Welcome, Glenn. Tell
us how much of yourself you write into your characters.
Developing empathy for others helps me to create and sustain
characters that are hopefully rich, varied, likable, and entertaining. Since I
question whether I could be described with any of those characteristics, I
believe my characters are more imagined than reflective.
What is the quirkiest
thing you have ever done?
I’ve never thought of myself as a quirky person—all the more
reason to construe such an attribute. But I do, and always have to my memory,
twiddled my hair when concentrating on something. Harder to do with my current
short haircut, I have to dig hard to get enough hair to rub between my fingers.
When did you first
discover you were a writer?
When my short story “Way the River Runs” was accepted by a magazine in 2007, I began to
think that maybe I was a writer after all.
Tell us the range of
the kinds of books you enjoy reading.
C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and other epic fantasy writers
with a Christian worldview on the one hand and John Grisham, Andrew Klavan,
Eddie Jones, and other mystery/action adventure writers are among my favorites.
I think I have also read nearly every Western written by Louis L’Amour. I enjoy
historical fiction, beginning with Bode Thoene to Francine Rivers and even the
sometimes profane work of Bernard Cornwall. And I read non-fiction historicals,
such as Forth to the Wilderness by
Dale Van Every, nearly everything written by Stephen Ambrose and David McCullough
and many more. But the most rewarding read and study for me is the Bible – by
far.
How do you keep your
sanity in our run, run, run world?
Sanity? I used to have a heavy bag, but now I have to settle
for peddling really fast on my stationary bike.
How do you choose
your characters’ names?
Sometimes I look up lists of common names, either current or
of another period of history. But more often I overhear a name that sounds cool
to me. When I occasionally delve into fantasy, I like to use Greek, Latin, or
Hebrew names that mean something either representative of or ironic to the
character in question.
What is the
accomplishment that you are most proud of?
Proverbs 6:16, 11:2,
16:18
If you were an
animal, which one would you be, and why?
As a kid, I sometimes fantasized that I was a talking
mountain lion that went around doing good—sort of an animal superhero. Maybe
influenced by Jack London’s dog characters “Buck” and “White Fang” both of whom
were loyal and saved or tried to save their masters from the bad guys.
What is your favorite
food?
Great coffee, strong, freshly ground and dark roast but with
cream and sugar. Our Keurig makes a fast fix, but if I’m desperate, a shot of
espresso and hot chocolate in a cup of skim milk will also power me through
writer’s fatigue
What is the problem
with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?
My greatest roadblock was thinking that creative writing was
just too massive and that I wasn’t smart enough to pull it off. I overcame it
by focusing first on trying to write a compelling short story. When others
subsequently pointed out how pathetic my first attempts were, my self-doubts were
reinforced. The only way to overcome was to keep studying, keep listening to
criticism with discernment, and keep trying.
Tell us about the
featured book.
In Chase, Tyler , a middle school newbie, watches
helplessly as his friend, Jake, descends into drugs. With the help of a couple
of classmates and encouraged by the local police, Tyler begins shadowing drug
runners to rat out the methamphetamine dealer before his friend turns into a brain
dead druggie. But Tyler
has underestimated the power and raw evil that is about to be unleashed against
him. There are lots of twists and turns and character surprises as Tyler and his friends
come face to face with organized evil. Faith and courage are tested to the max,
and many lessons are learned regarding life and friendships.
Please give us the
first page of the book.
Prologue
Erick Donaldson crept from tree to tree scanning the hushed
forest for his prey. Three-foot ferns screened the ground on either side of the
path, but on the dirt trail ahead, cloven-hoofed prints pressed deep into the
soft black soil.
He stooped. Fresh. His quarry was close.
A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. He’d ditched
algebra that morning, but Mom’s grounding would be worth it—especially if he
had a new antler rack mounted to his wall.
Through a break in the tall trees, wisps of vapor rose from the
valley below, and the domed roof of an old barn poked above the early fall
greenery. Erick narrowed his eyes. He’d never seen buildings out here in the
state park, but he’d never roamed this far north either. The dim trail twisted downhill
and disappeared toward the barn. He touched the hunting license in the cargo
pocket of his fatigues and stole after his game.
At the valley floor, he pushed through the brush line and
stepped into the clearing.
Mist swirled against the barn and decay ate away the
corners. Broken and missing boards lined the structure like unraveling bandages
on a gigantic mummy. Elm saplings crowded the ruin. Just an abandoned barn. And
yet . . .
The hair on the back of his neck prickled.
Interesting. How can
readers find you on the Internet?
Website http://www.glennhaggerty.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/grhaggertyjr
Thank you, Glenn, for
sharing this new book with us. The teaser is intriguing.
Readers, here are links to the book.
Chase: Intense, Book 3 (Volume 3) - PaperbackChase: Intense, Book 3 - Kindle
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10 comments:
this sounds so good! Shelia from Mississippi
Thanks, Shelia! I hope you get a chance to read Chase.
Wow! I was right there in the mist with Erick! I love books that draw me into them! Thanks for sharing Y'all!
Robin in NC
Glenn Haggerty is a new to me author but one that I'd love to explore through reading "CHASE". The subject matter is intriguing but very interesting. I'm thinking it would be not only a very good book to read but one with eye opening moments and lessons to learn along the way. Thanks for the chance to win a copy!
Kay Garrett of Mountain View, AR
2clowns at arkansas dot net
Oh my! This sounds very intriguing and obviously very pertinent!
Connie from KY
cps1950(at)gmail(dot)com
Most of Chase (80%) is written from the hero's point of view. But I do use a couple of other POVs that increase the stakes and usually keeps readers turning the pages
This sounds intriguing. I believe there is a need for YA besides fantasy.
Connie from Texas
Forth to the Wilderness by Dale Van Every, written as creative non-fiction, was actually used as a text in a college U.S. History class I took in the 1960's. My wife saw the book on the table and thought it was a novel. She was halfway through reading it, and thoroughly enjoying the story, before she realized it was a history text.
That's funny! But I agree with your wife, the history was so engaging and his focus on characters made it a fascinating read IMO. You'll see my love for that part of the country in Chase, as well as in Run, Intense Book 2
Enter me in your awesome giveaway for the print book copy!!
Conway SC.
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