The Backwoods Philosopher

Short Tales and White Lies (Memories of Rural East Texas)

by O.T. Haygood Jr. (The Backwoods Philosopher)

There Really Is A Santa Claus: Ever so silent, lest we incur the ashes and hot coals Santa was said to throw into the eyes of such rascals as dared peek upon him, my sister and me crept toward the living room. At last we stood just to one side of the open doorway, gathering courage for the final plunge into the magical sight of Santa Claus at work.

O. T. Haygood Jr. has wanted to write a book since his middle school years in the 1960s. Many of these tales are from his personal experiences growing up in Rural East Texas, while others were passed down from the many special people he was privileged to know. His Dad and Paternal Grandmother were his chief storytelling influences. He’d listen for hours to their tales of the “good old days.” Within these pages are what he hopes is the best of them.

If all goes well, this will be the first of a two volume collection. For better or worse the second book, “More Short Tales and White Lies (From Rural East Texas),” is already in the editing stage, so wish him luck.

About the Author

O. T. Haygood, Jr. was born in San Augustine County, Texas, on April 29, 1953, to O. T. Sr. and Alice Joy (Womack) Haygood. He currently resides in Huntington, Texas, with his wife, Crystal Lee (Anderson) Haygood. He retired from the Lufkin Fire Department on December 15, 1998, at the rank of Fire Captain/Paramedic after twenty-three years of service. He has written for The Huntington Herald over twenty years and continues to write a monthly humor and political column as “The Backwoods Philosopher.”