Homefront Hero Interview

How exciting to have Captain John  Gallows the hero from Homefront Hero written by  Allie Pleiter a May 2012 release from Love Inspired Historical Romance.

1.  Captain Gallows, tell me the most interesting thing about you.

There’s a great deal interesting about me--at least if you ask the Army.  They seem to consider me quite the hero for crawling out on the stay-wires of my airship over France.  It’s not that astounding the lengths a man will go to save his life--calling it bravery and lauding me with all these medals and honors seems a mite disingenuous.  Still, I’ve never been a man to let a golden opportunity go by

2. What do you do for fun? 

Not much fun to be had in the Army at the moment.  I’ve been working like a madman to get my leg back in shape.  That means endless painful laps around the camp gymnasium.  The fun in that usually comes from my lovely company, Nurse Leanne Sample.  She’s no end of diversion.  As a matter of fact, she’s proven to be as much irritating as she is diverting. She knits for fun--if you can call it that--and I’m convinced she takes endless fun in watching me attempt the stuff.  I’m rotten at it, but if the US Army tells you to knit in front of cameras to convince boys to join the sock knitting campaign, then that’s what a smart Captain does.

3.  What do you put off doing because you dread it? 

I’m not the kind of man who puts anything off.  I’m mighty short in the patience department.  The only thing I’m dreading at the moment is not getting sent back to France to combat where I belong.  Well, maybe that and my next knitting lesson with the insistent Nurse Sample.  Come to think of it, I don’t really dread that at all--I rather look forward to that kind of  “combat.”

4.  What are you afraid of most in life?

I’m not afraid of anything, but it’s absolutely important to me that I get back to France.  I don’t want to end this war as a walking poster boy for yarn and needles.

5.  What do you want out of life?

Up there on that airship, the most important thing to me was to stay alive.  There was no bravery in it...either I fixed the ship or the ship went down.  I suppose that means what I want most is to feel like I earned this medal the pinned on my chest.  At the moment, it feels like they lauded the wrong man.

6. What is the most important thing to you?

Honor.  Sounds funny from a man boasting a medal of honor, don’t you think?  I’ve got more honor than I deserve, and I mean to change that.  My goal is to get back to France and prove my honor.

7. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

I spend nearly every waking hour trying to build enough strength so I can walk without this cane.

8.  Do you have a pet? If so, what is it and why that pet?

Unless you count the countless little buggies crawling around this army camp, I’ve no pets here.  I had a wonderful horse once, but that was a long while back.

9. Can you tell us a little interesting tidbit about the time period you live in?

I don’t think the Spanish Influenza Pandemic qualifies as an “interesting little tidbit,” but it’s shaping up to be one of the most challenging public health issues ever to face the United States.  I think the children’s jumprope rhyme is the most poignant:

            “I had a little bird

            Her name was Enza

            I opened the door

            And In-Flu-Enza...”

A morose little thing for youngsters to be chanting, don’t you think?