Writing a Saga

By Debby Giusti

Growing up, I loved to read James Michener’s stories. His books were epic sagas, some more than 1,000 pages long. The stories spanned generations and traced the history of not only his fictional characters but also the setting in which each of the stories took place. Hawaii was a favorite of mine, along with The Source, Centennial, Chesapeake and Caravans.

The old city gates of St. Augustine.

Readers today favor shorter reads, and I daresay most publishers would probably reject a submission as expansive as Michener’s work. Although if an excessively long manuscript was particularly engaging, an editor might encourage the writer to cut the large work into a number of stories that could be marketed as a series.

Shops along the historic district in
St. Augustine.

My husband and I spent last week touring St. Augustine, Florida, the oldest continuing European-established city in the New World. With its 453 year history, St. Augustine would be the perfect setting for a saga or series of stories. I’ll share some of the information I learned, then let’s brainstorm story ideas and characters who could be featured in a Michener-like saga or a series of interrelated stories set in the historical city.

The stones Ponce de Leon arranged in the shape of the
cross when he landed in La Florida.

Juan Ponce de Leon explored the coast of Florida and went ashore near St. Augustine in 1513. He named the area La Florida after the beautiful flowers growing there.  The local Timucua Indians, who welcomed Ponce, were thought to get their stamina and strength from drinking the fresh, crystal clear spring water later dubbed “The Fountain of Youth.”

A statue of Ponce de Leon in front of the Lightner Museum,
formerly the Alcazar Hotel. The famed explorer was
only 5' 2" tall.

In 1565, the Spanish monarchy tasked Admiral Pedro Menendez de Aviles with establishing a defensive post in the New World. On September 8 of that same year, he landed in Florida and named the area St. Augustine after St. Augustine of Hippo, whose feast day had fallen a few days earlier. A Catholic priest traveling with Menendez celebrated Mass and consecrated the land to God. Following the service, a Thanksgiving dinner was served to the families and soldiers traveling with the admiral as well as the Timucua Indians, who warmly embraced the newcomers. Each of the Florida historians with whom we spoke pointed out that St. Augustine was founded years before Jamestown and Plymouth. They also boasted that the first Thanksgiving meal took place in Florida.

The spot where Menendez came ashore and the site of the first
Catholic Mass celebrated in the New World

Spain wasn’t the only country interested in La Florida. Britain and France also vied for control of the coastal peninsula.  They warred against the Spanish, and each time the area was overtaken by a new contingent, St Augustine was burned and the inhabitants fled. Sir Francis Drake attacked and plundered the settlement in 1586. Thirteen years later, a fire caused untold destruction, followed by a hurricane in 1599 that flooded the town.

The Castillo de San Marcos

In 1672 the Spanish began construction of the Castillo de San Marcos, a fort made of newly discovered coquina, quarried on nearby Anastasia Island. Made up of shells, the porous coquina withstood cannon fire and provided a sturdy, fire-resistant fort for the Spanish.

The Oldest House, St. Augustine. Archaeology shows continuous
occupancy of this site from the 1650s to the present day.

The oldest house in St Augustine with continuous occupancy dates from the 1650s. A fire destroyed the structure in 1702, but it was quickly rebuilt and occupied by the Gonzalez family, who lived in the two-room dwelling with their ten children. In 1763, Joseph and Mary Peavett bought and expanded the home and turned the first floor into a tavern and general store. In addition to running their businesses, Mary was the midwife in town, and Joseph worked at the military barracks located across from their tavern. After Joseph’s death, Mary remarried a much younger man who ran through her money before he died. Mary lived her final years on land she owned outside of town. Interestingly, Eugenia Price fictionalized her story in the book, Maria.

The Spanish Military Hospital

A tour of the Spanish Military Hospital provides an interesting look at the medical practices of the late 1700s and early 1800s. Amputation was performed on wounded limbs to prevent gangrene, which if left untreated would lead to sepsis and death. An arm could be removed in 2 to 3 minutes and a leg in 4 to 6 minutes. Speed was important to minimize blood loss and to keep the patient from going into shock.

  

A newly developed vice-like tourniquet
developed in France
clamped off the flow of blood.

While only 30% of patients survived surgery in most medical facilities at the time, the Spanish had a 70% to 75% survival rate due to the sanitary procedures they routinely used. Bacteria had not yet been identified, but the surgeons washed their hands and instruments between operations. Patients’ soiled clothing was laundered soon after they arrived at the hospital. The floors were scrubbed with hot water and vinegar, and the mattress tick, or covering, was washed and the Spanish moss filling burned and new boiled moss inserted for each new patient.

 

Surgical instruments.

The apothecary next door stocked horehound and mustard seed for coughs, white willow bark (from which aspirin is derived) to ease headaches, cloves for toothaches, rose hips for scurvy and ginger for nausea. Medicinal herbs grew in the nearby garden, such as comfrey, a long-leafed plant that looks somewhat like a hosta. The leaves of the comfrey plant were wrapped around sprained legs or ankles to decrease swelling and inflammation.

The Apothecary.

In 1819, the Spanish ceded Florida to the United States, and in 1845 Florida became a state. Fast forward to the 1880s when wealthy industrialist Henry Flagler, a partner with John D. Rockefeller in Standard Oil, built the grand Ponce de Leon Hotel in St Augustine. The very rich wintered there from January to Easter for a sum of $3,000. Across the street, Flagler built the Alcazar Hotel for middle-class vacationers. The smaller hotel had a spa, sauna and the largest indoor pool in existence at that time. Guests of the Ponce could use the Alcazar facilities, but the less wealthy were not allowed access to the Ponce.

The Ponce de Leon Hotel with its Spanish Renaissance architecture.
The hotel was built and decorated within 18 months.

The Ponce closed in 1967 and is now the home of Flagler College. The guest accommodations were converted into dorm rooms, and the students eat in an ornately decorated dining hall where the wealthy in times past socialized. The Alcazar currently houses the Lightner Museum.

Beautiful Tiffany glass windows in the dining room.
Flagler ate in this section of the room when he dined at the Ponce.
Close friends and people of prominence had the privilege of sitting near
his table.

Today St. Augustine is a bustling city with an interesting historic district. Cross over Lion Bridge to Anastasia Island and St. Augustine Beach where the lighthouse—towering 165 feet above sea level—helps sailors navigate the coastal waters. Constructed in 1874, the first lighthouse keeper fell to his death while painting the structure. His wife continued to run the lighthouse for years following her husband’s tragic accident. One of the subsequent lighthouse keepers and his wife enjoyed entertaining and their pretty daughters were known to attract the eye of many handsome young men, providing more fodder for our saga.

The exquisite cupola in the entrance of the Ponce de Leon Hotel,
now Flagler College.

Where should our story begin? At Menendez’s landing with the families who sailed with him from Spain? Or with the Timucua Indians who welcomed Ponce de Leon? Should we add a swashbuckling pirate or two who sailed the coast and came ashore at times to ransack the town?

The St. Augustine Lighthouse. Yes, I
climbed the 219 steps to the top.

Let’s weave the various cultures into an interesting mix of characters. A Spanish innkeeper’s barmaid who loves a British soldier. A blacksmith interested in a wealthy landowner's daughter. 

The ladies parlor in the Ponce. Edison wired the hotel with
electricity and created the ornate clock sealed in the fireplace
over the mantel.

Would the Spanish surgeon at the military hospital fall in love with his hard working nurse? Or would he have eyes for the Colonel’s daughter? Shall we include a young woman who longs to apprentice at the apothecary? Who’s standing in her way? One of the doctors or a suitor who wants to apprentice as well?

The fountain at the entrance to the Ponce. The frogs
form a sundial. The photo was taken at 10 AM.
Can you see the sun's shadow showing the time?

As our saga moves forward, would we include a woman staying at the Alcazar Hotel who meets a wealthy playboy while strolling through the park? He is a guest at the Ponce. What happens when he invites the lovely lady to dine with him at his posh hotel? More than a few eyebrows would be raised for sure.

More Tiffany glass windows in the Ponce Hotel.
Tiffany was a new designer at the time and his
work at the hotel brought him much acclaim.

I’ve only touched on St. Augustine’s rich past and hope history buffs will provide additional information that could embellish our St. Augustine saga.

Share your ideas. Anyone who comments will be entered in a drawing for the fourth and final story in my Amish Protectors series, AMISH CHRISTMAS SECRETS. The winner will also receive a book about St. Augustine and a small journal.

Wishing you abundant blessings!

Happy writing! Happy reading!

Debby Giusti

www.DebbyGiusti.com

AMISH CHRISTMAS SECRETS

By Debby Giusti

Safe Haven for the Holidays

The thrilling Amish Protectors conclusion

Leaving the nursing home where she works, Rosie Glick’s accosted by a man demanding incriminating evidence her murdered boyfriend stole—until Ezra Stoltz scares him off. Now with a killer dead set on

silencing the Amish single mother, Ezra must hide Rosie and her baby to keep them safe. But can he expose a sinister conspiracy in time

to save the woman he secretly loves?

Order here!

Watch for

AMISH SAFE HOUSE

Feb 2019

Pre-order here!