Sunday, April 21, 2013

Getting to know Suspense Author, Bill Schweigart



Patricia: Bill, I’m so glad you could be with us today. Please tell us, what are your favorite things to do when you’re not reading or writing?

Bill: With a busy work schedule, an active family, and a new puppy, there’s barely even time to read or write. When I can carve out some time, I usually put the earbuds in and get a little exercise on the wooded trails of Arlington. I’m also a massive comic book fan, so whatever I’m doing, there’s a good chance I’m doing it while secretly pretending I’m Batman. 

Patricia: What’s your favorite color? Why?

Bill: Any shade of blue. It’s calm and serene and life is anything but.

Patricia: How would you describe yourself, personality wise?

Bill: I once took the Myers-Briggs personality test and the results stated, “You are an introvert, but no one will believe you when you tell them.” I was also voted my high school’s “Most Organized” senior, a category they created just for me. In other words, sorry ladies – I’m married. 

Patricia: Do you like to travel? If so, what are some of your favorite places to go and/or what was your favorite vacation?

Bill: There are a couple of places in particular I’ve always been enamored with and my thriller, Slipping The Cable, makes good use of both of them. The first is Ocean City, the perfect Jersey Shore resort town. I’ve been vacationing there since I was a little boy and no matter how old I get, it still retains its childhood, summertime magic for me. Key West also has a strong pull on me. When I was in the Coast Guard, we sailed into the rowdy little island and I was immediately enchanted by it. My novel hinges on the tense dynamic between Kelly Sensor, the youngest officer aboard the Coast Guard Sentinel, and his vengeful captain, Aregood. When I needed an idyllic home town for Kelly to hail from to contrast the danger and claustrophobia of his shipboard life, I naturally chose Ocean City. And when Kelly and Aregood’s battle of wills explodes into disaster, the young officer hopes to escape to Key West, but paradise becomes a dead end when his captain pursues him. And I just completed the first draft of my latest novel, The Beast of Barcroft, in which something unnatural emerges from – you guessed it – the woods of Arlington, Virginia to stalk its residents. So if I love a place, I mythologize it. It’s a good excuse to spend time in my favorite places in my head when I can’t be there in person. 

Patricia: How would you complete this sentence? If I won a million dollars, I would …

Bill: say, “No more questions, don’t you people know I’m a MILLIONAIRE?” Then I would jump into my custom-made Batmobile and floor it, leaving everyone choking on a cloud of dust. The universe will never grant me a million dollars, Pat. I would abuse it.