At the bookstore on ‘Flashes of War’

A few weeks ago, I was browsing in Fireside Books one Thursday after my stint volunteering at Radio Free Palmer. I go there to unwind a spell, talking to the staff about the shared love we all have for anything about books. Owner Dave Cheezem was there as per usual. The tiny store was quiet when he came over to me bearing a book.

“You should be here this Sunday. I’m having this author here for a book reading,” he said, holding a book with a dark green cover showing an image of a plastic toy Army man like the ones I played with as a kid.

I had to find my glasses to read the title, took it trying to hold it at arms length so I could read the title my glasses, “Flashes of War — Short Stories” by Katey Schultz. A round yellow label on the cover indicates it was honored as the 2013 book of the year by the Military Writers Society of America for literary fiction.

“Really Dave? Cool,” I replied.

Dave said the book was full of stories about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and that I should stop by Sunday to meet the author.

Since I work on Sundays, I wasn’t sure I could attend. But when he said it wouldn’t start until 2 p.m., I told him I’d be there, but I might be a few minutes late.

That Sunday was a slow day at work and the time dragged on until the appointed hour of 2 p.m. The painter showed up at the last minute for some work inside the building. After getting settled to do her thing, I jumped in my car and headed to Palmer. I felt fortunate to find a parking space right in front of Fireside.

It was still quite cold outside as I got out of the car, my worn Army OD green field jacket was zipped up against the cold. With my Army logo hat I looked every inch an old veteran, grizzled and grey, and a proud one at that.

Once in the store a tall young woman with a warm smile and long brown hair greeted me. She was standing next to Dave along with another older woman. The tall woman was the author, Katey Schultz.

“You must be Dan,” she said, turning to shake my hand. “Dave was hoping you would be here. He has been telling me all about you.”

I smiled and apologized for being late while giving Dave the “what did you tell her about me” look at the same time. Dave, trying to look innocent, could only shrug and smile.

Katey went on, telling me that her book was a collection of short stories about GIs, their families and some of the people in the caught up in the middle of the twin wars of Iraq and Afghanistan. And they were all works of fiction.

“Would you like to hear a few read to you?”

Well, after all, this was a reading; my first, by the way.

I was more than intrigued at what this soft-spoken lady from North Carolina could write about war. Dave and I sat down in the little alcove just off to the left of the front door of the bookstore. (We were the only ones in the store.)

She sat across from us and began to read out loud the first of the short stories in her book.

After she read the first story, I was impressed — really impressed — that she got into her characters’ heads, that she could describe the environment of life in the war and at home after it. Her descriptions were so real to me I asked if she interviewed GIs for her stories.

She said she hadn’t, that the stories were based on research and her imagination. She read a few more of her stories before I began to share some of mine. Soon we were swapping tales like two old soldiers telling war stories. If someone could have walked in on us they would have sworn we were two soldiers trading war stories.

No wonder her book won that award.

And it wasn’t just stories about GIs in her work, but family members of those who served and even those natives caught in the middle of war lighting up in their backyards. Katey wrote from the heart and a vivid, yet very realistic, imagination. A civilian who truly gets it is a rare thing.

At the end of reading session I asked Katey to autograph a copy of her book for me. She asked for a photo of the two of us and Dave did his best to operate her digital camera. Dave was nice enough to post the photo to the Fireside Books Facebook page. You can see me standing next to her with a goofy grin wearing the old field jacket holding her book in my hand.

It didn’t take me long to read her book from cover to cover. A good read and altogether worthy of the award it earned.

Wasilla resident Daniel D. Grota retired from the U.S. Army after more than 21 years of service.