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Sure, Dale Neal is a Southern writer. He was raised in Winston-Salem and now lives in Asheville. But contrary to prevailing stereotypes, he swears he does not come from a family of colorful storytellers.
In fact, Neal says his are a tight-lipped people who omitted the juicy details from their stories.
Growing up, this forced Neal to use his imagination. And that's a good thing.
Last fall, Neal won the 2009 Novello Literary Award for his first novel, "Cow Across America" (Novello Festival Press; $21.95).
The book, just published, is the coming-of-age story of Dwight Martin, a North Carolina kid who's estranged from his father and anxious about growing up.
Set in the late '60s, it also includes some tall-tale telling, courtesy of Dwight's grandfather, Wylie, who tries to step in as a father figure.
Dwight is conflicted about his grandfather. Wylie's rural mountain life seems slow and boring. And Dwight is appalled that the old man charges Dwight money for the privilege of listening to his stories.
Still, Dwight pays up, because his grandfather's tales of trekking across America with a friend and a milk cow named Ivy are darned good stories.
In his day job, Neal, 51, is a reporter for the Asheville-Citizen Times. A graduate of Warren Wilson College's MFA program, he has written fiction for 20 years.
Yes, he did have a grandfather who lived in rural Beaverdam. The story about two young men and a cow walking across country is part of local lore, he says. Whether it's true, he can't say. But what a great premise for a novel.
In Dwight, with his cut-off jeans shorts and UNC T-shirt, Neal captures the angst of adolescence. He also nails the feel of the late '60s, with its shag carpet and Jell-O parfaits.
Part of the fun of writing this book, he says, was that it forced him to solve an unusual problem: How would you get a cow across America?
Inspired by the humor of Mark Twain, Neal concocts a solution involving an earthquake, Indian graves and a secret shortcut across the Grand Canyon. And he offers up an ending that will touch your heart.
