@william.glass.50767 @GoddessFishPromotions
@williamasaglass @goddessfishpromotions
@WilliamAGlass3 @GoddessFish
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?
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.
Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found HERE
SELF-PUBLISHING, NOT FOR THE FAINT-HEARTED!
William A. Glass
Self-publishing my new novel, CROSSING DAY, has been a new experience. Kind of like going from being a cog in the machine to being the driver.
My previous two novels were published with the help of Timber Hawkeye, an independent publisher. So, my role was limited to writing, then hitting the road to publicize the books. Even though my job was relatively simple, along the way I learned all the convoluted steps needed to turn a draft manuscript into a polished book. What I concluded is that the publisher of a book is like a general contractor. That gave me the confidence to branch out on my own when, upon completion of Crossing Day, Timber advised me that he was not taking on new projects.
I compare getting a draft manuscript ready for publication with making vodka. In both cases the idea is to keep distilling until you get all the impurities out. Literary folks refer to this process as editing. As the author of Crossing Day, it was up to me to get the manuscript in the best shape I could before outsourcing it to professionals. As the publisher, it was then my job to choose the right editor. To make sure I got it right, I hired two.
While the editors did their thing, I contracted out the cover design and hired a firm to do the interior layout. I also did publisher type stuff like obtaining a Library of Congress number and getting ISBNs. Along the way, I reviewed the work done by the first editor, then passed the revised manuscript to the second one. Soon, my vodka was ready for the finishing touches.
This meant turning the manuscript, a word document, and my cover art, a .jpg, over to Mayfly Design, the outfit I hired to do the interior for Crossing Day. Mayfly also offers publishing assistance at a very reasonable cost. Not being too proud to ask for help, I took them up on it.
Mayfly consists of a small group of creative people who take a highly professional approach. As we went through several iterations of the interior and made final edits, I found them exceeding pleasant to work with. It took a while, but each step in the process was finished right on time and the files were ready to upload for publication three days before the due date. Aside from producing a striking interior, Mayfly formatted my cover design to fit the mechanical requirements of the two main book distributors. For the finale we worked side-by-side to complete the myriad steps required to introduce Crossing Day to the world. Now the ball is back in my court to do the marketing.
In life I have found that it’s often better to be lucky than good. I was completely lost on what to do with the manuscript for my first book until I noticed a tiny ad for Hawkeye. Timber taught me about publishing and made it possible to self-publish when the time came. Still, I needed expert assistance to make sure Crossing Day would be dressed for success when it came out. I stumbled across Mayfly Design while doing a related search. Online I found heartfelt reviews. Now I can post one myself.
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.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/williamasaglass
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WilliamAGlass3
LibraryThing: https://www.librarything.com/profile/Glaswa4611
Tour hosted by: Goddess Fish Promotions
Really like the cover, very artistic..
This sounds like a great story.
Great excerpt and giveaway. :)
Thanks for sharing. This sounds like an interesting read.
by Marcy Meyer
This looks outstanding. Thanks for hosting.