H. Schussman's Interview with Chuck Walsh

Chuck Walsh Interview

Heidi:

First, Chuck, tell us a little about yourself.

Chuck:

I reside in Columbia, SC. I am a lifelong resident, although I find the oppressive summer humidity an unnecessary burden I shouldn't have to bear. 

Heidi:

What genre do you write? 

Chuck:

I write in various genres, primarily because I'd get bored writing within the same style and the same premise. I have written two murder/suspense novels, two literary fiction works, and one that is a blend of literary fiction and fantasy. So as you can see, I like to go in different directions with regard to theme and subject matter.  In order for me to write the best I possibly can, to take readers into worlds they might likely have never entered, I have to be excited and passionate about that new world I'm creating. And if it's new and fresh, to me anyway, I feel more passionate about creating and developing it.

Heidi:

When did you start writing?

Chuck:

I began writing in 2004. My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, and I wanted to write something to her to express how much she meant to me, and how much I loved her. This produced A Passage Back, which will be released in August, 2015. It is also the only book I've written in first person, and I did so because it is based on my childhood, and my family.

Heidi:

What are you working on now?

Chuck:

I am working on Jakob's Well, a story about a man whose parents were killed in a car crash when he was three. Orphaned, and now grown, he seeks to find who he is; his roots. The only thing linking him to his family is a keepsake box containing personal items such as a necklace, ring, and a medal. He's found a man who can send him back in time if he removes an item from the box and stands next to a well. Whoever that item belonged to in the family is who he goes back in time to briefly visit. The catch is, he'll have no recollection that he has come from the future. Not only that, he won't know that the family member he's gone back in time to visit is related to him. It's only once he returns to the future that he'll know who it was: his mother, father, grandfather, uncle, etc. Each time he goes back in time he knows he faces the chance that he might never return.

Heidi:

Who is your favorite character in your stories? 

Chuck:

That is a tough one. In each book I have a favorite character to some degree, and it typically is not the main character. Most characters in my books are based on people I know, and are typically ones I have a fondness for, a closeness to. And there are certain traits in those characters that I absolutely love and admire. In Shadows on Iron Mountain, my murder/suspense, the mountain guide, Emma, who takes the big city detective onto Iron Mountain, is based on my aunt. She is one of the most colorful, funny, and contrary people I've ever known. My love for her made it so much fun to bring her character to life in the book. Now the world can truly get a glimpse of this spectacularly unique woman.   

    

Heidi:

Do you see yourself in any of your characters?

Chuck:

Yes, sometimes. The writer, Pete, in A Month of Tomorrows, who befriends a WWII vet dying of cancer, listens to, and documents, what the man endured in the jungles of the Philippines. The WWII vet is based on my uncle, and the writer is based on me to a certain degree. The same applies to Cape Jeffers, the baseball player in A Splintered Dream. I played baseball for over twenty years and truly love the game and what it stands for, and could totally relate to the peaks and valleys he experiences in trying to reach the top.

Heidi:

Where do you write? Describe your workspace?

Chuck:

I write in two different spots. One is the love seat in my den, and the other is a chaise lounge in my Florida room that looks out over our swimming pool and an array of plants and flowers. The den lends a darker and deeper tone, and the Florida room is warm and uplifting.

Heidi:

Who is your all-time favorite author?

Chuck:

My favorite author is Cormac McCarthy, who I believe is the greatest writer of the last fifty years. The way he places the reader into each setting, into the hearts of his characters, often hearts filled with evil and hell bent on destruction, and the way he confronts the battle of good and evil, heaven and hell, God and Satan, often through the use of obscure characters, is simply amazing. When I want to be inspired to write better than I've ever written before, I read ten or fifteen pages of one of his books and then I am fired up and ready to go.

Heidi:

Did you find writing a query letter a challenge? If so, how did you overcome it? Do you think there was a key phrase or idea in your query letter?

Chuck:

I find it easier to write a full length novel than a one page query letter. Well, that might be a slight exaggeration. One of the best things that happened to me was signing with my agent, Jeanie Loiacano, so that she now prepares the query letters. The premise of instilling a desire into a publisher to read one of my books, and doing so in basically two or three paragraphs, drives me nuts.

Heidi:

What advice do you have for a writer aspiring to be published?

Chuck:

My advice to aspiring writers is to write about people and/or places that you are close to, have a love for, a passion about. I think you write best when you are inspired, and there's nothing like the inspiration of family, friends, or of people who have impacted you in some way, to be the basis for your characters.

Heidi:

Would you be willing to share your Facebook page and website with your fans?

  

Chuck:

Absolutely, 

Facebook

Website

Publisher