Can you share with us something about the book that isn’t in the blurb?
The book is a coming-of-age story for a young man in Southwest Alabama. While trying to make his way in life in the big city of Mobile, life happens. Instead of becoming the carpenter apprentice that he wants to become, he ends up taking a job at the docks in the city to provide for himself and income. While in Mobile, the Pancho Villa raids into New Mexico happens, which is the impetus for him join the Alabama national guard which Carry them both to the American southwest, and to the front lines of Europe, where he finds friendship and love.
Ever since I visited Arlington national Cemetery as a child, I'd always thought to myself, “ what were the lives of the men buried at the tomb like?” That thought has always stuck with me, and in high school I thought to myself that it would always make a good book to write. Over the years, as life happened, the thought never went away, but it did evolve. It evolved from a one book idea, a series of books, one book covering each Soldier that is or was buried there. There. I always knew that I wanted one of my main characters to be from Mobile Alabama, and when. I was doing. Research into how the bodies buried at the Tomb ended up there, I discovered that the famed 42nd Rainbow division fought in some of the same battles whose dead we're buried at one of the cemeteries from which the body was selected from. When I discovered in my research that the Alabama 167th National Guard unit served in the 42nd Rainbow, the rest for the story line just fell into place. The experiences of the character in the book, especially the lighter moments in the midst of training and battle are taken from anecdotes of real life experiences of soldiers that served during that time in the Alabama 167th.
I am finishing up a project titled 1828 right now. It is an alternative historical fiction novel that will be out by the end of the summer. While certainly not intended this way, it will become an indictment of the 2024 election, and the candidates in the the 2024 election using The 1828 presidential electoral rematch between Andrew Jackson and John Quincy Adams. I am also going to have out by the end of the year a Modern-day organized crime murder novel titled “The Killer Family”. I am also currently researching information for the follow-up novel of Unknown Soldier, based off of a World War II character.
Like most authors, I enjoy reading during my off time, and because I grew up the son of a history major, I grew up going to civil War battlefields instead of Disney World and six flags. I continue to enjoy doing that as an adult.
What comes first, the plot or characters?
Honestly, it depends. Some stories I find it better to develop the plot first, and then fill in the characters as you're developing the plot, and sometimes I find it is better to develop the characters, and then develop the plot around the characters.
I have a author website davidlpreston.com you can also search for my author page on Facebook, David l. Preston, find me on Twitter @dpreston2020 and Instagram and Threads @davidpreston61
I live in Mobile, Alabama where the summer time is regularly. The upper '90s with 95% plus humidity, and Winters are usually in the '60s with 50% humidity. I would prefer endless Winters LOL
I'm a very cranky Beaver until I've had breakfast and had a chance to catch up on the morning news, joe, I guess more of a night owl.
While I do not have a favorite song, in particular, I do enjoy plenty of artists in the country, music space and Southern gospel realm. Some of my favorite artists currently, are Julia Cole and Alli Walker, both up and coming independent country music artists, and groups in the southern music realm like The Hoppers, Triumphant Quartet, and the Gaither Vocal Band.
