by Jonathan Woytek

With the publication of his first novel, Summertime, in 1986, South Texas author David Fleming revealed a style of writing and storytelling more akin to the fiction of yesteryear as opposed to contemporary literature. It's something that he's very proud of.

In his second novel, Border Crossings, published in 1993, the author journeys even farther into the past, weaving a tale of old fashioned heroism and adventure amidst the desert badlands of northern Mexico. Inspired by an actual raid on the town of Columbus, New Mexico, in 1916 by a group of marauding bandits called Villistas -- known as such for their loyalty to Pancho Villa and the cause of the Mexican Revolution -- the book explores the psychological and emotional trauma caused by border warfare, as well as being a fast paced action-adventure.

The story follows James Hampton, a seasoned cowboy and former Texas Ranger, who along with his old friend Bud Tyler, and the youthfully naive Ruben Satterwhite, make the trek deep into Mexico to rescue Mary Wells, the daughter of rancher Frank MacPherson, who was kidnapped during the raid. At this point, where the novel could have become predictable, the author puts a new twist on a classic scenario, heightening the tension and action towards the climax.

Of Border Crossings, a reviewer for the New York Times called the book "...an example of how much lingering power there is in straight-forward historical fiction."

I had the chance to sit down with David Fleming and talk about Border Crossings and the writing process itself.

David Fleming was born and raised on a farm seven miles outside of San Marcos, Texas. One of eight children, his father worked the farm until the devastation of the drought in the 1950's, and his mother was an elementary schoolteacher. He went to public schools in San Marcos, and after graduating, attended Southwest Texas State University, where he received a bachelor's degree in English in 1973, masters in 1975. He began teaching English and creative writing at Seguin High School in 1976, and has continued to do so for the past 20 years. Today Fleming lives with his wife and two daughters on the same land where he grew up -fifth generation of his family to do so. "I've never lived in a city, or had to pledge allegiance to any town," he told me at the onset of our interview, "and I'm very proud of that."

ADA: When did you first become interested in writing?

Fleming: I've always loved reading. I can still remember the effect that Charlotte's Web and Gulliver's Travels had on me in elementary school. The books I read growing up opened up worlds to me that I was just fascinated by. I also loved to listen, and with that came storytelling. Reading and storytelling go together in that sense, one feeds off the other.

ADA: Was Border Crossings an easier book for you to write than your first novel, Summertime?

Fleming: Summertime took longer to write because it was that first novel. It is also autobiographical in many ways. Border Crossings on the other hand, must have been fully cooked in my head, because it came out very quickly with very little revision. The way you see it in publication is pretty much the way it was written. It was an easier book to write than Summertime in that sense. I wasn't constrained by autobiography and it also had a straight line narrative which goes from point A to point B.

ADA: How did you keep the action and violence in the novel from seeming cartoonish?

Fleming: The Mexican revolution was a strange and violent time, and in researching it I looked at a lot of photographs of the aftermath of the attack on Columbus, the bodies lying in the streets under the desert sun and such, and this kept it very real for me.

ADA: This book reminded me in scope of the old John Ford westerns. Were those films of any influence to you?

Fleming: Characters and actions in Border Crossings, the details and style in which it is written, these things are very much a tribute to the John Ford westerns I grew up on. I was trying for that good old fashioned western adventure, with strong characterizations, a very clear code of honor and ethics, and the people who lived and died by that code.

ADA: Did you have any difficulty developing these types of characterizations?

Fleming: Given the theme of Border Crossings, knowing that I wanted it to be physical and psychological as well as emotional, I knew I'd have to give each of the characters a borderline. A way of being and another way of being. Then I had to get them to cross that borderline, so the problem was choosing that borderline, and then the characters developed naturally around that.

ADA: How much did the time you've spent in Big Bend inspire you to use the Southwest as your setting?

Fleming: Immensely. When you go down to that country, it's not just a trip in geography; it's a trip into history. That place is so enduring and unchanging, and you're right next door to all these events of the past. I'd definitely say that my experiences with the sounds and smells of the desert helped immensely.

ADA: So what's next for David Fleming?

Fleming: I have one book finished, but it needs revision. It's set in San Marcos in 1937, and I'm very pleased with it, but it does need some work. I'm also working on a sequel to Border Crossings and I'm very excited about that. Other than that I'm spending more time with my family, and enjoying life a little bit.

Both Summertime and Border Crossings were published by TCU Press.