Ask the Author: R.A. Williams
Answered Questions (7)
R.A. Williams
Hi, Debra. Can't say I've read A Skeleton in God's Closet, but I'll check it out. Hope you enjoy The Gospel According to Todd. I know I enjoyed writing it! God bless you too!
R.A. Williams
For Carbon-14: The Shroud of Turin, I was inspired by a Discovery Channel documentary called Unwrapping the Shroud. In this documentary, Sue Benford and her husband Joe Marino discovered that the portion used to carbon date the Shroud had actually been repaired at some point, mixing new fibers in with the old, causing an erroneous carbon date.
Ironically, Joe Marino himself was the first person to buy the book. I had published a print version so I could get a hard copy to use as a physical proof. I didn't think anyone would buy it until I promoted it. But I was wrong. Joe bought the first book and contacted me on my website to say how touched he was that my novel was inspired by him and his late wife.
Ironically, Joe Marino himself was the first person to buy the book. I had published a print version so I could get a hard copy to use as a physical proof. I didn't think anyone would buy it until I promoted it. But I was wrong. Joe bought the first book and contacted me on my website to say how touched he was that my novel was inspired by him and his late wife.
R.A. Williams
I have to have a message with a spiritual theme. If I don't have anything meaningful to say, it's hard to get motivated. Basically, my goal is to move people a little closer to God. If my work doesn't do that, then I'm not inspired to write it.
R.A. Williams
Right now I'm working on volume 2 of the Amari Johnston series. I'm also tossing around some ideas for a futuristic novel. It's odd that I never write anything set in the present. My novels are either in the past or the future. I especially like the Big 80s.
R.A. Williams
Write for the love of writing and not for the love of money. That way, if you're like me and your writing is more of an expensive hobby than a source of income, then at least you're getting your money's worth.
R.A. Williams
The Bible says that we are made in the image of God. And just like God, writing allows me to create whole new worlds with living, walking, talking characters, and then, like Jesus, I am able to immerse myself into that world. Only in my world, there is no free will. My characters have to do what I tell them to do, whether they like it or not.
R.A. Williams
I get up and do laundry. Seriously, when I focus on the mundane, the imagination part of my brain goes to work, and the ideas come effortlessly. Also, before I start every scene, I try to do some research on the internet. For instance, I will go to Google Earth and choose an actual location. In Carbon-14: The Shroud of Turin, Amari's house is actually somebody's house. I found it on Zillow so I could get a look at the interior, then I went to Google Maps so I could see the outside and surrounding. Not only does research add legitimacy to my writing, but the research also triggers new ideas.
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