University of New Mexico Press

Chiaventone's first novel, A Road We Do Not Know: A Novel of Custer at the Little Bighorn (hardcover editions, Simon & Schuster; trade paperback, University of New Mexico Press) was published to rave critical reviews, won the 1999 William E. Colby Literary Award and was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in literature. His next novel in the Lakota Trilogy, Absaroka: A Novel of the Wyoming Territory, and a screenplay Beatrice, a drama of murder, betrayal, and political intrigue set in Renaissance Italy are completed. He most recently put the finishing touches on Gone to Kingdom a novella (and screenplay) set in Civil War Missouri, Absent Friends a screenplay of military-political conspiracy set in present day Washington, DC, and has adapted Leon Uris' novel Mila 18 for the screen. In 1997 Chiaventone was inducted into the elite "Colby Circle" - a group of writers recognized for their contributions to public understanding of military and political affairs. Fellow members of the Colby Circle - who meet annually at Norwich University in Vermont - include best-selling authors; Tom Clancy, Stephen Coonts, Winston Groom, W.E.B. Griffin, James Webb, Phil Caputo, Ralph Peters, Harry Coyle, and Mark Bowden.

TSF: How long have you been writing?

FJC: Not all that long in the great scheme of things. I spent most of my earlier years as a professional soldier and while I wrote any number of pieces for professional venues - Military Review, the Journal of the Army War College, and such - it wasn't until I retired from active service that I started writing in what you might call the long form. My entry into the world of writing was something of an accident. I just sort of fell into it.

TSF: Do you read mostly fiction or nonfiction?

FJC: Actually I will read almost anything - history, science fiction, literature, biography, psychology, anthropology, historical fiction, art history, sociology, politics - you name it. In some ways this is a great help to the writing process as it gives you some great insight into the human condition. I am partial to some fiction for leisure reading and while my preferred authors change some the stalwarts are Dumas, Sabatini, Kipling, O'Brian, and Fraser.

TSF: Whose work has had the greatest influence on you?

FJC: A very tough question. I very much like the way in which Barbara Tuchmann made history more accessible to the general reader. I am also very fond of George MacDonald Fraser's seamless blending of historical fact with a rattling good tale. Another master of this technique of course was the late Patrick O'Brian.

TSF: When you are not reading or writing, what do you enjoy doing?

FJC: Right now I'm most involved with our sons, ages four and one and a half. Outside of writing and reading raising two young boys is very much a full time job. Both are already enamored of camping and both were on horseback before they could walk. We tend to stay very busy.

TSF: Tell us a little bit about your current book. Where did you get your ideas? 

FJC: A Road We Do Not Know is a re-telling of the ever-popular Little Bighorn. I say ever-popular because more has been written about this one afternoon in June than any other single incident in American history - which seems odd considering the relatively small scope and duration of the actual fight. But for some inexplicable reason, perhaps the allure of what could be termed an unsolved mystery, it continues to exert a powerful draw on the psyche. When I was teaching at the Army's Command and General Staff College one of our most popular courses of instruction involved "staff rides" which comprised a study of a particular battle which culminated in a close examination of the actual terrain. Over the years we had done a number of staff rides for Gettysburg, Chickamaugua, even Verdun and the Bulge. As an experiment we decided to try applying staff ride techniques to the Little Bighorn - in part because the terrain is virtually unaltered and in part because, although there are some wonderful theories and excellent historical studies, no one had any clear and certain idea of just what had happened. While wandering through the sage and grass the incident fairly cried out for another telling from a different perspective.

TSF:  How long did it take to write this book?

FJC: In the largest sense, the book probably took twenty-odd years to write but I say that because much of it is informed by life experience - a first-hand knowledge of how human beings interact and behave under extreme pressure and as conditioned by their experience and cultural background. The actual writing, or scribbling down, took about four months but at that point the writing process was almost like taking dictation from the characters. I think it's like that with almost any project - there's a point at which the characters begin whispering in your ear telling their stories.

TSF: Any special challenges along the way?

FJC: Some of the greatest challenges involved delving into two cultures which were very different from our current American experience. To write convincingly about a culture I think you have to have a deep grounding in their art, music, literature, daily life. What books did they read, or what tales did they tell their children? What songs did they sing? What jokes did they tell? How were they raised? What were their religious beliefs? This is doubly true for the American Indian participants. Much of what is recorded is filtered by time and cultural bias so I felt it was absolutely necessary to get deeply into a study of the native languages and cultural beliefs. I guess it paid off as some of the best fan mail I've received has been from Lakota, Crow, and Cheyenne readers who appreciated having their sides of the story told with such care and attention to detail.

TSF: What did you enjoy most about writing this particular book?

FJC: Probably the exposure to the Byzantine nature of internal American Indian politics -both inter and intra-tribal. It was a wonderfully enlarging experience and quite impossible without the assistance of some great friends among the Crow, Cheyenne, and Lakota.

I think what readers will enjoy most about the book is the gritty, unvarnished nature of the tale. I try to give weight and substance to the protagonists on all sides and try to portray them not as icons but as three-dimensional human beings.

TSF: Where do you live, and does that have any affect on what you write?

FJC: I live in Weston, Missouri - a small town along the Missouri River. I live up on the bluffs which overlook the Missouri and from behind my house I can see Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, just across the river. This is a place where you simply cannot avoid a sense of history. Weston was the home of Ben Holladay, known as the Stagecoach King, who founded the Overland Mail and Express Company. Young Bill Cody grew up in Leavenworth and spent his youth working in Weston for his uncle before being recruited first by Holladay and then by the Pony Express. Jesse James grew up a few miles to the east and died a few miles north of here. Platte City, seven miles to the east, was burned three times during the Civil War. Lawrence, Kansas, a few miles to the west, was razed by Quantrill and his raiders. The people who have lived, worked, passed through or passed on in this area seem to fill the hills and plains with a shadow population that has a strong Western flavor - Buffalo Bill Cody, Bill Hickock, John Brown, Frank and Jesse James, Bloody Bill Anderson, Chief Joseph, W.T. Sherman, Phil Sheridan, George Custer - all of these and more have strong connections with this area and as a writer you just can't escape their influence. The entire region is redolent with an acute sense of place and history and the writer who is aware of this can hopefully bring some of this to the reader.

TSF: A Road We Do Not Know was nomiated for seveal writing awards...

FJC: Yes, A Road We Do Not Know was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in literature and won the Colby Award in 1999.  It's nice to be acknowledged but nicer still to get letters from readers.

TSF: What advice would you give to new writers?

FJC: Don't give up. Work on your craft. Read everything you can get your hands on and get out in the world and take notes. Some will advise you to just stick to your desk and keep writing but I believe that this is only a small part of the writing process. In my view a great tale is one which focuses on human beings and how they interact with each other and with their environment - if you have no first-hand experience of either then you're liable to miss the subtlety and nuance which go into creating a great read. Also, don't listen to the naysayers who will tell you that the Western novel is dead or that a subject has been so thoroughly covered that nothing new can be said. That is errant nonsense. If you find a subject about which you are passionate then dive right in and get on with it.

TSF: If you could only afford to have 3 books in your personal library, which three titles would they be?

FJC: A very difficult choice. Just off the top of my head I suspect they might be Homer's Iliad, Alexandre Dumas' The Three Musketeers, and Kipling's Plain Tales From The Hills.

TSF: Any upcoming booksignings or projects that we can look forward to?

FJC: I don't have any booksignings planned at this time. The next novel in the Lakota Trilogy - this one dealing with Red Cloud's War (1866-68 - is finished and with my agent in New York and we'll see where it finds a home. In the meantime I've also done a novella and screenplay dealing with the guerilla war on the Kansas-Missouri Border during the Civil War, and have sold the option for another screenplay - this one a 16th century murder mystery set in Italy. This last project is currently in development with an Italian-based film company who will likely produce it in partnership with an American studio.

TSF: Thank you very much for taking time to do this interview with ReadTheWest.com.  Any parting words?

FJC: Only that I'm delighted that you established Read The West. It is a wonderful read and a great asset for all of us who cherish and help to preserve our Western heritage.

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