Lexington, KY - With a background in computer engineering, Chevy Chaser neighbor and Lexington native Charles Roe found work with the FBI as a code-cracker, with NATO working with defensive missile systems, and with Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory designing combat system equipment for the Navy.
Now retired, Roe is back in Lexington living the "writer's life" and establishing himself as a successful regional author with a prolific catalogue of Kentuckiana literature -
all written on machines much smaller than he used to work with.
His latest book, "A Fort on the Chenoa," was published in May.
As somebody with a background in computers, what surprises you most about the electronic devices today?
When I began working with computers, they had an aura of mystery about them. Now small children can deal with them. A room full of electronics has been replaced by a handheld device that is many times more powerful than the huge mainframes we worked with in the late '50s.
While working for organizations like NATO and the FBI, did you ever have to deal with Kentucky stereotypes?
I never lost my Kentucky accent and sometimes was taunted as sounding like Gomer Pyle. I was horrified to hear the sound of my voice recorded. Still, I had to overcome this to give many varied technical presentations. One of the reasons I most enjoyed working with the international military community in NATO was that most of them didn't realize I had an accent at all.
The draft for your first novel, "Thistles," was written in the late '60s, which you revived in 2000. What's it like coming back to a composition after over 30 years?
I wrote "Thistles" in long hand. When I revisited it, I moved it to my PC, and the entry became the second draft. I discovered when I went back to work on this novel that the PC and word processor was a valuable tool. No more writing long hand and then typing the finished draft.
What's your new book, "A Fort on the Chenoa," about?
In the waning days of the Revolutionary War, Kike Stuart leads his family from North Carolina to resettle in Kentucky. They establish their station on a river they call Kentucky, but the Shawnee call it Chenoa. They are few in number and they face the hostility of the American Indians and the hardships of the land, lush as it is.
Most of the action takes place in the years 1780 -
1782, so it is set against the background of the tragedies at Ruddle's and Martin's Forts and the battles of Bryan's Station and Blue Licks. It is populated with the historic figures of that time.
What sort of research do you do when preparing your historical fictions?
I like to read what other writers have written of the times. I want to be careful to get my facts straight, so I usually delve into histories and old volumes such as reside in the Kentucky Room of the library. Placing an incident at the wrong site or at the wrong time is sure to bring the wrath of your readers down on you. Of course, sometimes you can't let the facts get in the way of a good story. When I get going well on a story, I can usually draft it in three or four months, but the research sometimes takes many times as long before I am ready to write.
What do you like most about living the "writer's life" these days?
I like the fact that there is no nine-to-five job competing for my time. However when working on a novel, I bring the discipline of writing in the early mornings (and every morning) to the task. I also like that Print on Demand (POD) has made it easier for a devoted writer to break into print.
I enjoy the camaraderie of fellow writers. "Nobody likes to write, but everybody loves to have written," I have heard. I agree and urge others to let out the stories
they have pent up inside them.