Interview Billie A. Williams

by

Kathryn Lively

 1) Skull Music is an intriguing title. How did you come up with it?

Actually, it was a prompt from a prompt generator that Shery MaBell Arietta-Russ had designed with her Write Sparks book. ‘X-ray of a skull, cassette tape, dolphins.’ The three words hooked together and became my story.

2) Do you model your characters after anybody you know, or anybody famous you admire?

Most of my characters are composites of people I know, have seen, movie stars--and the like. However, antagonists--usually bear the characteristics of a person(s) I need to extricate from my life. Writing is so cathartic <G>

3) If you could cast the leads of Skull Music in a film, whom would pick and why?

I love Sandra Bulloch--I think she could play just about any part and play it well, so too could Jody Foster. So I would love either of them to play Charlie Wolfe--as for David Ashbeck--Benjamin Bratt, or Daniel Day-Lewis. The Editor of the newspaper was modeled after Mrs. Pinshaw--on the Lou Grant show and Sam--he would be delightful played by Chuck Norris

4) Skull Music is romantic suspense. Do you find it easier to write romance as opposed to mystery or vice versa?

I think romance lingers on the edge of every book--so it’s not a stretch to allow it into any genre. Mystery is fun to try to pull off without playing all your cards at once--but romance is what we all live for I think. So, in answer to your question, it just comes more naturally; writing romance, that is, than writing a mystery.

5) How long did Skull Music take to write, from conception to final draft?

Probably three months--I love to begin a story with one of the BIAW (book in a week )or the NaNoWriMo challenges--that gets the nitty gritty stuff out of the way--if nothing else a solid premise and summary type out line--so then it’s just a matter of fleshing it out, probably three rewrites before the first editor edits it.

6) What is your work environment like? How do you write?

I write at my kitchen table in long hand each day--usually three sections of my current WIPs--then I type up that draft editing as I go, into my computer. I strive for at least a thousand words a day--but if I get the three sections--it’s usually more than that. Then I print out the days work and put it in a loose leaf notebook along with the day’s page and word count. It helps to see the progress grow in word count and page numbers. I usually fill two 1” loose leaf notebooks per story/novel, by the time I’m done. When the novel is completed, I go back through the printed copy and edit and clean up and turn the sections into chapters. Then write up log lines, summaries, what ever I need to submit it. Because I use Marshall Evan’s Marshall Plan for Novel writing my synopsis nearly writes itself from the sections sheets. Then it’s start the process all over again. Most times I’m working on at least two novels at once--never seem to get writer’s block that way.

7) What’s next for you?

I’ve got several things  in the works--a mystery/suspense, working title Tracker--bloodhounds, escaped convict, and the woman who trains the dogs; I’m working on a romance writing course from American Writers & Artists Institute--a romance for them titled Skye’s The Limit--taking place on the island of Skye in Scotland; And I’m writing a screen play of my previously published novel Tung Umolomo--a South African adventure story--and last but not least, I’ve also worked out the  outline of the next book in the candlelight series titled--Candlelight Vigil. As well as the next book for the Secrets series (Knapsack Secrets won’t be published until June 2007) but I want The Secret of Mansfield Park, to be ready. I am involved in writing for two anthologies (one vampires/shape shifters one ghosts ) and part of a continuity series under a pseudonym.

8) If you could have lunch with any of your favorite authors, whom would it be?

I have so many--I love Mary Higgins Clark, Patricia Cornwell, Jude Deveraux, Angela Lansbury (writing as Jessica Fletcher), Ernest Hemingway, Truman Capote, Carlos Castanada--and a dozen or more Wings authors, goodness I’m afraid I’d like to have a celebrity bash and invite everyone.<G>

9) What do you see as your biggest writing achievement?

My biggest achievement to date is probably being published at all and I will be forever grateful to Wings ePress, Inc and Lorraine Stephens for taking a chance on me. My mother never lived long enough to see any of my work published--but that was my goal--to get something published for her--

10) If you had one day free to just write, how many pages do you think you could finish?

Funny you should ask, because basically my days are all that way--aside from daily household chores which I can choose to do or not do, I write. The problem becomes staying on track when you have all the time in the world. It’s not as ideal as it sounds--although I’m sure if I was raising a family, taking care of a husband, working a day job--all the things I used to do--I might feel differently. Now--I would love to have children ‘messing’ up my day again.