No Lookin' Back was brought to life early one Sunday morning in Tonkawa, Oklahoma, where the authors Ted and Linda Riddle lived. Ted sat straight up in bed and said, "I know how I died." That startled Linda, who was asleep next to him. His story flowed in such a way, it brought tears and laughter to her. She grabbed a yellow tablet and pencil and began writing. He did not slow down, so she could catch up. Soon she found a tape recorder and began recording this saga. Linda knew that this was not a dream. The tone of his voice was different and even the dialect was strange, as Ted continued well into the morning.
Later, when they both realized that this "gift", had to be published, Ted asked Linda to "add the sunsets and the eagles flying." She went to libraries as they traveled, even to Alaska twice, with their work and researched for facts for the book. She took pictures of locations where the story took place and drew illustrations. Names of their family members and friends were added, as the story developed.
The story begins during the Civil War, when Thomas Jefferson Summers and his brother John, join the Union Army. As Ted continues with his tale, he even knows the name of his wife, children, places and events. He knows how he died, so that is the first chapter in the book.
The journey takes Tom and the reader through many life-threatening adventures, at every turn. Based on facts from Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma Territory, Texas, Kansas and Colorado, and a timeline of early western history, you feel that you are living each moment.
There has never been a time or place like the early American West. Freedom was the quest of all who sought her.
