Life as an "Easy" Author
There are many authors and historians that have written about Easy Company over the years. I would like you to meet Chris Langlois who has a special connection to Eugene “Doc” Roe.
Thank you for your time Chris
Please introduce yourself
I am one of 6 grandchildren of Eugene “Doc” Roe from Band of Brothers. I grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and graduated from LSU with a degree in Economics with an international emphasis. I have been an officer with Dallas Police in Texas for 17 years where I’ve enjoyed meeting new people and placing them in jail.
My daughter Julia keeps me busy with all her sports.
How did you come to decide which parts of Easys history you wanted to write about, and why.
My first idea came about when we started losing Winters, Compton, Malarkey, Bill, and Babe. They were obviously big names in the Company, but they all shared a passion: to speak in schools about their WWII experiences.
I had always wanted to write a book, even as a kid. So, the idea of making a book to tell the Easy Company story started with the goal of “reaching and teaching” as many people as possible about my heroes. I wanted to fill that gap that the veterans were, sadly leaving. Obviously, planting those seeds with the younger generations is a focus for me.
Where did the inspiration for the character of ‘Patrick’ come from?
It’s funny, I saw Patrick on Instagram. Ricardo Lima, the artist, had posted it. It hit me instantly that he looked like a 12-year-old boy. That segued quickly into the concept of the book…’what if a 12-year-old boy served in Easy Company in WWII??’ I thought it could be a way to introduce Easy Company to kids in a relatable way.
What was the most challenging part of writing your three books?
Well, my first book I figured I could knock out in 3 months; it took a year and a half. I thought, I have Ambrose’s book and a miniseries to pull from, it’s not like I was trying to create something from scratch. But getting the details right was of the utmost importance, obviously. And how do you condense some of these big events, like the Battle of the Bulge, down to one page?! It is a challenge, or at least that was for me. Illustrators, too, take time. So, you cannot rush their work or schedule.
Writing my first book that would reach both adults and kids was a challenge. That was my goal early on. Again, I am no trained writer, and I just did the best I could by asking myself often, would both groups enjoy the story and find the words educational at the same time. There’s a lot of writes and rewrites of a sentence before the final version; I can tell you that.
How do you balance writing with other aspects of your life?
Haha. Well, something has to give. I work a lot, so nights and weekends tended to give me the chance to work on them. And maybe, the clothes get folded and put away a couple of days later.
What is your writing process like? Do you have a set routine or specific rituals?
I would sit in front of the computer when I could. Or if I had some downtime out of the house, I would be on my phone doing research or taking screen shots and putting them into folders on my phone to look at later. I usually have a notebook in my car so I can write notes or sketch (very, very poorly) my ideas. It’s funny how an idea or even a sentence would pop in my head, and I would scramble to save it where I could read it later. A huge percentage of my ideas just come when I’m thinking about the book. To be honest, I’d surprise myself (a lot!) that I even came up with the ideas. I never sat down and had a block of time of concentrated thinking.
I am really not an organized person so I’m sure there’s ideas on papers somewhere I haven’t found again or screenshots that are mixed up in the 10,000 photos I have on my phone.
Has your writing style evolved over time? If so, how?
Funny, I guess my style has gone down to a kid’s level since my first book was for middle school age and up and my last two are for elementary aged kids.
Which authors or books have influenced your writing the most?
Really, I am amazed at 400-page books. The amount of time, effort, and research, for me, is so immense. So, I have a lot of respect for those authors.
“Draftee” came from seeing a kid’s book about a bulldog the Marines had in the Pacific Theatre during WWII. I was just walking around the bookstore at the WWII Museum in New Orleans while I was doing a book signing. I thought, wait a second, we have a dog too!
I am a bit partial to Easy Company, but Marcus Brotherton’s books have kind of always been in the back of my mind. I will never be a Marcus but his passion to honour the men and to tell their story and to make sure the next generations know is a banner I try to carry in my own way.
What themes or messages do you hope readers take away from your books?
I will never be an author of a 400 pages historical, researched, reference book; you must know your capabilities. I began with Ambrose’s “Band of Brothers” that I started and finished on the flight to the premiere in Paris and Normandy in 2001. That first WWII book has led me to a couple of bookcases full of WWII books. I hope my books are a springboard for my readers that plant seeds to want to learn more and to create their own library of knowledge. Having patriotism requires one to know what others did and sacrificed for what you freely enjoy today.
What has been the reception to your books, from the other Easy families and the children that have read them.
In addition to meeting so many people at book signings, I still get emails and letters from kids and adults, from around the world, telling me that they have enjoyed my books and/or shared them with their kids and grandkids. It warms my heart each time. It will never get old for me.
To me, that is better than any New York Times recognition.
What’s next for you? Do you have any upcoming projects or books in the works
If I won the lottery, I think I would spend a lot of days just working on books. It’s funny because I don’t think of myself as a creative person. I do have a big Band of Brothers book in the works. Covid put it on hold, but I need to get back on that horse.
I have a couple books I am working on that aren’t Band of Brothers related. Saving money to pay for illustrators is part of that process for some of them. Finding time between work and the kid is always the challenge.
Thank you Chris for your time.
To purchase any of Chris`s books, head to your local amazon website and you will find them!
