Featured Interview With Gary Parker
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Three railroad tracks ran straight through the downtown of Greenwood, S.C. where I grew up, a distinction that allowed it to claim the title of the “widest main street in the world.” The Greenwood Emeralds Friday night football games brought more people together than any other event. Chickens lived in fear because they knew Sunday dinners would most likely feature them fried to a crisp beside a helping of mashed potatoes.
Growing up what some would call “poor,” I learned early the value of work. A paper route, at a grocery store, digging ditches for the foundation for a new house—I turned my hand at all of them at one time or another. When not playing baseball or “earning my keep,” I discovered the treasures found in books. Though not a formally educated man (no high school), my dad read a lot and I eagerly followed his example. My teacher in the 6th grade held a contest to see who could read the most books by the end of the year. I won by reading 67 books.
Education at Furman University and a Ph.D. at Baylor followed my days in Greenwood and I now live in north Atlanta, a sprawling suburb which is the opposite of my hometown. But the same values continue with me. Read a lot. Work hard. Encourage others to do the same.
As for the pets, do grandsons count? If so, I have four, aged nine months to eight years. These days I spend my time writing, playing golfing and the guitar, riding a bike (the pedaling kind) and hanging out with my wife and family.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
As a kid, my favorite possessions were my baseball glove, my bicycle and my library card. I literally walked about two miles each way to the local library almost every week, sometimes running to escape an older kid who enjoyed terrorizing me when I passed by his house. The books I read served as the seedbeds for my writing. Because I loved to read, I soon tried to write. Encouragement from teachers followed. The 6th grade teacher I already mentioned. An English teacher my junior year in high school (who happened to be the mother of my 6th grade teacher). An English professor in college. All pointed to my writing as something I did well.
I became a more serious writer in college, first as a reporter with the Greenville Newspaper while at Furman. Also, as the copy editor of my university annual. Magazine articles followed that a few year later, then three non-fiction books. The first novel arrived later and led to fifteen more and 5 novellas by traditional publishers. I describe my discovery of writing to be like a guitar player strumming on the front porch and finding out the neighbors liked to hear him play. I started writing and found out that at least a few others liked reading what I wrote.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
A few years ago, I did a lecture at a university entitled, “The Books to Take if Stranded on an Island.” These included Grapes of Wrath by Steinbeck, Pillars of the Earth by Follett, Lonesome Dove by McMurtry, and A Prayer for Owen Meany, by Irving. All of these represent the kinds of authors and books I appreciate. Complex, sprawling, epic. Not that I don’t enjoy a Jack Reacher type novel every now and again. Or a narrative nonfiction tale like Boys in the Boat. In the past year or so, A Gentleman in Moscow, Endurance, and The Hundred-Year-Old Man who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared have proven themselves as top shelf reading for me. One a literary historical novel, one a nonfiction adventure and one a farcical tale of absurdities but all done with style and distinction.
As to who inspires me in my writing? It’s not so much a who as a what. An article or book I read. Something I hear someone say. Or something I see that stirs my curiosity. Since I’m not a genre writer, my inspirations come from various sources and lead me to say, “I write about the things and people that interest me.”
Tell us a little about your latest book?
An epic story inspired by true events, Judgment Tree began over coffee with a long-time friend named Enoch Booth. As we sipped coffee a few years ago on a deck overlooking a salt marsh near Charleston, S.C. Enoch told me the story of his great-grandfather James, a young Confederate soldier who deserted his post to go home to see his dying wife. Soon arrested for his desertion, James was sentenced to die by firing squad. I’ll leave the ending to Booth’s story untold here. But it’s a story of love, loss and redemption in unexpected ways.
Just recently Kirkus did me the favor of a wonderful review, calling Judgment Tree “A damning indictment of the excesses of unchecked privilege, delivered with gravitas and grace… A skillfully crafted, searing look at the meaning of honor and obligation during the Civil War, told with flair and finesse.”
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