Historical Fiction
Date Published: 07-01-2025
Publisher: Coyote Films Edition
Two unlikely friends wander the west in old Ford station wagon. One is
fighting time and the other addiction. In quiet confessions, they travel a
mysterious past, through a present warmed by wisdom and laughter. The people
they meet are unpredictable: aristocrats, mobsters, strong women and weak men.
Theirs is a troubled odyssey, torn by jailbreaks, flash floods, heartbreak and
war. Join them on a timeless adventure in the road trip you'll never forget.
Interview with William Landvoigt Bayne
What is your favorite part of the book?
The coming-of-age story in the first few chapters - the struggle of poverty, the deep refuge of family, their wild adventures, the flash floods, jailbreaks, heartbreak and war. It takes an epic road trip to unravel the true meaning of those early chapters.
Does your book have a lesson?
Perhaps that life provides all the lessons we need, especially if we pay attention. Moral? If we want things to be different, then we have to change.
Are your characters based off real people or did they all come entirely from your imagination?
I knew the book’s protagonist. He was featured in one of my documentary films, so in that sense, it is “a mostly true story”. A Desert in Bloom weaves a braided history across five generations - the 20th Century was a swirl of events and these characters lived through its most turbulent times.
Of all the characters you have created, which is your favorite and why?
I like Dee Bailey, the protagonist’s father; he gave so much of himself when he had so very little. His journey becomes a mirror to his son’s story.
What character in your book are you least likely to get along with?
I tend to like them all, even the most despicable, because each one has a little bit of me inside them. But there is one wealthy gangster who is an especially arrogant asshole. Mea culpa.
What would the main character in your book have to say about you?
He lived a life he could tell his kids about.
Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?
Still working on the next one… every book has a few roots in the one that came before. I suspect an author’s DNA writes its code into each book, regardless of how explicit the connection.
About the Author
WILLIAM LANDVOIGT BAYNE grew up in the South, lives in the West, and was
educated on the roads somewhere in between. As a young man, he hitchhiked
across America, drew comic books, and ran away to join the circus. That
didn’t work out long term, so he moved on to advertising and television,
using the same skills he picked up shoveling manure with the Ringling
Brothers. He has a lot of shiny statues from those filmmaking days.
Writing fiction is a lot more fun than shoveling, so that’s what he does now.
Bayne’s unique voice springs from his long experience as an artist, director and storyteller. His many documentary and commercial honors include: The New York Art Directors Club Award, the Telly, the Addy, the Time-Life Freddie Award, the BLUE Ocean Film Festival Award, and recognition at both the Houston and San Francisco International Film Festivals.
Contact Links
Instagram: @adesertinbloom
Purchase Links
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