We recently interviewed author William Turner about his new book, a thriller, DEATH COMES FOR THE PRESIDENT. Check it out.
Pro Media MAg: First of all, tell us about the start of your professional career?
William Turner: During the freshman year of college, I had written a paper. The professor wrote across the top of the paper, “It’s amazing at the high rate of illiteracy in the United States.” Shocked, I went to Brothers Newman and Ward at Catholic Memorial High, asking them what was mean by the comment. They read the paper, and collectively they said the paper was technically correct, but that I lacked style. I asked how can I acquire style. They suggested I read murder mysteries. I spent the entire Saturday at the library, reading murder mysteries. Specifically, I read most all of Agatha Christie’s murder mysteries. When I returned to school, I was ready, for I had focused on her sentence structure—with attention to variations.
Pro Media MAg: How and when you first get into writing?:
William Turner: Little did I realize it at the time, but I had been influenced by the Grande Dame of Mystery. It was several years later when I tried my hand at writing mysteries. When I first drafted “A Murder in Our Midst”, I submitted the manuscript to Avon Books for a talent critique. It was a longshot, but surprisingly Avon’s editor critiqued the manuscript and offered invaluable suggestions which I carefully followed.
Pro Media MAg: What kind of books your normally write?
William Turner: I write murder mysteries exclusively. Writing murder mysteries is the most challenging and demanding of the writing genre. They challenge the author to develop a believable plot; believable, relatable characters, and settings. There are seasoned, mystery readers who can solve the mystery after reading a few chapters. It is indeed an accomplishment when the author keeps the reader flipping pages—until the very end—and say, “Wow!”
Pro Media MAg: Tell us about your recent book DEATH COMES FOR THE PRESIDENT.
William Turner: Five murders were committed at Walter Reed, and all of the victims worked in the Hematology department were killed. Despite every effort to do so, the gruesome murders went unsolved.
Within the span of a few months, the president was murdered—after having returned from an economic summit. The American government was poised to go to war. However, the government wanted to target the right culprit. To this end, the United States government hired Sir Robert Winchell to investigate, specifically to retrace the footsteps—the president’s itinerary. During Sir Winchell’s investigation, he was apprised of the unsolved murders that had occurred at Walter Reed. What his investigation revealed not only shocked the American people, but also the world.
Pro Media MAg: What was the inspiration behind writing this book?
William Turner: Normally when I write, the story is fully developed in my mind. But this time, I ran into writer’s block. I had two characters living in Texas, and I had no idea what I was going to do with them. I scraped the characters. Much later, I had an idea, and the story unfolded mentally. That was when I began writing—having come up with a believable plot and relatable characters.
Pro Media MAg: What kind of response you have received from the release?
William Turner: The book was reviewed, and the review was favorable. However, I was unable to use the review because the reviewer revealed the plot.
Pro Media MAg: What is your favorite part of being an author?
William Turner: My favorite part of being an author is the ability to write mysteries that have interesting, believable plots, and the creation of characters that can be related to, along with settings that are familiar to the readers.
Pro Media MAg: What do you do in your off days or free time?
William Turner: I enjoy gardening.