The Kings of Rock Creek
In 2023 I published my first novel. The story is about a Black family who moved to the town of Rock Creek, New Mexico in 1936. I placed the fictitious town of Rock Creek in a remote area about 70 miles east of Las Vegas, NM. It is similar to many small towns that grew during the expansion of the railroads at the turn of the twentieth century. Farmers and ranchers came to the area and homesteaded the dry land. But drought and the end of the railroad era saw the decline of Rock Creek. The King family, Jonah and his wife, Tiny, and their four children find acceptance there and eventually become large land owners and successful farmers, ranchers, and merchants in the state's northeast corner. The children have their own lives including action in World War Two, civil rights activities, mixed marriages, tragedy, and success. The story is told by a retired teacher in California who discovers a box full of treasured family memories left by his mother's passing in 2022. He reconstructs the many documents to tell the story of his family ending with a surprise about his own parents.
