See the slideshow below for scenery depicted in my new novel, "Half-Red Skull." Locations in Florida include Fernandina Beach, Amelia Island, St. Augustine and Cedar Key.
To my friends and future friends, please feel free to add yourself to the Myspace fan site for my novels.
Hello, everyone. I'm a self-published novelist looking to make new friends and connect with readers who enjoy fiction - primarily thrillers, horror and suspense. So please befriend me if I seem like someone you'd like to meet.
For those of you who aren't familiar with the term "self-publishing", it means that I did what anyone can do. I paid a self-publisher to get my manuscripts published. I could spend the next hour telling the the advantages and disadvantages of self-publishing. (Only those who write and want to be published some day would find it interesting.) In essence, writers tend to self-publish when they can't get a traditional publishing house and/or a literary agent to represent them. My reason was a bit different. Before I began writing eight years ago, I had virtually no writing experience. I come from the corporate business world. So I wished to use the self-publishing route to refine my writing. Unexpectedly, I've been somewhat successful with readers. (Which is intriguing because most people shy away from self-published books because, basically, they're not well written. Hence the reason they're self-published.)
In any event, I recently looked back on my self-published novels (4 in all) and realizes that, while I've always believed in the storylines, my writing was sub-par. Not sure if I hit the learning curve, or have simply elevated what I do, but I seem to have a much better handle on writing.
Then recently, I partnered with Vicky Knerly, from Georgia. We took my last novel, "Half-Red Skull," and reworked the manuscript, cutting it by 30,000 words. (Yes, I said 30,000 words. It's now less than 130k total.) In February we began soliciting literary agents, which brings me to another point...
Writers who have a finished, edited, refined manuscript do not automatically get published. For an unknown writer, unless you happen to be a celebrity, it's a long, arduous process to get represented by a literary agent. And the odds are severly stacked against you. A process of submission has to be followed to the letter, and even then, the chances of getting published are infinitesimal. Generally the process goes something like this (although each agent may have unique requests): The writer sends the literary agent a one-page query letter describing their novel and themselves, briefly. If the agent is interested, they may ask for sample chapters and a synopsis (usually 2-4 pages in length) to review. If the agent is still interested after reviewing the sample and synopsis, the agent will request the full manuscript. Consider this. The initial query is generally responded to within 8 weeks. The additional requests, if you're fortunate to get an agent to request to read the full manuscript, can take up to 6 months. Also consider your odds as an unknown author. Agents may get 50 queries a day. Out of those, they may ask 1-5 people to send sample chapters for review. Out of those, maybe 1 out of 5 will be requested to submit their entire manuscript, which has to be in a very specific format. Generally, all of this is done thruogh snail mail, although many agents now allow queries via e-mail. So you don't have to be a probability expert to understand the odds of getting literary agent representation is slim.
There is another choice, albeit not a very favorable one. And that is to send your manuscript directly to a publisher like Random House. But as you can imagine, these countless unrequested manuscripts wind up in a room on the "Slush pile" and there is no guarantee your work will ever be read, or that they'll ever respond. Not good odds, to say the least.
So why am I going through this long description? To help people appreciate what writers go through to get published. Writing a book is only half the effort. Getting it printed (unless you go the very unprofitable route of self-publishing) is the real grind, as well it should be. Let's face it, not every writer can write. I look back on my earlier novels and cringe. But that also tells me that I've continued to learn, to accept feedback, and improve my skills. The moment a writer (or anyone for that matter) stops trying to get better, you've stopped trying to achieve your goals.
So back to the reworked "Half-Red Skull" manuscript that Vicky and I have attempted to solicit to a limited number of literary agents (By the way, we've jointly authored the rewritten version.) We've defied the odds and had one of the agents respond posivitely to our query and request sample chapters and a synopsis. Then we were subsequently contacted for the full manuscript. I followed up with a phone call to the agent after eight weeks (which is within protocol) and was please to discover it's still under review. Will this pan out and we get signed? Who knows. But just getting this far, we've beaten overwhelming odds. It has made me more focused.
Vicky and I have decided to go back and rework my trilogy ("Fish of Souls," "Groundswell" and "The God Tools.") As soon as FOS is done, we'll solicit agents for it and see where things land. At this time, I'm just thrilled to be under consideration.
My novels ( Fish of Souls , Groundswell and The God Tools ) can be found at www.amazon.com , www.barnesandnoble.com , buybooksontheweb.com and other major online bookstores.
E-mail:
[email protected] (I promise to personally respond to each e-mail as quickly as possible.)
As for me, I'm just here loving life in Jacksonville, Florida. A senior manager at a Fortune 500 company by day, a novelist by night. As mentioned before, to date, I've published a trilogy of novels set respectively in the Florida cities of St. Augustine, Green Cove Springs and Jacksonville. Some other things about me: I shun drama (and I'm not talking about the genre of TV shows or movies); I support the military (I may not always agree with why we're fighting, but I damn sure support the soldiers being asked to serve their country); I love dogs (I endure cats); I have a warped sense of humor (Everything from the Three Stooges to Jackass); I will give you my honest opinion about any topic (including writers who ask me to review their work); I live for the weekends when I can write, spend time with the family (and drink beer); I love the local history of Florida (and the unsolved mysteries therein); and lastly, I love those folks who have the courage to read a novel even when they've never heard of the author before. (Personally, I'd never do it. lol)
What is the genre of my work? Wow, here's an answer that folks in the publishing industry hate to hear. I'd say Thriller but you could also argue Horror, Suspense, Mystery . . . I was strongly influenced by a myriad of writers and movies, including "Raiders of the Lost Ark," Stephen King, "Back to the Future," The Hardy Boys (the books, not the TV show. Yes, go ahead and laugh) and then there's my favorite authors, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. So what I write is a blend of horror, thriller, mystery with a historical background. And as for the history, I like to use factual events and places.
The fourth novel, "Half-Red Skull," will take place in Fernandina Beach (Amelia Island) and will involve the mystery of the lost skull of the infamous Seminole Indian Osceola (true story), a serial killer and the search for Spanish galleon gold sent to pay for the purchase of Florida in 1820. While the "God Tools trilogy" has concluded, one of the female characters from the trilogy will return in the lead role in "Half-Red Skull," which will be out November 2, 2007. Click here for a preview of Chapter 1.
Like Stephen King, who set many of his stories in Maine, or Bentley Little who did the same in Arizona, I've opted to keep the storylines in Florida for the immediate time. It doesn't mean that I won't cross the border within a story, or go outside the state sometime in the future, it's just that there is so much mysterious history here to write about. Fortunately, I've found readers who connect with my novels not just in Florida, but all across the U.S., Canadan and Great Britain . . . and many other parts of the world. And for that, I am extremely thankful.
Favorite local band? Big Al & the Kaholics . These guy play both cover and originals, everything from Puddle of Mud, to 311, to Metallica, to Linkin Park, to Chicago, to KC and the Sunshine Band, to ACDC, to Staind. As a matter of fact, they take request and know every song every written. (At least the first 8 to 10 bars!) And they're not just four great muscians, they're Jacksonville Florida's Ultimate Party Band. (Or at least that's what their logo says!) They draw anyone 21 and up to their shows. Go to www.kaholics.com for information about their CD Hype and where they'll be performing next.
The paragraph below is from a recent biographical article. (In the "wine to beer" comment that I made, they forgot to squeeze in Jager-bombs. I'm sure I said it . . .)
"Blending his love of history, adventure and mystery, his work has received critical acclaim for impeccable research and thrilling action. "My interests cross the gamut--from football to The History Channel, from playing with my sons to watching live bands perform, from wine to beer, from the beach to the mountains, from books to movies, from drama to comedy." Gary's next novel, "Half-Red Skull" , will be set on Amelia Island, in the Northeast corner of Florida. An historical figure and a rumored lost treaure from the early 1800's will be the focal point. Please feel free to e-mail Gary at
[email protected] or visit his website at www.authorgarywilliams.com ."
Some of the historical settings in my novels include: In St. Augustine, Florida -- Castillo de San Marcos , the Nombre de Dios mission and the Shrine of Nuestra de la Leche , Beacon of Faith Cross , St. Augustine Alligator Farm , and the St. Augustine Lighthouse. In Green Cove Springs -- the city park with the spring portal and public swimming pool . In Homestead, Florida, the remarkable Coral Castle . (I could write volumes about this place, but if you like true historical mysteries, Google it and find out for yourself. It's pretty amazing.) In Jacksonville -- In Mandarin, Walter Jones Historical Park . For the next novel, in Fernandina Beach (Amelia Island) there will be scenes set at the 1798 Bosque Bello Cemetery , the Amelia Island Lighthouse , Fort Clinch , scenes in the Lightner Museum in St. Augustine, and lastly, in the quaint seaside town of Cedar Key, Florida on the Gulf of Mexico.
Oh, and that phenomenal photograph that graces the cover of "The God Tools" was shot by Erica Land-Posluszny.
