Virtual Book Tour: Crossing Day by William A. Glass

 Good morning, everyone! Please welcome author William A. Glass to Full Moon Dreaming today! He is here to discuss his new release, Crossing Day! William will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to one randomly drawn commenter via Rafflecopter during the tour. The more you comment, the better your chances of winning! To find the other stops on the tour, go here. Don't forget to look for the Rafflecopter at the end of the post!

 

CROSSING DAY

William A. Glass

 

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GENRE:  Young Adult/Alternate History

 

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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?

 

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EXCERPT:

 

 

 

Melanie wanders into the dining room and finds her parents already seated at the table with their personal slaves standing behind them. Her mother, Dorothy, takes a sip of orange juice and replaces the glass on the lace tablecloth. Her servant, Natty, immediately gets a pitcher from the sideboard and refills the glass. Meanwhile, James is smiling at Melanie. “Morning, Miss,” he says. The white-haired Black man pulls out her chair. Once she’s seated, he spreads a cloth napkin over her lap.

 

“What was all the ruckus at Jaybird’s last night?” Dan Montgomery asks. He’s the mayor of Huntsville and knows everything.

 

“A German boy started it,” Melanie says defensively.

 

“Yes, and his father already called me to complain. He’s a big wheel at The Space Flight Complex.”

 

“Sorry!”

 

Montgomery points to the syrup. His slave, Parker, reaches for it and then pours. “Enough,” Montgomery snaps. He turns back to Melanie. “You and all the others will have a week of detention.”

 

Melanie gasps. “What about cheerleading practice?”

 

“You should have thought of that before you went to the drive-in. That’s where all the delinquents hang out and you with them.”

 

“I won’t go anymore. Please.” Melanie bats her baby blues at her father. His expression melts. “Go to detention after school today, and maybe we’ll see about tomorrow.”

 

“Thanks, Dad.”

 

Montgomery cuts off a bite of pancake and pops it into his mouth. That reminds Melanie to eat as well. It’s almost time for the bus.

 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

 

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/ref=sr_1_1

 

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Q. You’re marooned on a small island with one person and one item of your choice—who is that person and what item do you have?

A. If I was marooned on a desert island my choice for the one person to be with would be my wife, Bettina. She is a very resourceful, competent person who would help make the most of the situation. The one item I would want to be sure of having is my fishing rod. That would enable me to either catch fish or at least look like I was doing something constructive while actually goofing off!

Q. Which musical would you say best exemplifies your life – and which character in that musical are you?

A. I think the musical “South Pacific” would best exemplify my life. It’s about the interactions between US military personnel and the local population of the Pacific Island where they are based. The musical came out in the late 40’s about the time I was born into a military family. My first memories are of living in an exotic foreign country. “South Pacific” was controversial when it came out because of its forthright treatment of racial prejudice. I lived on army bases and attended integrated army schools in Europe at a time when strict racial segregation was the norm in the American South. Many students my age went on to protest in favor of civil rights. The “South Pacific” character I would most identify with is Luther Billis. In the musical Billis provides most of the comic relief. In high school I was always the class clown and like Billis evinced little respect for authority.

Q. Take these three words and give me a 100 word or less scene using them: hammer, saucer, traffic lights

A. With a sigh, Jake lets in the clutch and downshifts. Should have taken the bypass, he thinks as he comes to a stop, how can a town this size have so many traffic lights? The signal changes and Jake gets the motorcycle back into gear. He passes a brick building and with a glance ascertains that it’s the town library. Further down a neon sign hanging in the window of a modest building promises liquid refreshment. Might as well hammer a couple of beers, Jake decides and downshifts again.

Inside the dimly lit establishment three grizzled heads seated at the far end of the bar swing in unison to gaze at Jake as he enters. Disappointment at not seeing another regular is written on their faces. Sullenly the old timers turn back to concentrate on their drinks. A woman holding a whiskey bottle pushes through a pair of swinging café doors and Jake gets a glimpse at the tidy kitchen behind her. Setting the bottle on the bar the woman dries her hands with her apron. “What’ll you have?” she asks Jake.

You! Jake thinks, staring into her sparkling green eyes. He bites his tongue to keep from blurting out that thought. “What’s on draft?” he manages to get out.

“All we got is PBR.”

“That’ll do.” Dave lays a five-dollar bill on the counter to prove he’s not a deadbeat. The woman reaches for a mug in an overhead rack accentuating her slim figure. She turns to the beer tap.

Jake is smitten. Red hair and green eyes! What’s she doing in a place like this? He watches her carefully top off the mug with just the right amount of head. “What’s the cat’s name?” he asks pointing to the tabby licking a saucer of milk in the corner.

Q. What is your idea of how to spend romantic time with your significant other?

A. My wife and I both enjoy quiet evenings at home with our assortment of rescued dogs and cats. We love to curl up in bed surrounded by our furry friends who are happy to watch whatever is on PBS with us. Our evening probably wouldn’t impress outsiders as overly romantic, but we’re happy!

Q. When you start a new story, do you begin with a character, or a plot?

A. I almost always start with a character or in the case of my new novel characters. I had an idea for the theme I wanted to develop with Crossing Day in mind for a several years, but was unable to find the right approach to take until one day, it hit me to put a group of high school students in a story that would bring out the topic. Once I began writing about these characters, they helped me develop the plot.

Q. If they were to make the story of your life into a movie, who should play you?

A. Without a doubt I would want Adam Sandler to play me if they were to make a movie about my life. He is a great actor who in several movies has shown that he can convey the sort of give-a-damn attitude I had growing up!

Thank-you for featuring my novel Crossing Day on Full Moon Dreaming today!

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