Choose a familiar location, but set the time back to the late 1800s. Add a batch of historical research to family stories. Then develop a mostly fictional family and weave a story around their characters and the unfolding events in the area for nearly a century. These themes in the skilled hands of author Rock Neelly form a fascinating picture of life along the Salt Fork River in northern Woods County, Oklahoma.

"It's about my family. My great-grandfather homesteaded on the Salt Fork River, about four miles south of Kiowa, Kansas, during the Oklahoma land run of 1893," Neelly said. "He and his brother both had farms side-by-side. And so I use that as a jumping-off place, and then I wrote the novel, which is a lot more exciting than my family actually was."

Although the Hutchinson, Kansas, native had produced a few detective novels, he decided to try writing historical fiction. "I was stuck at home, and I had this idea for a book for a long time in my head, but I just hadn't had time to do all the research on Kansas and Oklahoma," he said. Being at home for much of 2019 and 2020 gave him time to get started, but it took three years to produce "Salt Fork Stations."

The tale revolves around the Stations, a family whose life is entwined with the Cherokee people and the "Five Tribes" attempting to set up a true Indian nation.

The Harts and the Stations join forces to homestead side by side in the land run of 1893. They endure the arctic blast of 1899, the beginnings of the world pandemic in 1918 which began in Kansas, student unrest at the Haskell Indian Nations University in the 1960s and the burning of the Union at the University of Kansas in 1970. Family members meet two famous lawmen, Bass Reeves and Grant Johnson, on whom the "Lone Ranger" was based.

"Salt Fork Stations" has enough twists and turns and startling revelations to keep the reader turning the pages. Through his well-developed characters, Neelly shows how our history, choices and chance encounters can have a lasting impact, even into the next generations.

Neelly explains the themes of his novel, "It's about eternal love. It's about family. It's about displaced peoples finding a forever home. It's about Southerners who lose their land in Reconstruction. It's about the Cherokee who lose their homes and are forced to cross the country in the Trail of Tears. It's about the Jews who populate Galveston after the Great Hurricane. All of these people are homeless and come to the Oklahoma Territory to plant new roots."

"Salt Fork Stations" follows two timelines in what Neelly describes as a braided technique. The story begins with the Run in 1893 but then moves to 1963. As the reader follows the two seemingly unconnected tales, the stories begin to intersect.

The title of the book comes partially from the location of the family's land along the northern bank of the Salt Fork River. However, the word "stations" has several meanings. Neelly says that first it's the family's last name. Second, it is referenced in one character's employment in Australia at one of the biggest ranches in the world. Australia calls cattle ranches by the term "stations." Third, the chapter designations follow the biblical Stations of the Cross. "There are fourteen typically, but I've added 'Resurrection' as a fifteenth, the life-affirming ending after some tears," he said.

Although he will probably return to writing about "The Purple Heart Detective Agency," Neelly said he's begun research for a sequel to "Salt Fork Stations."

"The sequel to 'Salt Fork,' God willing and the creek don't rise, will take place in New Mexico and Colorado," he said.

Neelly currently lives in Lebanon, Ohio. After college in Denver, he began writing for newspapers, magazines and various other publications. He is now a professor of literature and film in Northern Kentucky near Cincinnati.

During the June First Friday Art Walk on June 3, Neelly will be in Alva for a book signing. Beginning at 6 p.m. he will be at the Graceful Arts Gallery where his novel will be available. He'll sign copies and visit with those attending the event. You can also catch up with him at the Nescatunga Arts Festival on Saturday, June 4.