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PUTNAM NEWS
Buffalo, WV author to release second novel
Buffalo Author Chad Arthur counts family and his rural West Virginia upbrining among the biggest influences in his life and his writing. He is pictured here with, from left to right, his oldest daughter, Ashley; his nephew Caiden; and his youngest daughter, Olivia.
Purchase this photoBUFFALO — Putnam County writer Chad Arthur loves the written word, his family, his home, and his community. He has lived more than three decades in the area near his grandparents' farm at Midway, and has attended the Buffalo Church of God for much of his 33 years.
Unlike many young people today, he knows the pleasure of playing ball every Sunday with his extended family, the satisfaction of having worked side by side with his grandfather on his grandfather's Putnam County farm, and the security of sitting on the front porch with his parents on a summer evening.
As a matter of fact, Arthur has taken this love of community and strong sense of place and woven it into two novels. The first book, "Where the Willows Whisper," was released in December, 2006. The second, titled "Break Away," makes its debut at 6 p.m. Friday, July 3, at the Eleanor Town Park, Shelter 6, where Arthur will sign books and answer questions about his writing.
Although his books are presented as young adult (grades 6 through 12), Arthur said he believes the stories and life lessons are something all age groups can enjoy.
"When I write, I'm writing the eighth-grade version of me. I loved sports, but I want to write a story that makes you feel some emotion. If you make the reader feel something, you are doing something right. I've had a lot of good feedback from teens and adults alike," he said.
Arthur's first book dealt with a young ball player who had to make some tough decisions regarding his career. It also explored the power of friendships and the importance of family.
The new book, "Break Away," concerns a young man who, in order to avoid remaining in a juvenile detention facility, must leave a large city and come to live in a rural area in West Virginia with a grandfather whom he believes is the reason for his problems.
Extended family is intensely important to Arthur. He was very close to his grandparents on both sides and even dedicated his second book to Jerome and Garnett Arthur and Genevieve Meadows and Emory Craig. Although his grandmothers are still alive, both grandfathers have died.
"People will say, 'Why don't you go to a bigger market?' But this is home. It's not about the money. I have extended family who are really close. I can't imagine not being near them," he said.
While the stories are fiction, and local names are not used, Arthur said he has been influenced heavily by the area where he was raised and the morals he learned in the church and community.
"I draw a lot from the small towns, center it on the small town communities — Eleanor, Midway and Buffalo," he said.
Characters are a mixture of the many people he has known.
"The people I grew up around play a huge part. I use a composite of people I knew," he said.
Along with a good story, Arthur hopes readers from other parts of the country will gain a better impression of the Mountain State and its people from his books.
"People don't realize what good communities we still have. No one is perfect, but we have some really good people here," he said.
Arthur, who is the son of Roger and Jeanne Arthur of Midway, believes that family also has played a large part in his literary aspirations. He said his mother Jeanne was a huge reader and began reading classics such as "Moby Dick," and books by Mark Twain to him when he was just 6 years old. The books were his first introduction to the power of language.
"I fell in love with the written word," he said. "I started writing stories then."
By the time he reached high school, Arthur knew he wanted to write novels. Although school personnel didn't exactly discourage him, they weren't particularly encouraging, either.
"You are met with skepticism. They would say, 'Get into something where you can make some money.' I didn't want to be an engineer," he said.
When he speaks to school children, he encourages them to follow their dreams and ambitions.
"I tell kids, 'don't ever let anyone tell you your dreams are just pipe dreams," Arthur said.
Still, it was at least a decade before he sat down and actually wrote his first novel. After changing jobs in 2005, he felt as if he had reached a crossroads. He told his wife Chasta that he believed he had a book in him. She encouraged him to go for it.
"Write your book," she told him.
"I can't reiterate enough that she is the driving force with my first book. Without her support, I wouldn't have written it. She is unbelievably supportive," he said.
After writing "Where the Willows Whisper," Arthur began the process of sending the book to different publishers. Almost unbelievably, he was given a positive response after submitting his book for only the third time.
"I submitted it to Tate Publishing out of Oklahoma. They picked it up. I've heard the horror stories so I was pleasantly surprised," he said. He re-signed with them for his second novel.
Arthur, who works for SK Transport in South Charleston during the day, said he spends a lot of late hours writing.
"I have children, Ashley, 11 and Olivia, 8. I wait until everything settles down around here and then close myself up in my office," he said.
Although he enjoys all aspects of writing, Arthur said he loves the creative process the most.
"Creating stories, dreaming up the stories. The first book was the easiest because the story just poured out. It felt like it wrote itself, but I had walked around about half my life with that story in my head," he said.
Situations in his life also play some part in his stories.
"In the eighth grade, my grandfather Craig died. At that point, no one in my life had ever passed away. Then my brother left for college. It kind of lent itself to my stories," he said.
Today, Arthur goes around to different schools such as George Washington Middle School and Buffalo Elementary, and speaks to the students about his books. One of his favorite visits was to Cammack Middle School in Huntington.
"The eighth grade advanced English class did a project on my first book. They wrote reports and sent me letters asking questions. They were sharp kids — and my target age," he said.
However, one of his main objectives is to write books with good stories, minus the profane language.
"I don't like to use bad language. When I finish the draft, I read it to my kids word for word. My books aren't preachy, but I try to get my morals across," he said.
Although he loves the written word, he is not so enamored with the spoken word — his own, anyway. Arthur said writing a story isn't difficult, but he is still finding it hard to speak in front of people. However, he knows this is the best way to get his book out to the public. Along with appearances at local schools and area libraries, he is also planning to appear at different state festivals.
"I am doing the West Virginia Book Festival in October, and I went to Putnam County Library, Taylor Books, and the Eleanor Library," he said.
Arthur said he is very grateful for the help he has received from family and friends. One of his biggest supporters is his cousin, Stephen Craig, who is his best friend and manager.
"I remember when he was born. He is six years younger than I am, but we've been best friends ever since. He is an accountant and he keeps me organized. If it weren't for him, I would be lost," he said. In addition, his employer, SK Transport, showed their support for his book by contributing funds for his launch party.
When all is said and done, it is what Arthur writes that will have to pass muster. Arthur said his main goal is to tell a good story, and more importantly, write a book that matters.
"My extended family is very important — they held us to a high moral standard. I wouldn't want to embarrass or disappoint them. I want (the books) to honor my family," he said.
The launch of the book "Break Away" is at 6 p.m., July 3 at Eleanor Town Park. Hamburgers and hot dogs are free. In addition, Chad Arthur expects to be at the Buffalo Fourth of July Celebration with his books. To get more information about his novels, go to: chadarthur.com. One can also email Stephen@chadarthur.com where Stephen Craig can handle questions or book sales.
