Today we are visiting with William H. Coles; the author of several novels including his most recent, Guardian of Deceit.
He has also been so kind as to sponsor a giveaway for three of his novels here on Stephanie's Book Shelf. Be sure to check out the William H. Coles Giveaway page to enter to win!
Meet Author William H. Coles
I grew up learning to love literary fiction. Austen, Bronte, Conrad, Flaubert, De Maupassant, Babel, Chekhov, Tolstoy, and so many others. Some seem dated now, but these authors were great storytellers and great writers in the syntax of their existence. With time “literary fiction” changed. Great story in the classical sense seemed to be lost as verbose, excessive prose predominated . . . often so opaque as to seem without purpose. And the “I” of personal narrative dominated so even in “fiction” authors burrowed into their inner selves to discover some essence they needed to write about. Most took the easiest path and write self-centered, often egotistical, prose delivered as cathartic, therapeutic narrative emanating from a limited understanding of the world and humanity. And these believe greatness comes from wallowing in revelation straining for often salacious or shocking revelation from an author’s life void sadly of significance. For me, contemporary literature is not worth the time reading takes, and the word modern literature evokes clouds of boredom, dislike, lack of originality, and reader unfriendliness in the writing and the telling.
For the last fifteen years, I’ve dedicated myself to writing and teaching fiction that is engaging, entertaining, and enlightening about the human condition, that is, not simply tales of fatalistic events happening with stereotypical characters dotting a landscape that may be enjoyable, but not credible enough to convey theme or meaning. Basically, classical literature is about discovering what it means to be human through character-based plots, and in my view, stories created with dramatic writing filled with suspense, awe, and revelation. On the quest to write great literary fiction, and teach the process to others, I’ve taken over a hundred courses and workshops in creative writing, I’ve interviewed famous writers, editors, and teachers, and I’ve published essays to help writers learn story and prose fiction. Thankfully, my four novels and two collections of short stories, and my essays—twelve books total--through the miracle of the Internet, have been read by hundreds of thousands of readers. And my website that is dedicated to teaching writing has over two and half million page views and almost a million unique visitors a year. I’ve found readers, readers who have enjoyed “literary” fiction based on solid story and unique, vibrant characters rather than defaulting to the contemporary “me-ism” that is being published as “serious” fiction, and—I think it’s fair to say-- through the selective filter of traditional publishing’s pecuniary obsessions, has managed to squash availability of great stories and effective prose the satisfies readers in the classic sense.
I’d love to know if you’re a reader engaged and entertained by my fiction. It would help fulfill my raison d’être. You can find my work online, or on Amazon, B&N, Kindle, audiobooks, and even on an Apple app, often for free. I hope you’ll give it a try.
Connect with William H. Coles
You can find out more about Guardian of Deceit and also enter to win a copy of it and two other great titles by William H. Coles on the giveaway page.
