Nostalgia in Novels - Aaron Lazar

 

Hi, folks!

 

Nostalgia is a funny thing. It can be as simple as remembering the sound of the lapping waves near your summer cabin, to the way you used to run free with your dog along a woodland path, to a favorite game you played with your friends, like Red Rover, Red Rover. Remember that one?

Many of the scenes in my novels are set in the 1950s or 1960s, which just happens to be the era of my own childhood. ;o)

Tremolo: cry of the loon, Don’t Let the Wind Catch You, and Voodoo Summer the “young Gus” prequels to Double Forté, take Gus LeGarde back to his childhood in 1964-1966. Spirit Me Away is a flower child/hippie mystery set in 1969. And Upstaged features a musical based on what happened in Spirit Me Away.

The Disappearance of Billy Moore, Terror Comes Knocking, and For Keeps, all contain flashbacks to Sam Moore’s youth (via time travel from a mysterious talisman—a green marble—that he found in his garden.)

I also wrote flashback scenes to those eras in The Seacrest (book 1 in Paines Creek Beach Love Stories) and For the Birds (book 1 in Tall Pines Mysteries).

It seems I spend a great deal of time in those eras, doesn’t it? I always say I'm still "eleven" when people ask my age, so I guess maybe that's why. LOL.

Or maybe it’s just natural to want to "go back," because in truth I had a wonderful childhood and remember the times with great nostalgia and joy.

But alas, I can’t remember everything. And sometimes I need a little help.

The other day, while writing to a friend, I suddenly wrote, “jeepers creepers!” in my email. I have no idea why it popped up that day, but it was a part of my childhood.

“Jeepers, creepers, where’d you get those peepers” was a line from a song from 1938 (way before I was born!), and it made its way into our generation's slang.

I use the phrases I remember the best when my characters are excited. “Neat!” and “Keen” come first to my mind. Young Gus and his friends use them a lot. But maybe I’m forgetting some more of the fun terms we used in that era. Would you like to help me add to the list? (Note: these young Gus books are for adults who might like a trip back to their childhood, not for children.)

What slang do you remember?

If you remember the fifties or sixties, Post in the comments, below. Here are some of the terms I remembered and used in my books. Let me know what you remember! Fifties Golly gee By golly By Jingles Neat Keen Hey, Baby It’s a blast Pedal pushers Capezios The Flower Child Era Cool, man Heavy (pronounced in a long, drawn-out fashion!) Peace, man What’s your bag? Chicks (for girls) Cats (for guys) Old lady or old man (girlfriend or boyfriend) Bread (money) Far out Outta Sight Let’s split Solid Threads (clothes)   Remember to take pleasure in the little things, and if you love to write, write like the wind!   Aaron Paul Lazar www.lazarbooks.com