Hey readers! Whew, it’s been a minute since I’ve had a new blog post. If you’re not on Facebook or Instagram, here’s a visual rundown of our family’s unusually exciting summer:
While in Ohio for a Wilderness First Aid course, we saw the Northern Lights for our first time ever. Notice the Big Dipper in the pink picture! From there, we were off to North Carolina, and my mother-in-law and one of our close family friends and her daughter were along for the adventure. Our rented 1987 Jayco pop-up camper for $59/night put on an impressive number of miles and acted as our trailer to haul heaps of climbing and camping gear. In North Carolina we took a Professional Climbing Instructors Association course so we were all set to head up the climbing program at our church’s youth camp in California. I’m super thankful for the memorable summer we’ve had, and now it’s back to the academic part of homeschooling and having to cook dinner every night…..and of course, back to my blog and interviewing authors!
Today a new author is visiting my blog. Welcome, William! In his debut novel, which is the first in the series Paintball Wars Chronicles, William DeForest Halsted IV combines the adrenaline of war with the tame thrill of paintball, resulting in a dream book for many teenage boys. Read on as I chat with William today!
LB: Many people are intrigued by the rush of WWII battle scenes…and many mothers worry about their sons’ interest in violence and gore. Tell us how you came to the idea of capturing the adrenaline of war and giving it a PG-flavor suitable for readers wanting clean books.
WDH: It all started with my fascination with World War II, my enjoyment of wargames, and my interest in realistic simulation of combat so I could experience the fun part of being a soldier. I grew up not playing video games with parents who disapproved of first-person shooter video games especially, and anyway I wanted live action. So the answer was Nerf, which turned into paintball. Truth be told I never played it. I inflated everything in my head to World War II scale and began creating stories, doing verbal roleplay with friends as we assumed command of armies. Basically, I took all the neat parts of war — tactics, strategy, excitement, action, adrenaline, victories and losses — and turned it into an endless kids’ game. For more detail on this, you can check out the preface of my novel.
LB: From Nerf to novel writing! That’s a cool background story! I was impressed by the details about the weapons and machinery in your novel. Where do you do most of your research?
WDH: Most of my research probably comes from books. I am a voracious reader of World War II history, for the harsh realities of combat, the sheer grit and will to live as found in the Bataan Death March survivors, the history of what really happened, and the ultimate sacrifices of our veterans who built this country and our freedoms; but I also absorb the technical details of weaponry, which I then hybridize with paintball equipment and a little fudging of reality to get unique Paintball Wars technology. Additionally, I watch a lot of YouTube history channels. Perhaps my favorites are the real-time, week-by-week war coverages done by TimeGhost (such as the new The Korean War by Indy Neidell).
LB: If I have any WWII questions, I’ll know who to ask! What would you say is an overall theme you hope readers will take from PWC: Private Owens?
WDH: There are a few themes present in the book, which I like to sum up with this tagline: “Featuring themes of responsibility, independence, maturity, leadership, and doing the right thing despite opposition, all while capturing the spirit of a good war novel in a clean paintball format, Private Owens is sure to be an inspiring and exciting read.” To expound on the transformation of my main character in the words of my grandfather, “George goes from lackadaisical to gung ho.” He takes control of his life and puts effort in, rather than shirking responsibility, and whatever his hand finds to do, he does it with his might.
LB: I really appreciated George’s growth in the book, and I think lackadaisical to gung ho is a great descriptor! Tell us a little about your vision for the series.
WDH: My vision for the series is to tell the many stories of the paintball wars. I plan for there to someday be novels of frontline infantry, tank, and aerial combat; high command managing the strategy of the war; paper pushers with office jobs; the saga of the rise and fall of nations; the halls of government running a nation; naval combat; mystery and espionage; secret special ops behind enemy lines; political intrigue; technological development; resistance and partisan activities. Many of the books will likely follow different characters at different places, rather than one guy. Think of the Marvel or Star Wars Universe, a massive world with so much going on. There will be books for many of the different characters. It’s not the sort of series meant to be read in order, but rather a multitude of stories that all intertwine into one great saga.
LB: Sounds like your audience will have plenty of exciting books to devour! Why is it important to you to write this type of book?
WDH: This is a hard question to answer. My friends and I, over several years, built up the Paintball Wars universe. Now I want to share these stories with the world. These books are important to me because I love the stories. That is why I write them. Growing up, I read The Hardy Boys and Swallows and Amazons. How I could have wished to augment those tales with ones such as I am writing now. Again, the preface to my book will explain more than I can here.
LB: Readers, check out the preface by clicking the Look Inside feature. When can readers expect Book 2 to release, and can you share a little about it?
WDH: Book 2 is likely a year and a half out from release, if I base that on how long it took me to write and publish Book 1, but hopefully the process will be quicker this time. In Book 1 we follow George through Alameda’s campaign against Stanislaus for a boots-on-the-ground perspective. Book 2 will follow Colonel Lewis Hill, a Stanislausi officer fighting from a desk to save his nation from the invaders. And as a bonus, Book 3 will follow the crew of an Alamedan gunboat fighting on Lake Tahoe. Enter naval battles, maritime lore, sea shanties, and the paintbar (pub) where the kids go onshore for a virgin margarita. If you sign up for my email newsletter, you can read a PWC short story that is set on Lake Tahoe.
LB: It’ll be fun to watch your series grow! Where can readers find you?
WDH: I have a personal author website and YouTube channel, but you can also check out my landing page and newsletter signup for the Paintball Wars Chronicles itself, as well as the PWC YouTube channel.
LB: Great! Thank you for the interview, William!
WDH: Thanks a lot for this opportunity!
William DeForest Halsted IV is the mastermind and creator of the world of the Paintball Wars. He wrote his first novel, Private Owens, at age seventeen. Besides writing, William enjoys reading, especially history, especially military history, and especially World War II history, which has greatly impacted the creation of the Paintball Wars Chronicles. He is slowly amassing his own mini library of military nonfiction, as well as old war movies from the ’60s and ’70s. William also enjoys playing board games with his family and video games with his remote friends. Additionally, he founded Halifico Motion Picture Productions YouTube channel with family and friends to pursue another hobby, filmmaking. As a musician, he plays the violin, piano, concertina, and sings. He lives with his family in California on a 200-acre ranch, where he is currently pursuing a bachelors in English with the intention of going to law school.
Readers, if paintball and military fiction are up your alley, be sure to check out Paintball Wars Chronicles and ask your librarian to consider ordering a copy!
M Liz Boyle 