NIGHT OF THE COSSACK - Tom Blubaugh - Free Book

Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.

In this first novel—quite a bit. The protagonist is my grandfather.  He died before I was born and I had just a few facts about him.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

When I was 15, I was swimming in a river with some friends.  We were wondering how deep it was. I got a large rock, put it on an inner tube, and pushed it out in the middle of the river. I wrapped my arms around the rock and pulled it off the tube. I rode it down until the water turned black and cold. Sufficiently scared, I let go and finally made it back to the surface. We never did find out how deep it was and I didn’t care to know. This may qualify as something other than quirky—maybe more like a word that starts with s and ends with d.

When did you first discover that you were a writer?

When I was in grade school. I would write poems and send them into companies that advertised in comic books they wanted poems for song lyrics. I didn’t have the money they required.

Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.

I like action—mainly westerns and intrigue. I read a lot of non-fiction for knowledge and research—history.

How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?

I don’t run. I walk. I’m fortunate in that I am retired and can control my time and activities.

How do you choose your characters’ names?

In this first novel, I researched names in the country my protagonist was in and tried to select unusual names.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

Writing this novel. I’ve accomplished a lot of things, but this was the most rewarding.

If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?

A cat. Nothing gets past them and they are very independent.

What is your favorite food?

BBQ Ribs, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, lemon meringue pie.

Those are my husband’s favorites, too. What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?

Grammar. I joined a good critique group and my publisher has a good editor.

Tell us about the featured book.

It’s a story about my maternal grandfather.  He died a year before I was born.  I always wanted to know him. I took a little information I had and wrote a story around them. He was a Jew, born in Georgia on the Black Sea, who became a Russian Cossack soldier.  Something happened that caused him to defect and immigrate to the USA. The story is about his life on the run.

Please give us the first page of the book.

Nathan’s eyes flew open. Sounds, screams and gunshots penetrated the cold air of his upstairs bedroom. The pungent smell of smoke invaded his nose. He coughed. Am I having a nightmare? Shadows danced wildly across the ceiling and down the walls. 

Heart pounding, he threw off his covers, jumped out of bed, and rushed to the window. His little brother, Israel, followed.

Its real!

“What is it, Nathan?” Israel whispered.

Nathan pulled his brother against the wall behind him.

“Hey! I want to see!”

“Shush, Israel.” Nathan looked through the window at the valley below, his heart racing. Men in long coats and fur hats were running through the village brandishing swords and raising rifles. Cossacks!

The Bukolovs’ and the Gorbenkos’ houses were burning. Bodies lay on the ground. He couldn’t tell who they were, but he knew they were friends.

Momma rushed into the room. “Get away from that window, Nathan!”

“Those are Cossack soldiers, Momma!”

“Cossacks,” echoed Israel.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

http://tomblubaugh.com

Thank you for the interesting interview, Tom.



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