Topic: Author Interview
1. I'm really thrilled to start off your tour, Billie. You have a new book being released today, can you tell us a little bit about it?
Small Town Secrets is like any other small town, more family then town. Everyone knows (or thinks they know) everything about everyone, until one day someone seeks a reason to defame someone else. Then, the skeletons everyone has in their closet come out to haunt them. Trouble begins in Nettlesville with a serial arsonist bent on burning down the town one building at a time. Chaneeta Morgan and Olga Corn, both business owners, both pillars of the community are suddenly pitted against each other. The questions surfaces can they bury their rivalry long enough stop the arsonist, before all that remains of Nettlesville is the ashes. Chaneeta (owner of the Golden Kettle Café and town chair woman) is bothered by the journalistic questions of who, why while Olga (the owner of the Daily Nettle Newspaper) is more interested in Chaneeta's skeleton in her closet.
2. I have to admit; I got a preview peek at it and loved every minute of the read. I'm curious as to how much research you had to put into this book. There are a few psychological twists that make the plot fascinating.
I suppose you could say the research was my life lived in small towns. From Park Falls, Wisconsin where I was born, to Morse where I spent my growing up summers on my grandfather's farm, to Superior, WI elementary school, Ironwood and Bessemer Michigan - more elementary and junior high, and high school, To Rhinelander and my first job after graduation, to Hartland, and then Bayfield Colorado. Small towns are more about family then town. People are the Barn Raising and the Quilting Bees, the benefit Dinners and Dances of the old pioneer days and that pioneer spirit still lives in the small towns. So my life has been the research.
3. You write so many mysteries. Can you tell us what you think is the one mental characteristic necessary to craft a believable mystery?
Insatiable curiosity. A drive to ponder the unknown or the ‘what if?' of every situation. I am an incurable investigator. I always want to know the why, the how, the who and if its too simple I want to know What would happen if... I love the books that are unsolved mysteries of the world, cold case files, a book like Real Ghosts and Restless Spirits, and Haunted Places turn my imagination loose. The world is one big mystery if you look under the surface, if you turn over a leaf or a shovelful of dirt and discover ... a new type of insect, a piece of turquoise, a rabbits foot, a curious foot print who left it and why, where were they going? Like I said insatiable curiosity! {smile}
4. I was wondering if there is some place readers may be able to see a trailer on this book? What about a sample chapter?
Oh yes, Thank you for asking Joyce. I have a trailer up on my You Tube space http://YouTube.com/basbleu43 It is there along with others for various books of mine and some I've done for other people. Stop by and have a look see. You can read first chapters of all my books on my website or request the sampler file of those chapters to download and read at your leisure. http://billiewilliams.com/ You can also read first chapters of all my books and interviews done for each of them at my publisher's site http://wings-press.com/ the front page is the new releases for the current month. Go to the Authors tab and click on the W you will find me on that page.
5. Before wrapping up your visit, Billie, can you please tell us where we can purchase your newest book, as well as your other books? (**Note to readers--you really, really want to get this one!)
All my books are available through my publisher http://www.wings-press.com/ , from Amazon.com, or your favorite bookstore. If they don't have it in stock they can order it for you all they need are the ISBN or title.
Thank you, Billie. Any final words?
Thank you Joyce for allowing me to share your blog space and your time. I hope if your readers are interested in reading one of my books in progress they will consider joining my bookclub where they will receive a chapter a week in their in box of the rough draft of the novel The Capricorn Goat ~ ~ January Flannel. To join or read more about it go to http://www.billiewilliams.com/BOOKCLUB.html You can opt out anytime you like and I will never share your email with anyone.
If you are a writer or are considering becoming one, you can sign up for my Free 5-week writing course at http://www.pensinmotion.com/ which is also sent to your inbox. You can get feedback on your writing if you want to as well as discuss writing with other members of the group in the Pens In Motion forum at the website.
Thanks again Joyce. Loved the questions they were fun to answer.
