days of little texas

In the Author’s Tent: R.A. Nelson, Part Two

The spotlight’s fixed on R.A. Nelson’s writerly life in this second segment of our two-part interview. In the center ring: jumping on trampolines and sticking to deadlines, spacecraft landings and flying by the seat of your pants. For the grand finale, Russ encourages aspiring authors, and then answers a handful of off-the-wall questions before exiting the stage. 

 

Don’t let the Southern charm fool you: this guy has a keyboard, and he’s not afraid to use it. Step right up, folks—I’ve reserved your front-row seat!

 

(The first half of our interview features Russ Nelson’s latest novel, DAYS OF LITTLE TEXAS. If you haven’t yet read Part One, y’all go back now, hear?)

In the Author’s Tent: R.A. Nelson

After reading Professor Nana’s review, I was itchin’ to get my hands on R. A. Nelson’s newest release, DAYS OF LITTLE TEXAS. I was curious to see how Little Texas’s story intersects with my own, and when I saw this plot summary, yea verily, I was hooked.

Welcome, all ye faithful—and otherwise—to a ghost story, a romance, and a reckoning unlike anything you’ve read before. Acclaimed YA author R. A. Nelson delivers a tantalizing tale set in the environs of the evangelical revival circuit and centered around Ronald Earl, who at ten became the electrifying “boy wonder” preacher known as Little Texas. Now sixteen, though the faithful still come and roar with praise and devotion, Ronald Earl is beginning to have doubts that he is worthy of and can continue his calling. Doubts that only intensify when his faith and life are tested by a mysterious girl who he was supposed to have healed, but who is now showing up at the fringe of every stop on the circuit. Is she merely devoted, or is she haunting him? Fascinating and original, this is an unusual story whose reverb will be deeply felt and which will inspire lively book discussion.

No surprise, DAYS OF LITTLE TEXAS received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. Intriguing, provocative, haunting…I highly recommend it!

 

What inspired Russ to write this story? Enquiring minds I wanted to know. In this first segment of our two-part interview, Russ recalls ghosts of the past, his favorite scenes from the novel, and the Southern-style suppers he shared with his grandmother. We even talk about Heaven! 

 

Testifyin’ for DAYS OF LITTLE TEXAS

Brothers and Sisters, please put your hands together for Ronald Earl Pettway, aka Little Texas–the faith-healing child evangelist who takes the spotlight in R.A. Nelson’s latest novel, DAYS OF LITTLE TEXAS (Knopf, 2009).

Ronald Earl’s youth is scarred by tragedy. His father is sent to prison for growing marijuana in the crawl space under their trailer home. Soon afterward, his mother’s corpse is discovered among the wreckage of a meth lab explosion. Miss Wanda Joy King—his great aunt, a sturdy Pentecostal woman—provides the newly orphaned boy with food and shelter, but not much else.

 

Ronald Earl’s watching old-time evangelist Sugar Tom Walker preach up a storm in San Angelo, Texas, when Fate comes knockin’ at his front door. Thunder clouds roll in, and a bolt of lightening strikes his friend, Certain Certain. When Ronald Earl lays a comforting hand on his motionless chest, the old man’s body shudders back to life. “You resurrected him!” a bystander cries, and when someone hands him a microphone, he gives an electrifying speech to an enthusiastic audience. “Ten years old, and the Holy Ghost comes up inside me for the very first time,” he marvels. 

 

And thus begins Little Texas’s faith-healing ministry. Throngs of believers flock to his services, chanting his name and expecting miracles. Sugar Tom and Certain Certain serve as stage hands, while Miss Wanda Joy acts as Chief Operating Officer in his evangelical enterprise.