ms. davis talked about the challenges to become a published author in the 19th century. c-span: linda h. davis, author of "badge of courage: the life of stephen crane," where did you get the idea for this book? guest: well, about 10 years ago, i happened to read stephen crane's great short work "monster," which is not very well-known. it's about a man who saves the life of a child in a fire and is horribly disfigured. he--he lived, but he lives as a man without a face. and it touched a nerve for me because, when i was eight years old, my father lost his life in a house fire while trying to save me. and ever afterwards, i was tormented by dreams in which i couldn't see his face. and what crane had done in this novella was write my nightmare, in effect. there are a lot of small scenes, too, that were eerily like what happened to me when i was a child. and i thought: who was stephen crane that he can write this way about a fire? i just had to know, and that's what got me started. c-span: where were you living when the--your father lost his life? >> guest: i was living in ft. rucker, alab