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| Pete on the trail. |
Traveling throughout Ohio and West
Virginia, I collected hundreds of anecdotes from Pete’s clients, friends, and
family. I had to choose one story that would entice the reader – the story that
would connect Pete to the reader. Originally, the first draft of Dr. Pete
Smith’s biography, Milliron:
Abbott “Pete” Smith, D.V.M. The Biography, the first chapter was
“Bud” – the thrilling story of Pete’s death-defying ride through the woods of
Milliron Farm, dangling precariously from the Monte Foreman saddle with one
logging boot stuck in the stirrup.
When I connected with the eyewitness
to this event, Ibrahim Schubert, it was a thrilling conversation. I remember
my sister was moving at the time. It was in the evening and we had just
finished packing the last box of kitchen items. I was sitting in my sister’s
kitchen, talking to Ibrahim about Pete’s Monte
Foreman saddle; the noisy raincoat, Bud’s quick reaction, and Pete’s
nightmare as Bud crashed through the woods. Ibrahim remembered every detail.
Monte
Foreman was a famous horseman in the 1950s, writing about horses -
training, riding, ethics and care. He created performance tack that enabled the
horse and rider to stay in balance. Pete was proud of his Monte Foreman saddle
and treasured the comfortable ride. However, and as I stated in Pete's
biography, never mount up wearing logging boots.
The funny thing about writing a
biography is that the writer must listen to so many points of view. Weeding out
fact from fiction can be difficult, especially if the storytellers are adamant about
their story (!). Many people told the same story about Pete and his wild ride
on Bud, but none of the stories matched; bits and pieces were the same, but
none were exactly the same. As a biographer, I have to write
the facts. Writing Ibrahim’s eyewitness account overshadowed the other stories,
even though people said, “Well, that’s not the way Pete told it to me.” Even
Pete exaggerated the story as time went on.
After much deliberation and harried
discussions with my editor, the story of Bud became the Prologue. Next week,
I’ll post Ibrahim’s original conversation and the story about Pete’s pocket
gun, that I originally wrote, but took it out at the last minute.
Pete's birthday is June 16. It was a
year ago Friday, June 16, that Milliron was launched at
Milliron Clinic, Athens, Ohio. As a writer, it was a lifetime event. I
appreciate all of the kind remarks about the book and enjoy reading reviews! If
you have an Amazon, Barnes
& Noble, or GoodReads account,
write a review! Books do not have to be purchased online to write a review, you
just have to have an account with the online bookstore.
Follow Milliron on facebook to view
inside photos and much more!
Enjoy the week ahead! Thanks for
connecting...
www.gmcknight.com
www.mondaycreekpublishing.com
Through
captivating, powerful, and emotional anecdotes, we celebrate the life of Dr.
Abbott P. Smith. His biography takes the reader from smiles to laughter to
empathy and tears. Dr. Smith gave to us compelling lessons learned from
animals; the role animals play in the human condition, the joy of loving an
animal, and the awe of their spirituality. A tender and profound look into the
life of a skilled and pioneer veterinarian.
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