Last modified: Sunday, March 2, 2008 12:04 AM EST 'Mockingbird' author unveiled to a degree in book about her BY AMY DeMELIA / SUN CHRONICLE STAFF NORTH ATTLEBORO - If you want to know something about "To Kill A Mockingbird" author Harper Lee, Charles Shields is the man to ask. Shields' book, "Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee," delves into the life of the reclusive author - dispelling myths and rumors and demonstrating that many of the stories in her classic book came from her real life experiences growing up in Monroeville, Ala. He also touches on Lee's life after publication of her book shot her to literary stardom, and why she never completed a second novel. Shields will give a talk on his New York Times best-selling book at 7:30 p.m. March 11 in the North Attleboro Middle School Cafetorium. He is being hosted by Richards Memorial Library and the Big Read of Eastern Massachusetts as part of the townwide read of "To Kill a Mockingbird." From his home in central Virginia with a cup of Irish breakfast tea at his side, Shields recounted his four-year effort to delve into the life of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Lee. His interest was sparked by his high school English students. "A long time ago, my students wanted to know more about the author of 'To Kill A Mockingbird.' The first question they always asked was, 'Is he still alive?' and I would have to correct them. "Yes, she's still alive, and it's Nelle Harper Lee. I tried to do a little more research about her, and I found inconsistent information," he said. Even encyclopedia entries contained conflicting information, including stories that Lee had a law degree (she doesn't, as she dropped out of college) and that she was related to Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee (she isn't). Shields, who had by then written dozens of biographies for young adults, was intrigued by the literary mystery that Lee presented, asking, "Why was there so little known about the author of one of the most influential books of the 20th century?" The task proved challenging because Lee stopped granting interviews in the mid-1960s and never really hobnobbed with others in the literary world, leaving little written documentation to go on. Shields conducted more than 600 interviews with people who knew Lee - from neighbors who played alongside her, to students who attended the University of Alabama with her. "She was never a public person," Shields said. "If she was a very extroverted person, I would have interviewed fewer people. The 600 people included many who had little to say about her - just that she was nice and smoked a lot." Collecting tidbits of information from every corner helped flesh out the portrait of Lee's childhood in Monroeville, Ala., including anecdotes that illustrated that many of the vignettes found in her book were based on true life. Shields' attempt to interview Lee for the biography ended before he even had a chance to ask for one. "I was flimflammed by someone in Manhattan," he said. "I sent a 95-page proposal and two sample chapters to 12 publishing houses, plus a list of people I planned to interview. "Someone in New York took it upon themselves to make a copy and FedExed it to Miss Lee. She thought I had a lot of nerve attempting to write a biography without contacting her." Shields intended to contact Lee after he had a publishing house on board, so he could show it was a serious effort. While Lee declined to talk to Shields - and reportedly has told friends not to read the book - Shields did talk to her older sister, Alice, who is 96 and handles Lee's business affairs. Through his research, Shields was particularly impressed by the consistency of Lee's character through the years. "She was always a nonconformist," Shields said. "When you pick up 'To Kill A Mockingbird' and read about Scout, that's her. She was always questioning authority. Now, she is a white-haired lady who can be found pattering around Monroeville, Ala." Shields also was surprised to learn that Lee's contribution to Truman Capote's work, "In Cold Blood," was greater than he anticipated. Capote's papers contained 150 pages of single-spaced typewritten notes provided by Lee divided by topic. "Really, the book should have been credited to both Harper Lee and Truman Capote," Shields said. "But Truman was jealous. Truman never believed there was enough love in the world, and was jealous that she won the Pulitzer Prize right off the bat." Lee's rift with Capote may have contributed to her never writing a second novel, along with her disdain of celebrity, Shields said. While Lee reportedly worked on a second novel for years, she never published another. Eventually, her editor and close friends died, which also might have sapped her interest in publishing another work. "She personally disliked being a celebrity. It did not fit her well, and she didn't like answering all the questions about 'To Kill A Mockingbird,' and when her next book was coming out," Shields said. Shields, however, does have additional works coming out, including a juvenile version of his Lee biography called "I Am Scout." He is also working on a biography of author Kurt Vonnegut. AMY DeMELIA can be reached at 508-236-0334 or at ademelia@thesunchronicle.com.