty are two Tuskegee Normal and Training School students who have traveled to Shiloh Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama in 1902. They have come for two different reasons. Milton has come to be a representative of the good work the school is doing. Lealia has come to request a scholarship from the Negro Baptist Convention so she can attend Howard University. During the speech, a fight triggers a
stampede, and 150 people are killed. Both Lealia and Milton are injured, but in different ways. While they try to get their lives back on track, they discover some odd financial activity at Shiloh Baptist Church and a
person who died in a suspicious way.
Why did you decide to write it?
One of the reasons I like writing historical fiction is the discovery. I had never heard of the Shiloh Baptist Church Stampede before I started researching for this book. As I researched, I was fascinated by how the community around the church came together, regardless of race, to help the injured. I thought it would be a fitting story to display how people in the past overcame hard times.
Who is your favorite character in the book and why?
This is always a hard question because I like all my characters, but if I were forced to pick, it would be Milton. I kinda gave him a really rough go of it. When my husband read the novel, he just kept saying,
“Poor Milton.” I also like Milton because of his loyalty to his mother and his refusal to let his bitterness at the Shiloh Church members stop him from helping them. I also like Milton because he allowed me to
explore PTSD and anxiety through a historical lens. Some of his scenes were very hard to write, but my hope is that someone will see themselves in Milton, including his recovery.
What was the hardest part about writing the story?
The hardest part of writing this story was the research. Not that researching was difficult, it was what I found that caused my heartbreak. I normally read a lot of historical documents from the time
period I’m writing in, as that helps with worldbuilding. In those documents, I read account after account of Black people hoping for a better future. It broke my heart to see them writing about how education and economic stability would come to Black people. To see so much positive expectation but know that we are still striving for the things they hoped for was honestly depressing. And to have to write that
authentic hope from the perch of current events nearly had me in tears on several occasions.
If you were to write a book about your life, what would be the title and why?
This is a very amusing question. I would NEVER want to write a book about my life ’cause in the words of Langston Hughes, it ain’t always been no crystal stair. But if it did, it would be called the Wonderfully Wild Adventures of Terri. I have had so many incredible experiences, like living in inner city Baltimore and Belgium, thirty years of marriage, losing my mother as a young woman, a miscarriage, poverty, being a pastor for 25 years, and becoming an author. There is no other way to describe my life but as an adventure.
What would you tell your 16-year-old self?
I would tell my 16-year-old self to be sober-minded. By that, I mean to keep my thoughts balanced about myself. I am, to this day, my harshest critic. I have an incredible time seeing what I’m good at and the positive impact I have on others’ lives. I will tell people, “I’m just being Terri.” I would tell my 16-year-old self that it was okay to acknowledge that I was good at things. That it wasn’t pride or ego to say
I had skill and talent. I spent many, many years minimizing my accomplishments and criticizing them instead of celebrating them.
What is something readers would be surprised to know about you?
My long list of food allergies would surprise anyone. They surprise me. LOL. I have so many that I have to eliminate some cuisines because my food allergies are heavily used in them. I’m allergic to ginger, shellfish, mushrooms, fresh citrus, coconut, arugula, and fuzzy berries. It’s always fun going out to eat and trying to pick something from the menu that isn’t going to land me in the hospital.
Tell me about a book that changed your life and why.
I think it would be something like sin to say any other book but the Bible. My faith is so integral to who I am as a person that I can’t imagine myself without it. It is my comfort, my advisor, and teacher. I love it so much that I have an associate’s, bachelor’s, and master’s degree in Theology.
What’s next for you?
I will be releasing the next installment of my self-published romantic suspense series, Will & Savannah Case Files. I released book one earlier this year, and I’m already working on book two. This series features Special Agent Will Anderson of the FBI Civil Rights Division and Savannah Elliott, a social justice activist. In Pursuit of Darkness is available now on Amazon.
Do you have anything you would like to add?
Be sure to support your favorite Black authors like me. Reviews help readers find our books. Word of mouth is an incredible way to share your love of Black-authored books. Request that your library system order a copy of books by Black authors like me. That counts, too. Invite me to your book clubs. I love to talk about my books with readers. Attend book signings. Authors plan these events and want to chat with readers. See what author events are happening in your area and attend one. Support independent book stores, especially Black-owned ones. They are doing great work.
Use the Black Fiction Addiction affiliate link to purchase your copy of The Daughter of Shiloh by Terri J. Haynes.
To learn more about Terri J. Haynes, visit her website or connect with her on social media.
Website: https://terrijhaynes.com/index.html
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/terrij.haynes/