An Interview with Woodrow W. Walker

Betsie: To start this off, why don't you give an idea of what the book is about?

Woodrow: It is a murder mystery set in a Hollywood movie studio in 1943. Private eye Buck Ames, a former movie stuntman is hired by Columbia Pictures to investigate the murder of a young actress.

Betsie: Where did you grow up and was reading and writing a part of your life?

Woodrow: I was born in Columbus, Georgia and did not leave there until I was in my twenties. I had always thought about writing, but did not start until I was sixty.

Betsie: Who were your earliest influences and why?

Woodrow: Anyone reading “Murder at Columbia” will see that my main influence was the old movie serials. But I guess you mean writers. I would have to say Edgar Rice Burroughs.

Betsie: What would a typical day be like for a writer?

Woodrow: Unfortunately I am not a very disciplined writer. I get up about 7 AM, feed my three cats, have my own breakfast and then I sit down at my computer and write until about 10 Am. Then I have to deal with daily life. So I can’t spend 8 hours every day writing.

Betsie: How long have you been writing and in what capacities?

Woodrow: I wrote my first book “Murder at Republic” in 2002 and I was sixty at that time. I self published that book. As a new writer I made a few mistakes, but writing is a learning process and I believe that I have improved with this second book. I submitted “Murder at Columbia to Publish America and the rest as they say, is history. I have published two books, but I have written three others and a few short stories.

Betsie: Which is more difficult to write - Fiction or nonfiction and why?

Woodrow: Before I started writing I would have said nonfiction because of the research, but my book while mostly fiction had a lot of movie facts that had to be researched. And as I have real movie stars involved, I had to get their personalities Right. So now I think it is more of a toss-up.

Betsie: Has there ever been a time when you wanted to throw in the towel and give up? And if so, how did you defeat those instincts?

Woodrow: You bet. Before editing my first book was a mess. I was very proud to have written a mystery that made sense at least from a story point, but I had to have some one else do the editing, but that did not work out very well either. But I must say that no reader has ever mentioned anything about the book, except that they enjoyed it.

Betsie: What is the hardest part about being a writer?

Woodrow: That’s easy. Facing that blank computer screen, but fortunately I have the knack of picking up where ever I left off.

Betsie: Do you have any hobbies? What are they? How do they enhance your writing?

Woodrow: I have no time for hobbies except reading. Writing is now, after retirement, both my pleasure and my work.

Betsie: Articles and media alike make it sound as though the only way to rise to the top is to sacrifice. What do you find to be good sacrifices?

Woodrow: I don’t know how good it is, but time is a sacrifice that I seem to be making more than ever at my age. I mean at sixty-two, I only have a certain amount of time left to write and get published.

Betsie: What question do you get asked more than any other?

Woodrow: Where do you get your ideas and how do you become a writer.

Betsie: What’s the coolest thing a reader has said to you?

Woodrow: I loved your book. A reader saying that, validates for me, the value of my writing more than anything else can.

Betsie: What has been your feedback from readers? What do they say to you about their interpretations of your book?

Woodrow: Most have said that they like the mix of fact and fiction, along with the movie studio background.

Betsie: Do you think that as a writer you are more prone to watching what goes on around you and observing behaviors than most people are?

Woodrow: I would say so. After all where else would a writer find the building blocks to create, not only believable characters, but the very world they live in?

Betsie: Who are some of the authors you consider to be "don't miss"?

Woodrow: Michael Connelly, H B Marcus and Janet Evanovich. Yes I know that H B is not as well known as the other two, but after reading his book “Crispy” I was blown away by it.

Betsie: If one were looking to start his/her own career as a writer, what would you suggest his/her first step to be?

Woodrow: Buy a dam good grammar book or maybe two or three. You may think you don’t or won’t need them, but you will.

Betsie: What kind of movies do you enjoy?

Woodrow: Old one, mostly from the thirty’s and forty’s as well as the old serials. But I also like some of the newer ones too.

Betsie: What is your favorite city to visit, but one that you wouldn’t want to live in?

New York! But only because of the fast pace, a NY minute is only 59 seconds. I know that is the center of publishing, but thankfully with e-mail you can live anywhere you wish.

Betsie: What’s the strangest question you’ve ever been asked in an interview?

Woodrow: I guess it would be. How do you become a writer? The only answer I can think of is, find something you are interested in and write. Sure you may make mistakes, but fear will keep you from it more than anything else will.

Betsie: What’s the best part of being a writer?

Woodrow: Second best is creating characters that you can manipulate anyway you wish. Then when someone buys my book and likes it, that’s the very best of all.

Betsie: What's next?

Well, I have just submitted a Vampire story to Publish America. But it has not been accepted yet. The title will be “Legacy of Adrian Blackthorn: Vampire” after that I have already written the third Buck Ames book which will be titled “Murder at Universal”

Betsie's Literary Page has enjoyed the pleasure of learning about this up and coming author and we hope you did too. Here's to your success Mr. Walker!