I want to welcome William Peter
Grasso, author of East Wind Returns and Unpunished, to
talk about his historical novels and his writing career.
William, when did you start
writing? What was it you first wrote?
Despite
having been a prolific writer of industry-related articles throughout
my aviation career, my few attempts at fiction over the years fell
apart after the first few chapters. In 2005, however, I began a story
that refused to die. It became my first novel, East Wind Returns.
What period do you write about
and why?
For kids
like me who grew up in the 1950s, World War II dominated our
childhood mythology. Most of our fathers—and a few of our
mothers—had served in that war, and its shadow seemed ever-present
in our lives. That shadow seems to have never left me. WWII remains
the period of history that fascinates me most.
What is the most surprising
thing in the period you write about? Do you run into common
misperceptions? How do you deal with them in your fiction?
The most
surprising thing about the WWII era—and contrary to the rosy
perceptions offered by some writing on the subject—was despite the
unprecedented communal effort required to wage global war, divisive
social issues were not put on hold for the duration in any of the
combatant nations. Labor conflicts, racial strife, political
corruption and economic injustice continued unabated and were
distorted or simply ignored by the governments and media for the good
of the war effort.
Another
misperception I encounter when talking of military campaigns is the
idea of “juggernauts.” For example, WWII is often seen as just a
series of juggernaut-like military actions: the Japanese and Germans
were seen as unstoppable in the early years of the war, but saw their
fortunes reversed by an Allied juggernaut in the later years. A true
juggernaut is only possible when facing a defenseless or sorely
unprepared opponent; the military campaigns of that era were actually
very close-run contests whose outcomes were usually in doubt until
their very closing moments and could hinge on quirks of weather,
personality, or sheer luck. Examples of this abound in East Wind
Returns, where the American forces are still unsure of final victory
despite having marched to Japan’s doorstep. In my recently released
second novel, Unpunished, Joe Gelardi, an American airman
interned in Sweden in September 1944, tells Pola Nilsson-MacLeish, a
Swedish government official and his soon-to-be lover, that the war
will be over by Christmas. Pola replies Really? And who will be the
victor?
Who would you most like to meet
from one of your novels? Tell us about them.
Returning
to the previous question, the answer to this question would be Pola
Nilsson-MacLeish. She is a Swedish economist, educated in England and
married to a Scottish army officer (who she has not seen in three
years), who finds herself in charge of interned airmen—Allied and
German—in the Swedish city of Malmö. Despite her bookish
appearance, she is something of a libertine and engages in a torrid
love affair with American airman Joe Gelardi. This affair will
initially devastate their lives, but years later, through her
considerable courage, it brings them a redemption that alters an
American presidential election.
Pola is an
original; she is the first of my characters who is solely a
construction of my imagination. All the others are based on people I
have known personally or public figures (in some cases, the actual
public figure, like Truman, Marshall, Nimitz, etc.).
What is your next project?
With
Unpunished finally published, I’ve begun work on a new
alternate history novel set in northern Australia in the bleak days
of 1942. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor has proved much more
devastating to US military power in the Pacific than occurred in
actuality, giving Japan uncontested domination of the southwest
Pacific and Asia. The US can do little more than help defend
Australia against inevitable Japanese invasion as it rebuilds its
naval resources. The story unfolds through the eyes of a young US
Army officer—a veteran of Pearl Harbor—who is tasked with a
dangerous reconnaissance mission on the wild Cape York peninsula of
Australia. He finds himself dealing not only with the elusive
Japanese but an indifferent high command, a hostile natural
environment, enigmatic Aborigines, and a headstrong white woman who
has refused to evacuate. I hope to have it completed by the spring of
2012.
William, thanks for talking with me. I share your fascination with WWII and many of my favorite novels
are set during that period.
You will find East Wind Returns
and Unpunished on Amazon for only 99 Cents!
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