Southern Fiction comes alive in this episode of True Fiction Project as author Chris Skates shares the true story behind his novel Moonshine Over Georgia. Host Reenita Hora talks with Chris about his grandfather, a Prohibition-era revenue agent who hunted moonshiners through the Georgia woods, and how those family memories became historical fiction. Chris also reflects on his winding path from nuclear chemist to White House speechwriter, and how that unlikely mix shaped his storytelling voice. Tune in to hear Chris Skates read a gripping excerpt describing the violent aftermath of a real moonshine-related murder that shaped his book.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
✅ How Chris Skates turned decades of family stories about his grandfather’s work as a revenue agent into the Southern Fiction novel Moonshine Over Georgia
✅ Why real Prohibition-era moonshine busts in Georgia were far more dangerous and heartbreaking than the Hollywood version ever showed
✅ How the notorious John Wallace murder case connects directly to the events depicted in this historical fiction story
✅ How a career as a White House speechwriter helped Chris sharpen his fiction writing craft and finally finish the book he started decades earlier
Subscribe to Reenita’s Storytelling Den on Substack for free at https://substack.com/@reenitahora and to her YouTube channel to watch the video version of this episode! https://www.youtube.com/@reenymal
Check out her website to stay up-to-date on events, book releases and more! https://reenita.com/
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Chris Skates explains how his grandfather’s work as a revenue agent during the Prohibition Era inspired Moonshine Over Georgia
05:16 The emotional childhood memory that first revealed the real toll of the moonshiners’ trade on families
09:00 How raids worked in the field and why the Southern fiction genre captures this history so vividly
16:18 Chris teases the real-life connection to the John Wallace murder case made famous in an old TV movie
22:09 Chris Skates reads a historical fiction excerpt from Moonshine Over Georgia depicting the case’s violent turning point
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
💎 Chris Skates spent nearly two decades interviewing his grandfather, tracking down living witnesses, and digging through archival records to make Moonshine Over Georgia as historically accurate as possible
💎 The real Prohibition-era moonshine trade caused widespread alcoholism, poverty, and violence, giving this Southern fiction story a weight that goes far beyond a simple crime tale
💎 Chris’s mother, who lived part of this story as a child, confirmed that his historical fiction portrayal of her father captured the man and the era with striking accuracy
ABOUT THE GUEST:
Chris is a novelist with 30 years of experience as a chemist at nuclear and coal plants. He’s been able to combine this diverse background of science and energy with a passion for writing. Chris began publishing in 2000, with over 150 stories, articles, and columns to his name, alongside four novels. He’s also contributed to Turkey Call Magazine and is preparing a non-fiction collection. His writing journey culminated in key roles as a speechwriter and energy advisor at both the state and national levels of government.
Moonshine Over Georgia is, though, Chris’ most prized and honored work to date. A historical fiction novel, it draws on the harrowing, exciting, and very real stories that Chris’ grandfather would tell him while he was growing up, when he was working as a revenue agent in Prohibition-era Georgia.
Sample of Moonshine Over Georgia
Moonshine Over Georgia: A Novel Based On Actual Events – Amazon
Moonshine Over Georgia – Facebook
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