Macromere Press

Macromere: In “Alice”, the ninth episode in He Who Shall Remain Shameless, it seems that one of the major themes driving the novel in stories is fully realized. You have a real-life flight attendant, possibly the first ever killed in a plane crash in America, but so little is known about her, or available about her on the Internet.

David: It’s true. Researching this one was difficult. It started, of course, with my interest in early aviation, and I’d read about this plane crash that occurred on the night of October 10, 1933 in northern Indiana, over a little town called Chesterton to be exact. What caught my attention of course was that the plane, with only seven people on it, had possibly been brought down by an explosive, which would make it the first-ever act of airline terrorism in America. It’s still a mystery, though, because the bombing was never verified, and speculation also existed that ammunition and other equipment brought on by a passenger who was a hunter combined during flight in such a way to cause an accidental explosion in the cargo hold. Regardless, I doubt the case’ll ever be solved. But what sealed the event for me in terms of HWSRS was, as always, the human element: Alice Scribner, the lone flight attendant, only twenty-six years old and on her way to meet her fiance who was waiting for her at the airport in Chicago. 

M: And the fact that there’s so little information on Alice Scribner….

D: Works well with the theme you alluded to earlier. Alice Scribner is a perfect fit for one of David’s missions because she is so little known. When searched for on the Internet, other Alice Scribners come up but not this particular Alice Scribner—at least not immediately. I had to do a lot of searching, and researching, and even then I could find only a few sentences. But this worked for writing the story as part of He Who Shall Remain Shameless. One of David’s main goals is to get a picture of Ms. Scribner on the Internet—because currently nothing’s there. This troubles David greatly. Alice Scribner has even less of a presence than the baby David Michael Ewald of Gladwin, Michigan. He wants to help this deceased flight attendant tell her story to the world, because absolutely none of it’s there right now. At least something should be there, he feels. 

M: As one reviewer puts it, “Alice” is particularly strong because in it David truly feels for the ghost he’s trying to help. 

D: He has to. He doesn’t want a repeat of what happened with Linda Gary, and he knows the Meritocrat is ready to thwart him at any moment. His flying, talking, laser-blasting cell phone companion Ishmael has advised him to actually talk with people, the living as well as the dead, and “Alice” is David’s attempt to turn things around. He does feel on a certain level for each ghost he encounters in this novel, but with Alice it’s a palpable emotional connection, especially at the end. 

M: We do very much like the conclusion to this one. 

D: Thanks. I tried. 

Macromere: Today is July 1st, the 99th anniversary of Harriet Quimby’s death and, not coincidentally, the day He Who Shall Remain Shameless really begins. Any thoughts on Harriet—and “Harriet”?

David: “Harriet” was the second story I wrote for what would eventually become He Who Shall Remain Shameless. At that time I didn’t know I was putting together a novel in stories…I just knew that the first story, “Chris”, had been successful, and I thought I’d run with this idea of a guy going around the United States—and soon the rest of the world—seeking out deceased people who could be found on the Internet but who may not have the staying power they could have. The concept was still in its early stages, but at the time I was reading up a lot on early aviation, and I was fascinated by Harriet Quimby, the first American woman to get her pilot’s license, and I thought, Why not have the same narrator from “Chris” encounter the ghost of Ms. Quimby in Boston? Her face haunted me…especially the one of her in her monoplane, smiling, with the amulets around her neck. She had such dark eyes, I felt I was there with her, in that plane, when I looked at that picture.

M: She was a beautiful woman.

D: Definitely. But what struck me was that she was 37 when she died, and she died, according to everything I read, childless, unmarried, which was surprising to me. A woman at that time, I had thought, would be married and have children by the time she was 37. A stereotype, I know, but I did see a connection between Harriet Quimby and Christine Chubbuck, who had also died childless and unmarried—but at 29.

M: Harriet Quimby was different than the majority of women at the time….

D: She was independent, strong-willed, ambitious. She wrote for Hollywood, she wrote articles for magazines, and she wanted a career in aviation. She was on her way to solidifying that career when she died tragically, under mysterious circumstances.

M: How much research did you do to write “Harriet” in particular?

D: A significant amount. I went to the library and checked out books on early aviation…the one that ended up being the most helpful was a Time Life book…It was helpful mostly because of the pictures, which gave me a better sense of what it was like then, how people dressed, how they might have interacted. Taking in those pictures I got a better sense of being there, and this strong sense of time and place helped me to write “Harriet”.

M: You mentioned you received an e-mail from a stranger shortly after “Harriet” was published in The Harrow….

D: Yes. He wasn’t a descendant of Harriet Quimby but rather of William Willard, Harriet’s passenger on that tragic day of July 1, 1912 and a key figure in the story. I was surprised and touched when this descendant, William Willard’s great-great grandson, wrote me to say how much he liked the story and to ask if I had found any further information on his great-great grandfather through my research. We exchanged e-mails, and I found out more about William Willard. He too has a fascinating—and sad—history.

M: Well, David, we appreciate you taking the time to give us some insight on your process for “Harriet”. Until next time…

D: That would be July 15th.

M: July 15th it will be.