Answers with Carter Wilson

Answer 1

For those of who haven't read The Boy in the Woods yet, can you give a quick rundown of the story?

Of course. In 1981, three fourteen-year-old boys witness a horrific murder in the Oregon woods near their homes. Sucked into becoming accomplices to the subsequent cover-up, they swear never to talk about what happened. Thirty years later, Tommy Devereaux has become a bestselling author, using writing as his therapy. Finally, he is ready to tell the world what happened, even if he disguises the killing as fiction. But his life is set to unravel when he is approached by a woman who asks for his autograph, leaving behind a note which reads: 'You didn't even change my name.' Tommy's worst nightmare has come true. A figure from his past has returned, threatening to divulge his darkest secret unless he agrees to do everything she asks of him. Thus begins a deadly cat-and-mouse game that can only end with one or both of their destructions.

Answer 2

Why did you choose to narrate a male protagonist and a female antagonist?

The killing that takes place in the first chapter was originally perpetrated by a boy. When I re-read it, there was something not quite right about the scene. Then I re-wrote it with a 16 year-old girl doing the killing, and it just became so much more intriguing. It's just so unexpected.

Answer 3

What motivated you to keep trying after publishing companies rejected your first four books?

My writing improves with each book, so a rejection is just an opportunity to create something better. It does get frustrating, however, because it's such a highly competitive field with less and less money coming into it.

Answer 4

What do you do when you have writer's block?

I'm usually trying to find a block of time to actually write, so I'm fortunate not to have suffered writer's block. Not that there's anything wrong with writer's block. It's common and happens to lots of guys. Sometimes it's okay just to cuddle.

Answer 5

Earlier this summer, you gave away copies of The Boy in the Woods to five lucky fans who emailed you their favorite expletives in the subject line. How did you come up with the idea for the contest?

A reviewer on Amazon hated my book because I apparently used the word "fuck" too much. That fucker was my inspiration for the contest.

What were the winning expletives?

Oh, they were all atrocious. You should have seen my inbox. One of my favorite (and more subtle) winners was "Gay cockin often yom," which apparently is Yiddish for "go take a shit in the ocean." The other winners mostly had some interesting derivation of the word "fuck" along with suggestions for things to do with one's cousins.

What is your favorite expletive?

I credit my friend Amy from introducing me to "Holy Jesus Fuckstick." That kills at cocktail parties.

Answer 6

Do you have any stories currently in the works, and if so, what are they about?

I have a book completed written from a woman's point of view, and it's about her realization that something is very wrong with her husband. And the second book I ever wrote is something I'm returning to now, because it's a good story that wasn't written the way it needs to be. In essence, it's about a man who attempts suicide after his wife is killed in a car accident, and his failed attempt brings about a series of visions that he's convinced will uncover a plot about the real reason his wife was killed.

Answer 7

Your first published book, Final Crossing, was in fact the fifth book you tried to get published. What advice can you give to aspiring authors who have also been rejected?

The same thing any other writer will tell you: 1) Learn from your rejections, 2) Write every day, and 3) Don't quit your day job.

Answer 8

The Minneapolis Books Examiner said that The Boy in the Woods is "in the vein of early Stephen King or some of Dean Koontz's stronger single novels." How have successful thriller novelists, perhaps Stephen King and Dean Koontz themselves, influenced your writing?

It's hard to find a better storyteller out there than Stephen King. I think I've tried to learn from both King and Koontz how to keep the pace of a story tight and fast, without sacrificing character development. Often a well-placed word can say more about a character than a page of backstory.

Answer 9

Would you ever consider writing a fiction novel that's not a thriller?

I would, but not so different it would alienate my existing readers. I'm working on something now that would still be considered suspense, but far less dark than my first two novels.

Answer 10

Your bio says you live in a "spooky" Victorian house in Colorado. What's the story behind the house?

I live in a neighborhood that is of newer construction, but all the houses have to be designed in a style that would have been present in 19th-century Colorado. I wanted a design that had flashes of the Addams' Family house, so it was conceived in that spirit. Purple and green, a turret with iron cresting, gargoyles, bats, etc. Halloween is a lot of fun at my house.