(Blogger-in-Law’s
Note: Okay, so I actually started writing this introduction at the beginning of
December, thinking it would be my first blog post back from NaNo...but then I
ended up writing another one first. Oh, and then I updated it again with a brief post. I probably should have just rewritten the
interview intro below...but that seemed like an awfully lot of work, and I did
write about stuff that some of you might be interested in, so I’ll just leave
it. Sorry. You deserve better.)
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| Authors don't tend to make this badge their Facebook profile pic. |
Hi all. I’m back now after basically checking out during the
entire month of November while I was working on a project for National Novel
Writing Month. Let me report off the bat that I, alas, did not complete the
50,000 word goal. I got off to a slow start and only rounded the corner to
30,000 words. It was still within my grasp, I felt, if I really worked
hard...but then, right before we returned to Michigan to see family for
Thanksgiving, I came down with a 24 hour bug that knocked me off my feet. At
that point, I was so far behind that I couldn’t lose a single night of work,
but that’s precisely what happened. I decided to just step back at that point
and enjoy the little vacation going home. Still, I’ve got a 30,000 word jump
start on a new murder mystery, so that’s worth something, right?
Back to normal life, and we’ve got an interview to jump us
back into the blog side of things! My guest today is William Woodall. I
actually read his book Cry for the Moon back in June
according to Goodreads (and we know we can trust Goodreads on such things), but
one thing led to another and we weren’t able to finish our interview until
recently. So usually I tell you what I thought about a book, or at least the
bullet points, but it’s been six months so my memory is a bit hazy!
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| Ironically, if they had just let them turn him into a werewolf first, he could have run away much faster. |
I’ll tell you what I remember. First of all—and this is
something we discuss in the interview—the book wasn’t what I was expecting. I
knew going in that it wasn’t what most people expect and yet it still wasn’t what I was expecting. The title is vague enough but this is the first book in Woodall’s The Last Werewolf Hunter series, so you
can imagine how I was a bit surprised to come across a quaint, quiet story
about a twelve-year-old boy named Zach who runs away from home to avoid being
turned into a werewolf. There’s no hunting to be done. Rather, the boy
struggles to survive and strives to find the one relative who he thinks—right
or wrong—can help him.
Even six months later, Zach’s voice remains distinct and
authentic in my memory. I enjoyed my time spent with this boy, and found him to
be a well-developed, genuine character. Whether you enjoy the book depends on
how you feel about a relatively slow story about a determined kid trying to
find his long lost uncle. Despite the series title, there’s not a lot of
action. I don’t list this as a negative at all: I enjoyed Zach’s journey, in
large part because I got to know Zach so well, and cared about him through his
struggles and mistakes. As always, I’m going to try to give you plenty of
exposure to the author so you can decide whether this book is a good choice for
you or not.
Woodall’s other books, by the by, include three more Last Werewolf Hunter books (Behind Blue Eyes, More Golden Than Day, and Truesilver)
as well as romance Many Waters and Nightfall
from his sci-fi series, The Tyke
McGrath Series. You can find him online at http://www.williamwoodall.org/. That’s
enough background info. Let’s chat!
.jpg) |
| The right is when I read the book. The left is now. I hate winter. |
Brad: Thanks for joining me
today, William. Although I just read Cry
for the Moon for the first time recently (Master of the Blog's note: "recently" refers to when I first wrote this question back in June or July), I had already heard several times
that the book was not what many people expected. Part of that may be the series
title—The Last Werewolf Hunter—which
is a bit confusing since there were certainly no werewolves hunted in this
installment. Would you agree that many readers come to this book with
inaccurate expectations? Why or why not?
William: I think
sometimes readers come to this book expecting a bloody horror novel, which it
most definitely is not. There’s an
assumption out there among many people that a book about werewolves just
naturally has to be horror. But even
when the werewolf hunting does take place later on, there’s very little blood
involved and almost never any actual killing.
You would have to read the series to understand how that’s possible; the
only thing I’ll say is that the werewolf hunters have weapons that make it
unnecessary. Anyone who reads the whole
series will understand the title perfectly, but those just beginning may be
puzzled a little bit. You won’t actually
understand the rationale for the title until book three.
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| Similarly, I'm hoping that the upcoming Star Wars VII reveals what the heck a "phantom menace" is. |
Brad: Ah. It’s like a “To Be
Continued” tag. “Want to know why the series is named The Last Werewolf Hunter? Read ‘til Book 3 to find out!”
In your protagonist and narrator, Zach, we meet a
twelve-year-old boy whose personality and voice really carry the entire book.
Talk to me about writing for Zach. Was it easy to get into the head of a
twelve-year-old? Is he based on anyone you know?
William: Zach has always
been an easy character to write because he’s me, to all intents and
purposes. All I had to do was reach back
into memory and pull some things out from my younger years and imagine what I
might have said or done in those kinds of situations. I was a teacher for several years and I like
to write young characters. I’m sure I
was never half so cool or witty in reality as Zach is, but the beauty of
hindsight is that you have plenty of time to think of exactly the right words.
Brad: Well, Zach rang pretty
true to me, so I think that you are either very in touch with your inner child,
or have a great memory! Speaking of influences, are there any other
works—books, TV, film, music, whatever—that helped inspire this story?
William: It was inspired
by all kinds of different things. I
guess the original germ for the story probably came from watching Teen Wolf cartoons on Saturday
morning when I was a kid. But there’s a
lot of real life in the book which you wouldn’t necessarily realize. We used to own a dog house very much like the
one Zach took refuge in, for example.
There’s really a cheesecake billboard in Mount Pleasant, exactly like
the one I
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| It's pretty, but nearly half of Americans still prefer Pepsi Lake for some reason. |
Brad: Without giving too much
away, can you talk to us about the series as a whole? I assume that someone
hunts a werewolf at some point, which seems like it might really change the
tone of this first book. How many total books are there now, or will there be
when the series is done?
William: Without giving
too much away, Zach really is the last werewolf hunter, the heir of an age-old
prophecy about a boy with blue eyes who will break the curse forever and set
the cursed people free, even those who don’t want to be set free. There are four books right now, with more to
come. Each book explores a particular
spiritual theme in the context of his struggle against the wolves. Book One deals with his choice of whether to
accept or reject evil. Book Two deals
with submitting to God’s will. Book
Three explores the question of whether the ends ever justify the means, and
Book Four is mostly about having the courage of your convictions. Zach grows up quite a bit over the course of
the series and he does face some really dangerous situations later on. Cry for the Moon is very introspective
and thoughtful; the other books have a lot more action.
Brad: It’s an interesting
decision to have such variety in the same series, indeed, because I would agree
that the first book is indeed slower-paced, and doesn’t necessarily foreshadow
more action to come. Let me talk to you author-to-author for a moment, William.
I apologize if my dear blog visitors think this question rather dull. The
conventional wisdom for many indie and small press authors when it comes to
using real world trademarked products is to use them in a positive or neutral
way. But it’s pretty clear that you really don’t care for Taco Bell! It’s a
shame, because their current menu (depending on the region) would have let poor
hungry Zach get a chicken burrito, bag of chips and a drink for $2! My question
is, author-to-author, did you hesitate at all before going on and on about how
nasty Taco Bell’s bean burritos are?
William: To be honest, I
really love Taco Bell! It’s one of my
favorite fast-food chains. Zach doesn’t
even really dislike it, per se, he just doesn’t like one particular item on
their menu. But no, I really didn’t put
much thought into it before having Zach give his opinions. Cry for
the Moon was the very first book I ever wrote (even though it was published
second), so I probably wouldn’t write it that way now.
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| And so we discover that Zach is secretly a masochist, consistently ordering his least favorite menu item instead of countless other options. |
Brad: Then why does he always
order the menu item he hates! Oh, Zach! Serious question time now. Your book is
about a twelve-year-old boy who runs away from home. While his life isn’t easy,
he is able to survive and even—without spoiling anything—reach a happy ending.
Are you concerned at all that a child could read this book and emulate Zach’s
actions? Being a runaway isn’t glamorized in the book, but it does seem like a
viable option.
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| I'm sure none of us want a repeat of the rash of teen runaways in 1999, most of whom were desperate to avoid being taken to see this movie. |
William: I don’t believe
kids would make a choice like that unless the situation were really
desperate. If a child ran away for
anything less than excellent reason, he or she would soon go home again when
they got hungry or cold. I used to work
for child protective services and dealt with runaways pretty regularly. Never did I meet one who didn’t have a good
reason. Some of the stories they told
about the things they left behind would chill your blood. That said, I don’t believe most children
would want to emulate Zach’s choice unless, like him, it was really a matter of
desperation. And in those rare cases,
one could hope they might indeed find a compassionate and Godly person to help
them. Most never do, and many find
monsters who will eat them alive. But I
can also hope that if an actual runaway ever read this book, he might be
comforted, and possibly learn a thing or two that will help keep him
alive.
Brad: Interesting. Who would
have thought Cry to the Moon might be
a survival guide for runaways? Let’s talk about you now. What’s your greatest
strength as an author? Your greatest weakness?
William: I think my
greatest strength is creating believable and interesting characters, and
possibly originality. The two
compliments I get most often from readers of the Last Werewolf Hunter series are that they love Zach because he’s so
real and genuine, and also that it’s a story completely unlike anything else
they’ve ever read. Those same two things
have popped up in reviews of my other books, too, so I judge those are probably
my best points. I think my greatest
weakness is that I find it difficult to work with several different characters
at once. I tend to want to focus on just
one or two and explore the depths of their personality while not paying as much
attention to the others as I should.
Brad: Fortunately, there’s
just as much room out there for stories that focus on a couple of main
characters as there are for more sprawling stories with a large ensemble cast.
Now, there are definitely themes of faith and Christianity running through Cry for the Moon, although I don’t
consider them excessive by any means. As a believer, do you feel some sort of
duty or obligation to include Christian themes in all your work, or did you
simply find your faith naturally surfacing in this book?
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| Pastor George McVey, whom I interviewed about his Christian western novels, will be pretty broken up to hear about this. |
William: All my books
have a Christian flavor, but I think the worst mistake Christian novelists make
is trying to be preachers. The business
of a novelist is not really to explicate the Bible or exhort people to accept Christ. That’s a preacher’s job. As novelists, I think our part in winning the
world for Christ is to show how faith plays out in the real world, to show
Christianity as something beautiful and amazing, so that readers learn to
desire it. As J.R.R. Tolkien said, our
job is to break their hearts with longing, because until they become conscious
that something is missing, they’ll never look for it. I do feel an obligation to include that sort
of thing in everything I write, but it isn’t always obvious at first glance.
Brad: Well, that’s just rude!
You come into my blog home, make use of my hospitality, eat all the cheese in
the fridge, and then trash my work! What
nerve!
Of course, I’m going to have to disagree with you,
especially with the idea that one can or should have the authority to decide
what the “business of a novelist” ought to be. While I certainly respect your
right—and the right of every author, artist, musician, etc.—to decide what your
own work will comprise, whether the subject is spiritual content or anything
else, I must in fact reject your preference to dictate to others the
limitations or boundaries of their art. The Christian novelist is answerable to
God, and, biblically, the Holy Spirit is ultimately responsible for both
spiritual growth (1 Cor. 3:7) and salvation (John 6:44). My readers
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| There is literally never an inappropriate time to whip out this meme. |
All right then. Oh - wait. Are we still in the interview?
Sorry, thought I was writing a regular blog post for a second. Let’s get back
on track. Just a reminder to all of us, dear readers, we are talking to William
Woodall about his book Cry for the Moon. What are you
working on right now William? Anything you can share with us?
William: Right now I’m
working on the sequel to Tycho, my science fiction novel,
which is loosely related to The Last
Werewolf Hunter by means of a few characters who appear in both. I’ve actually been very busy this year; I’ve
already published Truesilver, which is Book Four of
the werewolf series, and Many Waters, which is a Christian
romance and also a spin-off of the werewolf series. I’ll probably finish at least two more books
by the time the year is up. I’m hoping
to have the next werewolf novel done by Christmas.
Brad: My, my! You are a busy
little bee, aren’t you? Oh guess what? It’s time for my favorite part of the
interview: the part where I get to threaten my guest with death and/or bodily
harm if they don’t cooperate with my questions! Woohoo! You know how this book
contained no actual werewolf hunting? Well, turns out that was a mistake
because I’ve recruited several friendly loup-garou
(also known as werewolves) who are more than willing to attack if you don’t
tell me your favorite book in the whole wide world. Discounting the Holy Scriptures,
of course.
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| When I first asked William to choose one favorite book, he just sent me this image. |
William: It would be hard
to choose, since I have so many: The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien, Perelandra by C.S. Lewis, The Neverending Story by Michael
Ende, Lilith
by George MacDonald. And the list could
go on a lot longer, I’m sure.
Brad: Did I mention that
these loup-garou are really hungry? It’s
true. They haven’t eaten in weeks and they love author. And yet you give me four when I asked for one! You’re
pushing it. I don’t have to let them eat you, of course. It all depends on
whether or not you name your favorite author—that’s author, singular!—for me. Go ahead. We’re waiting.
William: C.S. Lewis, of course! I say that not
just for his fiction, even though I love it.
It’s his non-fiction work on theology which has done more to shape my
Christian walk than anything else I know.
I also embed a lot of theology in my novels, in the form of Zach’s
thoughts about this or that subject, and that’s something I first learned from
reading Perelandra. He wrote lots of books, of course, but I
would especially recommend Miracles, The Problem of Pain, The Four Loves, Surprised by Joy, Reflections on the Psalms, and The Abolition of Man. His collected essays are excellent,
also.
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| I know you're probably expecting this sort of thing based on William's weak responses to my questions, but I guess you're wrong to assume this will be a bloody, horror interview. |
Brad: And another author
walks out alive. I barely know why, though. Yeah, you managed to keep it to one
author—but you also did your best to shoehorn in six additional titles! But I guess it’s a good thing because I
can’t afford the increase in my insurance. Before you go, William, I always
like asking indie authors what fans can do to help support you and your career.
Buying your books is a given, but what else?
William: Tell other
people about my books if you liked them, and if there’s a particular character
or story you really enjoyed and would like to hear more about, please contact
me through my website and tell me so. I
listen to those kinds of things, and in fact the book I’m writing at this very
moment is the result of a request from a group of fifth graders in South
Carolina. And if you’re so inclined,
take some time to pray that my work will turn out for the glory of God.
It’s a prayer that I’m sure we can all take the time to offer,
and I imagine one that God will take pleasure in answering. Brad back now, and
I want to thank William again for taking the time to chat with me. It took us a
while to connect, but we finally got this thing out there! If you recently
found yourself a new Kindle owner at Christmastime, once again you can find Cry for the Moon right here. You might also want to poke around this blog to see the many other
authors I’ve interviewed and featured throughout 2013, or perhaps even try out a few of my books. Either way, this blog is a great resource for discovering
talented new authors, and I’ll continue to spotlight as many as I can in 2014!
Thanks as always for swinging by!
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