Virtual Book Tour + #Giveaway: Less Than Human by Allen Long @GoddessFish

Less Than Human

by Allen Long

GENRE: Memoir

BLURB:

In Less than Human, Allen Long tells the story of his often nightmarish childhood in the wealthy suburbs of D.C., the wonders and mysteries of teenage love, his ill-advised journeys into corporate America and a hellish marriage, and ultimate breakdown.  And yet, his story is mostly one of triumph.  He draws strength from the joys of fatherhood, he finds true love in his second marriage, and through working with psychotherapists and leading a life rich in self-examination, he overcomes both child abuse and the resulting PTSD, finally learning that instead of being less than, he is, indeed, human.

Less than Human follows an unconventional path, arranged as much by theme and association as by chronology.  These stories take many forms, from driving narrative to lyrical reverie, at times evoking mythic overtones, and this variety, along with an unflinching confrontation with the conditions and consequences of childhood abuse, create its own form of suspense--in what direction will this book take us next?

PURCHASE LINKS:

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble

EXCERPT:

I remember only a fragment of our lunch conversation.  Sophia, who used to work at the textile design firm where Elizabeth was employed, brought up the name of a colleague who was agonizing about whether he was gay.  

Elizabeth surprised me by saying, “If he can’t make up his mind, I’ll make it up for him—he’s definitely gay.”  There was absolutely no malice or derision in her voice; she simply stated what seemed an obvious fact.

I laughed, pleased by her presumptuous humor.  Also, a few weeks later, the co-worker in question came out of the closet and has seemed contentedly gay ever since.

After lunch, Sophia made a quick getaway and Elizabeth and I stood in the parking garage near her black cherry Dodge Shadow and talked for another hour and a half.  Again, I remember only one snippet of this conversation.

“I have to tell you how important my daughter Stephanie is to me,” she said.  “We’re best friends, I love her dearly, and she’s my number one priority.”

“I understand.  That’s how I feel about my boys,” I said.

Tears glazed Elizabeth’s eyes, but she didn’t cry.  I felt such a strong connection to her I trembled.

“Would you like it if I called you?” I asked.

“Yes, very much,” she said.

We hugged and fell in love.

Author Interview:

What inspired you to write Less than Human: A Memoir?

I started out writing a magazine-length memoir called “Soul Breach,” which was about my anger and disgust about the dishonesty and corruption I observed when I worked in the management consulting sector of the business world.  A writer/editor friend told me he thought it was the best piece I’d ever written compared to several short stories I’d published, and he encouraged me to write more memoirs.  So I wrote a series of memoirs about the most dramatic high and low points of my life, and suddenly my whole life story was on paper and I realized I’d written a book.

When or at what age did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I think I’ve always known.  I’ve been telling stories for as long as I can remember.  My brother and I had separate bedrooms, but summers we would sleep in twin beds in the basement, and I told him a story every night after lights out that I made up on the spot.  And I could always be counted on to tell great ghost stories.  When I was in sixth grade, my teacher invited me to write a short story a week instead of completing the regular English assignments.

What is the earliest age you remember reading your first book?

I remember reading a series of books about Freddy the Pig when I was about 10.  I also read a bunch of Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew mysteries when I was young.  In addition, I read several books of horror stories compiled by Alfred Hitchcock when I was in elementary school.

What genre of books do you enjoy reading?

I read memoirs, literary novels and short story collections, and detective novels, a guilty pleasure.

What is your favorite book?

I have so many.  My favorite recent book is the novel All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr.  He combines great storytelling with beautiful use of language.

You know I think we all have a favorite author. Who is your favorite author and why?

I really enjoy short story masters such as Alice Munro, William Trevor, Tessa Hadley, and Tobias Wolff.  I’ve also enjoyed all the books I’ve read by Rick Russo.  My hands-down favorite writer when I was a teen was Ray Bradbury.  He told wonderful stories using beautiful language.  He’s probably the first writer who     got me thinking about writing stories versus just telling them.

If you could travel back in time here on earth to any place or time. Where would you go and why?

I’m pretty fascinated by John Adams and the American Revolution, so that would be really interesting to observe.  Also, it would be fun to be in Paris during the Hemingway, Fitzgerald, and Gertrude Stein era.  And, of course, I’d like to go back in time to see the dinosaurs.

When writing a book do you find that writing comes easy for you or is it a difficult task?

Memoirs are my natural form and come easy.  Fiction is slower and harder for me, but I really like creating a work of art out of nothing when I write a successful short story.

Do you have any little fuzzy friends? Like a dog or a cat? Or any pets? 

I have a beloved 1.5 year old golden retriever named Ruby.

What is your "to die for", favorite food/foods to eat?

I love cheeseburgers, but they are too fattening to eat often.

Do you have any advice for anyone that would like to be an author?

Focus on producing a quality piece of writing instead of rushing to publish.  The fastest way to get published is to have a high-quality piece of writing to market.  I once took five years to perfect a short story.  It was accepted for publication almost immediately.  Also, I wrote six complete drafts of Less than Human over five years.  I finished the book in July 2015, and I had a book contract in hand a month later, and my publisher accepted the book as is, with no edits required.  This is a hard lesson for young eager writers to learn, but it’s a valuable one.

AUTHOR BIO:

Allen Long was born in New York City and grew up in Arlington, Virginia.  He holds a B.A. in journalism from Virginia Tech, an M.A. in fiction writing from Hollins University, and an M.F.A. in fiction writing from the University of Arizona.  He has been an assistant editor at Narrative Magazine since 2007, and his fiction and memoirs have appeared in a wide variety of literary magazines.  He lives with his wife near San Francisco.

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Giveaway:

$25 Amazon/BN

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