Blog Tour: CROSSING DAY by William A. Glass

 

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 One:

 

The referee blows her whistle and points to the Joseph Johnston High School goal. It’s a foul, just outside the penalty area. Hastily, several defenders form a wall. Liam Larsen, the goalkeeper, shouts directions.

 

“Block that kick, block that kick,” the Johnston cheerleaders yell.

 

Melanie Montgomery, wearing her purple and gold cheerleader outfit, catches the eye of one of the boys on the squad. He nods as she runs toward him and then leaps, placing her foot into his waiting hands. Melanie’s world dissolves into a swirl of color. She comes to earth with a thud.

 

“Nice landing,” the boy says.

 

“Thanks.” Melanie glances at the scoreboard and sees that despite their efforts, another goal has been added to the visitor’s tally. “I hate these German schools,” she pouts.

 

“Yeah, they act like they invented the game,” one of the other cheerleaders exclaims.

 

There’s no injury time added in high school soccer, so the match comes to a screeching halt when the clock winds down and the buzzer goes off. Most players line up to shake hands, but three of the Germans laugh and walk off. Their coach gives a Hitler salute to the Johnston stands. A chorus of boos greets his gesture.

 

“Everyone on the line,” Sam Gorman, the Johnston soccer coach, shouts. He crosses his arms and glares at his players threateningly until the whole team is on the touchline. “All right, Ryan,” he says to the team captain, “cool down.”

 

 

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 GUEST POST

CROSSING DAY, The Characters

William A. Glass

My new novel, Crossing Day, features a large cast of colorful characters. You could divide them into three categories: the good, the bad, and the ugly.

In the latter group, you have Lieutenant Ferguson and Agent Boyce. They’re Nazis and prove that ugliness, like beauty, lies within. Over the course of the story our contempt for Boyce grows. He’s ignorant, violent, self-centered, and lazy. He and Ferguson both work for the Confederate Nazi Security Service. In the beginning Ferguson is a cold-blooded cop, confident and self-assured. But as his frustration mounts, Ferguson loses his composure. The Security Service is the most feared entity in the Confederacy. Ferguson is not accustomed to being fooled with. He likes to terrorize people and have his way. Imagine his emotions when a high-school-age boy makes a fool of him time and again. Ferguson becomes obsessed and as the story nears its climax, he loses his grip on reality.

Then there’s the bad actors. Most of the bad folks in Crossing Day aren’t evildoers. They’re mainly guilty of complicity in a sick system. They were born into a slave-holding country, enjoy being waited on hand and foot, and while in the back of their minds they may suspect there is something wrong with the system, those thoughts are quickly banished. Mayor Montgomery is a character who exemplifies complacency in the face of evil. As the town’s mayor, he cannot afford to question slavery. It’s the backbone of the economy. Anyone who challenges it is branded an abolitionist and put in a camp. At the outset we find Montgomery playing the role of devoted family man. As the patriarch, he presides over the dinner table, dispensing wisdom. When necessary, he lays down the law. On holidays he takes the family boating. However, the mayor’s demeanor changes as his oldest daughter becomes more rebellious. He fears she will be branded a dissident by the Security Service with dire repercussions for him.  Under pressure the Mayor’s personality disintegrates. His alcohol consumption goes up as his behavior goes down. Will this family man throw his daughter under the bus?

Now that we’ve talked about some of the ugly and bad characters in Crossing Day, let’s talk about Ryan Walters and his friends who attend high school in Alabama. They’re the good guys. As the story opens, they are engaged in a favorite activity – soccer. Later we find that when not playing sports, they like to share videos, text with friends, share videos, and hang out. Like the bad characters, they don’t question slavery at first. It seems normal.

That changes when a event occurs that opens their eyes to the depravity of chattel slavery. Suddenly a veil is lifted from their eyes. Looking around they see their teachers, coaches, and parents in a new, unflattering light. Now in rebellion against the system, the teenagers find themselves in grave danger. As they seek to evade the consequences, a series of misadventures ensues. This makes it necessary for Ryan and his friends to grow up fast. They become resourceful, resilient, and find strength within themselves they never knew existed. Through their own innate decency, they avoid the complacency of their parents and rise above their upbringing.

 

 

 

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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