1.
What is your book about? Course over Ground takes place in
autumn of 1863, a pivotal period in the American Civil War. With the recent
defeats of Gettysburg and Vicksburg, the long-term prospects for the South’s
continued resistance are dwindling along with their resources, and both
military and civilian authorities are becoming desperate. The story follows
captain Alan Chambers, a civilian shipyard supervisor in Mobile, Alabama, as he
faces the new realities of the conflict. After being compelled into service as
a blockade runner to maintain his livelihood, Alan’s adventures at sea become
intertwined with a series of dark and violent events taking place in his
hometown, revealing a sinister plot that shows just how far desperate people
are willing to go in a time of war.
2.
What inspired you to write a civil war thriller? I originally set
out to write a novel as a personal challenge, and the simplest starting point
is to ‘write what you know’. My hometown of Mobile, AL and the surrounding area
has plenty of history, especially from the Civil War period, and my personal interest
in the conflict made that a natural setting. As a licensed merchant mariner,
I’ve spent the past fifteen years working in and out of several ports in the
Gulf and knew that I could incorporate some of that expertise into a story as
well. As for making it a historical thriller, I wanted to see if I could use
what I knew to craft a compelling plot capable of entertaining readers, and
after many years of trying I think I achieved that.
3.
The story takes place in your hometown of Mobile,
Alabama. What was it like growing up in the South, knowing as you read history
books that your town’s ancestors fought for the wrong side? Coastal Alabama is
a beautiful part of the country and a wonderful place to grow up. I developed a
love of history at a young age, and was blessed to have several talented and
impactful history teachers during my school years. The study of the American Civil
War, the enduring impact of slavery and the subsequent Civil Rights movement
are all major topics that still resonate today and are deeply explored. The
city of Mobile’s role in the conflict was a subject I was able to research in
great detail during the writing of this book, and allowed me to portray a
realistic picture of the confederate homefront with the nuance and varied
ideals that all civilian populations have during wartime.
4.
What is it about wartime historical fiction that seems
to excite many readers? I think the old cliches are the gift that keep on
giving. Courage, sacrifice, love, duty, honor; war stories, historical or
mythical, are the vehicles that have carried these themes for the entertainment
of audiences throughout human history. They are the extremes of the human
experience that people can’t help but want to explore as they read, though from
a place of safety. Wars are as much a part of the human story as anything else.
Their causes, the ensuing battles, and the aftermath of conflicts have always
been studied and analyzed for lessons on how to avoid similar struggles in the
future, and I believe that fiction can explore some of these lessons just as
effectively.
5.
Your book explores justice and human resilience. What
do you hope readers will take away from reading it? My primary hope
for the book is that it leaves readers wanting to learn more, not solely about
the Civil War or the maritime industry, but also about the challenges faced by
everyday people during the conflict. This goes for not only the enslaved
African Americans who were holding out hope for their emancipation, but also
for the civilian populations throughout the country who were put in extreme
circumstances. The further separated we become from any given event, the easier
it is to paint things in broad strokes or assign individuals to monolithic
blocs. It is important that we never lose sight of the human quality from our
past.
6.
Your story writes of maritime conflicts between the
Union Navy and the Confederacy. As a career merchant mariner, how do you view
those battles at sea? Direct naval engagements aren’t the focus of this
story so much as the efforts of blockade runners, but a major theme is the
impending assault by the Union Navy on Mobile Bay, which both sides recognize
to be inevitable. As a mariner, the age of steam propulsion is one that has
always fascinated me, because it represents a monumental advancement in the
technology of an ancient industry that had only known wind or oar power prior
to that time. Over a relatively short period, the industrial revolution ushered
in radically improved means of propulsion, and the American Civil War was one
of the first true examples of new technology coming into its own when the
stakes couldn’t be any higher.
7.
Could America be heading for another civil war? In my opinion, no.
There are historians and political science experts who are far more qualified
to speak on this subject than I, but I happen to be an optimist when I say that
I think America is reaching the nadir of our national disunity and that there
are ample reasons why our country can still hold out hope for a bright future.
Wealth disparity, political polarization, and global unrest certainly provide a
recipe for trouble, but the middle 60% of this country hasn’t been silenced
yet, and as long as they can keep the extreme edges of either side at arm’s
length, I think we have a chance for cooler heads to prevail. Some will call me
naïve, but we made it through the 60’s, and I think we can make it through
this.
8.
How do you go about drawing the main character, Alan
Chambers? How would you describe him? Alan Chambers was a character that I found
endlessly entertaining to work with. He was an attempt to make a protagonist
readers could not only root for, but could also develop a true connection with.
The most important aspect to him in my mind is his integrity, whether it comes
to his devotion to his daughter, his job, or the unpredictable situations he
finds himself in. He is also imperfect, not impervious to prejudices or
hot-headedness, but does his best to utilize logic over all else. I like to
think he’s the kind of man whose funeral would be well attended solely because
he was a good person.
9.
How do you navigate the divisive issues, in your book,
of race, slavery, and good vs. evil?
The issues of
slavery and race relations are as provocative today as they have ever been, and
for good reason. There is no way to write an honest story set in the South
during the Civil War without acknowledging them. I am not an authority on the
subject, and I didn’t believe I could appropriately write from the perspective
of a person who endured those experiences to cover it in greater depth. I
wanted to do it in a way that viewed it objectively, without risking
denigrating the legacies of the people who suffered by glossing over the
indignities they faced. I just hope that readers might judge I did the subject
justice and presented it in a plausible light.
10. Mobile Bay had
become one of the epicenters for smuggling and blockade running. Your book
opens up in 1863, during the height of this. What types of risks and dangers
lurked about? Blockade
running in the Civil War is one of the most fascinating subjects of the entire
conflict. The overwhelming majority of attempts were made at night to avoid
being spotted, with shifting sand bars and strong currents difficult in their
own right to manage, only to then have to contend with the Union Navy who were
more than willing to open fire on any detected runners. Even successful runs
did not allow a chance to let your guard down, as the open gulf waters were
steadily patrolled and weather forecasts were unpredictable at best. One could
never truly consider themselves safe until they completed their round trip,
offloaded their cargo, and received their hard-earned pay. It was certainly not
for the faint of heart.
11. Course Over Ground
is
your debut novel, a civil war story. A short piece, A Somewhat Laughing
Matter, was the Bronze Medal winner in the Ink of Ages Fiction Contest,
inspired by the First World War. Are you simply fascinated by war? Harping back to an
earlier question, I think fans of history naturally gravitate to learning about
wars because they are often so consequential to everything that follows. I
became aware of the short story contest only a couple days before the
submission deadline, and I just happened to be listening to a WW1 podcast at
the time. In what I can only describe as a ‘light bulb clicking on’ moment, I
came up with an idea for the story and sat down to write it as quickly as I
could, and got lucky enough to submit it at the last moment. It was easily the
most fun I’ve ever had as a writer, and validated my effort as being worth the time
it took to create it.
12. Your novel also
involves the theme of family. You have a young family, with three young kids in
your 30s. Do you find inspiration from your own family to write of the
obligations and risks men had to undertake to protect their family back then? I am fortunate to
never have endured even the thought of being forced to leave my family to fight
in a war from which I might never return. Seeing modern conflicts, such as in
Ukraine, and the stories of sacrifice taking place in our lifetime is hard for
me to comprehend. The closest parallel as a merchant mariner is leaving your
family behind to go to work. The sense that you are unable to physically look
after your loved ones for weeks or months at a time because you are away trying
to provide for them is an uncomfortable feeling for any father, and I think
that theme carries over into the book. When it comes to the war, regardless of
what flag they fought for, each and every man that never made it home to their
families is a tragedy, and I hope everyone can ultimately appreciate that.
About The Author: Bill C. Wilson is
a career merchant mariner and avid fan of history. His award-winning short
story, A Somewhat Laughing Matter (Bronze Medal Winner 2024 Ink of Ages fiction
Contest), has been translated into four languages and enjoyed by readers around
the globe. Wilson’s debut novel, Course Over Ground, is a historical thriller
set during the height of the Civil War in his hometown of Mobile, Alabama. He
earned a bachelor’s degree in Marine Transportation from Texas A & M
University at Galveston. His merchant marine career includes working for 15
years on harbor tugboats, oilfield construction, and supply vessels and
oceangoing ships. Born and raised in Mobile, Alabama, he’s lived in Galveston,
Texas and New Orleans, Louisiana. Wilson resides in coastal Alabama with his
wife and three young children. You can connect with him on Instagram
@billc_wilson.
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For
the past three decades, Brian Feinblum has helped thousands of authors. He
formed his own book publicity firm in 2020. Prior to that, for 21 years as the
head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and as the
director of publicity at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many
first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with
best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen,
Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard,
Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C.
Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler.
His
writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s
The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully). He was recently interviewed by the IBPA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0BhO9m8jbs
He
hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and
has spoken at ASJA, BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah
Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association,
Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and
Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. He served as a judge for the
2024 IBPA Book Awards.
His
letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal,
USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester)
and The Washington Post. His first published book was The
Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook. It
was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.
Born
and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids,
and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog.
You
can connect with him at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum/ or https://www.facebook.com/brian.feinblum
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