Interview with Author M. William Phelps

Crime expert, lecturer and investigative journalist M. William Phelps is the award-winning author of twelve nonfiction books. Winner of 2008 New England Book Festival Award for I’ll Be Watching You, Phelps has appeared on Court TV/truTV, The Discovery Channel, Fox News Channel, CN8, ABC’s “Good Morning America,” The Learning Channel, Biography Channel, History Channel, Montel Williams, Investigation Discovery, Geraldo At Large, Oxygen's "Snapped" and "Captured." His new book, CRUEL DEATH, will be out in July 2009.


Welcome to PASTimes. You’ve written several “true crime books.” How did you get interested in writing non-fiction history books, specifically about the character of Nathan Hale?

History has always been a passion of mine. I love to read about who we are. As a writer, whether I am researching and writing about a document 240 years old, a police report from last year, or a journal written in the 17th century, it makes no difference. I approach all of it the same. I also grew up in Vernon, Connecticut, which is a neighboring town to Coventry, Nathan Hale’s hometown. I am minutes from Amy Archer-Gilligan’s (the subject of a book I am finishing now) home. You live in New England, you walk over history with every step you take.

Among writers there is a lot of talk about establishing a brand and a platform. Since you write in different genres, including a new legal thriller series, how have you established yourself in the market and do you have any advice for other writers seeking to do the same?

To correct the question, my fiction is not part of the legal genre. It’s the first in a contemporary detective/serial killer thriller/suspense series. Takes place in Boston. I am taking my years of true crime experience, along with everything I’ve learned while writing 12 true crime books, and injecting that into Detective Jake Sundance Cooper, a Clint Eastwood-type cop, rough around the edges, with a past to contend with. It’s exciting. I love it. My advice would be to write what you love to read. If you connect with a certain genre, stick to that. It’s what your narrative mind is used to. If that makes any sense.

It does. Sorry for the genre mix-up. Are you a full-time writer or do you hold a day job? What is the biggest challenge/obstacle you face in protecting your writing time?

I write books full-time. In fact, there is not enough time in my day to complete the work I put in front of myself. But that is part of the love I have for it. I am extremely grateful and humbled by the opportunity to do this for a living. (I’m also obsessed with writing and reading!) It’s my dream come true. I am lucky. I worked hard, yes. But I never take for granted how much I have been blessed. I am always thinking about my readers. That is my first goal when choosing stories to write about. What do my readers want from me? I am doing this because they allow me to.

My biggest obstacle is the noise of life. Interruptions. The business end of writing. And all that goes along with writing books for a living: secretarial duties, writing letters, accountants, taxes, interviews, answering email, Twitter, FaceBook, MySpace. It’s a constant juggle to find the time to stay involved in all of this—because I feel I need to be, I guess—and still find ten to twelve hours a day to research and write. That’s why you’ll generally find me working on the weekends and at night before bed. Catching up.


What historical time periods interest you the most and how have you immersed yourself in a particular time period?

Join us tomorrow for part two of the interview with award-winning author M. Williams Phelps. Leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of DEADLY SECRETS. Leave your comment by this Friday at 8:00AM EDT to be eligible.