Crossing Day
by William A. Glass
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GENRE: Young Adult / Alternate History
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BOOK 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 THREE:
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.
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GUEST POST:
World-building can be the most important element of your book. What media outlets, role-models, and real-life inspirations did you draw from while writing this book?
Writing an adventure story can be just as much fun as reading one, especially if you have no idea where the story is going next as you write it. That was the case for me with Crossing Day. But one thing I knew at the start was the world I wanted to create for the setting. And yes, that’s the most important element of my book.
Crossing Day is set in present-day northern Alabama one hundred and sixty years after the Confederacy gained independence in the Civil War. The story follows a group of teenagers. Initially, it appears these kids live in a familiar world, doing things teenagers today would consider normal. They’re on their phones incessantly, texting, sharing videos, and keeping up with social media. Occasionally, they’ll put the device down for soccer practice or a game.
However, early on, it becomes clear their world is not normal. What are Nazis doing in positions of authority in Alabama? Could enslaving people of African descent still be happening in North America? Well, in Crossing Day, these things happen. The teenagers are not at all surprised to run into Nazis. Several have slaves working as servants at home. But then, the teenagers’ complacency is shattered by an occurrence that wakes them to the injustice around them. The narrative takes off from there.
I was inspired to create this world, where the Southern Confederacy still exists, by a desire to debunk the myths that persist in the South about the origin of the Civil War. I had already finished a draft of Crossing Day when Nikki Haley, a serious presidential candidate, tried to dance around the question of what caused the Civil War. I sympathized with her because I, too, was taught that the South seceded from the Union over the principle of state’s rights. Like Haley, I was taught that secession had nothing to do with slavery. It was only after extensive reading that I realized the primary Civil Right that the slaveholders of the South were interested in was the right to own human property. A right that was guaranteed to them in the US Constitution.
Crossing Day is an action-packed adventure story written to be wildly entertaining. But the underlying message is that the Civil War was caused by the South’s determination not merely to maintain but to extend the institution of chattel slavery. My point is that we would still have slavery if the Confederacy had become an independent nation because of the Civil War.
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AUTHOR BIO:
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.
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GIVEAWAY INFO:
William will award a $25 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner's Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.
Thank you for hosting today.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like an amazing read!
ReplyDeleteWhat's the most fun part of writing for you?
ReplyDelete