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Index What's New? Charter ChanOps Regulars Gallery Links Newsgroup wOOhOOs!!! Software PRH Pages Contact Join Us #AuthorsCafe - About - 
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Updated: March 11, 1999
 # A U T H O R S C A F E - I N T E R V I E W S E D W I L L I A M S
The author of Sex, Dead Dogs, and Me - The Juliette Journals was interviewed in
#Authorscafe on June 28, 1998. From this page, you'll
find links to more information concerning Richard's works, biographical information, and the
transcript of the interview. Follow the links below for this information.
Williams Links
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Copyright © 1999 by Those of Us Who Care. All Rights Reserved. |
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#AuthorsCafe Interview with Ed Williams <Fawnn> For tonight's chat with author Ed Williams aka Balboa, we'll follow a casual protocol as follows: <Fawnn> LOL!'s or similar signs of appreciated welcome, however. ... <Fawnn> Type ! if you wish to make a longer comment and wait to be recognized <Fawnn> Type ? is you have a question and wait to be recognized <Fawnn> At the end of your Comment or Question, type GA (= Go Ahead), which lets the Author know you are ready for his reply. <Fawnn> Ed is the author of SEX, DEAD DOGS, AND ME: THE JULIETTE JOURNALS <Fawnn> Ed (Balboa): let me start by asking you to fill us in on a little bit about your background ... before we actually start discussing your literary career. Okay? ;) <Fawnn> great ... lag ;( <Balboa> actually my background is pretty basic <Balboa> grew up in juliette georgia <Balboa> the little town where the movie Fried Green Tomatoes was filmed <Balboa> went through collegge <Balboa> got married and i have two kids <Emeric> Balboa: hold on please <Balboa> one daughter (alison, 14) and one son (will, 11) <Balboa> k <Emeric> EVERYONE: type: /server irc.erols.com and rejoin #AuthorsCafe please. Thanks. :) <Balboa> yo mcristo <MCristo> hey Ed ... all ... <Balboa> k <Fawnn> Okay, I think we're here now ;) <Fawnn> yeah! Balboa ... Did you explain to those here the significance of Juliette, GA? <Emeric> ok, I think that's much better... for the newcomers... there's lots of lag tonight... join irc.erols.com <Balboa> its where the movie Fried Green Tomatoes was filmed <Emeric> GA <Fawnn> (oops ... forgot my own protocol) ;) GA <Balboa> anyway ive worked in manufacturing all my life and have lived a pretty routine existence <Balboa> i work as an HR Mgr for a manufacturing company in Macon <Fawnn> Balboa: go ahead and share with those here a little bit about how you began your writing career ... please. <Balboa> like sports, love BTO - Elvis - Jerry Lee Lewis <Fawnn> (when you're done with the background) GA ;) <Balboa> a couple of years ago i got a home computer <Balboa> and i dont understand why but i started writing down old stories about my upbringing in juliette <Balboa> just anything that came to mind <Balboa> there was no plan to it at all <Balboa> i wrote whatever i wanted to <Balboa> i liked being able to do that, cause the rest of my life is pretty structured <Balboa> so writing was like being able to pee in your pants and no one would get on to you about it <Balboa> anyway i would go in at night <Balboa> and write <Balboa> some nights a sentence or two <Balboa> the most i ever did was five pages <Balboa> after about eleven months i had a book length manuscript <InTeReStE> ? <Balboa> ill stop there for now <Fawnn> Intereste GA w/your ? <InTeReStE> what is juliette near? <Balboa> its about fifty or so miles south of atlanta <Balboa> the big city :) <InTeReStE> ga <InTeReStE> 10 4 <Fawnn> Ed, I think your first visit to a writers' club is / was such a significant step for you ... and your book's subsequent publication ... so why don't you share that story as well? For those who may not yet have heard it. .. GA <Balboa> kk <Balboa> in april of '97 <Balboa> i saw in the local paper that a group called georgia writers was having a meeting in macon <Balboa> and they urged people who came to bring something they had written with them <Balboa> i didnt know ga writers was the largest literary organzation in georgia <Balboa> over 500 members, with some lit agents and authors among em <Balboa> anyway i went to the meeting <Balboa> with a story id written about my dad catching the choir leader of our church screwing one of the ladies in the choir down in the bottom behind our house <Balboa> when i got to the meeting, 50-60 people were there <Balboa> including the exec director of ga writers * Fawnn interrupts to point out that "down in the bottom" is a geographical (not anatomical) location. GA ;) <Balboa> everyone introduced themselves <Blaize> <phew> <Balboa> and then the moderator asked if there were volunteers to read <Balboa> no one volunteered <Balboa> so out of fifty people <Balboa> guess who was selected? <Balboa> i have never been as scared in my life <Balboa> i can remember my voice trembling <Balboa> but i read the story <Balboa> the thing i remember most is having to stop reading several times cause of the laughter <Balboa> i was amazed (still am) that anyone would like it <Balboa> after the meeting i met the ga writers people <Balboa> and about a month later they did a free line edit of my manuscript <Balboa> and started helping me send it to publishers <Balboa> ill stop there <Fawnn> What did you learn from that initial experience? the line edits, etc. ? GA <Balboa> i learned alot about formatting a manuscript to send to a publisher <Balboa> and i guess i was lucky - the basic content of the manuscript was not messed with much <Alonna> ? <Balboa> so it was mostly spelling, punctuation, that type thing that was edited <Balboa> GA <Balboa> sorry, i forget the protocol stuff <Fawnn> Alonna GA w/your ? <Fawnn> np ;) <Alonna> what size town/used real names/and was there any flack? <MCristo2> ? <Balboa> the stories i told were true but names and places were changed to avoid potentially embarassing anyone <Balboa> most of the stories are things that have happened in more than one small town anyway <Balboa> GA <Fawnn> MCristo GA w/your ? <MCristo2> Can you describe what it felt like when you held the printed book in your hands for the very first time? <Balboa> oh - no flack <Balboa> GA <MCristo2> (ga) <Balboa> it was funny mcristo - i felt that when i received the galleys <Balboa> they were done just like the pages in a book <Balboa> i can remember staring at them and not really comprehending that it was my writing <Balboa> it was almost like i was there and i wasnt there, if that makes any sense at all <Balboa> almost surreal <Balboa> GA <InTeReStE> ? <Blaize> ? <Fawnn> Intereste GA w/your ? <Fawnn> Blaize GA w/your ? (I think Intereste is lagged) <InTeReStE> Are there any planned book signings? <InTeReStE> ga <Balboa> so far there are about ten i know of - most in the macon area, one around atlanta and one in milledgeville <Balboa> ga <Fawnn> Blaize GA now <Blaize> Ed, now that you're officially published, do you feel pressured to write your second book and does that take some of the fun out of writing for you? GA <Balboa> good question - actually, i am writing the second book as we speak, and just for fun <Balboa> writing is fun and just a hobby, if it became work i guess id find something else to do <Balboa> GA <Fawnn> Long one coming here: ;) Reading your book is like having you next to me, telling me a story -- kind of like we're chatting over a cup of coffee or YooHoo. ;) You mentioned the edits only involved spelling and punctuation. So you pretty much found your voice/style right off the bat then? Or did that evolve over the 11 months it took you to write your book? Did you make many editing changes yourself before you showed your book to your <Fawnn> FYI: I'm getting a 1+ minute ping from Balboa, so he's lagged ;( <Balboa> you know, it took me some time before i even understood what voice was <Balboa> the way i wrote it is the way i wrote it <Balboa> as far as edits, i went through it one time for spelling and punctuation <Balboa> and read through it one time and made changes so that the words flowed better <Balboa> after that, after i attended the georgia writers meeting, i did rewrite one chapter in the book <Balboa> and that was it for the editing until the publisher got it <Balboa> GA <Fawnn> Did you read it aloud during that edit to help the flow? Anything that worked for you/helped you that you'd like to share regarding that? GA <IlikeU> ? * MCristo2 wants to hurt Ed for only having to rewrite one chapter. :) <Fawnn> repeating: we're still experiencing lag up to one minute <Fawnn> LOL Mc!!! <Balboa> the only thing i did was do the rewriting listening to BTO <Balboa> lol <Fawnn> IlikeU GA w/your ? <Balboa> fast music keeps me hopped up and i write better, and extensive research has proven to me that BTO is the writing music for me <Balboa> GA <Balboa> yeah but you write books mcristo, this is just a bunch of stories i could tell in my sleep <Fawnn> (I apologize for the constant pings, but I'm trying to ping us closer together.) <MCristo2> (books is books) :) <IlikeU> what should we watch for in pub. contracts.. what is the avg. one can make per book? i have two pub. that want to see my book. one gets 15% overall and the other gets 15% us and 25% overseas sales. how did you pick one at first? <IlikeU> GA <Balboa> one place where ga writers really helped me was they hooked me up with a good literary agent - who did the negotiating for me on this group gratis <Balboa> on this book gratis rather <Fawnn> wow!!! You *do* lead a charmed life!!! ;) <Balboa> those percentages youre listing sound like agent percentages of an authors royalties or advance payments <Balboa> in publishing contracts watch out for <Balboa> subsidiary rights <Balboa> is the royalty percentage based on wholesale or retail price of the book <Balboa> frankly, i let the lit agent worry about it <Balboa> i also have an attorney friend who kept an eye on the lit agent <Balboa> :) <Balboa> GA <Fawnn> Is being a *published* author like what you thought it would be (like)? GA <Balboa> lol - im the forrest gump of literature i think <Emeric> LOL <Fawnn> LOL <InTeReStE> gotta go - i look forward to seeing your book on the shelves mr. williams - good luck with it <Balboa> i know this sounds crazy but trying to become a published author was the fun part - once i saw i was gonna get published it was not as exciting as i thought it would be <Balboa> im one of those "love the chase" type people <Fawnn> And your chase took you how long? ;) GA <MCristo2> ! <Fawnn> MC GA <MCristo2> To quote BTO … I have to "Roll on Down the Highway" … just wanted to say many congrats to Ed … here's to great reviews and even greater sales … <Balboa> its great but i wonder how it will change my life <Balboa> GA <IlikeU> being a first timer and having two agents (not pub) sorry wanting to see the book. I am a little leary of how to know if they are any good or not. any words of wisdom? <MCristo2> see y'all soon .... <Balboa> the chase took bout a year and a half <Balboa> thanks for coming mcristo <Balboa> it means alot <MCristo2> <g> <Balboa> i think the screen has frozen <Fawnn> [Balboa PING reply]: 1min 28secs <IlikeU> ! <Fawnn> as of last count: so it's taking that long for your answers to get here; ditto our questions to reach you. <Fawnn> IlikeU GA <IlikeU> if everyone would change to the RockHill.SC.US.Undernet.Org it would be faster. <IlikeU> GA <Fawnn> we urge everyone to use irc.erols.com <Emeric> We have a pre-determined server ILikeU <Balboa> i see <Fawnn> (for the same reason, IlikeU ... that's Arlington) <Balboa> Ga <Emeric> ? <Fawnn> Emeric GA w/your ? <Balboa> hold on fawnn <Balboa> let me swithc <Fawnn> You know to wait now, right Em? ;) <Emeric> Do you have another book planned? If so, more small-town inspiration? (SEX, DEAD DOGS AND MORE OF ME?) :) <Fawnn> [Balboa PING reply]: 1min 28secs <Balboa> Im working on the second one now - Im thinking about calling it, "God, Then Graceland <Balboa> might as well get two big priorities in the title <Alonna> LOLO! <Balboa> GA <Fawnn> LOL Good title! <Fawnn> (btw, Balboa is still lagged; we're working behind the scenes at teaching him how to add a server) ;) <Balboa> i did it! <Fawnn> ta da!!! <Emeric> wOOhOO!!!!!!! <Balboa> lol <Fawnn> [Balboa PING reply]: 6 seconds <Balboa> we dumbass country boys do catch on eventually <Fawnn> yes! yes! yes!!! <Balboa> sorry bout the probs <Emeric> don't worry Ed, we'll edit this out :) <Fawnn> I assumed you knew (never assume ... you know that story) ; ) <Emeric> LOL <Fawnn> Any word on when book 2 will be published? GA <Balboa> lol <Balboa> my publisher has already told me hed publish the next one, but he told me that he felt i would get offers from larger houses <Balboa> i was flattered although i dont know if i believe him or not <Balboa> if this one doesnt sell there wont be #2 i imagine <Balboa> GA <Fawnn> You've sold enough in GA I imagine for the original publisher to pick up your next book, haven't you? GA <Balboa> right now my publisher tells me that my book is his best selling title <Alonna> ? <Fawnn> wOOhOO!!!!!!!!!1 <Fawnn> Alonna GA w/your ? <Alonna> who is your publisher/will it go national rather than your area for signing? <Balboa> my publisher is abique books out of dallas texas <Balboa> the marketing strategy is to get the book started in central georgia and then push it into atlanta <allwrite> ? <Balboa> if it makes atlanta, it gives the publisher ammo to go to one of the national book distributors and make a deal <Balboa> GA <Fawnn> allwrite GA w/your ? <sAxylady> Hi, all. <Balboa> yo saxy <sAxylady> I think I'm lagged. <sAxylady> agggh <sAxylady> brb <Balboa> if we dont make the deal, im still the best selling author in juliette history <Balboa> :) <Balboa> GA <sAxylady> Hi, all. Ping me please. <allwrite> ? <Fawnn> <Fawnn> allwrite GA w/your ? <Fawnn> allwrite (that means you can Go Ahead with your question) <allwrite> How long did it take to write this one, and what was your 'inspiration'? <Balboa> allwrite, it took me eleven months, parttime <Balboa> a real close friend and damn good writer, linda bleser, made me believe i could write <Balboa> and was supportive <Balboa> so she gets a lot of the credit early on <Lurquer> Terribly sorry I'm late. Drive took a LOT longer than I had hoped. <allwrite> How long did it take to write this one, and what was your 'inspiration'? <Balboa> she has been published alot and believed in me <Balboa> GA <Balboa> yo Lurquer <Lurquer> Ed =) <Balboa> lol saxt <Balboa> saxy rather <allwrite> I just did. Do you see it? <Balboa> i see ya <Fawnn> [allwrite PING reply]: 2mins 49secs <sAxylady> ? <Fawnn> sAxylady GA w/your ? <sAxylady> Maybe I should wait until I buy the book to find out, but I was wondering how the stories are written. I mean did you do them as first-person, just like the way you told them to us, or third-person, or do they vary or what? <Balboa> i told most of them first person <Balboa> actually, i told them as i remembered them being told to me <Balboa> with great vigor, especially the ones involving Ed Jr <Balboa> <g> <Balboa> GA <Fawnn> How's Ed Jr handling this success? notoriaty? GA <Balboa> i saw ed jr today <Balboa> he said that people are bugging the hell out of him <Balboa> lol <Balboa> he likes the attention, but i think he and i and the rest of our family are bewildered at all this <Balboa> GA * Lurquer makes a mental note not to schedule any more netsplits during #AuthorsCafe lectures <Balboa> duly noted <Fawnn> Ed ... how did it feel to meet BTO? As good as getting published? GA <Lurquer> ? <Balboa> actually better <Balboa> i dont mean that humourously either <Balboa> id listened to BTO since '73 and they have always been my alltime fav band <Balboa> growing up in juliette, one doesnt get the chance to meet rock stars <Balboa> i mean this sincerely - if nothing else comes from the book meeting BTO was enough reward <Fawnn> I figured you'd invite Robin to join us tonight ;) <Balboa> if he knew how to get on irc he would <Balboa> he asked about <Balboa> it <Balboa> we had dinner with those guys, backstage passes at the show, everything you could imagine <Balboa> it was the best <Balboa> GA <Fawnn> (You should have sent him a copy of the s(Pam) ... instructions on there) ... ah well, next interview ;) <Fawnn> Lurquer GA w/your ? <Emeric> Balboa: http://www.blueroses.com/authors/joinus.html Give him that and he can learn how to find us here. <Balboa> ill do that emeric <Lurquer> Ed, you have enjoyed phenomenal success with this release, and I don't think it's about to stop. How do you see your lifestyle changing to react to this success? As in - has it? Or do you forsee it? Go ahead. =) <Fawnn> thanks Em! <Lurquer> forgive me, of course, if that is a repeat <Balboa> i really wish i could leave my life as it is now - work a normal job, and do the writing as a side thing <Balboa> the next two months i am booked to hell and back <Lurquer> supplementary ? <Balboa> ten signings, three local tv programs, and a book reviewers groupd wants me to visit them <Balboa> all i know to do is keep my feet on the ground, get advice from knowledgeable people, and go from there <Balboa> GA <Lurquer> Do you think there will *be* any going back to it? ;) Or do you think that you'll end up with a deluge of fans insisting that you continue to create? Go ahead.. <Balboa> lurq, im gonna write as long as its fun - if it ceases to be fun, ill find something else to do <Balboa> im afraid if i wrote just to write that it would show in the writing <Balboa> writing has to make people feel something, and if you arent doing what you want to then you need to be doing something else <Balboa> if that makes sense <Balboa> im a very instinctive type person and i write that way <Balboa> GA <Fawnn> You ever foresee yourself doing "Will Rogers"-style speaking appearances? Performing a few of your stories ... readings? (If your vocal VOICE is half as good as your writing one, you'd be a hit!) GA <Balboa> ive done a lot of public speaking in my business career, so i hope i do get some opportunities to speak to groups <Balboa> and thanks for the compliment <Balboa> :) <Balboa> GA <Fawnn> A question now .. backtracking ... to the "writing has to make people feel something" ... what take-away value do you hope people gain from your writing? GA <Fawnn> (welcome, btw) ;) <Balboa> i hope they are entertained by it and anything else they get from it is gravy <Balboa> :) <Balboa> GA <Fawnn> For someone who writes in a humorous style, but also has the strong family values that you do: Was that just yourself coming through in your writing? (I know I was impressed. Many of your opinions aren't popular ones ... sadly, imo ... today.) GA <Balboa> i just wrote things as i saw them - it was definitely me coming through in the writing <Balboa> :) <Balboa> sides, everyone should voice their own opinions but not try to cram them down everyone elses throats <Balboa> GA <Fawnn> Yes, that does show. And rereading my question, "just yourself" could sound demaining and I meant anything but that. (more) <Fawnn> I think writing your truth shows on the page. A writer friend gives this as his best compliment: "You put yourself on the page." I believe you truly did that, Ed. That's why I believe in your success. And, I also believe that as long as you continue to do that with your writing, it'll remain fun for you. Any comments? GA <Balboa> i learned one thing through all this, as regards writing <Balboa> if you write and just tell the truth about your motivations, people think its funny <Balboa> its like, everyone knows 17 year old guys are hornier than hell <Balboa> but if you write that you were hornier than hell at 17 people think that is funny <Fawnn> lol <Balboa> just be honest <Fawnn> (speaking in understatement again) ;) <Balboa> if you dont mind coming out less than a hero in the story you can have a lot of fun <Balboa> GA <Fawnn> In addition to learning all about your BTO "tour," can you give us any hints as to what else is in store in your second book? GA <Balboa> fawnn, we will discuss how my grandfather and uncle tackled santa claus and knocked the christmas tree across the room <Fawnn> (You may notice, IF *I* have any say in this: there *will* be a second book) ;) <Fawnn> LOL!!!! <IlikeU> lol <Balboa> and well discuss how bathroom equity created problems in the williams household <Balboa> and i saw a documentary that blew me away <Balboa> snakes were actually having sex <Balboa> i didnt know they did that <Fawnn> LOL <Balboa> so ill discuss snake pornography too <Fawnn> never thought about baby snakes? LOL <Balboa> actually, the next one is just like this one - whatever hits me ill write about <Balboa> GA <Fawnn> great!!! (more) <Fawnn> and speaking of THIS one, what have your readers said are their favorites stories in it? Any feedback like that so far? GA <Balboa> its funny - its been all over the map as far as fav chapters <Balboa> if there are favs <Balboa> the early frontrunners are the stink perfume and barium enema chapters <Balboa> GA <Fawnn> LOL!!! <Balboa> ed jr is partial to the chapter about Dog <Balboa> GA <Fawnn> I thought the vasectomy chapter was hilarious! But my favorite is probably your chapter of observations. GA <Fawnn> btw, Ed's given me permission to reprint "anything you want" in the Summer Issue of THE BLUE ROSE BOUQUET ... so you can read all of his book there!!! <Fawnn> j/k <Fawnn> ;) <Balboa> all of it pam? <Balboa> lol <Balboa> damn <Balboa> pleasssssssssssssseeeee dont do that <Fawnn> We will be FEATURing an excerpt. I'll send a s(Pam) to let you know when it's online. <Fawnn> LOL!!! <Lurquer> who's gonna type it in? ;) <Fawnn> not to worry ;) <Fawnn> (I have OCR scanning abililities) <Fawnn> ;) <Balboa> we be takin care of business <Balboa> everyday <Balboa> sorry <Balboa> :) <Lurquer> LOL <Fawnn> Once we get Balboa's "official permission" re the passage I select, then you'll hear about it next!!! I want to thank Ed for that!!! GA <Balboa> its my pleasure - the #authors channel has really been kind to me <Balboa> super kind <Balboa> and, as an announcement, pam and i are getting sloppy drunk after this is over and sinning all over the eastern seaboard <Balboa> GA <Lurquer> we're like that to talented people ;) <Fawnn> We're glad (and proud!) to have you a part of us! GA <Emeric> LOLOL <Fawnn> LOL Balboa!!!!!11 (shame on you!!!) <writer> you're not like that to me! <Balboa> i had to say that in order to preserve my sterling reputation <Balboa> lol <Balboa> GA <Fawnn> We've kept Ed an hour past the "hour" interview. Anyone else have any questions before he gets cranky? GA <Fawnn> ;) <IlikeU> ! I have to go. I am blessed with a wife that takes care of me and lets me know what time it is. :) thank you for the great night. Thank you ED for your insight and advice.. I shall order the book from the pub. tomorrow by mail. Good night all and Let the words come a little easier. :):):) <Balboa> thanks IlikeU <Balboa> appreciate you coming <Fawnn> I guess we're questioned out, Ed. Any parting comments? GA <naivette> Hello <sAxylady> And we love you, too. <Balboa> One - I appreciate this opportunity. It was alot of fun. The only other thing ID say is to write <Balboa> and keep writing <Balboa> and remember that you only have to convince one publisher that youve written something worthwhile <writer> is that an order? <Balboa> and thats all it takes. <Balboa> Thanks again, all. <Balboa> GA <Fawnn> Thank you sooooooooo much for being so generous with your time ... for being our guest tonight, Ed. And best of luck with your book!!! <Emeric> Thanks Ed!!! Copyright © 1998 by Blue Rose Publishing. All Rights Reserved.
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