When we first meet Lily “Lil Bit” Dalton, she is quite literally drowning. This “lip flapping” event, along with others, takes place in the quirky, yet racially divided waterway township of Arcadia, Florida in 1954.In Raised by Hand, Lil Bit recounts the years between ten and thirteen spent in the care of the woman she considers to be her grandmother, “Bubbah,” and this woman’s alcoholic son, Bobby. As the story opens, it’s been five years since Lil Bit’s mama, Violet, “dropped her off like nothin’ but a bit of dirty laundry,” when on “Ditch Thursday,” Lil Bit is pulled from the river by Sheriff Marin. The Sheriff’s act of heroism leaves her not only with the secret of what lies beneath the water, but also with gnawing doubts about Sheriff Marin, “the only white man worth a damn in all of Arcadia,” who also knows the river’s secret, but tells no one.Like the tales told by the young heroines in the classics To Kill a Mockingbird and the Secret Lives of Bees, Lily “Lil Bit” Dalton’s quest to reunite with her mother, while also keeping the secret of the Massaquatta’s murky depths, takes readers on a tumultuous ride filled with adventure and mystery. But more importantly, Raised by Hand answers the age old question: What does it take to be a family?
What are the main themes of your book?
Family, love, forgiveness, and second, third, and, ultimately, last chances to get it right.
Who or what inspired your story?
As part of a writers’ workshop at Johns Hopkins, I began reading To Kill a Mockingbird again, and became intrigued with the idea of capturing that unique child protagonist voice, one that is capable of carrying an entire novel. And I’ve been told I accomplished this with Raised by Hand, Lifted by the Tides – A Southern Child’s Memoir.
What do you like best about your primary characters?
My protagonist is a dynamo. Lil Bit Dalton speaks her mind and is perceptive beyond her years. Bubbah, the Dalton family matriarch, is very much a “spare the rod, and see what mess it gets you,” larger than life character who delivers much of the humor to Raised by Hand.
What are their worst peculiarities?
Definitely, Bubbah’s son, Uncle Bobby, his alcoholism.
How does your main character evolve?
Lil Bit goes from being a “ten *going* on eleven years” old little girl, to a young woman who learns as Bubbah says, “Being something’s not always about who your mama is, or who folks say you look like, gots more to do with whatcha feel inside, and what others feel about you.”
What’s the principal message you want to send to your audience?
Family doesn’t have to be defined as a tight circle of people, where blood is the only bond that matters.
What’s the nicest thing anyone has said about your book?
Where can we purchase it?
About Willett Thomas
Willett Thomas is the President of Write of Passage, Inc. She earned her MA in writing from Johns Hopkins. She has received artist fellowships from Blue Mountain Center and the Millay Colony. She was selected as a Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation fellow for the District of Columbia. She is the recipient of the 2008 Maureen Egen Writers Exchange award for fiction.Follow Willett on Facebook.
