Interview with novelist G. Lloyd Helm

Hello readers.

My special guest today is G. Lloyd Helm. He’s chatting with me about his literary novel, Serpents and Doves.

During his virtual book tour, G. Lloyd Helm will be awarding 10 paperback copies of the book to10 lucky randomly drawn winners. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit his other tour stops and enter there, too!

Bio:

G. Lloyd Helm has been writing for 40 years, having published poetry in a wide variety of magazines and newspapers including “The New York Poetry Anthology,” “Stars and Stripes News,” “The Los Angeles Times,” “The Antelope Valley Press,” and “The Antelope Valley Anthologies,” among others. 

… Has published short stories and memoirs both in the US and in England in such journals as “Pligrimage” which published the memoir “Football” in spring 2005, and a second memoir “4 April, 1968” in the winter of 2008.  He has published short stories in “Citadel” the literary magazine of Los Angeles City College,” “Delivered Magazine,” which is based in London, “Short Story Library,” The University of S. Illinois’ “Eureka Literary Magazine,” “Tales as like as not,” and London’s “Black Gate Magazine.”  Recently published “Even Up” a Civil War Ghost story at www.ruthlesspeoples.com, an English on line magazine, and the short story “A Lovely Elephant” in “Delivered Magazine” an English fiction journal. “The Other Fellows Shoes,” Pulp Empire III, Metahuman Press, Cedar Rapids, IA Nov. 2010. Is being published in an on line experiment from Alfie Dog Publishing in England. May 2012.

…Has published three novels in the F&SF field, 1) OTHER DOORS, From MousePrints Publishing, and 2) DESIGN from American Star. 3) WORLD WITHOUT END from Rogue Phoenix Press, www.roguephoenixpress.com  OTHER DOORS, originally published in 1997, was published electronically by Rogue Phoenix Press in July 2010. Also Published a literary Romance novel called SOMETIMES IN DREAMS, from Siren’s call. Most recently a volume of short stories called TRAIN WHEELS, FLYING SAUCERS, AND THE GHOST OF TIBURCIO VASQUEZ. Many of these stories appear on the Alfie Dog site.

Welcome G. Lloyd. Please share a little bit about your current release.

Serpents and Doves is a story about love, hate, and justice. It tells a small story about the civil rights movement.

What inspired you to write this book?
This book took me forty years to write. I was inspired by the people I knew then and still know now. People who fight for justice and equality every day, and those who resist justice.

Excerpt from Serpents and Doves:
     The cop did a step through and dropped Stephen to the hard concrete of the sidewalk on his face.  “Don’t you sass me boy, I am the POlice and when I say do something you do it.”

     Stephen was stunned and his nose was bleeding from being bounced on the concrete. The cop had a knee in the middle of his back and was patting him down looking for weapons, and as the hands went roughly over his sides one thought kept rolling through his mind, but, I'm white. I’m white, I’m white.

     “Now you just stay right here boy,” the cop said “while I check your friends for guns.”

     “Pat them niggers down too, Buford.” He said. “I’m ‘ona search the car.”

       Buford stepped up to Reg and Bobby and ran is hands perfunctorily  down their sides, then made a point of jamming his hand hard between their legs. Both men winced, but didn’t take their hands off the roof of the car.

     The first cop, half crawled in the still open doors of the car, turned off the engine and pulled out the keys to go and open the trunk, meantime Buford had searched Charlie, Silent Al, and Stan, giving them the same final squeeze of their testicles. They all stood tight.

     “OK Frank” Buford said, “They clean.”

     Frank came back to Stephen who had done as he had been told and not moved. There was a growing puddle of watery blood forming where his nose had dripped to the concrete. Frank poked his toe into Stephen’s ribs, hard enough to hurt but not break anything. “Ya oughtenta hang around with niggers boy. It could get ya killed.”

What exciting story are you working on next?

I have a couple of things going--I'm one of those guys that can't keep still for long. Currently, I am working on a movie script from my first novel Other Doors.  It is a story of a man who can stop war by simply saying STOP. The book came out in 1996 and I have sold hundreds of them on US Military facilities. I am proud to say that my little book about peace has gone to every war zone in the world. I could write a book on what people have said to me concerning that little book, but it still makes my heart swell when someone I don't even know comes up to me and says "Peace be with you." which is the command to peace in the book.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

The first time I ever remember thinking about it was when I was in 7th grade, but I didn't really consider myself a writer until college. The sickness got me then and has continued ever since.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
Yes I write full time--but that also includes having raised two sons, done the cooking, taken care of the house finances, sometimes worked a part time job, but I have been a "full time" writer for many years. The way it mostly works is that I have a patron, my wife Michele. Back when times were hard she joined the US Air Force and so the family traveled around the world on her coat tails for twenty-two years. Hence I have had the privilege of living in Spain, Germany, and Italy. I tell people that my epitaph will read, "He married well."

My trouble with finding time to write is that, like many writers, I have a procrastination problem. I seek out things to do to keep me from having to sit down and write. Still, I have done OK. I have five books out--S&D is the 6th--a movie script of my novel Sometimes in Dreams is on the Black list, and a good deal of poetry, so procrastination be damned.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I usually write still dressed in my night shirt. Hugh Hefner has his dressing gown I have my night shirt.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

As a child I wanted to be a Marine. Too much John Wayne I guess, but I find it interesting that I used to pretend to be a Marine and have a family, but I grew up in the middle of the Vietnam War which rather jaundiced my look at the military, yet I ended up living a form of my childhood pretend life through my wife, Air Force (Retired) Msgt. Michele Helm.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

If you think you want to write, first off, turn and run away. Writing is a hard life. You will probably never make any money and I promise there is great pain in it if you write from your heart. But, having said that, if you are a real writer, if you have the sickness, there is nothing that will stop you. That being the case, sit down and get at it. You aren't a writer unless you write.

Links:

Goodreads | Amazon

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