Interview with Author Lieutenant Colonel Troy Mosley, Retired

 

1. What motivated you to write your book, to force you from taking an idea or experience and turning it into this book? I was born in 1967 that makes me 54 years old; just old enough to have been born into a deeply segregated American society, and just old enough to have experienced some of that old school deep-seated racism. I was self-aware enough to understand my experiences regarding race and racism were mild compared to that of my parents and grandparents. I was curious enough to learn what the Black experience in America was like prior to the Civil Rights Legislation of the 1960s. I learned that my story of upward-mobility from a family of tenant farming in the deep south to living in a gated, upper-middle-class community in Northern Florida was only made possible through my mother and father’s education, my father’s commissioned military service, and the Civil Rights Legislation of the 1960s. In this regard, my story is a largely untold story of millions of descendants of the formerly enslaved Africans, a story that hadn’t been told.  

2. What is it about and who is it for? The story is about America’s march to become a more perfect union, told through a military lens. It is a classically American story for all people who wish to glean a deeper understanding of America and the US military’s evolution regarding diversity and inclusion.  

3. What takeaways might the reader will be left with after reading it? The takeaways most tangible to my book are that: 1) America has come a long way and should be proud of the progress we have made regarding becoming a more inclusive society. 2), America still has a way to go before we can realize the goal of equality, specified in the Constitution, 3) For all the progress that has been made regarding equity the belief in racial supremacy which was a part of America’s founding has never been challenged. 4) Left unchecked the inequality of opportunity that permeates American institutions and communities will ultimately contribute to the downfall of American Representative Democracy.  

4. How did you decide on your book’s title and cover design? The title of the book is the essence of America’s desire to improve without fundamentally changing. My cover was a selection of images that convey this message.  

5. What advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow writers? Follow your passion, don’t accept no for an answer and tell your story.  

6. What trends in the book world do you see -- and where do you think the book publishing industry is heading? Self-publishing is a trend that is only going to grow much in the way music has gone from being album-centric, to being single-track oriented. Publishing houses don’t have a monopoly on content and now more than ever we have the tools to bring to the market a plethora of content, from a variety of artists on a multitude of topics. It's a great time to be a reader :)  

7. What challenges did you overcome to write this book? I had to overcome the challenge that all first-time novelists have- convincing a publishing house that an unknown, first-time author with no real social media following has something worthy of printing that readers will want to buy.  

8. How would you describe your writing style? My style is best described as narrative nonfiction- heavily researched content infused with analysis, supported by storytelling that seeks to inform, entertain, and provoke thought and discussion.  

9. If people can buy or read one book this week or month, why should it be yours? My book will provide readers with insights into widely held experiences of people from historically excluded populations that will allow them to engage in conversations dealing with America’s socio-political divide in a thoughtful and informed manner.  

About the Author: Troy Mosley is a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel and is the founder and CEO of Citizens Against Intolerance. Troy is a 20-year veteran with a B.S. in Psychology, earning his commission through Florida A&M University’s ROTC Program. Troy has held various military assignments in his 20-year career.  He was the lead project officer for the first-ever Fisher House dedicated outside the continental United States, and he served as the Executive Officer for the 212th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. Troy also served as the Administrative Director, Department of Surgery, Walter Reed Army Community Hospital before being selected to be the Army Surgeon General’s Executive Assistant. Troy served as COO for Weed Army community Hospital (WACH) in 2009 where he led the Hospital to the best Joint Commission (TJC) Accreditation score in the Army that year. His efforts were instrumental in securing funds for a $300 million new hospital construction project at Fort Irwin, CA, the DoD’s first solar-powered hospital. His book The Armed Forces and American Social Change: An Unwritten Truce is available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. For more info, please see: https://www.unwrittentruce.com/  

 

Contact For Help

Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com He is available to help authors promote their story, sell their book, and grow their brand. He has 30 years of experience in helping thousands of authors in all genres.

 

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About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on Twitter @theprexpert. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2021. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent.  This was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” He recently hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America. For more information, please consult: linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum.