I’m delighted to welcome AC Williams to my blog.
Hello Alan – Thank you for joining me on Arabella’s Blog and Chit-Chat today. It’s been wonderful connecting with you through The Romantic Novelists’ Association - such a fabulous group of novelists, writers, and affiliates. But before we discover more about your latest romance, Moonlight Rising, here are a few questions which will hopefully give your readers and followers an insight into some of the things that matter to you.
Arabella: We all love the creativity of writing – otherwise we wouldn’t spend hours at a keyboard pounding away in the hope someone will read and enjoy our novels. But what do you like most about our craft?
The editing and proofreading, the author/reader relationship,
promotional book signings, or is there something else that has you hooked to
the world of books?
Alan: Thanks
Arabella, especially for allowing me to share my passion for writing with you
and your followers. What excites me is the magic of creating my imaginary world
and sharing my characters’ adventures with others. Writing is such a personal
pursuit, lonely too, but to then be privileged to have others share my
creations is so special and humbling. To take an idea or a character and make
she or he come alive is magic in the full meaning of the word.
Arabella: Who or what inspired you to write your latest release, Moonlight Rising?
Alan: The editor at My Weekly suggested a trilogy involving a female detective or secret agent and we discussed scenarios. I’ve lived around Manchester for 18 years and could place my story there. Also, my lovely wife was born there and was a croupier in the early days of casinos. To have my protagonist, Jane Summers (aka Moonlight) reluctantly become involved in the espionage scene and MI5 and follow her tentative steps as a croupier in a suspect casino is the start of Jane’s dangerous journey growing up. To give her a family too and use the excitement in the early sixties was a perfect combination to me.
Arabella: Some authors cannot work without a business planner, others cannot write without an editing app… Are there any “essentials” you need to help your writing move forward?
Alan: I do
use a programme called Novel Factory which allows me to have a photo of my
choice in the character screen. That brings a sense of reality to my imaginary
characters. Other than that, no. I literally make the book up as I go along
sitting on my settee in the salon of our French home, usually with the telly
on. No written plans at all and only a vague idea of the progression and end
result. If I wake up one day and decide to introduce a major character on a
whim then I do it. So, I guess the main essential is my very vivid, quirky
imagination.
Arabella: An Indian Curry, Italian Paste Bake, Fish and Chips, or
______?
Alan: Definitely
Chish and Fips. As take ways and that dish are few and far between in rural
France, I enjoy indulging myself when back in the UK. Not a fan of French food
even though we’ve been here 13 years.
Arabella: If the person of your dreams, (husband/wife/partner/or superstar), were to take you out for the night, where would they take you and what would you do?
Alan: Tough
one. A restaurant with friends and family back in the UK. Just chatting and
catching up would be perfect (along with the Chish and Fips of course).
Arabella: Do you have any great writing, publishing, or marketing tips you would like to share with “want-to-be” authors starting out on their writing journey?
Alan: Perseverance
but I suppose all authors would say that. Same with dealing with rejections.
My advice would be to believe in yourself. I
started with womag (women’s
magazines) short stories incorporating fantasy into my magazine stories for That’s Life Australia, and eventually
felt confident enough to try a novel. You might not get it right first time but
learn from your mistakes and keep trying to develop your skills. If you have a
story that screams at you to be told then do it.
Alan – It was great having you as a guest on Arabella’s Blog and Chit-Chat
and I hope your readers and followers have enjoyed learning a little bit more
about you and your experiences when writing romantic stories for magazines.
Whenever I’m next in the supermarket or at a train station kiosk amid the tabloids, weekly periodicals, and glossy magazines, I’ll certainly
keep an eye out for your name on the sleek covers displayed on the shelves.
Best wishes for any future releases,
Arabella
About Alan C. Williams
His tales cover crime, fantasy, science
fiction, romance and thrillers, usually set in the here and now.
In the past three years, Alan has chosen to
include novels in his writing repertoire, selling, at time of this publication,
ten novels set in England, America and Australia. They have been distributed
and sold country-wide as paperbacks throughout Britain and Australasia. To
date, five of these are available in libraries worldwide in large print
published by Linford Romance.
2020 might have been a difficult year for us
all in many ways but Alan has had the following published; a short story
collection ‘The Rain, The Park and Other Things’ by Ginninderra Press in
Australia. Additionally, four My
Weekly Novels and four Linford Romance books.
He had vowed never to write a western but
recently ‘accidentally’ wrote Love in the Golden Sun- a bushranger story
set in the Australian colonies. It will be published in Jan 2021.
Despite being both male and Australian, he is
a member of the RNA (Romantic Novelists Association) and the RWA (Romance
Novelists of Australia). It seems that, like many of his stories, the
impossible is possible after all.
Alan is a retired Science teacher and
Financial Services Manager, currently exiled and living in France, residing in
a 17th century stone farmhouse with his long-suffering wife, Anne,
and maniacal cat, Zorro.
His continuing writing story can be found at www.acwilliams-author.com
Social Media Links:
Website: https://alancwilliams.wordpress.com/home/
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/TassieTiger
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AcWilliams295
Blurb Moonlight Rising
Jane had always loved the puzzles set by her Bletchley Park code-breaker aunt. But in 1963 following the chaos caused by Kim Philby’s defection, was she ready to become a secret agent herself, taking on the glamorous cover role of a casino croupier?
Could she resist the potential lethal attraction of
a fellow agent and outwit the enemies her feisty spirit made on the way?
This My Weekly Pocket Novel was for sale from Sept 17th 2020 for 2 weeks.
If you subscribe to Readly, you can catch up with Moonlight Rising along with my previous novel, Green Skies at Night, on there.
Brilliant interview! I love hearing how Alan writes, sitting on the sofa (and often with the TV on!). I've really enjoyed reading his My Weekly Pocket Novels.
ReplyDeleteThanks very much for the comment Jenny. Being a guy is the reason I can totally focus on the writing and ignore everything else around me. Multitasking is good in its place but so's single-mindedness. That's my theory anyway.
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