Q. What inspired you to become a writer?
A. It’s an unusual tale, to be honest. A few years back, maybe 3 or 4, my wife was writing a memoir. She was going to conferences, joining groups, and immersing herself in her writing. I was proud of her, and her pages flowed like poetry. While she was writing, I was at home on my phone, getting lost in social media and Netflix. Maybe two years later, my wife lost steam, and the ideas drew short as she tried to recall her history, her story. It saddened me, but around that time, I grew tired of sitting idle. I tried to write something for Nanowrimo, and it wasn’t any good, but it got me out of my funk. I then tried again with short poetry and small musings, but again, nothing serious. Then one day, I decided to create a character, and I bolstered it with a world that I created around them. Then the hint of a plot started to form, and before I knew it, I was building something grander, more exciting. And then the oddest thing happened. My wife, kids, and I went on vacation, and I started to write at night before bed, and it kept going. And before long, it became an obsession. After six months, I had written 800 pages of a story, and just like that, I became a writer.
Q. What inspires you to keep writing even when the process becomes difficult?
A. Since this is my first book, it’s easy to fail. Easy to believe that no one likes my book or feels there’s anything interesting about it, but it’s self-defeating. There are eight billion people on this planet, and you’re not trying to reach each and every single one of them. Sales do not dictate quality. I have had friends tell me that they really enjoyed my novel, and it gives me hope that it’s not their kindness that motivates their words, but their genuine affection for the words I wrote. It’s not that I seek praise or validation; I want to know that I stirred something in a reader. I have always loved sitting with a book, reading it, feeling a character’s emotions and struggles, and empathizing with their plight, while feeling rewarded when a character succeeds. It frees me from life’s hardships and inspires me to write. Writing is difficult if you lack the passion for the words and the conviction of how they make you feel. The process is alleviating if I can harness that emotion with each word.
Q. Do you have a favorite scene or moment from one of your books?
A. I think one-on-one interactions with two characters are the most fun. You get to create a voice for each character and mold their personality through their words, actions, thoughts, and desires. And the more you grow them, the more real they become, not only to you, but to the story itself. When Fento shares his origin story with Karal, their interaction feels real to me. The hesitations, the fear, the torment of what Karal will think once Fento has divulged this horrid part of myself, and then Karal’s reaction. It is a meaningful deepening of their relationship and builds the trust they lacked just a few paragraphs earlier. It is earned, not given, through a sorrowful story of Fento’s past, yet Karal gives him the chance to become more meaningful to them. It was one of my favorite chapters to write, and it gives me chills to think about it.
Q. What was the biggest obstacle you faced while writing a book?
A. I lacked any form of refinement when it came to writing. I actually thought we still used two spaces after every period! I had written technical documents out the wazoo, but here I was trying to formulate thoughts that are much more organic and emotionally powerful. It nearly broke me. When I went through the editing process with a developmental editor, I was horrid at dialogue tags and even worse at head-hopping. She was willing to look past it and let me correct on the fly, but it made the process more burdensome and slower. Topping it all was my desire to add so much backstory and depth to a character, which was ultimately cut because it detracted from the story. I still feel chills from the process.
Q. If your book were turned into a movie, who would play the main character?
A. I think Andy Serkis (a younger version) would make an ideal Fento. He is underrated as an actor in that he can portray Gollum one minute and then Caesar in Planet of the Apes. I know Fento is a Fen and might be someone with a lot of makeup and costumes on, but if he were digitally created, I’d want Andy to act him out completely, including his stealthy movements and scared poses. I am now listening to him narrate the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and he has such an incredible presence in the way he emotes and annunciates Tolkien’s words that it gives me chills. Underrated and underappreciated in my mind.
Q. What are you currently working on?
A. I’m working on the second book in my series, The End of Ra. The first book, Anomalous, follows Fento and Karal as they explore the world and learn more of its secrets while running from the deadly Klenzeer. Every chapter is filled with character growth and adventure, creating a narrative that grows our familiarity with the characters and their plight. Book two focuses on their journey as they seek refuge from the world and meet new supporting characters and villains who will try to hinder them. There’s a greater sense of scale and threat in this second book, and the stakes are infinitely higher as secrets and more lore are divulged through the actions of our protagonists. This would definitely be the Empire Strikes Back of this chaotic journey. It’s more than halfway written, and I’m eager to finish it.
Q. What kind of reader do you imagine you’re writing for?
A. It’s funny because I thought I wanted a reader of fantasy to want to read this book, or perhaps a reader of sci-fi to get into the future sections of this narrative, but it doesn’t necessarily appeal to either audience. Speculative fiction walks the fine line between worlds. There are distinctive fantasy elements, but nothing concrete, such as magic or dragons. There are hints of futurism and technology, but nothing specifically identified as such. I think the appeal is to the everyday reader who likes a good story with interesting characters, some mystery and intrigue in a somewhat plausible world, and relatable, earnest characters. I’m not trying to pull the wool over your eyes with an unexpected or unexplainable phenomenon. I want everything in my book to be plausible to certain lengths, so when you think of my characters, they could be real and act as such in scenarios in the book. If you can appreciate similar to our but with secrets that open up as the narrative continues, this story is definitely for you.
Visit William’s page at https://nhauthors.com/william-beltre/