My father, Steven Durham, spent over twenty years writing a novel about the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. He published it in 2021, three years before he died. It could be a great novel, but my dad, already in early-stage dementia, published it before finishing the edits. I’m now finishing what he started, polishing the book and documenting the journey.
Uncovering the Secrets
From the back of the book:
The Tishomingo Hotel, an old railroad hotel that has seen better days, sits on the boundary between South Tulsa and North, white Tulsa and black, respectively. Four of its…residents guard secrets of the 1921 Tulsa Massacre…. Opposing them is the menacing, wealthy, and powerful businessman Asher Dodd, who has some secrets of his own, one of which directly threatens one of the residents. Who will outwit whom—and how—in this explosive encounter?”
This story has secret tunnels, conspiracies hatched in a mysterious hillside house, and a horrifying foundation in actual events. It’s historical fiction mixed with mystery and a hint of Western gunslinging.
What you’ll get when you subscribe
All subscribers will get:
Weekly summaries of the book as I read through it again.
Plans for future edits.
Access to my journal, where I’ve been documenting the process of sifting through my dad’s notes, reading his source material, hacking into his emails, and discovering my own family’s ties to the horrific event at the center of this novel.
Purchase the current version of the book, my dad’s version, from Amazon or Barnes & Noble if you’d like to follow along.
Paid subscribers also get:
The first edition of the book for free on Substack.
Sneak previews of edited chapters.
Interviews and historical documents (from newspaper clippings and building blueprints to identification cards).
Access to the chat where you can comment, critique, and provide your own feedback on the story.
Half of all proceeds from Founding Subscribers will go to Greenwood Rising, a museum in Tulsa dedicated to educating “Oklahomans and Americans about the Race Massacre and its impact on the state and Nation.”
