Hi!
Welcome to Zigzag Timeline. Can you tell us about your background as an author?
I started with film (having attended University of Texas at Austin
grad film school), writing five screenplays, one which was actually made. You might catch it if you happen to be traveling in
South America or thereabouts. We don’t really talk about that one too much. So
about ten years ago, I became more interested in writing novels. That resulted
in The Santiago Agenda, a thriller
taking us from L.A. to Miami and the Caribbean. It hasn’t been published, but
maybe one day. My second one, My Life as
a Sperm, really went in a completely different direction.
What
got you into writing?
Good question. I don’t really
know. I always liked writing short stories growing up, but can’t say if they
were any good. I don’t have any saved to check them out. However, I do remember
that in college, since I was a Political Science major, I needed to take
creative writing courses to find that release I didn’t get from writing formal policy
papers.
What was the first
idea you had for your book, and how did the story grow from there?
My Life as a Sperm started as
a short story, published in the Writers Bloc III anthology put out by the
Henderson Writer’s Group. All I can really say is that I woke up one morning
and had the beginnings of the story left over from a dream. The rest developed
over time. I can have some mighty weird dreams.
Among
your characters, who's your favorite? Could you please describe him/her?
Well, it has to be my main
character, Buddy Price. He can be a self-involved jerk, but you can’t help but
love him. At least, I do. Enough to start writing the sequel.
What's your favorite scene from your
novel? Could you please describe it?
My favorite scene has to be
when Buddy recounts the night when he interrupted Reverend Hedgins in his
office banging his supposedly prim and proper CFO Frances Manor and then Buddy has
a painful conversation with her the next day. A close second was the poolside
porn shoot (but, for those whose sensibilities are easily offended, that scene
is funny, not gratuitous).
What's
your favorite part of writing? Plotting? Describing scenes? Dialogue?
Dialogue, without a doubt. I
guess from my screenwriting background, I always enjoy that. Plus the subject
matter of My Life as a Sperm helped a
lot.
How
long does it take you to write a book? Do you have a writing process, or do you
wing it?
About a year to write,
another six months to edit. My process is get it down first and then rewrite.
Sometimes I understand where I’m headed, other times, I find out when I’m finished
with a section if I know what the hell I’m doing.
What is it about the
genre you chose that appeals to you?
Well, this book is in the
Fiction – Humor genre so it goes without saying why it’s fun. There’s more room
to let loose.
Are
there any books or writers that have had particular influence on you?
Stephen King, oddly enough.
Not for the horror, but the way he works his characters. I think if you have
the right character, they’ll take you places you never imagined. I like Douglas
Adams as well.
Did you ever surprise
yourself when you were writing your book? Characters who took on lives of their
own? Plot elements that took unexpected turns?
Yes, and I’m not sure of any
author that hasn’t had that happen to them. Believe me, a lot of My Life as a Sperm was unexpected.
Thanks for stopping
by!
ABOUT THE BOOK
My Life as a Sperm : One Man’s Quest to Save the World
Hollywood agent Buddy Price dies in a car crash and finds himself in Heaven. There, he discovers God’s had enough with people and will pull the plug if we can’t learn to get along - a 'love thy neighbor or else' sort of message. An unlikely hero as there ever was, Buddy convinces God to let him fix things and gets a second chance. From the first few lines of the book, we know that he’s probably the last person we’d want to depend on to save the world, but God’s got his plan. Our fate rests in Buddy’s hands… or, who knows, maybe he’s just crazy and needs lithium or something.
Find it online:
Amazon Paperback – http://www.amzn.com/0986268100
Amazon Kindle – http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PVL6430
William Darrah Whitaker is a graduate of the University of Virginia with a B.A. in Foreign Affairs and holds two Master degrees (MA-Film/MBA) from the University of Texas. He has written fivescreenplays, one which was produced and another optioned. His shortstories have been published in the Writers Bloc III, IV, and Vanthologies. He is a member of the International Thriller Writers as well as the Henderson Writers Group in Las Vegas, Nevada servingon their Board of Directors. His novel, My Life as a Sperm, takes on notions of God and destiny in a most unusual way. He lives in Las Vegas where, despite the myriad temptations, he still finds time to write.
Connect with William
Blog
Don’t Look Down – www.wdarrahwhitaker.com
Price Talent Agency – www.buddyprice-agent.com
Social
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/wdarrahwhitaker
Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/wdwhitaker
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