Interview with Will Edwinson

Author of LouIsa: Iron Dove of The Frontier

 

Where are you from originally and where do you reside now?

I spent the bulk of my life in the Southeast highlands of Idaho, an agricultural valley that lays at an altitude of between 5000 and 6000 feet above sea level and is noted for producing high quality barley and Idaho seed potatoes. I was a small grains producer by profession—barley and wheat. I have since moved to Arizona.

If you currently reside somewhere besides where you were born, what’s the story that lead from there to here?

It’s not really much of a story. Albeit the valley where I used to live is a beautiful and peaceful place, the high altitude fosters some rather harsh winters. It’s not unusual for winter temperatures to plummet to 35 to 40 degrees F. below zero. The winters here in Arizona are much milder. Although the summers can be bloody hot, there is no snow to shovel.

What made you decide to write and publish your first book?

I would have to say the credit for that would definitely be attributed to family. I used to tell them stories at the dinner table, or in the car while on road trips about my youth adventures growing up in rural American during the 1940s.
They kept urging me to write them down and put them in a book. I kept resisting, saying people wouldn’t be interested in reading about the adventures of a country boy that happened a half century ago. They kept insisting that I was wrong; that people would, indeed, enjoy reading about them.
So I finally relented and put them to paper, but I didn’t put them into to a book at first. I called and talked to the publishers of a magazine based in the Capital city of Idaho and pitched my stories to see if they would be interested in serializing them. After reading a few, they agreed, and ran a story once a month for fourteen months. I was both delighted and surprised to learn that they were very well received by the magazine’s readers.
It was then that I decided to compile them into a book, and Buddy….His Trials and Treasures, was born. I later entered it in national competition, where it won a second place ribbon.

How would you describe your books to first time readers?

 

I’m a story teller, a novelist. I don’t write non-fiction other than an occasional op-ed piece. I would like to say that my books are a light, fast, and—I hope—interesting read.

Who do you feel is most likely to connect with the topics you write about?

I believe I touched on that in the previous question. My novels cover a variety of genres, but my writing style addresses light, fast, reads. My novels cover a range of genres from political, to a pseudo historical western which brings us to the book this interview is about-LouIsa—Iron Dove of The Frontier.
The novel is loosely based—very loosely—on the real-life of LouIsan Houston-Earp, Sam Houston’s quarter Cherokee granddaughter, who in real life was a Harvey Girl. Fred Harvey owned and operated a string of high-end restaurants in 19th century railroad depots. The waitresses were known as Harvey Girls. The novel is not an authorized biography of LouIsa, nor is it meant to be. I explain more about that in the novel’s preface.
The LouIsa in my novel is a well-educated genteel woman who grew up on her father Samuel Houston’s Montana cattle ranch. She could come in off the range, shed her chaps and spurs, dawn a party gown and be right at home with Vassar graduates. She could, also, when necessary, get down and dirty and fight the gutter rats, as one hapless rowdy discovered, DON’T MESS WITH LOUISA.
She was also a trained classical pianist who took highbrow music into cattle trail saloons and soon had crusty cowpokes mesmerized by her magical touch on the piano. I think if your readers were to read the novel, they would like reading about LouIsa as much as I enjoyed writing about her.

What unexpected or surprising thing did you learn during the process of writing and publishing?

How difficult it is to secure the services of an agent. I had a stack or rejection slips a couple inches high before I finally received one from an agent who was willing to take me on as a client. Problem was, he up and died a couple months later.

If you could, what advice would you give to past self yourself before embarking on this journey?

Prepare yourself for a tough bumpy road containing many disappointments, and surprises along the way. This business is not for the feint hearted or those wearing rose colored glasses.

How many people would you ideally like to reach with your books?

How about a million or two?  Hey, I can dream, can’t I?

What has been the biggest challenge and frustration during the process to date?

Marketing. In days not long ago, publishers did the bulk of the marketing and publicity for an author’s works. A much bigger portion of that seems to have been pushed onto authors these days. I don’t savvy these modern marketing techniques very well.

What’s your biggest strengths when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

The fact that I was self-employed for most of my life. Self-employment hones the skills for overcoming all kinds of hurdles along the way.

What’s your biggest weakness when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

Marketing, by far. I just don’t savvy these modern marketing techniques.

When do you think you will you write your next book?

I’m nearly half-way through my ninth decade here on old planet earth. I don’t think I have another book in me during this life. Maybe in the next life. 😊

Are you self published or did you use a hybrid publisher, or a traditional publisher?

Self-published for my first book,  hybrid for the other three..