Natchez resident Valentine publishes new novel
Published 12:00 am Saturday, September 17, 2005
Writing has been a part of her life since childhood, said Bit Wilson Valentine of Natchez, whose new novel, &uot;Daphne’s Story,&uot; has been published recently. The 333-page, soft-cover book is her first novel and represents a dream fulfilled for her.
When she was 7 years old, Playmate Magazine published one of her poems. During her junior high and high school years, she excelled at writing, always getting the attention of her teachers. &uot;And during high school, 1941 to 1945, I had a particular column in the school newspaper on the boys who were in the service. I wrote to them and got responses from them,&uot; she said.
At Agnes Scott College, she won a prize for a short story during her freshman year. &uot;That was very precious to me,&uot; she said. &uot;I was invited to join the literary club.&uot;
The next year, she wrote a piece for the popular Mademoiselle magazine and was asked to serve on their college board.
Married life and motherhood slowed down her literary pursuits, but she never lost the urge to write.
&uot;I’d written through the years, but nothing significant,&uot; she said of her adult years, when she spent most of her time as &uot;a devoted mama and wife.&uot;
She then became a shop owner, selling antiques and gifts for about 17 years.
The story of Daphne is one she wrote a few years ago. She decided to publish it as a novel last year.
&uot;I had no plan when I started this story. I wrote it in pencil. I did a lot of research,&uot; she said. &uot;And I had seen the setting of the book first hand.&uot;
As a girl, she loved to travel with her father, who worked for a land bank based in New Orleans. It was on those trips that she saw places like the ones described in &uot;Daphne’s Story,&uot; such as Sabrosa Plantation, where Daphne lives as a young bride of the powerful Bennett Grainger, the richest man in Louisiana in the post-Civil War era.
Daphne Woodruff’s family always had been poor &uot;except, as Mama said, in the things that really count the most. And those things no one but yourself could take away.&uot;
Daphne’s beauty and spirited air had attracted the older Bennett, a widower, who, even as they began their marriage together, remained an enigma to Daphne.
Furthermore, Daphne could not resolve the feelings she continued to have for another man, whose wealthy family arranged his marriage to a young woman of another prominent, wealthy family.
Still, her new home drew her into it. &uot;The dense woods there looked fresh where the rain had washed the green of the late summer leaves. Only a touch of autumn red-gold broke the oneness, where a dogwood here and there had donned the fall coat of leaves. Daphne looked to the right of them. Row after long row of sugar cane made endless lines across the dark earth, the tall stalks of fertile green stretching as far as her eye could see. … To think, she would be mistress of all this.&uot;
The novel abounds with strong characters, a result of thinking about them many hours, Valentine said. &uot;One character affected another. It came just by what I felt,&uot; she said. &uot;I could see the characters and the setting each time I wrote.&uot;
The author did not like Daphne at first, she said. &uot;She puzzled me. When she met Bennett, it brought her to the realization of what she wanted to do,&uot; Valentine said. &uot;And then the other men in her life helped her to realize what she wanted to do with her life. She became a strong person eventually.&uot;
Romance, conflict, adventure and everyday life and relationships are central to the story. Valentine is pleased with the results and thrilled that people like the book. &uot;People seem to love it,&uot; she said. &uot;I would have been happy just to have a copy to put on my library shelf.
&uot;Now, many people will have an opportunity to read it.&uot;
The book is published by Trafford. The Web site is www.trafford.com. The book also is available in several local shops. Art for the book’s cover is by Christy Howell of Mandeville, La.