Author: Karen Dove Barr
Located in: Savannah
Submitted: October 16, 2023
Tell us a little about yourself. I am a native Georgian with a B.A. from Mercer University and a J.D. from John Marshall Law School. I have practiced law in Savannah, Georgia since 1977. My professional immersion in the world of crime and love gone wrong gave me ample background material for Burnt Pot Island. Only the historical figures and mysterious abandoned house are based on fact; the rest are composites of the people I served.
After becoming a long distance runner at age fifty, I spun my tales about the magical maritime jungle surrounding my home on Skidaway Island in newspaper columns and magazines. Burnt Pot Island is my first novel.
What was your motivation behind this project? The ghosts of previous inhabitants spurred the story of Burnt Pot Island. Giant oaks ringed the lot I bought to build my home, but the center was filled with new growth scrub. When footings were dug, workers unearthed shards of blue and white pottery. I wondered who had lived in the dwelling demolished for the new subdivision.
What do you hope folks will gain from this project? A deeper understanding of the history that my forebears endured in my same surroundings.
How were you personally impacted by working on this project? For the six years I researched and rewrote the story of Catherine and Licia, I was mostly confined to home, caring for my dying husband. Writing the story allowed me to escape, mentally if not physically. The book was published one month before his passing.
Who are your influences, sources of inspiration or favorite authors / artists? I am deeply indebted to the late V.E. "Tex" Kelly for his historical research on Skidaway Island.
Anything else you'd like readers / listeners to know: I'm working on a prequel to Burnt Pot Island, sharing the story of the indomitable Geechee people who labored on Skidaway Island from 1850 to 1895.
