ellen - Bill, The Feathery is a book about golf, but so much more. Can you tell us about the book? Not just a book about golf, is it?

Bill - No, The Feathery delves into life situations beyond the frame of golf. It tells of the protagonist Scott Beckman's troubled years after his dad is killed in Iraq. His defiance is brought on by that loss and perpetuated by his mother who hates the game of golf. Scott joins his friend, Matt Kemp, who has also lost his dad to that war, in committing a petty crime: The theft of a golf club.

Instead of juvenile hall, Scott and Matt are rescued by a detective who introduces them to the one who becomes their mentor. The aged golf professional Sandy McNair, whose roots are in St. Andrews, Scotland, steers them away from juvenile delinquency and towards a meaningful teenage life and the game of golf. Scott qualifies for the PGA Tour and Matt becomes his caddie.

Fast forward...Sandy dies and bequeaths a very valuable feathery golf ball to Scott. When earnings on tour are sparse, Scott is forced to place the Feathery in a London auction. His earnings improve and he removes the Feathery from the auction...Now the suspense, mystery, lesbian love and foreign intrigue comes into play when some collectors obsessed by the thought of possessing this unique Feathery made in St. Andrews in 1849 and played in a match when a record score was achieved by Sandy's ancestor. The score was inscribed on the leather cover adding to the unique antiquity.

The story spins up to higher revolution when those so obsessed by the Feathery will commit murder and robbery. Law enforcement from the NYPD and Scotland Yard try to solve the crime while Scott and his caddie, Matt, are trying to win the British Open. Scott is supported there by his love interest, Beth, an international lawyer. The suspense gets even more intense when Matt is abducted by ex-IRA operatives. So...The Feathery has many aspects going on around the game of golf.

ellen - Sports memorabilia - is it really such a great interest in them? Was the premise - making a golf ball from leather and feathers accurate? What research did you do?

Bill - Golf antiques and memorabilia originating from St. Andrews, Scotland in the 19th century are hot items for collectors of same.

Besides being personally consigned with a million dollars' worth of golf antiques and memorabilia that included feathery golf balls, my research consisted of reading Alan Robertson, His Life and Times...He was a Feathery ball maker and champion golfer at St. Andrews in the mid-1800's. Also other books were perused including Millers Golf Memorabilia by the leading expert on such..Sarah Fabian (I interviewed her in London). Also The Evolution of a Golf Ball by Dunlap...The Feathery story is fiction, ellen, the Feathery golf ball is a very real thing.

ellen - Two friends, Matt and Scott, as they become embroiled in the intrigue, are part of the PGA circuit - Have you been involved with the PGA?

Bill - Minor involvement. I have a friend (Mark Lye) who played on the PGA Tour and announced later on the Golf Channel. I was in the golf product export business (mine) and attended golf shows in Japan and Europe. I sold products to the PGA Tour. I was fortunate to attend three Ryder Cups, five British Opens, the Masters, and the US Open among many lesser tournaments.

ellen - Have you been to the classic venues the characters go to like Augusta or St. Andrews? What is that like to be where history is made?

Bill - Yes, see the above answer. St. Andrews and the Masters in Augusta sent tingles through my body. I'll never forget riding up the approach to the Masters venue between the magnolia lining the entrance road...St. Andrews was special...To see and play the old course and visit the town and see the shops where the first golf clubs and feathery balls were made. Visit the Royal and Ancient and The British Museum chock full of golf antiques and memorabilia from the 1800's was a thrill.

ellen - Are there plans to make The Feathery into a movie?

Bill - I can dream about that only...If it happens my only creative role will be to take the money and get out of the way! I suppose I'd do something if asked.

ellen - What do you think an author's responsibility is to the reader?

Bill - An author should try to create a story with scenes like that in a movie. He should not bog the reader down with a bunch of unnecessary words...cut to the chase...don't try to be poetic...tell it like it is or was. Elmore Leonard says whenever his writing becomes classically literal he dumps it.

ellen - What advice would you give to someone who has a story to tell and wants to write?

Bill - I suppose creative writing courses are good, although I never did them. Peers are important. Connect with other authors (like our writing forum, The Shameless). In most cases its best to keep your work from any evaluation by family (kids and wives). And read books and keep reading books.

ellen - What are your thoughts about publishing in today's market?

Bill - Publishing is slanted toward famous name authors. Mainstream publishers buy authors, not books. Agents run scared of first time authors, and mainstream publishers are inundated with query letters from the unknown. Very seldom will they risk publishing an unknown writer's work. So...that leaves us with the self-published authors working hard with expense to self promote their books. Their storied are original and well written for the most part and as good if not better than the best sellers, but sadly do not reach the mass reading market. The good news is that the vanity stigma of the self-published is gradually being removed and the quality of their work has improved. It's only a matter of time when a scheme for mass marketing these independent authors will emerge.

 ellen - What kind of books do you like to read for pleasure?

Bill - Detective, of course. Hemingway, Steinbeck. I'm reading one now that fits the financial disaster we're in...It's Shadow Account by Frey. I like all Frey's books as well as some of Parker's and most of Koontz's. I'm not much of a fan of Sci-Fi and erotica (sorry ellen - she with the red stilettos - haha)!  Love foreign intrigue in books as well as film.

ellen - Who are your sports heroes?

Bill - Ted Williams and Tiger Woods.

ellen - Bill, how can people contact you?

Bill - My email address is wflynn6782.comcast.net (at sign comcast.net)

ellen - What are you going to write about next?

Bill - Three kids growing up on Cape Cod during 1942 while U-Boats lurk offshore...The backstory takes place in Lorien France and at sea with a U-boat commander who fell in love with a mademoiselle connected to the Resistance. At sea, he launches two saboteurs and the 3 kids bungle into their covert activities...if I tell you any more, ellen, I'll have to kill you...(just kidding!!!) grin!

ellen - Is there anything you'd like to say to the readers?

Bill - Read The Feathery...It's not all about golf. It's about love, life and the pursuit of happiness!

ellen - Thanks Bill - The Feathery is a delight to read and I encourage everyone to read my review of the book on this site, and then buy a copy of this excellent book to read.

Bill Flynn Interview, author of The Feathery, questions by ellen george