Don Meyer, author of several novels and the Vietnam War memoir The Protected Will Never Know, was recently interviewed by Tyler Tichelaar. Meyer’s latest novel, The American War, recently received the 2012 Tyler R. Tichelaar award for Best Historical Fiction. An excerpt from the interview appears below. To read the full interview see the original article.

The American War is published by Two Peas Publishing and available for purchase in both paperback and ebook editions.

Excerpt

Tyler: Before you wrote “The American War,” you wrote your memoir “The Protected Will Never Know.” What made you decide to write your memoir? Was it cathartic for you?

Don: The Vietnam memoir was actually written back in 1977-on an old Black Royal Manual Typewriter! Starting from a short story I did in a college English class, I had the basis for the idea. In addition, I had a bunch of letters home, notes I salvaged, and of course, my memories that were still fresh, and very raw. It was very emotional to get that all out… and down on paper. From all that material, I started to compile those pieces into what would become a working manuscript. However, as the ’70s came to a close, everyone was done with Vietnam and all the publishers and agents that I sent the manuscript to decided to reject it. I threw that manuscript into a box and forgot about it. Quite a few years later, my daughter found that manuscript and took it to school for a show and tell, and even though I was through with all that, she nagged me to “get it out there,” which I finally did about ten years ago. It was quite interesting to revisit that work so many years later.

Tyler: Do you feel like people are now no longer “past” Vietnam as you said but ready to revisit it? Do you feel the view of it has changed a lot since the 1970s?

Don: Truthfully, I think it is old news, occasionally mentioned when there is an event of some sort. Sure we may have more recognition than we did back then and I’m certainly glad that has translated into better recognition for our current soldiers, but at the end of the day, for most people, it is just a time and place in history. I think you also have to look at the events of the day-not only was there an unpopular war raging, but the county was racked with violence in protest. For many there are lingering wounds, both physically and emotionally, that is best left alone.

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The Protected Will Never Know

Surviving Vietnam was more than dodging a bullet; it was about surviving your Tour of Duty with your mind and body still intact.

In this 10th anniversary eBook edition of The Protected Will Never Know (ISBN 9780983761051 and ASIN B005J0ZM2W), author Don Meyer recalls his experiences in Vietnam and all the horrors of war. The eBook can be purchased now from Amazon.com’s Kindle Store and Barnes & Noble’s Nook Store.

Additionally, the book will soon be available in the Kobo eBook Store, the Apple iBookstore, and the Google eBookstore.

Don Meyer is an author and a speaker. In addition to his non-fiction memoir, Meyer has authored four novels.

A Genteel Spy

Soon after, Betsey’s idyllic young life was shattered.

First, her father Moses enlisted with Confederate Gen. John Bell Hood’s army. Then Martha, Betsey, and Betsey’s younger sister Sally were forced into exile from Franklin after Union forces uncovered evidence of Martha’s spying.

Alone and facing an uncertain future, the Royce women began an arduous two-year odyssey through the tattered Southern landscape of the American Civil War. Out of those experiences came Betsey’s memoir, A Genteel Spy, which Betsey penned while in college, 10 years after the events it chronicles. Her manuscript was passed down through the family until Damon decided to edit and illustrate it. With the aid of her husband, Herb Detweiler, she then set about the task of getting the book into print.

“Having taught young people, I felt it is vital to share this more personal side of the Civil War,” Damon explains. “Today’s generations need to understand that wars are fought through the perseverance and sacrifice of those left at home, as well as through soldiers on the battlefield. This is a side of the Civil War which is rarely taught or talked about.”

The story chronicles Martha’s courage and determination to see her family through the trials and devastation of the war. Together, the family endures the destruction of their home, the brutal realities of slavery, the threat of Moses’ execution by the Union army, and the chaotic aftermath of war. Betsey aptly describes her mother as “…a finely tempered steel blade sheathed in a scabbard of white velvet.”

Damon says that it is those true anecdotes, along with Betsey’s narrative, that makes the book much more than a history lesson.

She continues: “A Genteel Spy provides a rare look into the personal lives of a real family during the Civil War: little girls who must learn to play outdoors between practice firings of cannons over their heads; taking refuge in the cellar when a battle surrounds their house; salvaging guns from the battlefield afterward; and finally, being exiled by the Yankees from their beloved home and friends when their mother is revealed as a spy for the Confederates. Grandmother’s memoir reads more like a novel, with full dialogue and ‘stranger than fiction’ characters.”

Sometimes funny, sometimes nostalgic, but always honest, Betsey’s chronicle offers a unique insight into civilian life during America’s bloodiest conflict. It serves as a reminder that sometimes, in the darkest hours, faith and determination are all that stand between life and death.

A Genteel Spy (ISBN: 9780984077380) is published by Two Peas Publishing in Columbia, Tenn. It is available for retail purchase online through amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and booksamillion.com. Booksellers can purchase A Genteel Spy directly from twopeaspublishing.com.