1. What inspired you to write this
book?
I served in Vietnam in forward field
positions, arriving in May 1968, just after the Tet offensive. The people,
sights, sounds, smells, weapons, and losses have never faded. Through the
decades since, I have tried to understand that war, like so many of my brothers
in arms, with little gain, until the recent pullout from Afghanistan. That
horrible, scandalous event, and the research I did for Plowman, pulled it all
together for me: “A Wrong War.” My hope is that Plowman offers solace to the
Vietnam War veterans and all other veterans, and reason enough to fight on the
home front against government officials and the
corporate-media-military-industrial-complex on behalf of Americans and citizens
the world over to never permit Another Wrong War.
2. What exactly is it about and who
is it written for?
Plowman follows two girls from birth into
their married lives. Hana and Stella are the best of friends. One day they
discover the wartime journals of their great grandfathers from WWII and one
from a living grandfather who served in Vietnam. At first, they were set on
writing the journals into a narrative. Then, Stella’s father, serving in
Afghanistan, is killed in a firefight. Their close-knit families were
shattered. The girls’ research led them to discover writings that are seldom
mentioned about what our government did that caused the Vietnam War, the plight
of Vietnamese people seeking freedom and self-determination over thousands of
years, and that our government officials were willing to put American soldiers
in harms way for conquest and profit — lying to us all the time. Plowman is
written for adults who are seeking answers not about a particular war, but
any conflict that our government enters into with an enemy.
3. What do you hope readers will get out
of reading your book?
A fresh look at Americas military actions, and
a commitment to do their part, get involved in American politics, written
small, to help ensure that all wars from no on are for defense of our nation
and defense of our allies. Most notably now, Israel.
4. How did you decide on your book’s title and
cover design?
My family heritage is rich in farming. The
farmers feed us. Plowing is a revered occupation. Farm families are the bedrock
of civilization. Thus, Plowman. Mario Lampic, from Belgrade, Serbia, did the
cover design, interior design, and typesetting. He’s the best. I wrote down my
thoughts of what imagery might work and he did everything from there.
5. What advice or words of wisdom do you have
for fellow writers – other than run!?
Yeah, that’s cause for a hearty laugh, if not
a cry. Plowman was at least three years in the writing/revision/rewriting
phase. Every word, paragraph, page, chapter is written, worked over, and
reworked, and moved forward or backward, until something inside you tells you
the entire flow is good, every word. Then, you find a very good editor. Many
things need to be revised again. All for the best story.
6. What trends in the book world do you see —
and where do you think the book publishing industry is heading?
First, a very troublesome trend—book and
author banning—the LGBTQ+ mafia, or militaristic Wok-ism. Several purchases of
reviews for my children’s series and, especially, Plowman, returned awful,
bitter diatribes. The writer never even addressed the book’s themes. Religion,
private schooling, wholesome life, etc. were degraded to the end. Second, if
the industry can establish minimum standards and rules, with consequences, for
individuals and companies that purport to help self-published authors, that
would save authors time and money, and assure the public gets the best reading
experience. What Jeff Besos and other companies did with technology and
marketing for self-publishing should be coupled with a drive for book
publishing and marketing ethics.
7. How would you describe your writing style?
Which writers or books is your writing similar to?
I hope that readers find my writing style
natural, smooth, descriptive, stream of consciousness at times, real,
meditative, and philosophical. Hemingway, Clancey, Edmund Morris,
Follett, Ludlum, Whitman, Joyce, Stein, Burroughs, Muir, Leopold, Eliot,
Dickenson, Shelly, Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Sun Tzu, Carr, Samuelson, Kilmeade,
Freeman, Lowry, Sugden, Polanyi, Toulmin, Nietsche, Camu, Plato, Aristotle, and
others.
8. What challenges did you overcome in the
writing of this book?
Writing simple, crisp, English prose,
bordering on poetry at times.
9. If people can buy or read one book this
week or month, why should it be yours?
The children’s book series, Adelyn Adventures,
is a good choice for parents and children to read while vacationing in the
forest, the garden, and on the beach. Starting August 1, with help from the
folks at BookTrib, the ebook version of Plowman will be available for $.99 at
Amazon. Plowman promises drama, suspense, and truth wherever one sits for a
good read.
About The Author: Charles Bruckerhoff is the publisher of
Sequoia House Books and the author of the Adelyn’s Adventure series. Plowman is
his first novel. He gardens, bakes bread, cooks, and studies American history,
ancient civilizations of the world, the Hebrew Bible and the Saint John’s
Bible. He places no limit on new adventures. For more info, please see: https://www.sequoiahousebooks.com
