Interview Billie A Williams

by

Joan Margaret

1. Ghost Music of Vaudeville is the second in your Music Series, where did you come up with the idea?

My grandson told me he wanted me to do another book after he read Skull Music. He really liked Charlie Wolfe the protagonist in that book. So, I paired him up with Charlie. The idea of so much of our country’s heritage and history being ignored or shoved aside and never shown to our young people had been festering in my mind. My youngest daughter is a fan of all things from the black and white, silent pictures era. We were discussing music and vaudeville. It wasn’t a very big leap to take Charlie from Skull Music to Ghost Music. As an investigative reporter Charlie had a reason, opportunity and thanks to Tommy and his Friend Piano Man, the impetus for her to try to save the Keith Theatre from the bulldozers and Damien Callistrari and bring back a slice of history.

2. Can you tell us in a few short words what Ghost Music of Vaudeville is. Is it a paranormal as the title might suggest?

 {Smile} No, it doesn’t involve ghosts except the music of the era that the tenants of the apartments above the Keith Theatre still move to.

 Ghost Music of Vaudeville is: revenge, kidnapping, arson, murder, mystery. Charlie Wolfe, reporter, seeks the story behind Montgomery Graves’ need to destroy the Keith Theatre, a historical landmark, regardless of the current residents’ lives intrinsically connected to the ghost music of vaudeville still playing in its walls. Charlie means to stop him.

3. Charlie Wolfe(your protagonist) is an investigative reporter for the Ironwood Daily Globe. Are any of the people or places in your story drawn from real places or real people?

 Charlie Wolfe is a Native American with ties to the Indian Reservations in Odana and Lac du Flambeau. She is a composite of the Native American people I have known and worked with through the years. Tommy is patterned after my grandson Tommy, who is a very bright, very caring young man. I tried to keep him true to his real self.

 The others are largely composites of people who have brushed by me in some way in my life. Ironwood is a real town in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula where I lived during part of my elementary years. I actually was a newspaper carrier and delivered the Ironwood Daily Globe.

4. Do you have more series planned?

 Actually I do, but currently I’m working on a Zodiac Series. Each story’s main character (protagonist) is that sign and her name and the title of the story reflects that. So far I have written: The Capricorn Goat--January Flannel; Aquarius Pets--February England, and I’m working on Money Isn’t Everything--Mary March.

 And I just sent in another in the Secrets Series to Wings. Ancient Secrets is part of that. Knapsack Secrets due to be re-released May 1^st is the first of that series, Small Town Secrets the second.

5. It sounds like you like writing series. Do you take into consideration criticism and feed back from your readers?

 I love writing series because when you spend a whole book with these characters in your head, it’s really hard to let some of them go. In answer to the second part of your question, I think reader feedback is extremely important and I do listen and take it into account when I plan my next book. For instance Tommy’s interest in Charlie Wolfe and several other readers wanted Valentine Azusa from Knapsack Secrets to have her own book--that is in the works. Several people have mentioned they would like to see the twins and some of the other people from Small Town Secrets continue. I’m listening and plotting while I continue writing in the Zodiac Series.

6. You have a book club where readers are privy to a book you’ve serialized. Can you tell us about that and how can someone join?

 Yes, that is true. The Capricorn Goa--January Flannel (the working title) is the book that I serialized. Participants get a chapter a week delivered to their inbox by Constant Contact--(they manage my Book Club list, so anyone joining or leaving is automatically kept up to date.) Anyone can join up by going to http://www.billiewilliams.com/BOOKCLUB.htm and sign up for the book club. The chapters that have already been sent out are available in the archives so that catch up is really easy.

7. Who is your favorite author?

 I honestly have so many authors that I read for various reasons I can’t say I have a favorite. I buy everyone of Patricia Cornwells books as they come out, I enjoy Mary Higgins Clark, Jude Deveraux has beautiful pictorial language--her descriptions are to die for. Stephen King is the master of characterization as is James D Mc Donald, for thriller spine tingling there is King, but also James Patterson, Dan Brown, Lisa Jackson. For a light read I might pick up one of my copies of Murder She Wrote books by Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury--of the TV series) or maybe one of the newer authors like Janet Elaine Smith, J.Gayle Kelly, SK Hamilton, Bradley James Simpson, Mary Jean Kelso, Angela Verdenius… Like I said the list is endless. It depends on what mood I’m in or what I’m writing. There are so many, many good authors out there and we can learn something from each of them.

8. What genres do you write in and why?

 Mostly I write mystery/suspense, but I don’t limit myself to that. I like to try new styles new genres. Whatever fits the story. I have written thriller, adventure, Young Adult historical adventure, children’s books, poetry, romantic suspense and more. I really, really think it depends on the story that comes to me. The story dictates the genre.

9 How, where, do you find story ideas?

 Story ideas are everywhere. I’ve had successful stories start from a newspaper article, or an over heard sentence, a three word prompt, a quote, a person I’ve seen. Death by Candlelight actually evolved from a young girl I saw--I wanted to know her story. So, I interviewed her on paper (not in person) and came up with what her story was. The Candlelight Series is now two books and a third in the works. Sometimes while I’m reading an author’s phrase will grab me and I’ll turn that around in my mind until it becomes a story. I could list the places that my ideas came from for my published books, but I think you get the idea that nothing is safe from a writer. It’s all fodder for their muse. I do tell people, be careful what you say to me, you may wind up in my next mystery. {smile}

10. Finally, is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?

 I’d like to invite them to participate in the launch of Ghost Music of Vaudeville with contests and more at my website for the book at http://musicofvaudeville.tripod.com  That website will continue to be updated with contests, free stuff and news of chats I hope to be scheduling throughout the month of April. Around April 25^th I’ll have a big surprise as I invite one of my favorite authors to share her expertise with me in my chat room at the Ghost Music of Vaudeville chat room. Keep your eyes peeled. I will continue to have contests and chats and invite readers to send me their questions or comments and to join us for any of the chats. A schedule will be posted on the website.

 If you would like to help me name my April Zodiac book in the series there is a contest on my Ghost Music website listed above. Also if you would like your name included in my next book you can enter a contest for that too.  There will be many items you can grab for free at that site just for visiting, from cookbooks to children’s stories to poetry booklets and more.

 Thank you for your questions. I look forward to * seeing * you in Charlie, Tommy and Piano Man’s chat room. And be sure to visit the Wings Web Site to read about all their authors and sign up for their newsletter Flight of Dreams to stay up to date on the Wings authors and your chance to win books from them every month.