To Purchase Anyone of Bill Clem's Books Click Here 

Today, Norm Goldman Publisher & Editor of Bookpleasures.com is excited to have as our guest, Bill Clem, RN. Bill is the author of The Hospital (2010), Replica, Immortal, Medicine Cup, Microbe, Bliss, Diencephalon, They All Fall Down, Presidential Donor, Skin Deep, and A Brief Interval.  As a Registered Nurse, he has spent the last twenty-five years working at hospitals in Delaware and Maryland.

Good day Bill and thanks for participating in our interview.

Norm:

How did you get started in writing? What keeps you going?

Bill:

In 1996 I was reading a lot of novels that were leaving me disappointed when I was finished with them. I had always wanted to write a novel so I decided to sit down and write something that I would like to read. After two years, I completed Presidential Donor, my first novel. After that, I knew I wanted to keep writing  as many novels as I possibly could.

As far as what keeps me going, I want to please the fan base I have built over the last four years since my first publication. Besides that I have a never ending supply of ideas I want to explore in my writing.

Norm:

Does your writing conflict with your profession of a Registered Nurse?

Bill: Fortunately, not. I have been in private duty for the last ten years and this affords me a lot of writing time. Although the job still requires a lot of skill, it’s not as demanding of my time as working full time in a hospital setting.

Norm:

Did you read any special books on how to write?

Bill:

Every one I could get my hands on. Some of my favorites: The First Five Pages by Noah Lukeman, Writing The Breakout Novel by Donald Maass, and The Art of Fiction by John Gardner. But just as important, I read as many novels as I could, sometimes as many as five a week. I used these as my textbooks, picking them apart to learn how certain scenes were handled and dialogue was used. Also, one of the best books for writers at any stage in their career is Self-Editing For Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King. It’s a great book for learning how to tighten up your writing and avoid amateur mistakes.

Norm:

What do you see as the influences on your writing?

Bill:

Just my own experiences in life and career. Since I mainly write medical thrillers, I’m always influenced by new technology and breakthroughs in that field. And I suppose the books I’ve read have influenced me to a degree.

Norm:

What in your belief makes a good story?

Bill:

I’m pretty much a plot driven writer. I think if you have a great plot it can make even mediocre, characters seem more believable. I know many readers and writers think every character has to be fleshed out so you feel like they’re your next-door neighbors. But without a great plot, those characters are just going through the motions. I like to leave a lot to the reader’s imagination when it comes to characters. Let them fill in the blanks, so to speak. 

Norm:

How much real-life do you put into your fiction? Is there much “you” in there?

Bill:

Probably every writer has a little of themselves in their stories. It’s hard to separate your personality from your characters sometimes. I try not to be didactic in my writing. I find that boring in novels. I think if you look at my books you’ll see a recurrent theme, and that is, good always prevails over evil. That’s pretty much what I believe.

Norm:

Is your work improvisational or do you have a set plan?

Bill:

It’s both, actually. I usually have a plan after the initial idea, but as the story moves along it becomes largely improvisational. I still try to stick to the plan, but if it goes in another direction and it’s for the better, I’ll let it go differently than I originally planned if it makes the story better.

Norm:

What are the most difficult parts of writing your books?

Bill:

Characterization for me is the most difficult part. Especially when you write a lot of books like I do, you don’t want to be redundant in how you create your characters. Also, the middle of the book tends to slow me down at times. I can always get off to a rip-roaring start, and I know where the ending is going right away, but the middle really takes a lot more effort than the other parts.

Norm:

What are the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

Bill:

That the characters and plot can really lead you in different directions than what you originally planned. They have a mind of their own. I used to hear other writers say that, and now I definitely believe it.

Norm:

Which of your novels is your favorite and why?

Bill:

Usually my favorite is the one I’m writing at the time. Or since I usually work on two or three simultaneously, the one I’m most anxious to finish. In terms of published material, I’d have to say my favorite is Presidential Donor because it was my first and I had so much fun with it. I wrote a lot of it in the hospital between taking care of patients and I still have the original handwritten draft mostly written on the back of hospital scrap paper. It was a time when I was just learning the craft of novel writing, so it made it really exciting each time I completed another chapter.

Norm:

Do you feel that writers, regardless of genre owe something to readers, if not, why not, if so, why and what would that be?

Bill:

When you publish a book and on the back of that book there’s a blurb that says this character will do this and that character will do that and this will happen or that will happen, you are making a promise to the reader. You are promising to take them on whatever journey your novel is supposed to take them on. Whether it’s about a fictional hospital or a fictional virus that’s going to wipe out humanity, or any other scenario, you’ve promised them something. That’s what you owe the reader. Your promise. So if your book falls short, you haven’t held up your end of the deal.

Norm:

How long does it take you to write a typical novel, including research, writing and editing time?

Bill:

I’ve written books in two months and others in two years. On average I’m usually ready for the first edit in about five months. Having said that, I usually work on two or three books at a time. So, I have had as many as three books finished at nearly the same time. Then I can publish them as close together as my publisher allows me to.

As far as research goes, I try to do very little. I’m a pretty well-read individual, so I write the things that I know best. I also like to write fiction as fiction. By that I mean, if I need to create a disease or medicine in one of my medical thrillers, I’ll make it up rather than research some real one. The key is to make it so realistic that no one knows the difference. I have actually had readers tell me they thought that certain things in my novels were real when in reality they were totally made up. It’s all in the details. But overall, I try to put out a book every six months.

Norm:

Do you recommend other writers find a niche or specialty? What have been the rewards for you?

Bill:

Yes. I think it important to find your own specialty. That is if it’s something you’re good at. Writing medical thrillers just came naturally for me because I’ve spent so many years in the medical field. On the other hand, I wouldn’t recommend someone write a medical thriller who wasn’t in the medical profession. Without the experience in the real setting, it just doesn’t ring true. The same could be said of legal thrillers. So find your own niche, but make sure it really is your own and you’re not just trying to emulate someone just because you happen to like them. Of course we all start out emulating someone, but eventually we find our own voice and hopefully our own niche.

Norm:

Can you tell us how you found representation for your books? Did you pitch it to an agent, or query publishers who would most likely publish this type of book? Any rejections? Did you self-publish?

Bill:

I had a lot of rejection in the beginning as most writers do. I pitched both agents and editors and finally ended up with a medium sized publisher who gave me carte blanche in terms of acceptance. After I had a small measure of success, I had publishers contacting me for different rights: Foreign, audio, etc. As far as self-publishing goes, all my e-books are self-published. With the explosion of e-readers, it just makes more sense for an author to hold on to his e-book rights. The royalty rates are much higher. Even some major authors are starting to self-publish their e-books.

Norm:

How have you used the Internet to boost your writing career?

Bill:

I have a great website first of all. Also since the beginning, I have sold my books on hundreds of internet book seller sites,  Amazon being the most important. I also market using book trailers, which are shown all over the net, as well as blogs, and social networks. The benefits of the Internet are immeasurable to an author today. There are endless opportunities to market your books.

Norm:

What are you working on now and how can our readers find out more about you and your books?

Bill:

I am just finishing up The Hospital due to be released on February 23rd. It’s in the final editing stages. I’m also working on Pathogen, the sequel to my bestseller Microbe. The best way to keep up with what’s going on with my books is to visit my website at www.billclem.com You can also visit me on Amazon.

Norm:

Is there anything you wish to add that we have not covered?

Bill:

Just to say thank you for the opportunity to be interviewed and I hope your viewers will check out my website and drop me a line.

Norm:

Thanks once again and good luck with all of your future endeavors

To Purchase Anyone of Bill Clem's Books Click Here