BOOKS BY MY FRIENDS: WILLIAM J. MC GEE

Half the Child

Jun 15, 2023

Welcome to BOOKS BY MY FRIENDS, William. Your novel, Half the Child, is a page-turner full of ups and downs for the characters. Let’s soar through a chat about your book.

JH: What’s the blurb for your book?

WJM: HALF THE CHILD takes place over four consecutive summers in the lives of air traffic controller Michael Mullen and his young son Benjamin. The novel chronicles the separation, divorce, custody battle, and abduction that threaten to tear apart father and son. But with courts continually ruling against Ben’s father, it remains uncertain if their bond will survive. Ultimately, they will write their own love story. HALF THE CHILD was a semi-finalist in both the 2017 James Jones First Novel Competition and the 2017 William Faulkner Creative Writing Competition and was an honorable mention in the 2018 New England Book Festival Competition.

Some mature content.

JH: What inspired you to write this book?

WJM: My love of children, particularly as a father, and my firm belief that every child deserves to have a loving relationship with an available parent.

JH: What one thing do you love most about writing?

WJM: That feeling when the muse visits and the story starts to write itself.

JH: What’s next for you in the way of writing/publishing?

WJM: I'm co-writing a television pilot with my best friend, who is also a novelist.

JH: How can readers contact you?

WJM:

www.HalfTheChild.com

BIO:

WILLIAM J. McGEE was born in New York City and received an MFA in Fiction from Columbia University. Among other pursuits, he teaches undergraduate and graduate Creative Writing; represents travelers as a consumer advocate in Washington; and is an award-winning investigative journalist and columnist. McGee is the former Editor-in-Chief of Consumer Reports Travel Letter and also worked in airline flight operations management and served in the US Air Force Auxiliary. He is the author of Attention All Passengers, a nonfiction exposé of the airline industry published by HarperCollins in 2012, and is developing a scripted television drama. McGee lives in Connecticut and is--of course--at work on another novel. He is also a father.

JH: Thanks, William, for visiting BBMF to share this intriguing story with us. We’ll keep an eye open for your next book!

All good things,

Joy