William John Rostron ("Bill" to most who know him) is the author of a four-book series based on 1960s American culture and music. This series has received critical acclaim, and all four books are consistently rated 4.5 out of 5 or higher on Amazon. While sales have been recorded on four continents and all 50 states, the series has developed an almost cult-like following among Baby Boomers, musicians, New Yorkers, and lovers of mysteries.Bill has also produced over three dozen published short stories. Most of these appear either in his first short story book, A Flamingo Under the Carousel, or his upcoming book, T-Rex Stole My Computer. Many of these have received recognition from the Writers Digest contests. Six of his stories have been presented either on the New York stage or made into short film productions by the Visible Ink program. Only about 3% of submissions per year achieve this status. These videos may be seen on the author's web site.
In October 2023, a short proof of concept film based on his first novel, Band in the Wind, and his short story Pretty Flamingo, won first place in the New York Long Island Film Festival. This eight-minute film may be viewed on the website, PrettyFlamingoFilm.com.
Bill splits his time between his Long Island home and traveling the country in his Tiffin motorhome. He and his wife Marilyn have logged over 2,000 days on the road in the last twenty years. In the process, they have visited all fifty states, all thirty major league baseball stadiums, over 100 national parks, two Canadian provinces, and numerous unusual locations. Many of their stops end up as location settings in his books.
In 2023, Bill edited the KAPOW! Anthology of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, illustration and photography for Red Penguin Books.
Published Novels:
Short Story Compilations:
Short Stories Filmed Either on Live Stage or Production Videos:
To view this author's films and other info, visit: WilliamJohnRostron.com
All books may be purchased from:
Also available in various bookstores and libraries nationwide.
"'Those were the best days of my life.' They really were. And just like the words in the Bryan Adams' song 'The Summer of '69,' I did buy my first six-string at a five-and-dime, and I did play it until my fingers bled. And we did have a band, and we did try real hard… However, that's where my story diverges from the song. Unlike the characters in that song, my Jimmy didn't quit, and my Joey didn't get married. In my life, they died. In fact, except for me, they all died. And I have never told the story before."These are the first words written in the recovered Journal of Johnny Cipp, one of five young members of Those Born Free, a band out of Cambria Heights in Queens, New York. Johnny's journal has been discovered in 1990 on a beach—1500 miles and 23 years removed from where its author went missing. It details the story of the band he played in with four other young musicians in the late 1960s. With Jimmy McAvoy ("Jimmy Mac") on drums and vocals, Giovanni DeAngelis ("Gio") on rhythm guitar and vocals, Rocco Brackowski ("Bracko") on lead guitar and vocals, Joseph Tinley ("Tinman") on keyboard, and Johnny on bass, they possessed the talent, the will, and the work ethic to go far.
Their neighborhood was rife with gangs, violence, and racism. A tough place to grow up, the boys saw music as their only way out to a better life and were willing to give it everything to get there. Alas, they never made it…
"This book is almost that perfect blend of music, nostalgia, a coming-of-age story… and tragedy! It really does have a bit of everything. Highly entertaining." – Online Book Review (4/4 stars)
Published in 2018.
It is said that if you remember the 1960's, you weren't there. But they were there, and they would never forget.Key West – June 1990 - Three months after the events of Band in the Wind, the "Journal of Johnny Cipp" has found its way to Maria Romano and Riet Carver. Its pages tell Johnny's tale. It is a story of the rise and fall of a garage band on the brink of great success. However, is also the story of Johnny's descent into hell.
His final journal reveals his final thoughts and actions. "They beckon me. The band needs a bass player to give them a backbeat… and a friend to share their joy. I will join them, and again we will be complete. We will make music… and we will laugh… and the band will again be together… in the wind… forever." Now Maria and Riet have all the answers about Johnny Cipp and Gio DeAngelis… or do they?
"This book is almost that perfect blend of music, nostalgia, a coming-of-age story… and tragedy! It really does have a bit of everything. Highly entertaining." – Online Book Review 4/4 stars
Published in 2019.
By October of 1967, all of the members of the band, Those Born Free were dead or missing. They were gone, but not forgotten. In their wake, a cadre of diverse characters seek answers, and in doing so, find their existences irrevocably altered. Uncovering a treasure trove of old band tapes, each finds that the words and music of the lost speak to them—forever changing the paths of their lives.Brotherhood of Forever is an epic tale that relives the last fifty years of America through the eyes of a group of friends whose journey takes them from the streets of New York to the jungles of Vietnam, and from the fields of Woodstock to the pinnacle of rock and roll.
"A trilogy that is as staggering as it is entertaining." - James J. Spina (contributor to Rolling Stone, Hit Parader, Creem, and Mojo)
Published in 2020.
"Incredibly, this book is a tale told of relationships, politics, history, geography, crime, racial conflict, travel, music...all surrounding a story of enduring love and loyalty."After personal disaster ends all her hopes and dreams in New York, Maria Romano sets out alone in search of a new life in the tumultuous world of 1960s America. Her quest for meaning takes her through numerous adventures and misadventures that create a lifetime of both beautiful and haunting memories.
It is a journey that takes her from the blues clubs and political turmoil of 1968 Chicago to the music scene of San Francisco and the madness of Las Vegas. Now in her later years, she must reconcile what it all meant in order to move on. Her past has finally caught up with her… with a vengeance.
By the best-selling author of the Band in the Wind trilogy. (Band in the Wind, Sound of Redemption, and Brotherhood of Forever). Written as a stand-alone novel, The Other Side of the Wind may be read enjoyably either before or after that series of novels.
Published in 2022.
A Flamingo Under the Carousel will make you laugh, cry, and feel a thousand emotions in between. The thirty short stories offer a unique view of the world through the use of various genres.These previously published short pieces are presented together for the first time. Ranging from the literary to the apocalyptical, it is a journey through the themes of crime, 1960's culture, rock music, and love. From flights of fancy in a mystical underground world discovered by young children to a generational suite of immigrant stories, humorous travel adventures to sports tales, and finally on to timely Op-Eds… and one lonely poem.
Each tale includes a distinctive introduction as to the how, when, and why of each original creation are stories unto themselves—giving the reader a one-of-a-kind insight into the author's mind and his writing process. A Flamingo Under the Carousel truly has something for everyone.
Published in 2022.
Stories that will make you laugh, cry, and feel a thousand emotions in between.Following on the heels of his critically acclaimed first book of short works, A Flamingo Under the Carousel, William John Rostron continues with this second compilation of published works that utilizes multiple genres. Again, the reader is treated to tales of fiction, non-fiction, and his unique style of "almost fiction."
He spans the globe with stories that take place in London, Paris, and Rome... not to mention the oceans of the world and outer space. Rostron's imagination brings you to the mysterious town of Darkness Falls and to the deepest jungles of the Amazon where inexplicably a tribe of light-skinned, English-speaking natives is uncovered by explorers.
Non-fiction pieces deal with topics of family, love, and survival as exemplified by the Writer's Digest Award winning stories of Call Me T-Rex, Cat's in the Cradle, and Senseless.
Each tale includes a distinctive introduction highlighting the how, when, where, and why of each original creation. These are stories unto themselves—giving the reader a unique insight into the author's mind and his writing process. T-Rex Stole My Computer truly has something for everyone.
Published in 2024.