Larry Craig Floyd

A longtime journalist in Oklahoma and a U.S. history instructor at Oklahoma State University's campus in Oklahoma City, the author combines both of these interests in his most recent book, Waiting for America: A Civilian Prisoner of Japan in the Philippines. Finding a 99-year-old survivor of a Japanese internment camp in Manila living near him was a human-interest story and historical account he couldn't pass up. That this extraordinary voice from the past had kept a secret diary during her years of captivity added to this rich narrative. Floyd began this latest work soon after co-authoring a book about another historical episode in America's recent past—the great tuberculosis epidemic of the 19th and 20th century and how an Arkansas physician pioneered treatment methods for the disease that resonated nationally. Stalking the Great Killer (University of Oklahoma Press, 2013) traces the impact of tuberculosis on U.S. society and in particular how the Arkansas healthcare community confronted this disease. An avid hiker and outdoor enthusiast, the author aided the Oklahoma hiking community with his co-authoring a guidebook on the state's outdoor hiking venues with Oklahoma Hiking Trails (University of Oklahoma Press, 2010). He is on a long-term quest to hike the Appalachian Trail, completing 80-100 miles sections twice per year, a pace that may extend this adventure over another ten years. Along with his own writing activities, Floyd works with other aspiring authors helping them bring their projects to fruition. This work may include as little as offering them a page on his online bookstore, or as much as ghostwriting their books.