Ashley Thornton is a Waco connoisseur. As the founder of Act Locally Waco, she works to create a more informed and involved community. Ask her a question about Waco history, and she is sure to give you a truthful answer.
Or, will she?
Ashley Thornton: “I do not hesitate to just make stuff up.”
In honor of April fools day, Thornton, along with illustrator Vicki Northern, have announced the release of their new book, ‘Waco: A Fantastical History. Fifteen fascinating tales (of dubious veracity).’ A collection of short stories about Waco lore and history, but with a twist.
Ashley Thornton: “It is a history-ish book about Waco, stories about Waco history that are of dubious veracity. Magical realism take on Waco history.”
The fifteen tales recount common Waco legends such as Lovers Leap, the Alico building and more, but Thornton goes beyond the surface of commonly recounted local stories — Breathing new life, magic and humor for the Waco community to enjoy.
Ashley Thornton: “When I was first writing them I shared them on Facebook, I mean it was titled ‘Waco, A Fantastical History,’ but, you know, I presented it like, oh, real historical tidbits, you know? And it was surprising how many people were like, really? Really? I had no idea that happened. That is so interesting.”
Thornton says her love for storytelling comes from her southern family's traditions.
Ashley Thornton: “I come from a long tradition, the southern, I guess, tradition of telling tales of dubious veracity. My dad was a notorious tale teller, and so I guess I just inherited it. My grand mom, holy cow. Ridiculous tale teller. And so I inherited that from them, I guess.”
You can order Thornton’s book, ‘Waco: A Fantastical History. Fifteen fascinating tales (of dubious veracity)’ on Amazon today.