Welcome to TRB Lounge. Today, I’d like to welcome the author of Surviving Chaos: How I Found Peace at A Beach Bar – Harold Phifer, for an author interview with The Reading Bud.
About The Author
Harold Phifer was born in a deeply segregated South It is here he learned how to survive the harsh life of being unnurtured and unloved on the streets of Columbus, Mississippi. His first twenty-five years were spent dreaming, hustling, and ducking bullies at every turn. After graduating Mississippi State and Jackson State Universities, he became a highly specialized Air Traffic Controller, living and working as an international contractor, serving numerous tours in lraq and Afghanistan. Because of those experiences of being so close to death and the Taliban, he had no choice but accept the Tee-shirt while authoring his memoir “SleepWalking Out of Afghanistan: Walking it all Back.” Next, Harold followed up with an expanded autobiography, “Surviving Chaos: How I Found Peace at A Beach Bar,” which is a combination of two books through different phases of trauma all meshed into one big novel.
You can find author Phifer here:
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Interview
Welcome to TRB! Beyond the formal details in your Author Bio, could you share a more personal glimpse into who you are with our readers?
I’m a small-town author that spent half of my life in the deep south. That would be Columbus, Mississippi USA. I was boxed in by an absent father, schizophrenic mom, bullies that didn’t hesitate to belittle me due to my mom’s condition, and an abusive aunt who made sure I never got more sunshine than my mindless older brother. Of course, you must throw in the abject poverty. Luckily, I can joke about that upbring, yet many-a-times, I do speak of being too poor to live in the projects (or section 8 housings).
Honestly, I formed a plan at a young age (about 11 years old). I knew if I could make it to college my world would drastically change. Of course, it did change and I got recruited as an Air Traffic Controller. After 23 years with the Federal Aviation Administration, I retired then went to work as an International Contractor but doing the same type of work.
Beyond the blurb, could you delve into some unique aspects or pivotal moments from your book?
The moments that touch me are probably not great moments for the reader. Such as, “A Moment in the Sun” and “The Walls Stand Silent Now.” Those reflections remind me of the pure terror I had not knowing if my social life at 7 years old was over. With “The Walls Stand Silent” I couldn’t stop vividly seeing my mom going through her episodes of mayhem. I cried a lot when I wrote those stories.
What drove you to explore this specific theme in your book? Is there a central message or insight you aim to convey to your readers? Yes, Resilience. The need to believe in yourself and find inner love even if it doesn’t exist outside of you.
Every book has its roots. What served as the catalyst for this one – a personal experience, a persistent idea, a transformative event, or something else entirely?
Loneliness, Fear, Insecurities, Lack of love and Support, and Constant hunger
How long was the journey from conceptualizing the idea to seeing the final version of this book?
I knew I was going to write this book around the age of 20 years old. I think I officially started at 35 years of age (just framing how to do it) and finished at 57.
As a writer, what are your future aspirations? Where do you envision yourself in the literary world five years from now?
I do have a unique sense of humor that I try to expose in my books. I have written in Fiction (“Fool Me Thrice: Money Changes Everything” by Dean Conan) and Non-Fiction (“Sleepwalking Out of Afghanistan: Walking it All Back” & “Surviving Chaos: How I Found Peace at A Beach Bar” by Harold Phifer). Surviving Chaos is a merging of two books (SleepWalking Out of Afghanistan & The Bicycle Lady). “The Bicycle Lady” was never published. However, I think I will continue to write in both genres but mostly Fiction. Fiction is much more fun and not as tough on my state of mind.
Are there other topics or projects you’re currently researching or writing about?
Yes, I have a book about the “Follies of being an International Contractor or Expatriate.” Of course, Not officially named yet. Then, there’s the sequel to “Fool Me Thrice: Money Changes Everything” by Dean Conan currently named “A Fool Indeed” by Dean Conan (Not yet released).
While your focus is on non-fiction, have you ever been tempted to venture into the realm of fiction?
Yes, see: “Fool Me Thrice: Money Changes Everything” by Dean Conan.
Can you recall the moment when you realized you wanted to be a writer? Was it a path filled with challenges or a passion you seamlessly transitioned into?
I realized back in high school I wanted to write. But I also knew I had a unique story (or past) I wanted to tell, yet without being a book of Sorrows. Therefore, I pulled out all the bizarre and humorous details I could possibly recall and placed them in “Surviving Chaos: How I found Peace at A beach Bar.”
Describe your writing process. Do you have any routines or rituals that help you stay focused and inspired?
I put myself in the mindset of reliving the events that took place. That way, I was able to deliver as if it was happening in real time even after all those years.
Outside of writing, do you have another profession or area of expertise?
I’m an Air Traffic Controller with around 37 years of experience.
Given the theme of your book, could you recommend one or two other reads that resonate with similar ideas or insights?
That’s a tough one. Since, I wanted to infused hardship with humor then I would say my book is a combination of the movie “Antwone Fisher” with Derek Luke (also adapted to the book “Finding Fish” by Antwone Fisher) and Denzel Washington. Then, there’s the movie “Pushing Tin.” But the character is more of a huckster and mischievous teenager. I can’t say any one author influenced me. I do love Stephen King, James Patterson, and the social-life authors like Steve Harvey and Terry McMillan.
In the vast realm of non-fiction, are there specific authors or books that have profoundly influenced your approach or thinking?
Not really. I had stories I wanted to share with the world. If I found them to be zany or funny, then others would too.
The dreaded Writer’s Block—does it ever hinder your process, and if so, how do you navigate past it?
Oh yes! I stop and find other things to do. Like, go to a movie or watch a sporting event. Eventually, the vision comes back even if it takes months.
Non-fiction often requires a balance of research and narrative. How do you strike that balance, ensuring your work is both informative and engaging?
I try to dredge up all details from that time frame and bring it forward to what people can relate to today. Or I try to spell out the details to the extent the readers can understand or emphasize with me.
Writing non-fiction can sometimes mean delving into controversial or sensitive topics. How do you handle potential criticism or differing viewpoints from readers?
There are lots of things I try not to touch. But if it’s central to the story (or needed for understanding an event), then I try to respectfully talk about sensitive details without making lite of something that can be taken as an insult.
For those looking to embark on their own non-fiction writing journey, what piece of advice would you deem invaluable?
I do try to bring out the uniqueness of my stories. There’re so many books about life and people experiences. Since, so many before me have spilled their guts, I wanted my journeys to be worth picking up but with little to no likeness to anything that’s been read or written before.
Thank you, author Phifer, for taking the time to answer our questions and for all your insightful and interesting answers!
About the Book
Surviving Chaos: How I Found Peace at A Beach Bar
For more than fifty years, Harold Phifer’s childhood living conditions remained a secret, even from those who thought they knew him best. No one knew about his past growing up with a mother who suffered from mental illness; a greedy aunt; a mindless and spoiled older brother; an absent father.
It wasn’t until an explosion in Afghanistan that his memory was blasted back into focus. This book is the result of a long, cathartic chat with a stranger at a beach bar, where Harold finally found some peace.
You can find Surviving Chaos, How I Found Peace at A Beach Bar here:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible
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