An In-Depth Interview with William Delorey
What were you like at school?
Loved school, and am still a very curious student of life. Always wrote more for assignments because I wanted to know more than it asked. Even got “incompletes” which I finished before the next semester, so I still got credits. The enjoyment of learning offers more than the process of education as we know it.
Were you good at English?
Yes … although I dislike the structure English grammar forces into the art of writing. Fiction authors must bring vibrant interpretation to our language, tease the reader, engage the reader, otherwise it sounds too much like an essay.
What are your ambitions for your writing career?
I’ve wanted to write fiction ever since I learned to read, and I read a lot, really a lot, all thru high school and college, and still read often, every day usually. When I earned my Master’s degree in writing, it focused on documentary journalism and fiction.
Then I discovered fiction magazines and journals pay very little, or charge a ‘contest fee’ in order to publish, unless you’re already famous. Which I was not, and still am not. So, my journalism career blossomed, and my fiction career tanked. But I continued writing fiction because I enjoy it. Temper, a literary magazine, published my first short fiction in 1993, but a freebie – then wrote a novel for my Master’s thesis and eventually published it as Operation Crossbow, years later. Lots of journalism in between.
Which writers inspire you?
Edgar Rice Burroughs and John Steinbeck … Burroughs because he so artistically expressed his fantasy worlds, and Steinbeck because he’s so brutal and uncompromising with his humanistic metaphor -- Of Mice and Men, my favorite novel. And Burroughs because his imagination triggers my imagination in a way that brings great visuals to his work, and inspires my personal challenge to bring that kind of humanism to my characters. Real life, on exhibition.
So, what have you written?
Early on, I began writing about human interaction within our culture, and the affects culture has on wildlife and habitat. As a journalist, I worked with several state and private agencies investigating ecosystems, and success and failures of wildlife reproduction in our wilderness areas, primarily North America. An amazing few years where I exercised my love for nature, thru writing and photography, and contributed to our conservation efforts. My nature work has been published locally, regionally, and nationally, along with my college sports images.
I’ve also edited numerous natural history books, including an archaeological history of Cape Cod for the Museum of Natural History. This one dates from the Stone Age up thru the Pilgrims settlement, and the shipping industry that emerged during the 1800’s. Lots of interesting history, and met some interesting people during that process. Took about a year or more to complete and publish.
“Hunters” - my first published short-fiction leads “Predators” a short fiction collection available on Amazon now. Each story involves an animal or a human predator, and its prey, and each has a unique twist at the end. Currently working on my fourth novel.
All fiction publications are available in any market Amazon sells, in both e-book and print. Operation Double Cross (Operation Crossbow sequel) will release late March 2018.
Loved school, and am still a very curious student of life. Always wrote more for assignments because I wanted to know more than it asked. Even got “incompletes” which I finished before the next semester, so I still got credits. The enjoyment of learning offers more than the process of education as we know it.
Were you good at English?
Yes … although I dislike the structure English grammar forces into the art of writing. Fiction authors must bring vibrant interpretation to our language, tease the reader, engage the reader, otherwise it sounds too much like an essay.
What are your ambitions for your writing career?
I’ve wanted to write fiction ever since I learned to read, and I read a lot, really a lot, all thru high school and college, and still read often, every day usually. When I earned my Master’s degree in writing, it focused on documentary journalism and fiction.
Then I discovered fiction magazines and journals pay very little, or charge a ‘contest fee’ in order to publish, unless you’re already famous. Which I was not, and still am not. So, my journalism career blossomed, and my fiction career tanked. But I continued writing fiction because I enjoy it. Temper, a literary magazine, published my first short fiction in 1993, but a freebie – then wrote a novel for my Master’s thesis and eventually published it as Operation Crossbow, years later. Lots of journalism in between.
Which writers inspire you?
Edgar Rice Burroughs and John Steinbeck … Burroughs because he so artistically expressed his fantasy worlds, and Steinbeck because he’s so brutal and uncompromising with his humanistic metaphor -- Of Mice and Men, my favorite novel. And Burroughs because his imagination triggers my imagination in a way that brings great visuals to his work, and inspires my personal challenge to bring that kind of humanism to my characters. Real life, on exhibition.
So, what have you written?
Early on, I began writing about human interaction within our culture, and the affects culture has on wildlife and habitat. As a journalist, I worked with several state and private agencies investigating ecosystems, and success and failures of wildlife reproduction in our wilderness areas, primarily North America. An amazing few years where I exercised my love for nature, thru writing and photography, and contributed to our conservation efforts. My nature work has been published locally, regionally, and nationally, along with my college sports images.
I’ve also edited numerous natural history books, including an archaeological history of Cape Cod for the Museum of Natural History. This one dates from the Stone Age up thru the Pilgrims settlement, and the shipping industry that emerged during the 1800’s. Lots of interesting history, and met some interesting people during that process. Took about a year or more to complete and publish.
“Hunters” - my first published short-fiction leads “Predators” a short fiction collection available on Amazon now. Each story involves an animal or a human predator, and its prey, and each has a unique twist at the end. Currently working on my fourth novel.
All fiction publications are available in any market Amazon sells, in both e-book and print. Operation Double Cross (Operation Crossbow sequel) will release late March 2018.
What are you working on at the minute?
Operation Double Cross, sequel to Operation Crossbow
Espionage agents and former agents in totally unique situations which require ingenuity and special talents to survive. The story line engages drug smuggling, and black-market body parts, and of course, a sneaky Double Cross.
What genre are your books?
Mostly suspense, but with a human element, and a survival element, and intrigue, complicated character interactions, and unusual motives. Everyone tricks everyone else to gain political or financial power, or defeat abused political or financial power. I aim to place realistic characters in realistic situations that require ingenuity to resolve. Even the “good guys” carry a true streak of badness inside.
What draws you to this genre?
No clue – the characters just introduce themselves to me at the oddest times, and eventually work into a complete story … I’m often surprised at how the characters act, how they interact, and how the story ends. That includes my short fiction collection (Predators) which all have a unique twist at the end. I like to think Alfred or Rod, but maybe not quite that perfect. 😊
How much research do you do to add depth to your works?
I research constantly – it carries over from my journalism and wildlife behavior and nature background. Because my work has a predictable timeline, it needs to illustrate “real time” culture, and “real time” mechanics, etc.
For example, if a main character drives a 1968 restored classic pickup, like K.O. does in Shuffle, the description comes exact from factory stock … even if it’s fifty years old. When a Remington carbine 700 appears in Double Cross, it’s true to the 1960 production period, right calibre, right stock and barrel, right firing mechanism.
I believe research surrounds and protects the heart of fiction, and even fantasy or science fiction needs an element of reality in it or it can’t succeed. Folks need a frame of reference to visualize what the author presents. You know an author does not truly understand his work when he writes about a bad guy screwing a silencer on an 1846 Walker Colt. One, it won’t fit, and two, a silencer on a six-shot revolver does not silence it. Think about that visual for a second?
Have you written any other books in collaboration with other writers?
No fiction, but several times in the non-fiction science world.
Why did you decide to collaborate and did that affect your sales?
It was always a joint effort between myself and a writer/publisher combination, so I had no influence or effect on sales. The scientific books we wrote together were destined for a certain educational audience, primarily – although are also available to the public.
Operation Double Cross, sequel to Operation Crossbow
Espionage agents and former agents in totally unique situations which require ingenuity and special talents to survive. The story line engages drug smuggling, and black-market body parts, and of course, a sneaky Double Cross.
What genre are your books?
Mostly suspense, but with a human element, and a survival element, and intrigue, complicated character interactions, and unusual motives. Everyone tricks everyone else to gain political or financial power, or defeat abused political or financial power. I aim to place realistic characters in realistic situations that require ingenuity to resolve. Even the “good guys” carry a true streak of badness inside.
What draws you to this genre?
No clue – the characters just introduce themselves to me at the oddest times, and eventually work into a complete story … I’m often surprised at how the characters act, how they interact, and how the story ends. That includes my short fiction collection (Predators) which all have a unique twist at the end. I like to think Alfred or Rod, but maybe not quite that perfect. 😊
How much research do you do to add depth to your works?
I research constantly – it carries over from my journalism and wildlife behavior and nature background. Because my work has a predictable timeline, it needs to illustrate “real time” culture, and “real time” mechanics, etc.
For example, if a main character drives a 1968 restored classic pickup, like K.O. does in Shuffle, the description comes exact from factory stock … even if it’s fifty years old. When a Remington carbine 700 appears in Double Cross, it’s true to the 1960 production period, right calibre, right stock and barrel, right firing mechanism.
I believe research surrounds and protects the heart of fiction, and even fantasy or science fiction needs an element of reality in it or it can’t succeed. Folks need a frame of reference to visualize what the author presents. You know an author does not truly understand his work when he writes about a bad guy screwing a silencer on an 1846 Walker Colt. One, it won’t fit, and two, a silencer on a six-shot revolver does not silence it. Think about that visual for a second?
Have you written any other books in collaboration with other writers?
No fiction, but several times in the non-fiction science world.
Why did you decide to collaborate and did that affect your sales?
It was always a joint effort between myself and a writer/publisher combination, so I had no influence or effect on sales. The scientific books we wrote together were destined for a certain educational audience, primarily – although are also available to the public.
When did you decide to become a writer?
Decided very young, as a teen even, maybe earlier. But, as often happens, life gets in the way of our dreams. My goal has always been to write fiction – I write it whether it sells or not.
I’ve been writing fiction “on the side” you might say, for years. Mainly because creating characters and interaction brings me great joy and satisfaction – characters become a second family, a true part of me. They live and breath as does anyone else. They experience turmoil, comfort, happy and sad times, adventures, and it all comes out in the published product.
My father began training me to build homes when I was about fourteen, so I learned from a master, and honed those skills from an early age. While I was attending college and grad school, I worked as a building contractor to support my family while pursuing my degrees. The work supplemented my GI Bill from service in the US Navy. But my main goal was always upfront, hanging on that pony stick, just out of reach for a lot of years. The day I received my writing degree, I stopped building and took a huge breath. Finally !!!
Why do you write?
I cannot not write !!
Do you write full-time or part-time?
When the creative mode strikes, the fingers tickle the keyboard. Sometimes, a thought hits and I get up to make a note, and triggers another detail. Then the note turns into a sentence, then a paragraph, then an action scene, then a chapter. So, “go make a quick note” might take all night.
Do you have a special time to write or how is your day structured?
Any time of day when the mood hits, but mostly at night, all night sometimes, often until three or four in the morning. My neighbor was out walking his dog, an urgent puppy break about 4:AM. and asked me why I get up so early. I told him, “I’m still up.”
Do you write every day, 5 days a week or as and when?
Nope, sometimes I go for days without writing, doing other things, family or whatever. Sometimes I write for days and days in a row. Sometimes we go on extended photography trips, camping across the USA. Frequently, in the back-country, we have no power for days. But when we can power up our laptops, we make the best of it and write notes for “Travel Trails” – our nature travel website - or for “A Lens in the Leaves”, an in-progress nature and wildlife book. Or, sometimes work on fiction.
Do you work to an outline or plot or prefer just to see where an idea takes you?
Characters emerge in my mind, and nearly create themselves – then they write the story and I just put the words down one after another, describing how characters act. It’s often a surprise ... like watching a movie unfold on your eyelids.
What is the hardest thing about writing?
Believing in yourself. If you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will either. Trust yourself completely in your writing efforts. But that means exposing yourself to readers, your innermost thoughts. And, then hope readers accurately understand the internal you, and like it. Not easy.
How long on average does it take you to write a book?
No telling – Shuffle took almost seven months to write the draft, but more than two years after that due to extensive research on mental health and brain chemistry. Hobos only took about six months. Crossbow took more than a year – but started as a different book, before Shuffle …
Do you ever get writer’s Block?
No clue what that means. There’s never a time when I cannot write. If the story bogs down a bit, I introduce a new character, or write an irrelevant scene even if it disappears later – but that rarely happens because each new idea fills a space in an empty channel – and almost insists on its inclusion. Imagine a tiny character sitting on your shoulder, chanting “Put me in, put me in. I fit, I fit!” How can an author resist?
A filler character appeared once in a ‘brain vacancy’, a homeless veteran. He very nearly takes over the entire novel, becomes a major player in Hobos, then moves on into Double Cross. This spontaneous character - in an extremely odd role - appears in many scenes, and forces his domination. All from a character that emerged to fill a momentary blank spot in my brain.
Any tips on how to get through the dreaded writer’s block?
Don’t stop writing – either go back and edit or read the chapter you just finished, and when it ends, just write ONE new sentence, and one more, and one more. Add a new character. Describe a new place, smell a flower, watch a dog play. Stick an irrelevant idea on a line, then allow it to claim a spot in your world. Make your fingers click, even when your mind stalls, however briefly. Let that passion fuel your fingertips until they can’t resist the keyboard.
One thing though, if you feel that “writer’s block”, never, ever sit and tell yourself “I’m gonna force myself to write.” Because, you won’t.
Decided very young, as a teen even, maybe earlier. But, as often happens, life gets in the way of our dreams. My goal has always been to write fiction – I write it whether it sells or not.
I’ve been writing fiction “on the side” you might say, for years. Mainly because creating characters and interaction brings me great joy and satisfaction – characters become a second family, a true part of me. They live and breath as does anyone else. They experience turmoil, comfort, happy and sad times, adventures, and it all comes out in the published product.
My father began training me to build homes when I was about fourteen, so I learned from a master, and honed those skills from an early age. While I was attending college and grad school, I worked as a building contractor to support my family while pursuing my degrees. The work supplemented my GI Bill from service in the US Navy. But my main goal was always upfront, hanging on that pony stick, just out of reach for a lot of years. The day I received my writing degree, I stopped building and took a huge breath. Finally !!!
Why do you write?
I cannot not write !!
Do you write full-time or part-time?
When the creative mode strikes, the fingers tickle the keyboard. Sometimes, a thought hits and I get up to make a note, and triggers another detail. Then the note turns into a sentence, then a paragraph, then an action scene, then a chapter. So, “go make a quick note” might take all night.
Do you have a special time to write or how is your day structured?
Any time of day when the mood hits, but mostly at night, all night sometimes, often until three or four in the morning. My neighbor was out walking his dog, an urgent puppy break about 4:AM. and asked me why I get up so early. I told him, “I’m still up.”
Do you write every day, 5 days a week or as and when?
Nope, sometimes I go for days without writing, doing other things, family or whatever. Sometimes I write for days and days in a row. Sometimes we go on extended photography trips, camping across the USA. Frequently, in the back-country, we have no power for days. But when we can power up our laptops, we make the best of it and write notes for “Travel Trails” – our nature travel website - or for “A Lens in the Leaves”, an in-progress nature and wildlife book. Or, sometimes work on fiction.
Do you work to an outline or plot or prefer just to see where an idea takes you?
Characters emerge in my mind, and nearly create themselves – then they write the story and I just put the words down one after another, describing how characters act. It’s often a surprise ... like watching a movie unfold on your eyelids.
What is the hardest thing about writing?
Believing in yourself. If you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will either. Trust yourself completely in your writing efforts. But that means exposing yourself to readers, your innermost thoughts. And, then hope readers accurately understand the internal you, and like it. Not easy.
How long on average does it take you to write a book?
No telling – Shuffle took almost seven months to write the draft, but more than two years after that due to extensive research on mental health and brain chemistry. Hobos only took about six months. Crossbow took more than a year – but started as a different book, before Shuffle …
Do you ever get writer’s Block?
No clue what that means. There’s never a time when I cannot write. If the story bogs down a bit, I introduce a new character, or write an irrelevant scene even if it disappears later – but that rarely happens because each new idea fills a space in an empty channel – and almost insists on its inclusion. Imagine a tiny character sitting on your shoulder, chanting “Put me in, put me in. I fit, I fit!” How can an author resist?
A filler character appeared once in a ‘brain vacancy’, a homeless veteran. He very nearly takes over the entire novel, becomes a major player in Hobos, then moves on into Double Cross. This spontaneous character - in an extremely odd role - appears in many scenes, and forces his domination. All from a character that emerged to fill a momentary blank spot in my brain.
Any tips on how to get through the dreaded writer’s block?
Don’t stop writing – either go back and edit or read the chapter you just finished, and when it ends, just write ONE new sentence, and one more, and one more. Add a new character. Describe a new place, smell a flower, watch a dog play. Stick an irrelevant idea on a line, then allow it to claim a spot in your world. Make your fingers click, even when your mind stalls, however briefly. Let that passion fuel your fingertips until they can’t resist the keyboard.
One thing though, if you feel that “writer’s block”, never, ever sit and tell yourself “I’m gonna force myself to write.” Because, you won’t.
What do you do to get book reviews?
Nothing – I just let reviews come if they will. And hope they do. Reviews have become a somewhat polluted component of writing because so many are unreal, especially upon a new release. The most important part of a review is the low stars, and an author then discovers why a reader feels disappointed. Not all reasons are valid, of course, but a writer can find more value in what didn’t score with readers than what did score. I don’t get many reviews, and don’t look for them, although it’s nice when one appears. All my reviews come from an organic source, except one, a writer I know casually who read it and posted before I knew it.
How successful has your quest for reviews been so far?
Limited, as I don’t court them, nor pay for them, nor trade reviews.
Do you have a strategy for finding reviewers?
NO – I believe writers who seek reviews or pay for reviews (however that happens) is cheating. If you can’t get folks who read your book to review it, that says something about the people that read it, or the book itself. Review “collecting” is often obvious, and frowned upon by most.
I do know Amazon is taking steps to solidify the reviews system, and I applaud that effort. If an author has lots of friends, or great social media skills, but the book sucks, then those reviews count a lot, but mean very little.
What’s your view on social media for marketing?
It’s too complicated for me and my limited tech skills. In addition, so many authors and editors and publishers use a social media point, it’s almost a crap-shoot if a piece even gets eyes on it.
Social media may soon burn out as a solid marketing tool except in very established blogs, and for writers that already have a reader base. Unless you happen to be very good at it and very tech skilled, breaking in as an Indie thru social media will soon become obsolete for Newbies, and many Indies. It’s simply too crowded. It’s too expensive if you do it right, and relatively worthless if you do it wrong.
The next writers or publishers that find a unique and aggressive method to market will succeed quicker than any social media posting. Wish that method would just pop into my brain one day … but it keeps hiding.
Do you think that giving books away free works and why?
Not as a general strategy. I believe folks that seek freebies will not buy books often, just search for freebies. And, a freebie offers little incentive to actually read it. But, I do think folks that enter free book winner competitions or contests might buy books later, or buy it if they don’t win but like it. They’re just liking a freebie once in a while.
Nothing – I just let reviews come if they will. And hope they do. Reviews have become a somewhat polluted component of writing because so many are unreal, especially upon a new release. The most important part of a review is the low stars, and an author then discovers why a reader feels disappointed. Not all reasons are valid, of course, but a writer can find more value in what didn’t score with readers than what did score. I don’t get many reviews, and don’t look for them, although it’s nice when one appears. All my reviews come from an organic source, except one, a writer I know casually who read it and posted before I knew it.
How successful has your quest for reviews been so far?
Limited, as I don’t court them, nor pay for them, nor trade reviews.
Do you have a strategy for finding reviewers?
NO – I believe writers who seek reviews or pay for reviews (however that happens) is cheating. If you can’t get folks who read your book to review it, that says something about the people that read it, or the book itself. Review “collecting” is often obvious, and frowned upon by most.
I do know Amazon is taking steps to solidify the reviews system, and I applaud that effort. If an author has lots of friends, or great social media skills, but the book sucks, then those reviews count a lot, but mean very little.
What’s your view on social media for marketing?
It’s too complicated for me and my limited tech skills. In addition, so many authors and editors and publishers use a social media point, it’s almost a crap-shoot if a piece even gets eyes on it.
Social media may soon burn out as a solid marketing tool except in very established blogs, and for writers that already have a reader base. Unless you happen to be very good at it and very tech skilled, breaking in as an Indie thru social media will soon become obsolete for Newbies, and many Indies. It’s simply too crowded. It’s too expensive if you do it right, and relatively worthless if you do it wrong.
The next writers or publishers that find a unique and aggressive method to market will succeed quicker than any social media posting. Wish that method would just pop into my brain one day … but it keeps hiding.
Do you think that giving books away free works and why?
Not as a general strategy. I believe folks that seek freebies will not buy books often, just search for freebies. And, a freebie offers little incentive to actually read it. But, I do think folks that enter free book winner competitions or contests might buy books later, or buy it if they don’t win but like it. They’re just liking a freebie once in a while.
How do you relax?
Camping, hiking, take my cameras out and capture a challenging or unique shot. We often go in the 4x4 truck, so we have less limits on where we go – less fear that we might get stuck.
My photo work has been exhibited and sold in galleries, and locally, regionally, and nationally in documentary journals over the years. My passion for creating images is equally as driving as my love for writing. That combination brings a true winner into my camp every time, and is always an enjoyable experience.
See more of my work at: www.billdelorey.com
On Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/Bill-Delorey/e/B00FEZH130
Camping, hiking, take my cameras out and capture a challenging or unique shot. We often go in the 4x4 truck, so we have less limits on where we go – less fear that we might get stuck.
My photo work has been exhibited and sold in galleries, and locally, regionally, and nationally in documentary journals over the years. My passion for creating images is equally as driving as my love for writing. That combination brings a true winner into my camp every time, and is always an enjoyable experience.
See more of my work at: www.billdelorey.com
On Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/Bill-Delorey/e/B00FEZH130