This Week’s Feature Author Interview with
M.K. Williams
Hi M.K. Williams, welcome to the Indie Publishing Group website. Introduce yourself to us. Tell everyone who you are, where you’re from, what do you enjoy doing, hobbies and interests.
My name is M.K. Williams. I am an indie author with two books out for sale. I am originally from Philadelphia, PA, but I now live in Tampa, FL. When I’m not writing or reading I am usually working out, running with my husband, or planning a trip to see more live volcanos.
When did you start writing and why?
I’ve always enjoyed writing. In high school, writing poetry was a great outlet for me to work through all of my teenage angst. In college, I started to write short stories, but they kept growing and growing until they were novels. I really enjoy the ability to be creative when I write and that I can share as much or as little as I like.
Which is your favorite book you have written and what gave you the idea for it?
I guess this is a recency effect, but my favorite book is my latest: The Games You Cannot Win. This book is a collect of short stories and my favorite story is the final one: Escaping Avila Chase.
I wanted this story to be a thriller and to deliver a social message that would keep people thinking for a while after they finished the story. The main character is *spoiler* the bad guy. I wanted the audience to really think about their ability to empathize or not empathize with him, to give themselves a fictional scenario to be able to explore their own personal feelings and views on domestic violence. My hope is that it will lead people to be more thoughtful when they encounter someone affected by this in the real word.
How did you come up with the title for your book?
I want to make sure that the collection had a common theme tying it together when I was deciding what stories to include. The four that made the cut all include the main character feeling that they are trapped in a mental or strategic game because of another person or a system. I wanted to highlight that feeling of frustration when you can’t win at someone else’s game, but also highlight that the best way to win is to not play at all.
Who helped you with the cover? Or did your design it yourself? What was your inspiration for your cover design?
The cover for The Games You Cannot Win is one that I put together. I reference different card shuffling styles in the second short story, The Joker. I wanted to tie in the deck of cards into the cover art.
What’s your process when you sit down and decide to start writing a book? What is your process and do you have a system?
I usually start each story from one small idea. I keep a notebook with me so that I can jot down any ideas as they come to me. Once I get enough notes together I put them into a Word Document. As I add more and more I keep everything in that Word Document until I have an idea of what the story will be start to finish. Then I write a point by point outline for the story and put each of those notes in order. After that I begin working on each section in order. My process starts out a little scattered but then it becomes very orderly.
Who are some of your favorite authors?
My favorite authors are Stephen King, J.K. Rowling, Margaret Atwood, and Ian McEwan
Have you got anything you’re working on now?
Yes, I am working on my next full-length novel. If you enjoy contemporary mysteries or thrillers, then you should keep an eye out for this one. I have been publishing one book a year, so I except it to come out later in 2017.
If you could have any super powers what would they be?
The ability to read someone else’s mind would be great. Especially when negotiating for a car.
If you could travel to any location in the world where would you go?
Iceland! My husband and I are going there in a few months and I cannot wait!!
Where do you hope to be in 5 years’ time?
The dream would be for me to write full-time and spend my days creating lots of fun new characters and stories.
Thanks so much for taking the time to do an author interview. Take a minute and check M.K. Williams out on the links below.
The Games You Cannot Win is available at:
One Response
Are volcanoes as exciting up close as they seem? I’ve also wanted to stand at the lip of an active one and know that I’m on top of a force more destructive than anything man can create.