THE HARTFORD BOOKS EXAMINER

John Valeri 

An Interview with G. A. Beller

     
        Beller is the debut author of NOT BLACK          AND WHITE (G. Anton Publishing). A self-           professed political junkie, he established Gabe       Advisors, LLC to invest in and encourage               literary projects in collaboration with aspiring         authors. Beller makes his home in Chicago.   
     
        From the Publisher: In 1994, a freak traffic accident occurred, killing a family of six young            children when their van burst into flames after being struck by a semi-trailer truck driven by a             man unqualified to drive such a vehicle. The truck driver, a victim himself, had bribed an                     employee of the Illinois Secretary of State's office in order to procure his commercial driver's             license. The tragic accident and resulting exposé of corruption and scandal that followed                     changed forever the course of American history. Inspired by true events, G.A. Beller                           reveals the gray areas of NOT BLACK AND WHITE.

A CONVERSATION WITH G.A. BELLER

Author of 

NOT BLACK AND WHITE:

From the Very Windy City to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue

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       JV:  You are a self-professed political junkie. What are the challenges that           come with writing about a topic that is very personal to individuals - and how           did you endeavor to achieve an overall balance of education and entertainment?

       Beller:  Once I decided to write about the characters and events during this           period in Chicago and Illinois politics, I realized this story had to be a fiction-           alized accounting of both. First of all, I did not know with any degree of                   certainty which events were factual. The newspaper and internet articles were,           to some degree, based upon speculation, in my opinion. Therefore, I concluded         that this story might be very entertaining with a loosely based accounting of the         characters and events. The portrayal of how the events played out was, in many         cases, based upon my imagination. If I achieved a balance of education and               entertainment, I achieved my goals.

       

       Tandem:  After 35 years in the investment business, what has driven you to           become a debut author?

       G.A. Beller:  Throughout my career in the investment business, I advanced             my knowledge of financial markets and the global political decisions which               drive their directions and trends. I was determined to understand politics on               not only the local level, but on the national and global levels as well. The more         I read, the more I formed strong opinions, and those strong opinions fueled my           desire to write. This passion to write had been on the back burner until I was             able to devote the time to make becoming a serious writer my priority. Now that         time has finally come, and I intend to become a relevant writer as my new                 primary career.

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       Tandem: So much of the material in NOT BLACK AND WHITE is ripped             from the headlines and features actual events with real people. Why did you               choose to publish this book as fiction?

       G.A. Beller: I don't believe the articles in newspapers or online are necessarily     accurate. Additionally, many publications have their own agendas, and therefore       the information in the articles may be biased. Though I primarily used these               previous writings to formulate the basis for the story of NOT BLACK AND               WHITE, I was unwilling to accept the information as accurate or factual. I don't       think anyone is capable of telling this story as non-fiction. As an aspiring writer,       when I started this book I wanted to create excitement and entertainment, which       required a great deal of speculation. My creative juices took over, and I chose to       fictionalize the characters and events with my goal to provide the reader with an       entertaining novel. I also wanted to challenge the reader to determine fact from         fiction.

       

        Prior to the novel's launch date, G. Anton Publishing's national marketing and publicity team,         Tandem Literary, sent advanced copies of NOT BLACK AND WHITE to reviewers around the             country. Tandem received dozens of requests to know more about author G. A. Beller. The                   following is Tandem's conversation with Beller.

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      John Valeri:  What first inspired you to write Not Black and White, and how            did you find the process of doing so to compare to your expectations?

      G.A. Beller:  I was introduced to someone familiar with one of the characters         in Not Black and White. After a breakfast meeting, I was intrigued by the                   general concept of the story ? the rise of the first African-American President             and the downfall of two governors.    

       Living in Chicago during the unfolding of these events, I had followed all the         news coverage as these activities were exposed. I decided to research the many           articles that had been written. The more I uncovered, the more I concluded that           I should write this book as a novel.

       I must admit, as an aspiring writer, I grossly underestimated the commitment         to the process. I thought many times I was finished telling the story, only to               decide a broader storyline was needed and that a more entertaining approach to           various scenarios would enhance the reader's experience. However, after many           rewrites, I feel satisfied that I told this story well.