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Author Interview Mark L. Williams Welcome, Mark . Thank you for joining me here for an interview . AF - What inspired you to be a writer? MLW - Well, my parents met on the staff of their college paper, so there might be a DNA component in my case…. AF - Can you tell us about your latest book release? MLW -"City of Ruins" is the 4th "Danger Boy" book - in this one, the time trippin' trio - Eli, Thea, and Clyne-the-Saurian-find themselves in the ruins of Biblical Jerusalem and among the scattered survivors of the Babylonian invasion. The central idea is grown-ups tend to leave "cities of ruins" - one way or another - to their children. There are, I guess, some pretty 21st-century influences in this one… AF- What prompted you to write your books? Are they based on true life or are they completely fiction? MLW -Well, the historical parts are based on what is ostensibly "true life." Of course, I always like to bring the more shadowy parts of history to center stage in the books… AF - Would you take us through your typical writing day? MLW - I need to have a "typical" day! I also write for a film biz paper here in L.A. - sometimes, when deadline approaches, I'm writing columns at night, interviewing people by day, sneaking "Danger Boy" paragraphs in wherever I can… AF- Do you think about your readers when you write a book? MLW -I mostly try to figure out what the characters are up to. And then, I sometimes think of what I would've wanted in a story, back when I was the age of my readers. But with a series, I do try to remember where the readers are "at" in terms of how much backstory they might for the current book, etc. The goal is not to make it too daunting… AF - What sort of things do you do when you're not writing? MLW -I'm with my boys a lot, or I'm doing school visits or interviewing someone for an article, or maybe just taking a walk. AF -What are some of your favorite things? MLW- I really love grizzly bears, pumas, and wolves, and they fact they're all in the world - though just barely, these days. I've never seen one in the wild, though. AF - Many writers speak about writer's block. Do you ever have that, and if so what are some things you do to get over it? MLW - I'm lucky with the journalism, that there's always something I can work on. Though with the books, you really just have to kind of muscle your way through (or work on a different story until you're unstuck on the first one!) AF - When it comes to writing what's next for you? MLW - Well, I may work on a "Danger Boy" graphic novel with artist Doug Potter - we've done some sample pages, but want to see if there's interest in a whole book. There are whisperings - I stress "whisperings" - of a film. And then there are a couple of non-"Danger Boy" books I'd like to get to. Have I mentioned the plays yet? AF - Are you available for signings, school visits and writing workshops? MLW - Indeed. Interested folk should drop me a line: scribe@dangerboy.com |