It’s A Book Thing Presents: An Author Spotlight Interview with William G. Holst, author of BICENTENNIAL TRIFECTA: Patriots for the American Evolution

Author Bio: Bill Holst was born in Port Jefferson, New York, in 1952 and raised in Smithtown, where his early interest in politics led him to engage in student government and even speak with Robert F. Kennedy during a 1964 campaign visit. 

He attended the United States Merchant Marine Academy before earning a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from New York University. Bill later graduated from St. John’s University School of Law. 

From 1975 to 1978, he served in the United States Army as a reporter and photojournalist, earning both the Thomas Jefferson Award and an Army Commendation Medal for his work.

Following his military service, Bill worked as a litigator and broadcast counsel for CBS in Manhattan and later held several governmental positions on Long Island, including serving two terms in the Suffolk County Legislature. 

He and his wife, Laura, have been married for forty-seven years and have two children and three grandsons.

Deliah Lawrence: What inspired you to become an author?

William G. Holst: Think there were two inspirations for me to be an author.  My mother gave me a deck of cards when I was about 10 years old that had pictures and information regarding fifty-two authors. At the time I was curious about the idea of people writing something that would be read by people for years, even after they had died.  The next inspiration occurred with the Beatles when I was about 12 and they invaded the United States. They were creating hit song after hit song. The song that really got to me was “Paperback writer”.  I couldn’t picture myself as a musician but I could imagine myself as a writer.

DL: What elements do you believe make a story truly compelling?

WGH: The elements that make a story compelling to me are those clues in the writing that enable me to visualize a scene or stimulates another sense like the smell of certain flowers or the taste of particular drinks.

DL: Which author or book has influenced you the most, and why?

WGH: The author who has most influenced me, and I know many other people, is Henry D. Thoreau.  When I was in high school, Thoreau’s writing often provided me with the springboard to explore a variety of topics.  One of my English teachers thought I was going to be a Thoreau scholar.  That didn’t happen but I have been to Walden Pond in Massachusetts.

DL: What is the most valuable piece of writing advice you’ve received?

WGH: My only advice regarding the writing of fiction is to maintain the same “voice” throughout. It dooms my reading of a novel if the perspective of the writer shifts around.  The best example I can think about doing it right is how J.D. Salinger keeps the voice of Holden all the way through. Do I have a reference to “The Catcher in the Rye” in my novel? You bet I do.

DL: If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?

WGH: I speak and understand a little Japanese as a result of being stationed in Japan from June of 1977 to May of 1978. I took French in high school but that only helped me when I did a college backpacking tour of Europe in 1972.  I really appreciate it when a person illuminates something in Greek, Hebrew, Italian or some other language that English doesn’t quite capture.  Like how the Greeks have three different words for different types of love. 

Shakespeare managed to express himself rather successfully hundreds of years ago in English although I have to read the footnotes regarding the meaning of many of those English words. So, the superpower I would like is to be able to pick the most effective word or words in all the world's languages to explain something so that word or words become used universally.

DL: If you hosted a dinner party, which three authors (past or present) would you invite—and why?

WGH: I think I would enjoy a dinner party with William Shakespeare, Henry D. Thoreau and J.D. Salinger. My guess is that Salinger would dominate and amaze with his personal story about carrying his manuscript through war torn Europe in World War II.

DL: What strategies have you found most effective in marketing your book(s)?

WGH: With respect to marketing a self-published novel, I would advise only dealing with people you can have a Zoom conversation with and will provide you with a working telephone number. If your vetting is done carefully, so you surround yourself with people you trust, it will save time and money in the long run. Don't jump for the lowest price on editing, artwork or any service you need without investigating the track record of the providers.

DL: What advice or resources would you recommend to aspiring writers?

WGH: I found that writing out my novel by hand in four notebooks before attempting to type it out to be beneficial.  Once I started typing, I wasn’t referring to the notebooks very much as I gave myself the freedom to change as much as I wanted. But the notebooks were down in my basement as backup if I needed them.  If I knew that I had written a sentence in the notebook better than what I was typing on a particular day I could dig out the notebook.  But usually by the time I found the place in the notebook I had something that worked best for me.

The website for my novel is: BicentennialTrifecta.com

Synopsis: It is 1976 and the United States is marking its 200th anniversary. An Army journalist with a camera, notepad and a '73 VW Super Beetle has one day to be in three cities - Washington D.C., Philadelphia, and NYC - on the most transformative Fourth of July since 1776.  His resilience and the Spirit of our Nation will be tested.

Follow me on Instagram: @wgholst47        

DL: Name three books you could never part with?

WGH: I have an autographed copy of Jon Meacham’s “The Soul of American” that Jon signed for me in April of this year at a conference of the Organization of American Historians (OAH) in Philadelphia. The new president of the OAH Marc Stein autographed a copy of his non-fiction “Bicentennial” as a “Fellow Bicentennial Author” at the same conference in April.  

Among other autographed books I cherish is my copy of Dan Rather’s memoir “The Camera Never Blinks” which he signed after I served on a trial team that successfully defended a case in 1983 brought against Rather and CBS News in California. His handwritten autograph reads: “For Bill Holst – With appreciation and admiration for his help through tough times.”

DL: What are three fun or unexpected facts about yourself?

WGH: As for three fun or unexpected facts about William G. Holst: (i) I traveled by cargo ship to 12 port cities in Asia and by various means of transportation to about 12 major cities in Europe before my 20^th birthday; (ii) I climbed Mt. Fuji one summer night in 1977 to be at the top and see the sunrise; and (iii) my wife and I have been married for 47 years and we have three amazing grandsons.

DL: Thank you for joining me for this feature! I’m excited for readers to learn more about you and your work.

WGH: Thank you.