Author Coultas “Bill” Kemp, who grew up in Crystal City and Festus, recalls his Twin City roots in his writing.
Kemp lives in Austin, Texas, now, but he often keeps Missouri in mind when he writes his novels and his “Tanglefoot Tales” short stories.
He uses the pen name C.W. Kemp for those stories, which may be viewed on his website, bbkemp.com.
Kemp, 77, said his “Tanglefoot Tales” are based on a historical book about Festus, which originally was called Tanglefoot.
“About 20 years ago, my mother – Anna Mae – gave me a book called ‘Tanglefoot’ by Howard Litton,” Kemp said. “I thought I’d try to bring the stories to life with dialogue.
“I found my grandfather (Coultas W. Kemp) in ‘Tanglefoot.’ I thought it was interesting that people from all over the world could end up in Tanglefoot. Each of the stories in ‘Tanglefoot Tales’ is about people who’ve come to America and ended up in Festus. The stories are about business owners on Main Street. I suppose you could call it ‘narrative nonfiction.’”
Those who read the tales will learn about people like W.J. Adams, an immigrant from Scotland who ended up in Festus, and Louis Laprovote, who worked at the Devil’s Island prison in French Guiana before coming to Festus. Kemp imagines dialogue for the real people found in Litton’s book.
Kemp, who owns a food service business, said he considers “Tanglefoot Tales” a labor of love and is writing it purely to entertain people.
“There’s no fee to read ‘Tanglefoot Tales,’” he said. “I’m just happy to do it. ‘Tanglefoot Tales’ is keeping me busy. Just go to my website to see it. I’m trying to put up a new tale about every couple of weeks. Each story is different.”
Kemp wrote several novels in partnership with his late wife, Beverly, under the pen name B.B. Kemp. Beverly died last summer. “Together, we published three novels,” he said. “We did that for 15 years. We also wrote for magazines and newspapers down here.
“She was the best editor you could ever have.”
Kemp said the novels are available for purchase through his website. Their titles are “Forbidden Love,” “Black Wall Street Burning” and “The Trojan Stiff.”
“Our first novel was ‘Forbidden Love,’” he said. “It’s a true story of John Webber, who in 1812 married a black woman and moved to Tejas, which is what Texas was called back then.
“The second novel, ‘Black Wall Street Burning,’ is narrative nonfiction. It’s main character is Olivia Truluck, a black woman who survived the Tulsa Massacre.”
Kemp said the plot for the latest B.B. Kemp novel has links to real events that occurred in Jefferson County.
“‘The Trojan Stiff’ came out this summer and is inspired by a true story that happened right there in Jefferson County,” he said. “It happened in the early 1990s.”
Kemp said the plot involves a smalltown businessman with connections to the St. Louis mob who kills his righthand man.
He said he doesn’t find it difficult to write.
“I bought a laptop 25 years ago and just started putting down my thoughts from when I was in the Navy from 1966 to 1970,” he said. “Getting started was just like falling off a log.”
Kemp said writing is definitely a second job for him, not his main source of income. “This is nothing I’m doing with any intention to make a living,” he said. “I get royalty checks each month. There also are audio versions of the books, and they sell better than the Kindle or hard copy.”
Kemp said he finds pleasure in writing.
“I suppose the secret is being able to take someone else’s story and make it your own,” Kemp said. “When I put words in a protagonist’s mouth, whether it be the hated Madelyn Murray O’Hare, the beloved Mother Theresa or someone I made up out of thin air, I take on the persona of the character. I know that sounds crazy, but it’s the only way to make the character come alive on the page.”
Kemp lived in Festus until he was 12, and then his family moved to Crystal City. He is a 1962 Crystal City High School graduate.
“I left Festus-Crystal City when I went off to college,” Kemp said. “I started at Rolla and transferred to the University of Missouri-Columbia.”
He has lived in Texas since 1976.
Kemp still has ties to Jefferson County.
“I have a daughter, Laura Kemp-Henderson, who lives south of Festus on a farm and has four children,” he said. “Once every year or two I come back to visit.”
Kemp said he is organizing his thoughts for a new novel that will be set in Crystal City.
“I’ve been toying with the idea of ‘The Sandman’s Shadow,’” Kemp said. “That refers to the sand mines in Crystal City. I have a rough draft in my mind.”