William C. Tracy
Raleigh, NC
USA
Good morning, Willian, and welcome to Vision and Verse. Can you tell us a little about what you've written?
-I’ve written over 10 books now. I have the Dissolutionverse, which includes a trilogy and four novellas about a society with music-based magic. I also have a trilogy of scifi books called The Biomass Conflux, about a generational fleet landing on a planet covered by sentient fungus. I also have a new nonfiction book called How To Operate Your Body, about how to move and walk more efficiently and with less pain, and then an epic fantasy called Fruits of the Gods, about two sisters who escape confinement, learn to use seasonal fruit magic, and then plot to overthrow a corrupt government!
I also run a small press called Space Wizard Science Fantasy. I sell books at a lot of markets in North Carolina
What is your favorite genre to write?
-Most of what I write is either fantasy or science fiction.
Favorite food.
-I love pasta! I once spent about a month in Italy and ate pasta every day without getting tired of it.
Tea or coffee?
-Tea. My wife and I have afternoon tea most days with honey from our beehives.
Pizza or ice cream?
-Hard choice, but probably pizza.
Wine or beer or soda or what?
-I drink a lot of fruit juice, and I like tea. I have an occasional soda, but I don’t drink.
Where would you like to visit?
-Everywhere! My wife is a travel agent and we love to travel. I’ve been across the US, as well as many countries in Europe. We’ve just gone on a Greek cruise and we’re going to New Zealand in 2024!
Favorite musical artist.
-I was raised on classical music and trained in classical violin, so one of my great loves is Beethoven’s 2nd symphony. But I also like a lot of modern music. One of my favorite bands is Muse, because they have a very rich instrumental element.
Do you listen to music when you write? What?
-Almost always. Music helps me focus, as long as there are not a lot of lyrics. I often use classical, game, or anime music to help me write.
What makes you laugh?
-I have a pretty dry sense of humor. I was raised on Monty Python and other British humor.
Favorite work of art or sculpture.
-Maybe Michaelangelo’s David? I got to see it in person in Italy and it is breathtaking. A very near contender is Michelangelo’s Pietà in the Vatican (which I also got to see in person).
How old were you when you started writing?
-I started writing as a teenager. It was pretty bad, but I stayed with it and developed a lot more after college.
Do you plan out your book with outlines and notecards? Or just write?
-I usually write a 10-12 page outline for a novel. However about halfway through writing, the ending usually changes from what I first wrote.
Describe your perfect evening.
-Getting some writing in, and playing a game for a few hours either with friends or alone.
Where do you get your inspiration?
-All over. I have interests in engineering, gardening, martial arts, politics, psychology, data analysis, beekeeping… I have more trouble writing down all my ideas.
What do you do when you get writer's block?
-I don’t. I have plenty to write and not enough time to do it. I try to write a little each day.
Who is your favorite author?
-Hard to say. I actually like reading indie authors because they have a lot of fresh takes that aren’t in mainstream fiction. Some favorite traditionally published writers are Mary Robinette Kowal, Lois McMaster Bujold, Brandon Sanderson, and Will Wight.
Best book you ever read.
-I think it would be different if I went back and read it again now, but reading The Eye of The World, the first book in the Wheel of Time series back in the 90’s really opened my eyes to epic fantasy.
Last book you read.-The second book in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series.
What would you do for a living if you weren’t a writer?
-I had a day job as a mechanical engineer in performance and efficiency for Caterpillar for 17 years. Now I mentor data analysis students when I’m not writing or running my small press.
Who is the one person who has influenced your personal life the most and why?
-Growing up, one of the most influential figures was my grandfather. He never stopped learning, and we got our first PC as his hand-me-down (because he learned to use it first!) in the early 80’s.
If you could sit down and have a conversation with ONE person, living or dead, real or fictional, who would it be and why?
-Leonardo da Vinci. I would love to see how his mind worked and what inspired his inventions.
What advice would you give someone who aspired to be a writer?
-Finish the first book. The secret is that you can go back and change the words later to make it better.
Do you have some links for us to follow you?
(social media links to your amazon, Facebook, whatever else you want publicized)
Website: https://spacewizardsciencefantasy.com/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/williamctracyswsf/
Bluesky: wctracy.bsky.social
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wctracy
Mastodon: https://wandering.shop/@wctracy
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wctracy
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/William-C-Tracy/e/B01D1Z2MD8
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