Straight Chatting from the Library: William A. Glass

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READ THE INTERVIEW

What makes you love a book?

If I’m reading non-fiction, I love it when the author mixes in telling anecdotes about the movers and shakers of history. When reading novels, I love the craftwork of great writers. Some of the most intriguing novels I’ve read had very dry plots. Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton springs to mind. Seemingly a mundane story about ordinary people but the author’s genius elevates the narrative to the level of fine art.

What will inspire you to recommend a book?

The books that I read and then pass along to friends and family are usually non-fiction works including biographies and histories. I’m selective in the books I’ll recommend. They need to shed new light on an historical figure or specific period. A series I always recommend to those interested in World War II is Rick Atkinson’s trilogy about the US Army in Europe, entitled The Liberation Trilogy. These books represent narrative history at its finest. They dispel the impression many people have that the US military’s participation in the European theatre during World War II began and ended on D-day.

Favorite reading snack?

If the book is really engrossing, I’m not going to be thinking about eating. However, if an attack of the munchies does occur, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich is always the bomb. Teddy’s is the best peanut butter, but Smucker’s also makes a good all-natural peanut butter. My PB&J sandwiches are made using cinnamon raisin bread. It’s good to have half an apple or banana on the side. A can of IPA helps unstick your mouth once you’re done!

How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews?

My East Texas grandmother taught me many things. One of her sayings was “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.” That’s one reason I never leave bad reviews of other authors’ work. Further, I’m rarely in a position to post a bad review because if a book stinks, I won’t finish it. When it comes to reviewing restaurants, hotels, and other businesses I will only leave a bad review if I think a warning to the unwary needs to be posted. Likewise, I rarely complain to the management. My solution is to simply never come back. One reason I’m unlikely to talk to management about problems with their business is it provides free consulting. That’s like giving free advice. People usually feel that anything free is worth what they pay for it.

Name a book that you could/would not finish.

I got bogged down in A Gentlemen in Moscow. Reading it for me was like wading through wet cement. The struggle reminded me of the Pete Seegar song, “Waist Deep in the Big Muddy.” Amor Towles is undoubtable an excellent writer with a superior intellect. Hopefully, in person, he isn’t like the insufferably arrogant main character in his book!

Favorite film adaptation of a novel?

To me, the best film adaptation of a novel was the movie The Spy Who Came in From The Cold. The cast, led by Richard Burton, was incredibly well-chosen. It was shot in black& white which suited the grim mood of John le Carre’s book. In that and many other ways the flick was true to the writer’s vision.

Most disappointing film adaptation?

Mike Nichols’ movie version of Joseph Heller’s Catch-22 made a valiant effort to capture the central paradox of the book. Nichols did all that choosing a great cast, lavish production, and including verbatim passages of dialogue from the novel could do. However, the end product turned out to be a puzzling mishmash of plot lines without the central organizing principle that was always present in Heller’s great novel. The movie did OK at the box office with viewers, who like many reviewers, wanted to like it because of the book.

Thank-you for featuring my novel Crossing Day on Straight From the Library today!

READ THE BLURB

It's been one hundred and sixty years since the Confederacy won its independence at the Battle of Altamaha Crossing. Slaves of African descent still perform most of the work in the South. This seems normal to Ryan Walters and his friends who attend high school in Huntsville, Alabama. Like teens everywhere, they enjoy sharing videos, playing sports, and hanging out with friends. Jaybird's drive-in is their favorite gathering place. There, they befriend Mish, a slave girl who works as a car hop. When the drive-in’s owner sells Mish to a dirty old man, Ryan and his friends awaken to the injustice around them. Despite the danger, they decide to help Mish escape. Will they succeed?

READ AN EXCERPT

As Ryan strolls around the drive-in, he passes several vehicles filled with Johnston soccer players. They wave but aren’t in any mood to socialize after the loss. Ryan loops around the restaurant’s rear to complete the circuit. Through a kitchen window, he sees the staff bustling to get orders ready. The door opens, and Mish skates out with a tray. She delivers it to one of the German soccer players seated at an outside table. “What took so long?” the boy asks.

“We’re a bit overwhelmed,” Mish admits.

“You’re cute for a Swartz. My name’s Dieter.”

“I’ve got to go and get another order.”

“What’s your number?”

“That’s not allowed.” Mish spins on her skates, but Dieter is too fast. He jumps up and seizes Mish’s wrist, twisting it to read the number tattooed on the inside of her arm.

Ryan sees what’s happening and comes over. “Let go of her,” he demands.

“Make me,” the German sneers. Slowly, he increases the pressure on Mish’s wrist. She gasps and her knees buckle.

Pulling out his phone, Ryan snaps a photo. “Fraternizing with slaves is illegal,” he says.

Angrily, the German releases Mish and lunges at Ryan, knocking the phone out of his hand. As the two boys ball their fists and circle each other, vehicles throughout the drive-in empty. Instantly, the German soccer team is surrounded by a crowd of irate Southerners. Dieter drops his hands and backs away. “Ha-ha, I was just joking.” He smiles, but there’s no laughter in his eyes.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Bill is a retired business executive who now lives in a small southern town with his wife, Bettina. She’s a retired high school German teacher. Bill coaches soccer at a small college. Often, Bettina, who has a commercial driver’s license, pilots the soccer team bus to away games.

Bettina and Bill have three sons, Alex, Robert, and Gordon who have all graduated from college and moved away to pursue careers. Instead of having an empty nest, Bettina and Bill now host three rescue dogs. They enjoy finding promising hiking trails to explore with their dogs.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/william.glass.50767
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/williamasaglass
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WilliamAGlass3
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-glass-1281609/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20170818.William_A_Glass

LibraryThing: https://www.librarything.com/profile/Glaswa4611

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Crossing-Day-William-Glass-ebook/dp/B0CW8HBGV4/

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Straight Chatting from the Library: William A. Glass

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. William A. Glass will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

READ THE INTERVIEW

What is the favorite book you remember as a child?

My favorite book growing up was The Count of Monte Cristo. I must have reread it a dozen times.

What is your favorite book today?

Goodbye Darkness by William Manchester. About his effort to shake the nightmares that haunt his sleep decades after serving as a Marine in World War II. To bury those dreams and his young self, he visits the horrendous battlefields where he and his comrades fought and bled. Think Guadalcanal, Saipan, Tarawa, and Okinawa. Tell us about your current book in 10 words.

About the wayward son of an alcoholic army officer.

What are you reading right now?

The Thin Red Line by James Jones.

What books do you have on hold at the library?

I don’t have any books on hold. I’m busy working on the sequel to As Good As Can Be. When I need something to read, I just grab a book from my library.

Do you have any bad book habits?

My worst book habit is rereading books over and over again.

E-Reader or print? and why?

I only read print books, the more beat-up, the better. I love the way they feel and smell.

One book at a time or multiples?

Mainly one book at a time, but I’ve been known to pick up a novel when a heavy-duty non-fiction book I’m reading gets too dry. But I usually go back and finish what I started.

Dog-ear or bookmark? (don't worry—Librarian Judith won't hold it against you—much)

I use bookmarks.

Least favorite book you've read this year?

A Gentlemen in Moscow

Favorite book you've read this year?

Napoleon: A Life by Andrew Roberts.

When do you do most of your reading?
In bed, at the end of a busy day. I never go to sleep, no matter how tired, without reading a few pages of my current book.

Favorite genre?

Non-fiction history and biography.

Do you loan your books?

Yes, I loan my books, often pressing great ones on friends. Sometimes I get them back.

Favorite book to recommend?

Currently, my favorite books to recommend are the Liberation Trilogy by Rick Atkinson. Most people’s idea about the US Army during World War II is that they went ashore on D-day, and once that victory was won, so was the war. In three volumes, Rick Atkinson dispels that notion and unforgettably documents the ordeal our soldiers endured to liberate Europe from the NAZIs.

How do you keep your books organized?

I separate fiction from non-fiction and have the novels sorted by genre, then by author. The non-fiction is organized based on the era.

Re-reader or not?

I’m a voracious re-reader.

What would make you not finish a book?

I will put down a book when I come to not only despise the characters but the author as well.

Keep books or give them away?

I mainly keep the books I buy, although I freely loan them knowing I may not get them back.

READ THE BLURB

Dave Knight is a wayward child growing up in a military family during the 1950s. His older sister wants to kill him but settles for regularly beating him up. Other siblings join in the mayhem while their alcoholic father contributes to the chaos with his unique approach to parenting.

As the Knight family moves from one army base to the next, Dave develops a give-a-damn attitude that often leads to trouble. In high school, he joins other delinquents in a series of escapades, some dangerous, others funny, and a few that would be worthy of jail time should they ever be caught.

After barely graduating, Dave is drafted into the army and sent to guard a nuclear weapons depot in Korea. There, he gets into trouble with his sergeant and tries to avoid dishonorable discharge.

READ AN EXCERPT

Upstairs all is pandemonium. Dan is furiously pounding on the bathroom door while inside Marie stares into the mirror applying eyeliner. She’s in the seventh grade now and has discovered that boys aren’t just for beating up. Meanwhile, Dave’s in the basement ironing a shirt. He gives it a couple finishing touches then slips it on while running up the stairs.

“Have you seen my book bag?” Melissa asks.

“Isn’t that it next to the door?” Dave replies.

The bus pulls up in front of the house, and Melissa grabs the book bag. Knight hands her a bacon-and-egg sandwich as she goes out. “Tell the driver to wait,” he asks. Then one by one the other Knight children rush out while the driver insistently honks his horn. Finally, Marie comes downstairs, gets her sandwich, and strolls down the front walk, arms full of accoutrements. As she climbs aboard, the enlisted men’s dependents in back sarcastically applaud. Marie ignores them, and once seated she uses a can of hairspray to laminate her teased tresses. She pays no heed to mounting protests from others on the bus who object to being gassed this early in the morning.

NOTE: If you would like to see a longer excerpt from the book, please go here: https://www.williamaglass.com/copy-of-about-1

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bill is a retired business executive now living in South Carolina with his wife, Bettina. She teaches high school German while Bill coaches soccer at a small college. Their three sons, Alex, Robert, and Gordon, have all graduated from college and moved away to pursue careers.

For recreation, Bettina and Bill enjoy hiking and camping out. Usually, they take their dog, Scout, along. When the weather permits, Bill commutes to work on his motorcycle.

https://williamaglass.com/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20170818.William_A_Glass

Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/As-Good-Can-Be-ebook/dp/B086MB11FZ/

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