The Making of Sound and Fury
I call this book, The Long Run, for good reason: Sound and Fury was at least fourteen years in the making.
My fascination with weather and the forces of nature goes back to when I was young. While living in Topeka, Kansas, we missed the famous June 8, 1966 tornado by about a mile and a half. I was only seven at the time, but I remember some things quite well. There were too many trees that obscured that mile or so, and too many hills, but the roar of the storm was there and the strange and eerie clouds were easily seen. Afterwards, the sound of a thousand sirens could be heard everywhere as rescue vehicles followed the path and assisted the injured. This storm was one of the few times when I asked my dad if the tornado was coming, and he didn’t have a reassuring answer.
My path might have taken me into meteorology, but history in general was my real love. In the 1980’s, I began to think seriously about writing a book on the history of Kansas tornadoes, but the timing wasn’t quite there. In 1992, I compiled some notes and gave a speaking engagement in Kansas City, Kansas, on the history of Kansas tornadoes. It was a different topic, but I quickly learned that it captivated the attention of many others. There were a lot of Weather Channel geeks out there just like me.
After the completion of Faded Dreams in 1994, I began my research phase in determining the focus and requirements necessary to write a book on Kansas tornadoes. There were not a lot of resources to compare. There were also other projects and other directions that life was taking me. In 1996, I decided that I wanted to focus my attention on a tornadoes book, so research went full steam ahead to see where it would take me. It was a long road.
The research phase of this project seemed like it would never end. Information was all over the place. From 1996 to 2000, most of my time was spent purely on research. By 2000, I began organizing my notes and compiling what would be the book. This took a non-stop year and a half. After that, I submitted it to the University Press of Kansas for review. They had the book for months, with only an occasional comment.
In August 2002, I lost my job as operations manager with Vanguard Airlines. I was in the middle of a move from one house to another, not sure how I was intending to pay for the new house. And on top of that, I received a letter from the University Press. They basically hated the book and they did not feel anyone would be interested in buying it. I was completely deflated.
I allowed the project to languish for a couple of years, and then one day I decided to go back and revisit it. I ripped everything apart, from concept to delivery. I also decided to publish it as my project my way. I felt that it was something people really wanted to read.
It was still a long ways to the end of the road. Cutting, splicing, dicing, reorganizing, reviewing, and designing later, six years had passed. On top of that, Kansas was visited by more devastating tornadoes, and thus more subjects. I could’ve done without witnessing more misery and more devastation, but it happened and stories needed to be told.
Today Sound and Fury is finally done. I hope I’m right, and you find this book interesting. Write me and keep me informed. You can order here or on the merchandise page. Price is $15.95. 422 pages, more than 100 maps and illustrations. You can also send check or money order for $15.95 to: Daniel Fitzgerald, 220 19th St., Palm Harbor, Florida 34683
