Acquire an above average knowledge of grammar, have your manuscript edited and proofread. Be persistent. Never, ever give up—accept the negative reviews, understand why you received negative reviews, and use those to improve. Know that publishing is highly subjective; it has absolutely nothing to do with the quality of your work, but more to do with the mood the reviewer is in.
William Turner
Interview Questions for William Turner
William Turner, the author of “Death Comes for the President” took a break from his writing to share a little bit about his adventurous life to us. It was an honor interviewing William Turner and I hope you enjoy reading this just as much as we have.
Question: Who inspired you to be an author?
Answer: Agatha Christie
Question: How did your writing career first get started then?
Answer: It was inadvertent. In college, I had written a paper, and across the top the professor wrote, “It’s amazing at the high rate of illiteracy in the United States. I sat staring at the comment, and then I went to Catholic Memorial High School in West Roxbury. I showed the paper to Brothers Newman and Ward. Giving them the paper, I asked what does this mean? He’s telling you that you don’t have style. I then asked, “How do I get style?” They told me to read murder mysteries because they are very descriptive, and the sentences are varied. That Saturday, I spent the entire day reading Agatha Christie, paying attention to the sentence structure. When I returned to college that following Monday, I was ready. At the time, little did I realize Agatha Christie’s influence. I became a devotee of mysteries. As would be expected, I tried my hand at writing mysteries.
Question: What do you like doing when you’re not reading?
Answer: I like gardening. But I do very little reading—unless I am researching settings for my books. The reason I do very little reading is because I might run across an impressive sentence, paragraph, and they just might end up in my work.
Question: As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?
Answer: I wanted to be a priest. Prior to commitment, I felt I wasn’t exposed sufficiently to life—to walk away, enter the monastery, and close the door behind me. I subsequently became so sullied that any aspiration for the priesthood was gone.
Question: How would you characterize the perspective of your “Death Comes for the President?”
Answer: Things, persons, and situations are not what they appear to be at first blush.
Question: What do you love the best about writing thrillers?
Answer: Creating believable plots, identifiable characters, and human reaction. Creating the murderer, and the detective who will outwit him/her. Attempting to write in such a fashion that the reader
continues to flip pages to the very end—only to be surprised.
Question: Who are your personal favorite thriller writers? Who are your favorite writers overall? And why?
Answer: My favorite thriller writers are Agatha Christie, of course, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. My favorite writers overall are Agatha Christie and Hermann Hesse. Agatha Christie because of her expert plot development and characterization; Hermann Hesse because of his unequalled mastery at delving into human nature.
Question: Do you feel all your dreams have come true? What is one thing you’d like to do you haven’t done yet?Answer: No. I have undertaken the most difficult of the writing genre—the mystery. I endeavor to be a credible, mystery writer.
Question: For readers who haven’t read your book yet. What should we look forward to?
Answer: Originality, intriguing plots, and identifiable characters.
Question: How did you first come up with the idea for Death Comes for the President, and then, is it a series?
Answer: I was challenged to write a romance, but never having had a riveting romance, I decided to give it a twist. Therefore, in Death Comes for the President, I profiled young love, aspirations, naivety, and dreams. The first novel in the series is A Murder in Our Midst, and second is Death Comes for the President. The third installment is The Corpses Beneath the Tree. Not in the series is The Young Assassin.
Question: I’m sure that having such success with a novel completely changed your world.
Can you put it into words?
Answer: Prior to submitting my initial manuscript, A Murder in Our Midst, I requested a talent evaluation, and was surprised to have my manuscript critiqued by Avon Books. I was told I do have talent, and suggestions were offered which I have followed.
For my initial mystery, I have received numerous, laudatory reviews. It was well-received by the reading public. It was indeed most humbling. Those reviews instilled in me to achieve higher—to be the best I can be.
Question: Where can readers connect with you.
Answer: As a private person, I have no direct contact. I urge the readers to purchase the books and write a review—good, bad, indifferent. Those reviews are invaluable, for they enable a writer to hone his/her skills.
William Turner
Question: Lastly, what would be your advice to the budding writers out there? What would be that one mantra you wished someone had shared with you?
Answer: Acquire an above average knowledge of grammar, have your manuscript edited and proofread. Be persistent. Never, ever give up. Don’t be thin skinned—accept the negative reviews, understand why you received negative reviews, and use those to improve. Do not rely on spell-check, sentence suggestions, and punctuation. Know that there is no such thing as a “perfect, eye-catching query letter. Know that publishing is highly subjective; it has absolutely nothing to do with the quality of your work, but more to do with the mood the reviewer is in. Remember agents are in the profession for money, for they have mortgages and other expenses. To this end, they are seeking the well-established.
My mantra is never attempt to write your manuscript until the story has fully developed in your mind. To do otherwise, would invite writer’s block.
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Death Comes For the President Paperback – March 28, 2017
by William Turner (Author)
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https://www.amazon.com/Death-Comes-President-William-Turner/dp/1629014745
As a confidant of the Queen, knighted for his service, Sir Robert Winchell had grown accustomed to powerful people seeking his counsel. So he was not surprised when the United States government asked him to investigate the death of Tyler Jefferson, president of the United States. Sir Robert’s investigative and diplomatic skills were put to the test as he retraced the final days of the president—meeting with and investigating heads of foreign governments, and ultimately putting his own life in peril.
Death Comes for the President will delight and shock.
