Interview with author, Billie Williams

Billie Williams is an award winning author of fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Today we're interviewing her, but first here's a peek at her bio:

Billie has published in various magazines such as the literary magazine Thema; Guide, a magazine for Children; and Women In The Arts newsletter, as well as Sister’s in Crime, Mystery Time.

Her articles, columns and features have appeared regularly in newspapers.
Short stories, Flash fiction, poetry and book reviews have appeared in Mystery Time, True Love Magazine and various anthologies and on line e-zines and web sites such as Novel Advice.com, Voice in the Dark, Web Mystery Magazine, Writing Etc., WritingNow.com, Sell Writing on Line, Freelance Writer’s International/InkWell NewsWatch newsletter.
She was a workshop presenter for the Obadiah Christian Women’s Conference in Merrill, Wisconsin in April 2005.

Williams is currently a member of The Romance Writers of America (RWA), Wisconsin Regional Writers Association (WRWA), National Association of Women Writers (NAWW), Sister’s in Crime, Women in the Arts Program, Small Publishers Artists and Writers Network (SPAWN), Electronically Published Internet Connection (EPIC), Books We Love.

Continuing education Courses currently enrolled: American Writer’s and Artists Institute courses Writing for Love & Money, Copywriting, and Travel Writing. Barnes and Nobel University, Screenwriting: Alfred Hitchcock Directs and a new course on Historical Hearts Romance Writers of America on line group titled The Scottish Highlands.

She currently writes a column for The Fiction Networks Newsletter “Voices in the Dark” titled ‘Whodunit?” and a book review column of writing books for Freelance Writer’s International, INKWELL NEWSWATCH Newsletter.

She is owner/operator of Word Mage a group for writers of all genres and skill levels—writer or reader—http://geocities.com/wordcrafter123 and she hosts the website for this group and keeps the member pages updated. They have a group list too that anyone is welcome to join. Send her an email message at billie@billiewilliams.com and she will send you an invitation or you can join by sending an email to http://yahoogroup.com/group/subscribe/word_mage.
Her web site URL: www.billiewilliams.com

Check out the trailer for her latest book, Small Town Secrets (reviewed here yesterday) onYou Tube: http://YouTube.com/basbleu43

Hi Billie,
Thanks for stopping by today. We have just a few questions to ask you.

I do know I wanted to ask you about the small town atmosphere. I'm grew up in a small town and found you really hit it on the mark with how people in small towns wear many hats and know everyone's business. Especially how they reach out to those in need. Have you lived in a small town before?

In the dedication of my book I list all the small towns I’ve lived in. I was born in Park Falls Wisconsin, moved to Superior, then to first Ironwood and then Bessemer Michigan, then to Rhinelander, Delafield Wisconsin and then out to Bayfield Colorado. I spent my summers in Morse, Wisconsin. Every one of them small towns, and all with that distinct atmosphere that you will find in Small Town Secrets that is so indicative of small town, family oriented community.

I also saw where the twins, Twice and Taaktu, are based off of a real set of twins you've met. Is this true or just a rumor?

It absolutely is true. They are also noted in my dedication. They are two of the most delightful women you will ever meet. They are my Sisters-in-law, Betty (Taaktu) and Bonnie (Twice). I reversed their birth order though in the book. Betty is really the oldest and she is the youngest in Small Town Secrets. I guess when you are born mere minutes apart it really doesn’t make all that much difference unless of course one is born before midnight and the second after – then they are technically a day apart – as in Small Town Secrets but not in real life. {smile} What do the real twins think of the story? I’m anxiously awaiting their opinion as I just brought them a copy of the book last Thursday when we had to go down to Milwaukee for my husband’s doctor appointment. So they will read it this week when their schedules settle down. I don’t know what they’ll think, but they are excited to be included in one of my books.


Tell us what Small Town Secrets is about:

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.

There is a study guide for Small Town Secrets for readers groups or book clubs on my website that is free for the taking. Just go to http://www.billiewilliams.com and grab a PDF copy for you and your group – of class.

What are you working on now?
Right now I have Works in Progress, The Capricorn Goat ~ ~ January Flannel that I started during the NaNoWriMo challenge in November that I have serialized into a bookclub chapter a week for free for anyone who wants to sign up for it. [ http://www.billiewilliams.com/BOOKCLUB.html ] I send out a chapter a week through Constant Contact, it is the unedited, un-proofed, rough draft version a chance for readers to see me in progress. That is ongoing I still have a few more chapters to get written for that one. I also have Tracker another mystery suspense in the works and more in the months series that the book club book is introducing. I am adapting another play for a friend from her novel My Dear Phebe, and I will be working on Valentine’s Story (working title) as a sequel to Knapsack Secrets – which was the first book in the secrets series published by a different publisher last year – which will be re-released by Wings ePress, Inc in May 2008. The second in that series Small Town Secrets is the one that comes out this January 1st. I also have two other books on writing; Mystery, Muse and Manuscript; and Playing With Plays as part of the writing series that began with Writing Wide, Exercises in Creative Writing’ Characters in Search of an Author; and Spice up Your Writing! Write to Entice.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Readers, don't forget to leave your comments with an email addy. If you do, Billie will add you to a drawing for one of the following great prizes:
1. a PDF sampler of excerpts from all of Billie's books.
2. The Golden Kettle Cafe Cookbook, with Recipes from Small Town /Secrets.
3. a download copy of Adrift--a collection of flash fiction and short stories.
4. a copy of Feathers in the Wind, poetry collection
5. a copy of Magic Carpet Ride--a children's story
6. an ebook copy of Small Town Secrets.

Additionally, if you send me an email at krichards at kim-richards.com with the word,Writer in the subject line, Billie will add your name to a drawing for her book on writing, titled, Writing Wide: Exercises in Creative Writing.