Welcome, Keith. What would you like for
our readers to know about you personally?
DH Lawrence had
a great line, “Never trust the teller, trust the tale. The proper function of a
critic is to save the tale from the artist who created it.”
For me the line
is, “Trust the tale not the teller.” Meaning if there’s any value to the work
it’s because it exists inside the writing, not in the life-story of the author.
Writer’s lives are a footnote to their writing, but people always want to see
behind the curtain.
Invariably, you
only find a little man pulling levers and shouting into a microphone, “I am the
Great and Powerful Oz, pay no attention to that man—”
But for what
it’s worth, I was a 1970s kid, did everything wrong at least twice, and three
or four times for the crazy stuff I invented myself. Did this help me make Eden ? I’ve tried to learn from my mistakes. First, Do No Harm . . . The strangest thing
about growing up in the late ’60s and ’70s was that no one imagined adulthood.
Duty, responsibility, mercy, and turning a frown upside down. Invisible when
you’re young, and harder than it looks when you’re older.
Tell us about your family.
Dysfunctional
family of the WWII generation: a cross between Everybody Loves Raymond, The
Front Page, and the Thurber story, The
Night the Bed Fell on my Father. If you’ve ever seen Albert Finney in Tom
Jones—that was me, as a teenager . . . we are obliged to bring our Hero on the
Stage in a much more disadvantageous Manner than we could wish; and to declare .
. . that it was the universal Opinion of
all Mr. Allworthy's Family, that he was certainly born to be hanged.
Have you written other fiction books?
Six novels. Two spy thrillers, Swan Div and Banquo’s Ghosts (with Rich Lowry); a version of Midsummer Night’s Dream set in the
dustbowl, Archangel; a romance based
on the true story of Jung and his first important patient, Sabina Speilrein, Secret Dreams; a God-fearing sci-fi
thriller based on the idea that the Pied Piper of Hamlin comes back to life in
modern USA, End Times; and of course, Eden.
Do you have any other books in the works
right now?
A thriller out
of Bosnia via France and Aspen . A show biz novel based on my personal
experience in the game.
What kinds of hobbies and leisure
activities do you enjoy?
Practiced
Shotokan for 30 years with a Japanese Sensei; a deep feature of character
building. When I have time, I hunt and
ski, but mostly I like snuggling in the bed with my wife and the dogs.
Why did you write the featured book?
Well, they don’t
call it the greatest story ever told, for nothing! I’ve always admired Animal Farm and Charlotte’s Web and of course, The
Wind in the Willows – getting my animals to talk and think was more fun
than I can possibly explain. You can say and see a lot of things through dogs
and donkeys and lambs you can’t say or see using people.
What do you want the reader to take away
from the book?
The Almighty is
good, and so are the animals, his creations who march with us through this
world. Anyone can be redeemed.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell
my readers about you or your book?
Pick it up,
start on the first page, read first line, if you get to the second line, go to
the third . . .
Please give us the first page or two from
the book.
“There is not
enough darkness in the world to extinguish a single candle flame.”
The Legion
The Roman
Legionaries called the dog Old Gray. During the day his ashen fur made him look
like a wolf, while at night the moon turned his coat silver from head to tail.
Season after season Old Gray kept pace with the soldiers’ column, trotting
beside their tramping feet. No one knew where he came from, but as long as
anyone could recall the dog marched with the cohort, camp to camp. Out of
companionship? Or for the scraps of Roman bread and soup at day’s end?
Maybe both.
When winter came
and the weather grew cold Old Gray took shelter in their tents. In the heat of
summer he lay on a folded cloak under the starry sky. Like all dogs he slept
lightly, his ears and nose alert to any strange movement near at hand. And so
Old Gray earned his keep, guarding the soldiers of the Legion.
That winter the
Roman army marched south many miles through endless barren hills and Old Gray
kept pace, trotting mile after mile. Oftentimes he scouted ahead, then doubling
back, only to overhear the cavalry horses who grumbled at every turn of the
road.
For weeks on end
the war horses whinnied the same complaint:
“No grass. No
grass.”
Then grimly to
anyone within earshot:
“Bare ground. Everywhere bare ground.”
The column’s
surly mule, harnessed to the hay wagon laden with the Legions’ grub and the
animals’ daily feed, grumbled along with the rest, “I have grass. Bales and
bales of grass. They’ll feed you tonight, like they do every night. Be thankful
you don’t have to pull it.”
It was a
soldier’s right to gripe. Mules and horses no exception. Old Gray took it in
stride. Mules and horses could only graze if there was grass, while smart old
dogs combed the roadside for birds’ eggs and every creature of the field. But
Old Gray didn’t feel too sorry for the mules or horses; the soldiers always fed
the beasts of burden first as the cohort wouldn’t move without the draft
animals lugging food and water and the officers never traveled on foot.
Every day, the
barren road into the south stretched to oblivion. The column plodding on
forever, a great serpent of men fading into the cloud of yellow dust that
hovered over their line of march. The hills of this wilderness were mostly
barren, but then they came upon flocks. Old Gray saw shepherds, their sheep
straying for tufts and brambles in the rocky pastures above the road. At dusk
Old Gray crept up the slope and found what he was looking for—a ewe and her
lamb astray.
At first the
shepherd tried to strike the thieving dog with his crook crying, “Get
away! Get away!” But Old Gray darted
off, herding the ewe and her lamb down the slope as the man stumbled in
pursuit. Back in camp
Old Gray was praised by
all who saw him and the clink of Roman coins quieted the shepherd’s protest.
Anything to shut him up.
Old Gray had
heard it all before.
Where on the Internet can the readers
find you?
Settle in for some winter reading and enter to win a copy of Keith's book and a Kindle Fire!
One grand prize winner will receive:
- A copy of Eden
- A Kindle Fire
Readers, leave
a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these
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6 comments:
Sounds good. new author for me. north platte nebraska.
Sounds interesting. I love the chance to win!
OOps! Forgot the place--I'm from Tarpon Springs, Florida!
I have always loved Charlotte's Web. If this book even comes close, I'd love to read it!
Pam in OH
I look forward to this book. Thanks for sharing.
Connie from KY
cps1950(at)gmail(dot)com
Enter me!!
Conway SC.
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