I’m delighted to welcome author Ken Steele to What Cathy Read Next. Ken’s debut novel, The Promise of Unbroken Straw was published in March 2024 by Yorkshire Publishing. It’s described as ‘an epic and unforgettable tale of three generations of a family saturated with secrets, grief, and unrealized, stubborn love’. The Promise of Unbroken Straw is available to purchase in hardback or ebook from Amazon and other retailers.
The book has received some fantastic reviews from readers, with an overall rating of 4.5 on Goodreads. One praised it as ‘well-written with deep characters, realistic dialogue and character dynamics… It definitely gave me William Kent Krueger vibes’. Another commented, ‘This was one of those feel good stories that sucks you in and makes it difficult to put the book down. You root for the characters and cry with their hardships’.
Read on as I chat with Ken about the book and his writing journey.
About the Book
Paul’s teachers say he’s distracted, and they’re not wrong. With the demands of a struggling farm, Allied boots in Europe, and secrets surrounding his mother’s death, who can blame him? And the expectations of his unapproachable father are seemingly out of reach.
When a financial windfall sparks a rags-to-riches transformation, it also sets in motion events that will test young Paul to his core. This coming-of-age story connects Paul’s tumultuous adolescence to his unfulfilled adulthood. Across those decades, he searches for redemption and reconciliation with the ghosts of his past.
Find The Promise of Unbroken Straw on Goodreads
Q & A with Ken Steele, author of The Promise of Unbroken Straw
The Promise of Unbroken Straw is your debut novel. How did your writing journey begin and what was the inspiration for the book?
Writing had been on my mind for some time. It was even integral to my professional career, though, admittedly, that was much more technology-focused. This novel, in part, commemorates the land where my ancestors had settled. My father, and his father before him, lived on a wheat farm just prior to when this story takes place. Though they are long-gone, this endeavor let me retrace those roots.
The book’s main character, Paul, is thirteen years old. Why did you choose to make him that age?
As a coming-of-age story, I wanted to explore the things required for a young boy to transition into adulthood. That age is such a vulnerable time and offers a unique window into the many doubts and dreams of someone stepping into those waters for the first time. In this narrative, we also get to follow Paul much later in life and witness how certain outcomes were indelibly connected to his youth.
How important to the story is the book’s setting – Oklahoma in 1944?
I was born and raised in that state, albeit in the city, not on a farm. Without spoilers, there are a couple of love stories in this tale, one being between author and setting. And the time period was crucial. Following the depths of the Depression, Paul was raised during the Dust Bowl. When WWII arrives, those events shaped him in the same way that they altered the course of an entire generation.
How did you approach your research for the book? Did you discover anything that particularly surprised you?
I lived in every corner of the internet, and I can’t imagine writing something like historical fiction – particularly involving settings that were unfamiliar – without those resources. Surprises, hmm. Coming back to the war, I learned how far-reaching that conflict was even thousands of miles from the battlefields. From seismic shifts within industries and personal lifestyles, the overt effects of rationing, even changes in highway speed limits to conserve fuel and rubber.
Were there any scenes that were particularly challenging to write? If so, why?
Much of this narrative required a very nuanced interaction between Paul and his father. Their relationship was highly complex, and there were numerous times when I needed to walk right up to certain boundaries without obliterating them entirely. So staying entirely within character across an assortment of challenges that they were both asked to confront took time and patience, particularly in this debut effort.
What has been your favourite and least favourite part of the writing process?
Favourite parts: I spent my career exercising the left side of my brain. Writing fed the other half. I loved imagining a new world, one that I’d created out of whole cloth. And in this case, one that allowed me to reconnect with my adolescent self.
Less favourite parts: The patience required. For me, writing is a bit like sculpting. I needed to shave off the pieces one at a time before the underlying ideas fully emerged. And that took more time than I could have imagined.
What advice would you give to other debut authors?
Churchill got it right. “Never give in, never, never, never, never . . .” Over the course of my professional career, I’ve tackled some complex problems on the edge of a new technology. Writing was, by far, the hardest thing I’ve ever attempted. This project spanned well over ten years, and over that time period, there were numerous highs and lows, painfully close calls, soul-crushing rejections. But I kept at it. Hopefully, my personal journey can inspire others who have similar aspirations.
What are you working on next?
I have drafted a second novel, but much work is required before it can escape from my laptop. It’s a very different genre, a political thriller with a sweeping scope, but it also touches on subject matter that was central to my professional career. Time will tell how it progresses as it’s in direct competition with an assortment of activities that we dearly enjoy in the mountains of Colorado.
About the Author
A native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Ken Steele holds degrees in Civil Engineering from Oklahoma State University and MIT. The Promise of Unbroken Straw is Ken’s debut novel, a work of historical fiction. He resides in Colorado with his wife of 41 years where his days are filled with skiing, pickleball, golf, hiking, and all that the mountains can offer.
Connect with Ken
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