**Way back, oh, 6 months or so ago, I began my Twitter life, and was fortunate enough to make the acquaintance of Benjamin X. Wretlind. Ben is an insightful, thought-provoking writer, and a gentleman to boot. I was immediately intrigued by the unique concept behind his Sketches From the Spanish Mustang novellas, and the book to be released July 1. I've read several of the novellas, including Cpl.Thomas Tweed's War. The protagonist in my books, Eb Maclean, also suffers from PTSD, like Thomas, and so I am doubly thrilled for the chance to host Benjamin Wretlind as a guest today as he discusses his character Thomas Tweed..**
My thanks to Jeff for allowing me
to write all over his blog. As I mentioned in my preview, Jeff and I go way
back...almost months, and in the social networking, connected world we live in,
that's quite a long time ago. What I've learned from Jeff is that he is
extremely helpful, always willing to go the extra mile, and he's a great
writer.
Since Jeff recently posted a piece
on his blog about post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) and how it relates to
his character Eb Maclean, who appears in several works including Judgment
Tramp, I asked him if he'd like to host this bit on PTSD, TBI and Thomas Tweed.
Being the helpful person Jeff is, he said yes (of course).
As Jeff, in his recent blog post on PTSD, said, "PTSD isn't just about having flashbacks (the standard TV
drama treatment of the condition) or temper issues, and sometimes the truth of
the condition's effect on someone is quite graphic. I want Eb Maclean to be
real, but I'm learning that every little aspect of his condition doesn't need
to be explained in detail. In fact, most of those details are probably more of
a distraction to the storyline."
Thomas Tweed is one of the central
characters in Sketches from the Spanish Mustang and his story is probably the
most complicated and strange I've written. It's important to understand that even if a particular story
line doesn't seem to include him, he's there nonetheless. When I first set out
to sketch Tweed's life, I wasn't at all surprised to find he'd already been
stereotyped by many other characters in the book. Thomas is a vagrant. Thomas
is weird. Thomas is someone to avoid. Thomas needs help.
With the exception of one
character, Thomas is never viewed as the person he really is: a returning
Marine who suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) in Afghanistan and was
admitted to a hospital in Denver so he could deal with his PTSD.
There is a lot of attention given
these day to PTSD and an increased emphasis on TBI, however the fact of the
matter is, most people don't understand exactly what a person might be going
through, whether they returned from a war zone, they were involved in a crash
on the freeway or they simply fell off their bike in the worst possible
position. We look at PTSD as
something a veteran might suffer, but that's far from the truth.
In 2010, after I retired from the
military, I applied for a job to help returning soldiers find the resources
they needed. In addition, I was expected to weed out certain people who showed
a possibility of either PTSD or TBI, even if it wasn't documented in their
records. While I was very familiar with PTSD and TBI, I wasn't prepared to
learn about one case in particular.
A man like Thomas Tweed.
This particular man suffered from
an acute loss of memory from an improvised explosive device his squad ran
across in Afghanistan during a routine patrol. While a portion of his brain was
damaged from the explosion, he was able to recall some things from his past.
Through therapy, his brain registered the events that were lost as
"memories," but not everything stuck. It was almost like pouring
rocks through a sieve: some rocks stay, others pass through the slots in the
bottom.
This man had a wife and child, and
all three needed help.
I used that case as a background
for Thomas, and I also wanted to know what other people thought of him--those
who didn't know who he was or what he'd gone through. I wasn't quite sure how
to go about doing this until I watched a video from the band Shinedown called
"What a Shame."
I'm going to ask you to please
watch this video even if rock or alternative music isn't your thing. In
particular, pay attention to the lyrics and the video itself. (I'd print the
lyrics, but I think that might get someone in trouble with copyrights, etc.)
It was quite a shock to see this
video and know exactly what it was I wanted to do: portray a man as seen
through different eyes. Not all people would see him the same way, but he's a
person nonetheless. He has hopes, fears, desires. Thomas is really the embodiment
of every homeless man or woman you see on the street. He is a picture of
returning soldiers. He is a man. He is human.
The story of Thomas Tweed is
really one of the central themes in Sketches from the Spanish Mustang. While
some people may think it revolves around the Artist and her gift or the
individual story lines she "sketches," in truth the novel is about
seeing things from a different point of view.
Because if we don't do this, we'll
never know the truth: we're not all the same.
(And I'll tell you a little
secret: it was my grandmother who taught me about the license plates.
Incidentally, two of my previously held plates appear in this story. If you're
not sure what I mean, you should pick up Sketches from the Spanish Mustang and find
out.)
BIOGRAPHY
Benjamin X. Wretlind, the author of Castles: A Fictional Memoir of a Girl with Scissors and Sketches from the Spanish Mustang, has been called "a Pulitzer-caliber writer" with "a unique American voice." Aside from novels, he has been published in many magazines throughout the past 10 years.SKETCHES FROM THE SPANISH MUSTANG
With a pencil, a sketchbook and a keen eye for the details of the soul, the woman's lines and smudges, curves and tone reveal the stories behind her subjects. Life emerges on the page รณ vengeance, salvation, love and death. The artist's subjects fight for survival, only to be saved in the sketches of a woman with a gift . . . and a curse.
International Book Award winner Gregory G. Allen calls the book a "unique journey that rips away the outer layers of people allowing us to stare into their souls where humanity is universal: no matter the genre of writing."
Sketches from the Spanish Mustang will be available at all major online retailers for $14.95 on July 1st, 2012. It will also be presented in an electronic format (e.g. Kindle, nook) for $5.95.
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