Ask the Author: G. Russell Overton
Answered Questions (18)
G. Russell Overton
No need to return them. I am sorry they are not to your liking. Please dispose however you wish.
G. Russell Overton
I have great news! Part 3 is scheduled for release on 25 October 2024! I apologize for taking so long to answer your question. Please see my recent blog posts. Life had gotten in the way for the last few years.
G. Russell Overton
I apologize for not answering sooner! I am finally moving forward with the third part of the series. If you look at my blog post from today, you will see my apology and excuses for this four year hiatus.
G. Russell Overton
It should be soon! Particularly Dangerous Work: Part 2, Lost at Sea is currently out for editorial review. As soon as these reviews are done, we will get a publication date scheduled. It will be sometime this summer, probably August.
G. Russell Overton
I don't have a date yet, but am hoping for an early summer release. Thank-you for asking!
G. Russell Overton
Thank-you, Gonzaga, for your kind words, and I am happy to answer your questions. I am glad that you enjoyed reading my book, and I hope you will stay with the series when parts 2 and 3 come out. Part 2 should be published later this year.
I will attempt to answer your questions without spoiling the story for other readers. So if my answers seem a bit cryptic, that is why. I very much enjoy critical dialogue with readers and other writers. If you want more specific answers, or if you want to engage in particular dialogue about the book, please send me a friend request on GoodReads and send me a message (this invitation is for all readers and fans). I would be delighted to have extended dialogue like that.
Of all the questions and comments I’ve had about this book, the question about Rodrigo’s (main character) sexual activity has been most frequent. Some readers have thought that there wasn’t enough sex or that it could have been more graphic. Others have suggested that it was all a bit much. It is a delicate balancing act to determine just how many sexual encounters there should be and how graphic they should be.
My rule is that every encounter, sexual or otherwise, must be integral to the story. That is, if I remove a particular encounter how does that alter the nature of the story? I weighed each event and the details of each event until I felt that they were exactly as they should be. Whether I am right or wrong is for readers like you to decide! The fact that it sparks debate and discussion is great. If my books prompt readers to ask questions like this, I have done my job.
Now, for Rodrigo’s character (again, I will attempt to avoid any spoilers), He is a young man in his mid to upper twenties. He is in the prime of his life at the beginning of World War II. It has been my experience that many young men in their twenties think about and pursue sexual encounters a lot. It has also been my experience that such young men, regardless of their sexuality, tend to get into all sorts of trouble as a result of their sexual pursuits. Hopefully, most young men learn something of value when they run into trouble and mature just a little bit each time. If Rodrigo is to be a realistic character, his life should follow this pattern as he matures through parts 2 & 3.
In researching and writing this series, I drew heavily on the recollections of the people I knew who lived through the World War II era. In all of their stories, whether straight or gay, family or friends, the one theme that seemed most common was the fact that there was a lot of sex. I will leave it to sociologists and anthropologists to answer why that was the case. I do think that the sexual appetite of the members of that generation had a lot to do with the post-war baby boom.
Your question about the graphic nature of some encounters is tougher to answer. I have to rely on my previous statement that I carefully considered each encounter and made the descriptions as graphic as they needed to be. I can think of two encounters in the book that might have been unsettling to readers. In fact, it was my intent to make readers uncomfortable in those two instances. Again, I am trying to avoid any spoilers, but sometimes sex takes place in difficult circumstances, and participants may reveal darker aspects of their personalities.
I hope I have answered your questions. This sort of exchange is tremendously helpful to me as a writer. Thoughtful questions like yours force me to evaluate and reconsider my conclusions. It is through this process that I will become a better writer. Again, if you want to continue this dialogue, please message me, and we can discuss the book in more detail. Thank-you!
I will attempt to answer your questions without spoiling the story for other readers. So if my answers seem a bit cryptic, that is why. I very much enjoy critical dialogue with readers and other writers. If you want more specific answers, or if you want to engage in particular dialogue about the book, please send me a friend request on GoodReads and send me a message (this invitation is for all readers and fans). I would be delighted to have extended dialogue like that.
Of all the questions and comments I’ve had about this book, the question about Rodrigo’s (main character) sexual activity has been most frequent. Some readers have thought that there wasn’t enough sex or that it could have been more graphic. Others have suggested that it was all a bit much. It is a delicate balancing act to determine just how many sexual encounters there should be and how graphic they should be.
My rule is that every encounter, sexual or otherwise, must be integral to the story. That is, if I remove a particular encounter how does that alter the nature of the story? I weighed each event and the details of each event until I felt that they were exactly as they should be. Whether I am right or wrong is for readers like you to decide! The fact that it sparks debate and discussion is great. If my books prompt readers to ask questions like this, I have done my job.
Now, for Rodrigo’s character (again, I will attempt to avoid any spoilers), He is a young man in his mid to upper twenties. He is in the prime of his life at the beginning of World War II. It has been my experience that many young men in their twenties think about and pursue sexual encounters a lot. It has also been my experience that such young men, regardless of their sexuality, tend to get into all sorts of trouble as a result of their sexual pursuits. Hopefully, most young men learn something of value when they run into trouble and mature just a little bit each time. If Rodrigo is to be a realistic character, his life should follow this pattern as he matures through parts 2 & 3.
In researching and writing this series, I drew heavily on the recollections of the people I knew who lived through the World War II era. In all of their stories, whether straight or gay, family or friends, the one theme that seemed most common was the fact that there was a lot of sex. I will leave it to sociologists and anthropologists to answer why that was the case. I do think that the sexual appetite of the members of that generation had a lot to do with the post-war baby boom.
Your question about the graphic nature of some encounters is tougher to answer. I have to rely on my previous statement that I carefully considered each encounter and made the descriptions as graphic as they needed to be. I can think of two encounters in the book that might have been unsettling to readers. In fact, it was my intent to make readers uncomfortable in those two instances. Again, I am trying to avoid any spoilers, but sometimes sex takes place in difficult circumstances, and participants may reveal darker aspects of their personalities.
I hope I have answered your questions. This sort of exchange is tremendously helpful to me as a writer. Thoughtful questions like yours force me to evaluate and reconsider my conclusions. It is through this process that I will become a better writer. Again, if you want to continue this dialogue, please message me, and we can discuss the book in more detail. Thank-you!
G. Russell Overton
Greg thought it was just steam hissing from the crackling logs in the fireplace, so he took the poker from its stand to stoke the fire, hoping it would release the trapped moisture. A flaming hand reached from the inferno, grabbed the glowing red instrument, and pulled Greg to his eternal demise.
G. Russell Overton
My academic training is in history, so my gut inclination would be to answer this question with a historical place and time. I would be motivated to ask a burning historical question that cannot be easily answered with primary sources. For instance I might want to travel back to 1916 and ask the Tsar why in the world he put his emotionally unstable wife in charge of the government. That, of course, would be a factual place and time and not the question posed here. Factual places are usually placed in works of fiction, so I could satisfy my historical curiosity in a roundabout way.
However, if such fantasy travel could ever be realized, I have to imagine it would be a one way trip. That is, once there I could never return home. I am terrified of modern doctors and hospitals, so I can’t imagine living in a world where the state of medical practice is even more barbaric than it is now. That puts most historical places off limits. If healthcare were my only criterion, I would have to choose a Star Trek kind of place where medicine is practiced with tricorders. I might go a step further and choose a magical, Harry Potter world where a wand or potion solves most problems, though the prospect of turning into a cockroach because my outspoken mouth angered someone is not enticing.
A utopian world, like Edward Bellamy’s twenty-first century might be appealing. However, many of the components of Bellamy’s world surprisingly resemble our twenty-first century, so maybe it wasn’t all that utopian. I might, alternatively, look at Baum’s Oz, but those darned flying monkeys creep me out big time. The concept of a fantasy world is taking me in the right direction.
I’ll stay away from anything Tolkien. The only place in a Lord of the Rings world that is even somewhat appealing is the shire, and I am too tall for that. The rest of it is just too dark for a long stay.
Perhaps I should consider a children’s book. Talking animals intrigue me. I could empathize with a bear getting stuck in a tree. Though I should probably avoid talking cats that speak in verse; the thought of green eggs leaves me rather, err, green. I’m not a cat person anyway. I certainly would avoid a place where the animals revolt and drive out the humans.
Late at night when I am outside watching the stars I often notice a spider weaving her web. I find myself wanting to talk with her, ask why she chose that spot between a post and brace to spin. I could find myself happy in a place where the prose is flawless, commas are proper, and participles never dangle. I think I would have to choose the barnyard world of E. B. White’s Charlotte’s Web.
https://www.bluewatertales.com
However, if such fantasy travel could ever be realized, I have to imagine it would be a one way trip. That is, once there I could never return home. I am terrified of modern doctors and hospitals, so I can’t imagine living in a world where the state of medical practice is even more barbaric than it is now. That puts most historical places off limits. If healthcare were my only criterion, I would have to choose a Star Trek kind of place where medicine is practiced with tricorders. I might go a step further and choose a magical, Harry Potter world where a wand or potion solves most problems, though the prospect of turning into a cockroach because my outspoken mouth angered someone is not enticing.
A utopian world, like Edward Bellamy’s twenty-first century might be appealing. However, many of the components of Bellamy’s world surprisingly resemble our twenty-first century, so maybe it wasn’t all that utopian. I might, alternatively, look at Baum’s Oz, but those darned flying monkeys creep me out big time. The concept of a fantasy world is taking me in the right direction.
I’ll stay away from anything Tolkien. The only place in a Lord of the Rings world that is even somewhat appealing is the shire, and I am too tall for that. The rest of it is just too dark for a long stay.
Perhaps I should consider a children’s book. Talking animals intrigue me. I could empathize with a bear getting stuck in a tree. Though I should probably avoid talking cats that speak in verse; the thought of green eggs leaves me rather, err, green. I’m not a cat person anyway. I certainly would avoid a place where the animals revolt and drive out the humans.
Late at night when I am outside watching the stars I often notice a spider weaving her web. I find myself wanting to talk with her, ask why she chose that spot between a post and brace to spin. I could find myself happy in a place where the prose is flawless, commas are proper, and participles never dangle. I think I would have to choose the barnyard world of E. B. White’s Charlotte’s Web.
https://www.bluewatertales.com
G. Russell Overton
This is a tough question. In my professional life as an historical researcher, my job is to solve mysteries. I spend much of my time digging through archival documents, looking for answers to burning historical questions. In a sense, I am the Sherlock Holmes of historical documents. Except where client confidentiality interferes, I could craft hundreds of stories based on such mysteries.
I could, for example, tell the story of a corrupt U. S. Senator in the nineteenth century, who managed his political machine like a mafia boss. I could write about a gang of land speculators conspiring to steal land and timber from an Indian reservation. I might even tell the story of a mystery that has yet to be solved, like the suspicious death of the wife of a Potawatomi chief (I already have a pretty good idea who murdered her).
Though these potential stories are historic, they are personal to me. When I delve into a research project, it becomes a part of my life. I find myself thinking like a federal marshal in 1848. I wake up in the middle of the night with the solution to a nagging mystery. I become so immersed in what I do that certain historical figures become like family to me. I read their diaries, personal letters, accounting ledgers, and all that survives of them. I think of their spouses, children, parents, and siblings by their first names. I feel joy when they fall in love and grief when they lose a child. Even when researching scoundrels, I develop a sense of personal connection. I can relate to them, even if I find their actions abhorrent.
To answer the question more directly, I think I would tell the story of the Potawatomi woman’s murder. As with any murder, it is a tragic story that should be told. The story would be full of intrigue between local business leaders and federal officials. The perpetrators would be motivated by greed and prejudice. Citizens in the surrounding communities would be complicit. In a sense, it would be the perfect murder because the killers would go unpunished and unidentified for 170 years. I very well might just tell this story.
I could, for example, tell the story of a corrupt U. S. Senator in the nineteenth century, who managed his political machine like a mafia boss. I could write about a gang of land speculators conspiring to steal land and timber from an Indian reservation. I might even tell the story of a mystery that has yet to be solved, like the suspicious death of the wife of a Potawatomi chief (I already have a pretty good idea who murdered her).
Though these potential stories are historic, they are personal to me. When I delve into a research project, it becomes a part of my life. I find myself thinking like a federal marshal in 1848. I wake up in the middle of the night with the solution to a nagging mystery. I become so immersed in what I do that certain historical figures become like family to me. I read their diaries, personal letters, accounting ledgers, and all that survives of them. I think of their spouses, children, parents, and siblings by their first names. I feel joy when they fall in love and grief when they lose a child. Even when researching scoundrels, I develop a sense of personal connection. I can relate to them, even if I find their actions abhorrent.
To answer the question more directly, I think I would tell the story of the Potawatomi woman’s murder. As with any murder, it is a tragic story that should be told. The story would be full of intrigue between local business leaders and federal officials. The perpetrators would be motivated by greed and prejudice. Citizens in the surrounding communities would be complicit. In a sense, it would be the perfect murder because the killers would go unpunished and unidentified for 170 years. I very well might just tell this story.
G. Russell Overton
First, I want to be very clear, I am a pacifist at heart and a firm believer in the rule of law. I consider the U.S. Constitution to be the bedrock of our republic. What happened last November was a breakdown of the constitutional process.
The whole point of the Electoral College is to act as a safety valve against democracy run amok. This was the first time in 228 years that the system was tested and it failed. That said, the system is not completely broken.
For the time being, I believe that the rule of law prevails. I also believe that the potential exists for a complete systemic breakdown. If the courts, congress, the press, and the military hold firm against the threat of tyranny, a bad president is nothing more than an ugly chapter in the history books. If those systems fail, a fascist dictatorship is the likely result.
The whole point of the Electoral College is to act as a safety valve against democracy run amok. This was the first time in 228 years that the system was tested and it failed. That said, the system is not completely broken.
For the time being, I believe that the rule of law prevails. I also believe that the potential exists for a complete systemic breakdown. If the courts, congress, the press, and the military hold firm against the threat of tyranny, a bad president is nothing more than an ugly chapter in the history books. If those systems fail, a fascist dictatorship is the likely result.
G. Russell Overton
In a sense every book I’ve read to completion has impacted my outlook on life and/or my writing. If I didn’t finish a book, it lost my interest, and its impact was minimal. Certain books have had a profound impact on those areas of my life. Without question, the books I have listed on my Goodreads page have had the greatest impact. The book I will reference in order to answer your question is Timothy Egan’s, "The Worst Hard Time." This is a book that when I first started reading, I could not stop. I finished it in the course of a weekend. By the time I finished it, I had been emotionally moved. The writing style certainly was engaging, but the story, a non-fictional account of the Dust Bowl years, permanently left a mark on my perceptions of how humans interact with the environment and how the environment can exact brutal revenge when abused. Though I am always careful not to attempt to adopt another author's writing style, a book that is so well written, must have some kind of impact on my own ability to communicate. I highly recommend it.
G. Russell Overton
Before I answer this question, I need to define it a bit more clearly. The first order of business is to decide whether the answer should be confined to romantic coupling or all forms of character coupling. Often fictional couples may not be romantic partners at all. A couple might be two siblings, as in the case of Lawrence and Thomas Chamberlain in Killer Angels. It could be two best friends, business partners, or colleagues, as in the case of Mark Twain’s Tom and Huck. A couple could be comprised of a parent and child, as in the case of Biff and Willy Lowman in Death of a Salesman. Then there are the couples whose relationship boundaries are somewhat blurred, like Achilleus and Patroclus in the Illiad. They might be adversaries or even strangers to one another. What makes for good fictional coupling is some level of complicated dynamic between the pair.
The romantic couple, of course, can always provide a source of interest. In romance a couple can experience many of the dynamics associated with non-romantic couples. They can become adversaries, tragic companions, caregivers, etc. All of the examples listed above would be included in my consideration of “favorite couple.” Add to that list some romantic couples like Rhett and Scarlet, Lord and Lady Macbeth, and Anna and Count Vronsky, and I think I have established a universe for consideration.
All of these couples are interesting because of the complex dynamics, but mostly because of the emotions they stir. I can’t think about any of these couples without experiencing some kind of emotional reaction – revulsion, endearment, fear, sadness, trepidation. I read all of their stories many years ago, yet the emotions and impact on me are still fresh. I have to select Achilleus and Patroclus. When I think about the death of Patroclus and the impact it had on Achilleus, my eyes feel moist and my chest aches. The fact that their story is thousands of years old, and it still stirs that kind of emotional response makes my choice an easy one.
The romantic couple, of course, can always provide a source of interest. In romance a couple can experience many of the dynamics associated with non-romantic couples. They can become adversaries, tragic companions, caregivers, etc. All of the examples listed above would be included in my consideration of “favorite couple.” Add to that list some romantic couples like Rhett and Scarlet, Lord and Lady Macbeth, and Anna and Count Vronsky, and I think I have established a universe for consideration.
All of these couples are interesting because of the complex dynamics, but mostly because of the emotions they stir. I can’t think about any of these couples without experiencing some kind of emotional reaction – revulsion, endearment, fear, sadness, trepidation. I read all of their stories many years ago, yet the emotions and impact on me are still fresh. I have to select Achilleus and Patroclus. When I think about the death of Patroclus and the impact it had on Achilleus, my eyes feel moist and my chest aches. The fact that their story is thousands of years old, and it still stirs that kind of emotional response makes my choice an easy one.
G. Russell Overton
Stop. Get up. Fix some tea. Move on to something else. Those blockages occur without warning. I will be in the middle of writing a critical passage, and all of a sudden I can't type. It usually results from some incongruity a few paragraphs (or chapters) back. It is as if my subconscious recognizes something illogical and is forcing me to go back and fix it.
G. Russell Overton
Freedom of thought.
G. Russell Overton
I'll try to provide a better answer when I am more confident, but I've never given up, even in the face of stinging criticism. If you believe in yourself and what you are trying to do, don't give up.
G. Russell Overton
I'm currently working on a piece of historical fiction set in the mid-twentieth century. It is a spy thriller with plenty of romance and danger. I hope to transport readers into a world where the music of Tommy Dorsey leads the Hit Parade, Vivian Leigh is a most popular actress, and ocean liners are the best way to cross the Atlantic.
G. Russell Overton
I have to be alone! I also have to have plenty of time for ideas to develop. If I can develop a character in my head sufficiently, then I have to get to a keyboard fast. Once I start typing, the story flows. Often it seems that I am living the story as I write it.
G. Russell Overton
The idea for Running by Night actually came to me sometime in 2005. I travel frequently for business, and I often encounter things while traveling that give me such ideas. When I'm on a long flight or in the car driving long distances, I begin to ponder "what if" scenarios. Many times those thoughts are fleeting and nothing more than bouts of temporary insanity. Once in a great while they stick. That is what happened with Running by Night. I was flying to San Francisco on business. It was a crowded flight, and I felt trapped. My mind took that feeling and the idea emerged.
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more
Nov 06, 2024 02:01PM · flag