Interview W. J. Calabrese

by Leanne Karella

1) Congratulations on your Septempter release of The Offering from Wings ePress! It sounds like an exciting, intriguing premise. Can you tell us a bit about it?

Dr. Gideon Mayhew, a debunker of false spiritualist mediums in post Civil War (1877) New York City, attempts to help a young medical student, Andrew Brighton, rescue his fiancé from the clutches of a group of these people who have won her trust and taken over her house.

When Mayhew puts pressure on them, the gang disappears, taking the girl with them. Mayhew and Andrew search for clues to the whereabouts of the gang. Mayhew becomes convinced that the gang leader has allied himself, or perhaps only believes he has, with a powerful supernatural being of demonic nature.

Mayhew and Andrew pursue the gang through some of the most dangerous places in the city, to a final confrontation in perhaps the most dangerous place of all.

2) Can you tell us what inspired this story?

No. Really, I can't. All of my ideas exist in a sort of filing cabinet in my head. There is no time stamp to record when a particular idea got there, nor any notation of where it came from. There has never been a roll call taken to tell how many ideas may be there and at any given time, sitting around playing Gin Rummy and waiting to be called up. Some of them are short-timers, superstars to be. Their time comes quickly and I can usually remember something about their origin. Some, like the idea behind The Offering are Long-timers. Been there for years, decades even, and I haven’t a clue anymore when they got there or why.

What I can tell you is something about the origin of the ghost doctor series. First of all, I’ve always wanted to do a series. Secondly, there is my lifelong fascination with the paranormal. Thirdly comes my fixation on the history of the city of New York. This has already led to the City playing a major role in two of my books, To Capture an Eagle and To See Father Washington. Now I will be writing a whole series about it.

3) What kind of research did you do for this book?

I spent many a happy hour nestled in the midst of the book and magazine collection of the New York Historical Society on Central Park West. That library, unhappily, does not exist anymore. The entire collection was turned over years ago to the New York Public Library, but going there is not the same experience. Or the years, I have developed a sizable collection of books on New York City history. Then there's always the Internet.

4) Is this a book in a series? If so, do you plan to write more?

Yes and yes. The Offering is the first book in the “Ghost Doctor” series. They already have the second book, titled A Whispering of Leaves, about 25% written although it does not have top priority in my list of works to finish.

5) Could you tell us a bit about you as a person and your writing background?

I have always wanted to write starting as a little boy making his first visit to the children's room of the Stamford, Connecticut Public Library. I looked around with wide eyes at all the books and I decided there and then that someday I would write some of my own. As it has with most of us, the necessity of making money ruled most of my life and ruled out trying to write for a living. Then six years ago I retired and since then I've been writing full-time. I have produced seven books, all published by Wings Press. I am having a great time.

6) How has being published changed your life in any way?

Yes, it has given my life meaning and made me a whole and happy person, who happens to be an author.

7) How much time in a day/week do you spend writing? What kind of routine do you have, if any?

I spend about 14 hours a week writing. That doesn't include of course the hours of research and the hours I spend trying to market my books. I try to write from the time I get up until breakfast time. If I’m really on that day, I might go back for a couple of hours later in the day.

8) If you could do it all over again, what one thing would you change about your writing career?

If I had it to do over again, I would spend much less time and energy trying to break into the conventional publishing field and I would have latched on to e-books about a nanosecond after they were born.

9) Are you currently working on another book? If so, could you tell us a bit about it?

I have a disconcerting habit of working on numerous books at the same time. I don’t recommend this method to everyone, but it works for me. For one thing, I don’t worry too much about writer’s block. If I’m blocked on one book, I usually have something to add to another one. I will give you a list of the current works in progress (and thanks for asking, I lose track otherwise). Here they are in order as to the priority of completing them

1) A kids’ book titled The Amazing Adventures of Nicholas Noodle, written for my grandson on the occasion of his ninth birthday. It just needs a few finishing touches.

2) A mystery/ adventure that takes place on a cruise ship. Title: Crusin’.

3) A Whispering Of Leaves, mentioned above.

4) The first book in a series about a Mayor's Marshal in the city of New York in the late 1700s and early 1800s. This book is a sequel to To See Father Washington, reuniting Josh Ford and Jonathan Deal, the detective in TSFW. This, too, will be the first book in a series, “Jonathan Deal Mysterys.”

5) A novel about the 1926 World Series. Title: Only a Game

10) When you aren’t writing, what do you like to do?

When I am not writing, thinking about writing, or preparing to write, I like to watch my favorite team, the St. Louis Cardinals, win world championships. I also read, work around the house, etc.

11) What is the most rewarding aspect of being a published author?

The most rewarding aspect is just to be able to hold a book in my hand with my name on the cover. I also get tremendous gratification of the fact that my books are available in my local library. See, I got to write some of them after all.

12) What advice can you give to aspiring authors?

Keep on writing and learning. Don't take anybody else's word as to what you should be writing and how you should be writing it. Learn to develop colorful characters. I always think of the title of a book I once read. Fiction Is Folks. There, in three words, is the central truth about creating readable fiction.

You wanna be published? Go e-books. As soon as the new e-ink-based readers get down to the right price, e-books will really take off.

Last but most important--don’t ever, ever, ever give up!