By the River with Holly Jackson

Host> Debut authors, Debbie Taussig-Boehner, and Lauren Housman form a unique partnership to write a book of a lifetime.

Their book, "The Suitcase: The Life and Times of Captain X" is the true story of Vladimir George Taussig, a veteran of the Great War, whose unfortunate decision in his native prey forced him to flee a place where he fell into high society.

Debbie and Lauren talk with me about their working relationship and the process of writing their book.

I'm Holly Jackson.

Join us as we bring you powerful stories from both new and established Southern authors as we sit by the river.

Narrator> Major funding for "By The River" is provided by the ETV Endowment of South Carolina.

For more than forty years The ETV Endowment of South Carolina has been a partner of South Carolina ETV and South Carolina Public Radio.

>> Hi, I am your host, Holly Jackson.

Welcome to "By The River."

You know, "By The River" is a show that goes beyond the book.

We get the story behind the story, and we thank you for joining us.

And today we have special guests because we have two guests.

This is always fun.

We have Debbie Boehner and we have Lauren Housman.

They have co-written this book, "The Suitcase: The Life and Times of Captain X."

So here we go.

The time is ticking.

And I have so many questions, so we're gonna jump right in.

First, if you could tell me that little snippet of what is the book about?

Debbie> The book is basically a World War II epic story, and it is based on the contents of a suitcase that my father had collected and left.

He passed away in 1966 and the suitcase travel ed around with me.

My sister had it, my mother had it, or I had it, but we all kept it.

We didn't get rid of it.

And so in 2012, I decided I needed to see what was in the suitcase, what was so important that he felt the need to keep, you know, all these items.

And I opened it up and it was full of letters and memorabilia and photographs and albums and official reports.

And it just, a story just just tumbled forward that after I had made sense of everything that was in the suitcase, it was just too good of a story not to tell, and I decided it needed to be written.

Holly> Now, tell me about what your father would say about the suitcase.

Did he tell you that this was, this is something special you need to hold onto?

Debbie> No.

Holly> No?

Debbie>No.

Holly> You just happened to hold onto it.

Debbie> We, I knew -- Holly> This could have ended up at goodwill.

Debbie> No, it could have, it could have ended up in a dumpster.

It, I knew about it, I always knew about it, but I didn't know the significance of it.

And I knew that he always kept it up in the bedroom closet.

And actually when I had it, I kept it up in a bedroom closet and, and I knew that there were some things in it, but I just didn't realize the magnitude of, of everything that it held.

Holly> Okay.

So Lauren, at what point do you come into the story?

Lauren> A couple years after Debbie began really digging into the contents.

I mean, she traveled the world.

She went to China, to Prague, to New York to London, hired translators, guides.

Holly> Oh my gosh!

Lauren> And just tried to kind of retrace his footsteps and took a writing class and started to try to piece this thing together.

And I had just graduated with my MFA from Converse in nonfiction, and my mom made a Facebook post saying congratulations to Lauren on her MFA and Debbie saw it.

And we kind of, what we met at a, was it Betsy's around the corner, we met at a little local shop?

Debbie> Local shop.

Well, and I've known Lauren since -- Lauren> Right, right.

Debbie> What, first grade, second grade?

Lauren> Since I was, like, four years old probably.

Holly> Okay.

Debbie> And, her mom is a friend of mine.

Holly> Okay.

Debbie> But I hadn't really kept up with what she was doing, and she's right.

I did, after I found out what was in the suitcase, I had to find out if it was true.

And so I did a lot of research at archives and discovered some interesting information.

And I, I did go to Prague and London and New York City and Shanghai, Montreal.

I met a woman who had mentioned my father in the suitcase.

I'm sorry.

She mentioned him in her book because she was living in Shanghai.

Holly> Okay.

At the time, a number of Jewish refugees from Europe made their way to Shanghai.

It was one of the very few places that would accept them.

And so she and my father became friends and I went to Montreal to visit her.

She was 99.

And I, I found out about her, you know, through her book and through her publisher.

And so they were able to make the connection for us.

And I brought some documents for her to translate for me because they were in check.

And I also brought a picture that was written in check on the back.

And she turned the picture over and she said, "Oh, that's my sister."

And it turned out my father had dated her sister when they were all in Shanghai.

Holly> Oh, neat!

Debbie> And so there were all these just little things that happened that it was, the whole thing was meant to be.

Holly> You had quite a number of wow moments -- Debbie> Yes.

Holly> - Through all this.

Debbie> Yes, throughout.

Debbie> It's like, why did he keep all of this?

You know?

Holly> Right.

Debbie> And, you know, why was it that we kept it and why was it that finally I decided I needed to make sense of it?

Because there was a story that I think he needed to tell.

Holly> At what point, after opening Suitcase, do you realize this needs to be a book?

How far into it were you?

Debbie> Probably, I would say about four or five months.

Holly> Okay.

Debbie> Because I had, in the seventies, we knew we had family letters that were sent to him while he was in Shanghai from Prague.

And my sister in the seventies had gotten them translated.

So we had a sense of what was going on at home, but I didn't know how it fit into the whole story.

So I did have that to start with.

And then I had all these photographs and the albums, some of them had dates and names written into them.

You know, the old black albums with the white writing on them.

Holly> Right.

Debbie> And then, a lot of the photographs were just out and scattered.

And so I started scanning them and then I would blow them up and I would say, oh, you know, that person's wearing this and that looks like it goes with this.

And I'd put everything together.

And then I started taking the albums with the dates and matching them up with the letters that I had that had been translated with the dates on those.

And then I also had some official reports that were written in English that I was able then to sort of stack everything into a chronological order.

And it was, I would say, several months that it just all started to unfold.

And it, it was, it was just fascinating, you know, the way the world, you know, what was happening back then and, you know, what, people knew what they didn't know and, and, and this decisions that were made.

And so it, it was several months and that's when I really then started to do the research and, you know, discover the truth and, you know, just back up everything.

'cause you know, he could say one thing, it could have been just what he thought.

Holly> Right, right.

Debbie> But most of it was absolutely, right on.

Holly> So the, so you've seen this Facebook post about Lauren and you decide to meet up.

What was your reaction to it whenever you heard the story?

Lauren> Once I heard what all kind of was involved with this world traveling man, he kind of escaped the Holocaust by virtue of being a bad boy and getting into trouble and kind of fleeing, and then his military involvement.

And I, it just sounded like such an exciting story.

And I had just gotten outta grad school and I thought, gosh, I don't wanna write anything else.

And my mom said, just, just do it.

Holly> Right, right.

Lauren> Just give it a try.

Debbie> And it was overwhelming.

It really was so much.

Lauren> All the information to verify and fill in the blanks and do all this supplemental kind of research, but so worthwhile and I'm so glad.

Holly> And now were you doing this, like, full time, or was this kind of after a day job?

Lauren> For a while, it was my part-time job supplemented with babysitting, dog sitting, housekeeping -Holly> Right.

Lauren> - kind of duties.

At some point in the process, within the past few years, I went back to school for funeral service and that's now my, my day job.

Holly> Okay.

Lauren> But for a long time like that, this was my life - Debbie> Right.

Lauren> - was getting a story out.

Debbie> We would sit around my kitchen table and just, you know, I, I found a picture the other day.

We had rolls of brown paper just, and we had cut out versions of what was written on blue paper and on green paper.

And they were sort of taped onto these roles -- Holly> Oh, my gosh!

Debbie> -- of paper.

Debbie> And we had little sticky notes.

Holly> This is how you're writing the book?

Debbie> Well, that's how it started, I mean, we got more sophisticated.

Holly> I love that.

Right.

Debbie> We had pictures stuck in and Lauren> Making sense of it all.

Debbie> Yeah.

Trying to figure it out.

Yes.

Holly> Wow.

And then we had, oh, we had so many stories and, and then when we finally needed to put it into a semblance of order and into something that would be readable, an awful lot got left out, you know?

So many details got left out and we had scenes written and, and we thought they were great.

Lauren> Right.

Debbie> And, -- Lauren> But we had to get him, you know, where he needs to be and then what things were like, and then what broke that normalcy?

And then how did he start again?

He was constantly moving and starting over.

Debbie> Yes.

Lauren> And I think -- Debbie> Yes.

Lauren> -- we knew early on we wanted to begin each section with kind of a voyage and a departure and a starting over moment.

So we at least knew the points we needed to hit.

But then how do you connect those dots -- Debbie> Right.

Lauren> -- with so much that he was -- Debbie> Right.

Lauren> -- involved with, when I took, I, I took a, a, a memoir writing course, and it was even before online courses.

It was over the phone.

Holly> Okay.

And there were, in fact, five of us taking this course over the phone.

Holly> Oh my goodness.

And she had us do sample writing, and that's when I decided that it needed to be written in the first person as if he were telling the story, because we had so much of what he wrote and his feelings and comments.

And so that's, you know, that, that we already knew when we, when we started, and we already knew that we wanted to break it into sections.

And he, he was a very mercurial type person.

He could fit in wherever he needed to.

He had the skills to Lauren> Kind of a chameleon socially.

Debbie> Yes.

Holly> Right.

Debbie> Yes, yes.

>> And, and he was raised properly, you know, very upper middle class family.

And, you know, he, he knew the social skills that he needed and he also had been a soldier.

And so, and he also was very patriotic to his country.

And so, you know, those are factors that we, you know, kept going throughout.

Holly> Was it frustrating to not have him here during this all and not be able to just ask him a question?

Debbie> Yes.

And also frustrating, I lost my mother probably about 10 years ago now, and I never asked her more questions.

And that's something that I just wish that, Holly> So she passed after -- Debbie> Yes.

Holly> -- suitcase was opened?

Debbie> Oh yes.

Yes.

Yes.

And, you know, as I was going through it, I would, I would remember comments that she would make.

She had said that when I told her that I, it was back in the seventies, remember in the seventies where there was Vidal Sassoon who was, did the Twiggy hair?

Holly> Oh, right, right.

Debbie> Okay?

From England.

And I remember my mother saying, oh, Sassoon, Sassoon was a sponsor of your father's over in Shanghai.

Well, I didn't know there were different Sassoon's, but then when I started doing the research, I found out that Sir Victor Sassoon, in fact, lived in Shanghai.

And Sir Victor kept a diary every day of his life.

And they are all at the SMU library in Dallas.

And so that was one of my trips.

And so I was able to find in Victor Sassoon's diary, my father's name, over and over and over and over.

Holly> Wow.

And so it was the dates, it was pictures, it was the events, what they were doing, other people they were with.

And so that was just like, that was a gold mine.

Holly> That had to be really cool.

Debbie> Yes.

And so... Holly> How would you describe you and your father's relationship growing up?

Debbie> I was just 10 when he passed away.

Holly> Okay.

Debbie> And so I just really remember him going to work.

We lived outside of New York City and he'd take the commuter train into New York.

He was a stockbroker there.

I remember him just leaving early, coming back late, being frustrated.

I think that he really wanted to raise us in the manner that he was used to.

And just, he couldn't financially do that.

He was a softie.

I remember I wanted a dog so badly and he got one for me.

Holly> You know, I'm imagining you on this quest and you're trying to find these answers, but there had to be moments that were deeply emotional for you.

Debbie> There were.

You know, you're, you're growing close to this person as an adult who you only knew as a child.

Debbie> Yes.

Yes.

Holly> Talk about that part of it.

Debbie> Well, it was, sometimes, and I know this happened to Lauren too, we would get so engrossed in it.

We were in a different world, and after, you know, after we were finished with what we were editing or we were doing, you know, something, or trying to come up with a different way of saying something and, you know, and this is happening and that is happening.

And then it would just, it it would be our world.

And then we'd have to kind of, it would be hard to pull ourselves out of it again.

Holly> Right.

Debbie> And just see what's going on now.

And it, but it was, yes, it was very emotional and, and it still is many times.

>> And then whenever it's all done, that had to be hard too, because it's like a relief that all this work, you can finally show for it, but then it's done.

And so this mission that you've been on for so long, Debbie> I know, everyone keeps saying, well, aren't you just so thrilled?

Aren't you excited?

And it's just, I'm very happy that it's at where it is right now.

But I don't have that feeling of elation.

I just have this feeling that this is just part of what is supposed to be.

That it is just, don't, don't you feel that way?

That it's, it's, Lauren> I think the story was always waiting to be told.

Debbie> It was always waiting, waiting to be told.

Lauren> And he would've if he could have.

>> Yes.

>> But luckily you kept the suitcase all those years.

>> Yep.

Yep.

>> And were able to step in.

>> Yeah.

>>So tell me about some of the most exciting documents that you found, and also what do you do with them now?

Are they back in the suitcase or?

Debbie> No, the suitcase disintegrated.

Holly> Okay.

Debbie> I brought the cover of it.

It's up back there.

Holly> Oh, nice.

Debbie> But when I got the suitcase down, the whole, all the stitching had just turned to dust.

And so, no, I think an archivist would be not very happy with me.

I have everything that I can have in like, acid free envelopes.

Holly> Okay.

I have them hanging in, in a, in a hanging file, just in the order of the book.

Holly> Okay.

Debbie> And -- Holly> And are we talking about hundreds of documents?

How would you say?

Debbie> Oh, yes.

Lauren> Yeah.

Lauren> Easily.

Debbie> Easily.

And photographs, Lauren> Letters, reports, photos, matchbook covers.

There's just probably at least three of those boxes that you've got.

Debbie> Yes.

Holly> And did your mom know him as someone who would save a lot of stuff?

Was this all kind of a surprise?

Or was he one who didn't like to throw things away?

>> You know, he saved, I don't know that she knew he saved them all, but he saved all of the letters that she had sent to him while they were courting.

Holly> Awww.

Debbie> So yes, I think that, you know, he was a saver of certain things.

Holly> Right.

>> And he had a lock of hair from, you know, when I was a baby.

And, you know, I found all of that.

And there were several pictures that he particularly liked when my sister and I were young and he saved that.

But I think the most shocking document that I found was when I was in the archives at Q I found out that the British, you know, the British and the Czechs were in Shanghai and he was working with the British very closely to train some of the refugees there, to be able to go back to the front.

And so I found out that they started to not trust him.

They thought that he was unreliable.

They thought that perhaps he was involved with the Axis government somehow.

And from what he wrote, that wasn't the case at all.

And just to find that out, and, you know, that was during everyone suspected, everyone of everything back then.

But that, that was shocking to me because I had already read what, you know, his, his version of the story.

And his version was that he was under orders by the Czech Army in exile to remain in Shanghai to await further orders.

And so he didn't allow himself to get on some of the ships that were allowing for evacuation when they knew things were going to get hot over there.

Holly> It seems like there were a lot of serious moments in, in what he put in there.

But did you have some, some laughter throughout?

Were there some things that, you know, you got a kick out of?

>> Yeah, I think some of his adventures in Shanghai, wouldn't you agree?

>> Right.

He was very much living the high life in, in the best possible way with -- >> Oh, yes.

>> All of the sporting and nightclubs and women and Debbie> Lots of women.

Lauren> Lots of women.

Yes.

>> And then when he, he went to New York in 1939 to report for active duty.

And there he, he got himself involved with the radio starlets.

And so he, he, again, (clears throat) excuse, excuse me, he was able to just -- >> He chameleoned his way into that group.

>> Into that group.

And they were hobnobbing all over New York City in, you know, in the 19, probably 1940s.

And I just can't imagine -- Holly> I know.

>> Living that kind of life.

It was really amazing.

Holly> So, Lauren, tell me about the writing process for the two of you.

I'm always interested in the, the co-writer part.

>> Sure.

Holly> How it goes start to finish.

How long did it happen and what was kind of the schedule?

>> We, we worked on this for about eight years and then we've had a year of editing and publication stage, late stage work to get to this point.

But there was a lot of me drafting, emailing, and then waiting for >> Me too >> Thoughts.

>> Yeah.

Because I would say, oh, let's say it this way.

Or, and, you know, we, we edited each other's till we both got to the point.

Right.

Or then I would write something and send it to her and she would send it back to me and -- >> Ping pong.

Debbie> Ping pong.

Yes, absolutely.

Holly> Over eight years, were there ever moments of, oh, is this ever gonna be over?

Lauren> Sure.

Debbie> We thought it was over several times and then it wasn't.

>> Well, especially seeing it in the layout in a book format layout and seeing what the pages would look like, a lot of the time we were like, oh gosh, this is too long.

Or we need to punch this up, or we need to, you know, emphasize or detract from certain parts.

And that it was kind of like having a fresh set of eyes -- Debbie> Yes.

Yes.

>> -- with our own eyes and the publisher of where it needed to go.

>> Yes.

When we first, when they, after we found the, the publisher and they, well, he, he did a lot of editing with us as well, because he said, it's too long.

Well, honestly, it could be twice as long as it is -- Holly> Wow.

>> -- with everything that was left out.

And so we started cutting and then finally it got to the point where it was no longer, you know, on double space paper.

And then, he then he ran it all on just single space.

And we were, it was overwhelming again.

And then we, once they put it into the actual book format, as Lauren said, there were just sections of it.

She said, this, this is too long.

I said, this needs to just get cut out completely.

It just -- Holly> It's interesting how simply changing the format, the typing, that sort of thing makes you change your mind on something, isn't it?

Well, tell me who you think mostly would, what, what kind of reader would be attracted to this book?

>> I think anyone who would enjoy World War II history would be very much attracted to this book.

I think anyone who wants a good read.

Lauren> Right.

>> It's, it's not a dull history book.

Everything is true in it.

And, and, and it just, it goes into just the, the turmoil of the times and, and the effects on the families.

And, you know, there's a little bit of family gossip in there too, and -- >> Their fates, their, everybody who's interested in Holocaust history -- Holly> Sure.

>> -- would be interested.

I think it's masculine and war enough, but also high society and women and parties and -- Holly> Sounds like a lot of good elements.

Debbie> It's funny when, when we first wrote, I think it was just part one, I sent it to my son to read and my son actually has lived in China.

He's back in Nashville now, but he was in China for eight years.

And so he knew a lot and I sent it to him to read and he said, "Mom, it's too feminine."

(laughter) And I said, "Well, it would make sense."

>> Right, right.

>> And so I read a few more books and then we both determined that, okay, how do we make this sound like it's written by a man?

And that, that was a challenge, but I think we managed to do it >> Well, and how do we make it interesting and interesting.

So many biographies and memoirs by his contemporaries are just straight rote telling and we wanted to show and put readers in the moment in his shoes.

Holly> Sure.

>> So that was another challenge.

Holly> I love that you chose his point of view.

That's really -- Debbie> Yeah.

Well, I had read so many memoirs and I know Lauren did too.

And you have to dig 'em off of dusty old library shelves because generations have passed.

And unless it's somebody famous, no one knows that these memoirs exist anymore.

>> Right.

And so I just decided, I just didn't want this to be a memoir that after, you know, one generation or my children that it just, you know, fades into the darkness.

I wanted it to be a really good story.

Something that would be remembered, >> Could be a miniseries.

You know, we tried to really, Debbie> Yeah, that was in my mind, the whole time.

This could be a movie.

Holly> Yes!

Debbie> It could be.

Holly> Hey, maybe that's next.

That would be great.

- Yeah, it could be.

Now I was thinking this is sort of -- Holly> You need another adventure.

Debbie> Yeah, a Czech Downton Abbey, you know, that's going through my mind (crosstalk) Debbie> Yeah.

Lauren> Yep.

Holly> I like it.

>> Well, thank you so much for joining us here.

Unfortunately our time's up, but this has been really fun and quite a learning experience.

It, it sounds just like you've had quite a time together.

Lauren> We have.

Holly> For eight years.

Wow.

Debbie> Yes.

And even now.

Holly> And still going.

Right?

We're still here.

Debbie> Absolutely.

>> And thank you everybody for joining us here on By The River.

We do love having you join us and we look forward to seeing you right here next time by the river.

Narrator> Major funding for "By The River" is provided by the ETV Endowment of South Carolina.

For more than forty years, the ETV Endowment of South Carolina has been a partner of South Carolina ETV, and South Carolina Public Radio.