{Character Interview} Buster of The Sheltering Palms by Preston Howard

We’re thrilled to be talking to Buster from Preston Howard’s book, The Sheltering Palms. It is a pleasure to have him with us today at Pimp That Character!

Thank you for your interview, Buster. How old are you and what do you do for a living?

Well, I’m actually dead now, so it’s amazing that I am conducting this interview. I passed in 1972 from successive strokes. When alive, I was an attorney, what many people would call a “country lawyer” who wore suspenders, plaited pants, starched shirts, and quoted from famous philosophers like Socrates and from the bible.

Can you tell us about one of your most distinguishable features?

My grandson Preston-----boy, he can sure write a great novel-----described my aqua blue eyes that would twinkle when I told a joke, my sonorous voice, my erect posture, slightly jutting jaw, and great head of brown hair. Speaking of hair, Preston makes several jibes about Texas Governor Rick Perry’s hair…pretty damned funny if you ask me. Then of course there’s my Panama hat with the red and blue hat band, which weaves its way through the story as well.

What would I love the most about you?

I have a hell of a sense of humor and can tell yarns with the best of them. Some of my best stories revolve around my legal career, like the time I represented a bootlegger who was my personal alcohol-provided during Prohibition. Damn that sheriff for arresting him!

What would I hate the most about you?

I like to drink a bit…no back that a whole bunch. Preston described me as a bourbon-swilling grandpa and there was a reason for that label. Also, I like to slink off to the hinterlands by myself much to my wife Anne’s displeasure; what I do during those times, well, that’s my own business.

What makes you laugh out loud?

Anytime I tell a funny story that makes other people laugh, that’s a good day for me. And when someone tells me something hilarious, I enjoy laughing along as well, like so many of Preston’s yarns which are so sidesplitting that I sometimes have to stop reading for a bit until I calm down.

What is your most treasured possession?

I have a Zippo lighter with an Army artillery insignia on the side that I carried with me during World War I when I fought under my hero Captain Harry Truman during the battle in the Argonne Forest and other campaigns. I would have followed “Give ‘em Hell Harry” anywhere; he was a truly great man and President, only Democrat I every voted for!

Do you think the author portrayed you accurately?

Preston portrayed me a little too well if you ask me. I would have preferred that he didn’t talk so much about me being a sot or my on and off relationship with my wife Anne, but as Gertrude Stein used to say, “A rose is a rose is a rose etc.”

What are three must haves when shopping at the grocery store?

Once I am certain there’s 100 proof bourbon in the liquor cabinet, then all I care about are fresh oranges, lemons, Coke, and Ginger Ale. When I get home, my only interest is making the Tazewell Long Drink, which Preston describes so perfectly in the book. It is the ultimate cocktail, no other like in the world. As far as food for dinner, whatever the gals cook up, I’ll gobble it up with no complaint.

Who is your best friend?

My best friend is a fellow lawyer over in Lafollette, Tennessee by the name of Boyce Griffin. Boyce and I worked a number of cases together, were heavily involved in east Tennessee politics, and were drinkin’ buddies. This one time we exchanged letters back and forth about who to support for a chancery judgeship; and I concluded my letter by reminding him of the recent case of Kivett versus Mason that ruled the Chancellor doesn’t have to be a lawyer, or have education, intelligence, or morals. I told Boyce, “We might even nominate you.”

When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I learned to play the piano at a young age and by the time I was an adult, pretty damn good on the ivories. My goal in life was to become a piano player in a swing band, and I would have been successful at it. But my dad disabused me of this idea and convinced me to join his law practice. Lawyerin’ was an honorable enough profession, but I always felt like it wasn’t what I envisioned for myself. In the book, I urge Preston to follow his heart, and not what others expect of him.

If you knew you were going to die tomorrow, what would you do today?

Easy answer: drink about four of those Tazewell Long Drinks, chain smoke all day, and then sit down at my grand piano and pound out every blues song on my play list, finishing up with “Down Among the Sheltering Palms.” When I die the next day, maybe I’ll find out what’s on the other side.

About the Author

Preston Howard spent his entire career working on behalf of police officers, representing them under adverse circumstances, negotiating contracts to improve officers’ benefits and working conditions, and training police union officials in the art of leadership. He has written numerous books and lectured not only in this country but abroad as well.

His latest book is the fictional autobiography/historical fiction/satire, The Sheltering Palms.

Website Address: http://www.prestonhowardauthor.com

Facebook Address: Preston Howard - Author

About the Book:

Title: THE SHELTERING PALMS
Author: Preston Howard
Publisher: Preston Howard Press
Pages: 519
Genre: Fictional Autobiography/Historical Fiction/Satire

BOOK BLURB:

Renowned police labor lawyer, Preston Howard, reached a watershed in his life—a forced retirement from the firm he built from the ground up and a cancer diagnosis. These two events made him take a step back and reflect over a life that had at times been hilarious, irreverent, self-mocking, eerie and even a bit, make that, quite lewd.

A family of unique characters guided the lawyer’s formative years: a bourbon-swilling, brilliant yet flawed grandfather who mentored the young lad in matters of religion, politics and the quest for knowledge; a psychic mother; an oversexed nanny; an aunt and uncle who fought on the front lines of integration; and a fire-balling uncle who got his fifteen minutes of fame in The Show.

Preston Howard first made his mark as a crime-fighting attorney representing the Tucson Police Department. Then he spent over forty illustrious years as a labor lawyer working with police officers and union leaders and handling the gamut of fascinating, high-profile cases across the country and even in other countries.

His many tall yarns might be viewed by some with the greatest suspicion, but his story-telling is undeniably first-class, witty, and absorbing.

PRAISE:

“The best book I’ve ever read about lawyers, cops, and unions.” Bob Helpert, Tucson, Arizona