Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m an independent (indie) dark fantasy/paranormal horror writer based in Seattle, Washington. The stories that I prefer to read – and write – have supernatural elements, positive portrayals of the LGBT community, strong female leads, and complex characters. So far, I’ve written two novels so far in the Port Hollow Witches series, with the third well underway (to be released in December 2019).
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is Devil’s Bane. There’s a funny story with this – it’s actually the first in the Port Hollow Witches series, even though The Claiming was published first (back in March). It was initially supposed to be a supplemental novella to The Claiming, detailing the events that led up to The Claiming. And then I started writing it. About halfway through, I realized that, while Kendra’s story (a journey into the literal underworld to save her twin brother) is central to the series, it’s not the only story that matters. I fell in love with each and every one of my characters when I wrote Devil’s Bane, but especially Rory and Kathryn. The novella I’d planned quickly expanded into a full-length novel and set many events into motion in the Port Hollow story universe that I hadn’t expected. I owe Kathryn a deep debt, since it was when writing her story that I really embraced the fact that the world I’d created was much bigger and more nuanced than I’d initially believed.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Absolutely. I’m 100% a planner. It’s essential to my writing process since if I don’t have a plan I’m paralyzed in front of a blank screen, wondering how to begin. So I plan everything out. Every single scene, every plot twist, every story-line that I want to include, every major revelation – all of it. I sometimes spend weeks or months on an outline, character development, etc. And then, at some point in the writing process (usually halfway through), my characters flatly refuse to do what I want them to do. Instead, they do something completely unexpected, often to the betterment of the overall story. At that point, everything tends to go completely off the rails from the original plan and it’s all I can do to just experience it with my characters (and write it all down, of course). I used to fight this. I have two absolutely terrible novels buried deeply in the darkest and least trafficked corner of my harddrive, under lock and key, as a result of trying to keep things according to a strict plan. Those novels are not discussed in polite company. With The Claiming and Devil’s Bane, I decided to go with it – and ended up being really happy with how they turned out. So now I realize that planning everything – and going off the rails – is just a part of how this weird and crazy writing mojo thing works for me.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
It’s hard to pin this down since I read quite a lot and I pretty much always have. A lot of writers have probably influenced my writing over the years and I’m sure that authors I haven’t even read yet will probably have an impact on my growth as a writer in the future. But I can say that the very first time that I made the conscious decision to become a writer was when I was in the 5th grade. The entire class (60 some-odd kids) had to go to a weekend camp (in terms of the overall experience, think Friday the 13th, except without the advantage of a crazed killer on the loose to at least make it interesting). It was awful. I’m an introvert by nature and back then I was horribly shy to boot. I also had pretty severe hearing loss, which made things even worse for me (a series of corrective surgeries have since more or less fixed my hearing – at least to where it’s way less impactful to my life). To say that I wasn’t exactly popular is understating it quite a lot. The camp, since it was really well structured and basically every minute was filled with some kind activity, was awful for me but at least somewhat tolerable. But I’d been dreading the bus ride back, surrounded by my classmates, for days. So, the moment I got onto the bus, I opened the book I’d grabbed off of my bookshelf for the trip – The Last Vampire, by Christopher Pike – and spent what should have been a painfully awkward and possibly even traumatic two-hour bus trip back into Seattle, absolutely absorbed in the darkly splendid world that Sita (the main character in that series) inhabited, mesmerized by what I was reading and totally oblivious to the world around me. It was, at some point on that bus ride, that I realized I wanted to be – needed to be – an author.
What are you working on now?
Harbingers, book three of the Port Hollow Witches series (to be released December 2019). Basically, it’s a continuation of both The Claiming and Devil’s Bane, following all of the main characters from those novels and introducing new viewpoints into the mix. Since the gateway to the underworld is opening and unleashing all manner of mayhem onto the town of Port Hollow, it’s been really exciting and fun to write.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I haven’t really found my “best website” yet, but I’m just getting started. I will say that the writing community on Twitter has been absolutely amazing so far and I’m super grateful for everyone I’ve encountered on there so far (btw, I’m @glennwilliamsWA).
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Oh wow. There’s kind of a lot. I could talk about setting a schedule for writing (for me that’s 6am, almost every single day, until a full scene is finished) or the fact that, as a writer, you can’t be afraid of writing a terrible first draft (because you will, it’s just about as unavoidable for writers as death and taxes is for everyone else). But the biggest thing, in my opinion, is that you should write the kinds of books you’d most like to read. Be honest with yourself. Maybe it’s not literary. Maybe it’s even a little embarrassing. But if you write those kinds of stories, it’ll be a labor of love. For me, that genre is horror/dark fantasy stories featuring LGBT characters, strong female leads, and sinister supernatural threats for the characters to overcome. For you that ideal story might be sweet romance with a happily ever after or an epic fantasy set in a world that has yet to even be fully imagined. Lean into it. That love of genre will infuse your stories with authenticity in a way that writing purely to market never can.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
There are actually two pieces of advice that have totally saved me at different points in my life. #1 – just breathe, this too shall pass. And #2 – keep swimming.
What are you reading now?
I’m re-reading Alice by Christina Henry. It’s a very dark retelling of Alice in Wonderland and I 100% recommend it.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Why, the bright lights of Broadway, of course! Wait, was that a no? Hmmm, tough crowd. The USA Today Bestseller list? No? Right then, maybe and maybe not. But a guy can certainly dream.
What’s next for me is finishing The Port Hollow Witches series. I’m nearly done with book 3 and I have books 4 and 5 planned out. I’m hoping to finish the series by 2020. I have a lot of other ideas for what might come next. I’m loosely planning a series featuring vampires. I also have plans for a series of fairy tale retellings that will feature LGBT protagonists in a shorter, two-hour reads format (between 50-70ish pages).
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
#1 – A desert island survival guide (there’s tons of these on Amazon). Not the most original choice, I know. But practical.
#2 – A very large blank notebook or journal (if I can’t have a pen, I’ll make my own charcoal using the instructions I find in #1 for creating fire – I’m sure that’s in any survival guide worth its snuff has instructions for making fire, right?). Because the idea of not being creative just doesn’t sit very well with me.
#3 – An unabridged volume of Grim’s fairy tales. Have you ever read these? No, really. It’s definitely not Disney. There’s some pretty dark stuff in here, but the stories are really are timeless.
#4 – Honestly, I’d probably also bring an omnibus of The Last Vampire series (1-6). It’s a good reminder of where I’ve come from as a writer and why I’m doing this in the first place. Plus, Sita is an old friend at this point. She’s saved me more than once and I’m sure she’ll do it again at some point.
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