Bill Harris Savannah Author
When I met Dutch Island resident William Harris at Cutter’s Point, I had no idea I would get caught up in his world of boats, islands and interesting characters, but the more we spoke about his latest novel, Speak Nothing of the Dead But Good, I knew I would not rest until I read the book from cover to cover. In true Harris style, I hated to put it down.
Harris stays close to his historical fiction style, while forecasting a futuristic scenario, which can be shocking and even gruesome. You will meet familiar characters inside the pages, like Howard, who roams around Sandfly, and political figures who could be more than fictional.
How is this novel different from your others?
My previous novels were ‘feel good’ and this one is a bit dark. In this case, there was a paradigm shift; all these events could happen. I used to write the end to beginning and took facts and built stores around them.
In this case, I took something that had not happened yet and never knew how the story would end until I was three quarters of the way through.
Where is your story based?
Ninety-five percent of the story is based on Ossabaw Island, the rest is on Butterbean Beach and Isle of Hope.
What is the book about?
This book is about things spoken about in living rooms and coffee shops across the country, but I brought the solutions to all the problems discussed to print. Ossabaw is a place where drug addicts can check themselves in, but it’s really a concentration camp in reverse! I’ve got national politics, sex, drugs, and rock and roll involved.
How do you get your ideas?
Many times I go out to Wassaw Sound and drop the anchor at Williamson Island.
What advice can you offer to other writers?
Writing a book is a trip. Unless you are willing to wander around and waste time, you won’t get to your destination.
Final Thoughts
The book characters were always hopping aboard a 31-foot boat called Admiral Graf Spee. When I checked out the website for the book, SpeakNothingBook.com, there was Bill Harris on his own boat with the same name. A little more investigation revealed the Admiral Graf Spee was the name of a German cruiser that served in Nazi Germany during World War II. Bill’s fascination with history and Nazi Germany are woven throughout his latest novel.
Look for Speak Nothing of the Dead But Good locally at Shaver’s, on Amazon or your Kindle store. www.SpeakNothingBook.com
By Cathy Rodgers