Ask the Author: Gayle B. Williams
Answered Questions (10)
Gayle B. Williams
On more than one occasion, my husband and I have been awakened by a phone ringing within our house when both of our phones are off.
Where is this ringing coming from and whose phone is it?
Where is this ringing coming from and whose phone is it?
Gayle B. Williams
I would love to travel to a Mystery Book World. Hopefully there would be a series of escape rooms that I would have to conquer before I could solve the ultimate mystery.
Gayle B. Williams
Set up a space to write. It can be a quiet corner of a room, not necessarily an official office. Jot ideas in a notebook. Participate in webinars with other aspiring writers--you will pick up tidbits of information along the way.
Gayle B. Williams
You get to create new characters that you may love or loathe. Also, setting the scene for the reader using colorful dialogue or descriptions of places. I want the reader to see what my mind sees or what my ears hear.
Gayle B. Williams
Walk away from whatever you're writing for a day. Your dreams, if you remember them, may spark an idea. Start fresh the next morning.
Gayle B. Williams
I've started another fictional novel where the divorced 53-year-old character meets a musician who is quite a bit older. On the surface, they appear to be an odd couple. Will they find any commonalities? Will family interferences ruin any possibility of a connection?
Gayle B. Williams
Well, not exactly summer now, but I have on my nightstand "Dorothy Dandridge, A Biography by Donald Bogle. She was such a stunning actress who lived with heartache and triumphs. I have peeked at the photos ahead of reading and I see my Aunt Geri, who was Dorothy Dandridge's best friend.
Gayle B. Williams
A woman enters a roadside rest area and never returns to the family car. She is kidnapped by scientists who are conducting experiments using blindfolds, snakes and rats to study the correlation between fear and adrenaline.
Gayle B. Williams
I have coffee first, grab a notebook and write whatever pops in my head. Chances are when I come back to read it, I will add or take out some detail or dialogue. My best ideas come to me when I'm in the shower!
Gayle B. Williams
I actually wrote the beginning of Zo's story first, but changed course when I felt more background had to be covered to give her character more depth. That's when I backtracked to her parents' upbringing and meeting.
My husband's early life was spent on rural farmland in the South. The setting in the beginning of my novel was drawn from that image. He practiced baseball in the fields and that inspired me to make boxing a hobby for Fred. That was the end of the similarities between my husband and Fred. I wanted to make Fred a character that was flawed but relatable.
Although I grew up in Chicago, I wanted a smaller but urban setting for the balance of the story. Because I relate to what are stereotypical "Midwestern" values, Cincinnati was my choice. The city is rich in history, culture and its neighborhoods are unique.
My husband's early life was spent on rural farmland in the South. The setting in the beginning of my novel was drawn from that image. He practiced baseball in the fields and that inspired me to make boxing a hobby for Fred. That was the end of the similarities between my husband and Fred. I wanted to make Fred a character that was flawed but relatable.
Although I grew up in Chicago, I wanted a smaller but urban setting for the balance of the story. Because I relate to what are stereotypical "Midwestern" values, Cincinnati was my choice. The city is rich in history, culture and its neighborhoods are unique.
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