Could you please tell us a little about your book?
I would consider this book to be more of a love story, rather than a category romance, in that I wasn’t saddled with trying to write within a publishing house’s mandated formula. I just wanted to tell a tender story as honestly as possible. The story concerns Brian and Joanna, two people who are really meant to be together, but life’s travails separate them during the most passionate moment of their lives. Each of them is haunted by memories of the other until, years later, Joanna writes Brian an e-mail, a catalyst that sets the entire story in motion. The title of the novel is the subject line of that e-mail, and is intended to be gently ironic.
Did something specific happen to prompt you to write this book?
Nothing happened specifically. It was more that I had come to a point in my writing life where I needed to do something different. Before this I had written mostly suspenseful, plot-oriented stories. While all my novels have a romantic element as one of the subplots, I wanted the love story to take center-stage this time. I also wanted a story that would appeal to as many people as possible. I’d like to think I’ve done that. It’s certainly more character-driven than my other books. The long and short of it, however, is deep down I’m an incurable romantic.
Who or what is the inspiration behind this book?
Just like any author, I draw upon my own experiences and feelings, but the characters, and incidents are purely the work of my imagination.
Who is your biggest supporter?
Aside from my family, I would have to say it is the woman who helped me nurture this story from day one: Elizabeth Klungness. She’s a crackerjack freelance editor who has edited all my books. She has a keen eye for the spurious, and I owe her a huge debt of gratitude for all she’s taught me. I call her my “Literary Mom.”
Your biggest critic?
Me!
What cause are you most passionate about and why?
With regard to writing, it’s telling the best story I can. To me, taking someone out of their everyday lives and making them forget their problems is the highest of callings. To hear someone say, “I read your book and I really loved it,” is the most intoxicating of drugs.
In the last year have you learned or improved on any skills?
I like to think that I have. I’ve worked on this book off and on for four years, writing, re-writing and re-writing again and again and again. I love the process–creating a world that never existed–and fashioning that world bit by bit so that those readers who enter it are taken on a memorable journey. I love the moment when I find that perfect turn of phrase, the moment when the scene I’m working on falls into place–when I know I’ve nailed it. My father called those instances life’s “AHA!” moments. These are the moments for which I live, and they don’t happen nearly as often as I’d like. I think the skill I’ve improved the most in writing this book is character development. Hopefully, readers will agree.
Do you have any rituals you follow when finishing a piece of work?
When I’m working on a book, my ironclad rule is three pages per day. If I do more than that–great–but that doesn’t let me off the hook for the next day….
Who has influenced you throughout your career as a writer?
Everything I read influences me to some degree. I know some writers who refuse to read anything during the months (or years) they are working on a book. I can’t do that. For me reading is the life-blood of my imagination. The books I read feed my subconscious, allowing ideas to germinate. I don’t believe those ideas would flower, were I to exist in a literary vacuum. As for specific influences, it would be Richard Matheson, Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Joseph Payne Brennan, and Jack Finney. Finney wrote my all-time favorite book: Time and Again, the original time travel romance.
What is the most important thing in your life right now?
My two sons, Jeffrey (13) and Brian (7).
What are you currently working on?
I’m currently working on a book called Zombie Heart, but the plot is hush-hush. The one thing I will say is that it’s not your father’s zombie novel. For those readers who will want more of the type of story like A Note from an Old Acquaintance, I promise there will be more books like this in the future.
Do you have any advice for writers or readers?
For writers it’s PERSERVERANCE and reverence for the CRAFT. Do all you can to learn the techniques and the art of writing; study the masters of the genre you love to read most, the ones who are selling scads of books. Let’s face it, folks, a part of the yearning to be a writer is the desire to make a decent living at it. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Publishing is, after all, a business. But I digress. Writers like Stephen King are worth studying to see what it is about their work that captures so many readers. Early in his career, many critics stated that King couldn’t write. Well, time and millions of loyal readers have proven them wrong. I believe King’s work will be studied in high school and college level courses someday, if not already, just as they do with Steinbeck and Hemingway. I’ll make another recommendation: read Charles Dickens. Dickens is worth studying because he knew how to keep readers enthralled. Most of his books were serialized in the newspapers of his day before being published in book form, and he had to leave the readers wanting desperately to know what was going to happen next. And that, dear reader, is the real secret.
Is there an author that inspired you to write?
When I was younger, it was probably Edgar Allen Poe. Even his prose stories have a poetic meter, and they cast a hypnotic spell that cannot be denied. I also used to love the John Carter on Mars stories by Edgar Rice Burroughs, because of their romantic swashbuckling nature. But the real catalyst was my sixth-grade teacher, Mrs. Beecher. Every Monday she would write thirty vocabulary words on the blackboard, and over the course of that week we were expected to write a paragraph using as many of them as possible. Well, for me, I wasn’t content with writing anything mundane or silly, just to make the words fit. I took those thirty words as a clarion call to action and wrote stories with them, usually scary ones 
What are some of your long-term goals?
Without trying to sound as if I’ve got an Everest-sized ego, I want to be a brand-name author, one where the potential reader sees the name “Bill Walker” on a new book and instantly knows he or she will get their money’s worth. I want them to think, “I’ve got to get that book.”
What do you feel has been your greatest achievement as an author?
I don’t think I’ve reached that goal yet, thankfully, but seeing my first book in print was a real highpoint.
What do you feel is your biggest strength?
Setting the scene, being able to put the reader into the story.
Biggest weakness?
Not being as effectively self-critical as I’d like. I think I would save a lot of time if I were able to see the problems earlier on. On the other hand, sometimes I second-guess myself too much. Finding that happy medium is the hardest part.
What do you feel sets this book apart from others in the same genre?
It’s a story about love lost, then regained, told primarily from a masculine point of view. There aren’t that many male writers who write love stories/romances, and I think that’s unfortunate. I think the male point of view can be both revealing and refreshing. Additionally, I think we all wonder about “the one that got away.” This is a story where the lovers get a second chance.
You know the scenario – you’re stuck on an island. What book would you bring with you and why?
Sorry, but it would have to be two books. The first would be Jack Finney’s immortal Time and Again and the second would be Stephen King’s The Stand. Time and Again appeals to the romantic in me; The Stand scares me silly; and it’s a monumental work that inspires me to try and surpass myself.
What is your favorite past-time?
I love playing electric guitar. I’m an inveterate rock and roller, so for me, it’s Cream, Hendrix, Black Sabbath, Green Day, and others of that ilk. Just as it is for one of the characters in my book, guitar playing is psychotherapy–a cathartic release. It’s also a way to ruminate on story problems or break writer’s block. Sometimes when the words won’t come, I’ll whip out the guitar, plug in and start wailing. After awhile the words start flowing again. And then I can’t stop them
Bill Walker is a graphic designer specializing in book and dust jacket design, and has worked on projects by Ray Bradbury, Richard Matheson, Dean Koontz and Stephen King. Between his design work and his writing, he spends his spare time reading voraciously and playing very loud guitar, much to the chagrin of his lovely wife and two sons. Bill makes his home in Los Angeles and can be reached through his web site: http://www.billwalkerdesigns.com/
Brian Weller is a hau
nted man. It’s been two years since the tragic accident that left his three-year-old son dead and his wife in an irreversible coma. A popular author of mega-selling thrillers, Brian’s life has reached a crossroads: his new book is stalled, his wife’s prognosis is dire, and he teeters on the brink of despair. Everything changes the morning an e-mail arrives from Boston artist Joanna Richman. Her heartfelt note brings back all the poignant memories: the night their eyes met, the fiery passion of their short-lived affair, and the agonizing moment he was forced to leave Joanna forever. Now, fifteen years later, the guilt and anger threaten to overwhelm him. Vowing to make things right, Brian arranges a book-signing tour that will take him back to Boston. He is eager to see Joanna again, but remains unsure where their reunion will lead. One thing is certain: the forces that tore their love asunder will stop at nothing to keep them apart. Filled with tender romance and taut suspense, A Note from an Old Acquaintance is an unforgettable story about fate, honor, and the power of true love.
Dear Tracee:
Thank you for hosting me. It's very much appreciated.
Bill-