JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
W. C. Filmore, author of Gypsy Eyes… Gypsy Blood
(Esquire Publications)
Laura Kendall, a two-time Olympic archery gold medalist, plies her archery skills for the Maxwell Traveling Gypsy Circus, even with all of the strangeness that comes along with such a traveling show. Laura and her son, Jason, have enjoyed their three years among the gypsies, but the itch of international competition beckons Laura.
When the circus sets up the tents at the sleepy coastal town of Fort Myers, FL, an animal attack grabs the attention of Karen Walker, Animal Control Officer for the Lee County Sheriff’s Department. After investigating the close-knit gypsies, Karen’s suspicions fall on the side-show freak Jimmy the Dog-Boy and his mysterious uncle, Russ.
With a hurricane barreling down on Fort Myers, Laura and Karen must pull together to stop a dormant evil from destroying everything. To make matters even more complication, Laura and Karen are at odds over the affections of Deputy Arron Todd.
Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the inspiration to write Gypsy Eyes… Gypsy Blood?
W. C. Filmore: I have always been into the arts in one manner or another since I was little. I had the same multimedia diet that most young men had: movies, sci-fi novels, graphic comic books and a whole lot of music. Except, I always acted out on my pop culture desires and tried with blind abandonment to make my own.
Gypsy Eyes… Gypsy Blood comes from a time in my life where I found myself working at a traveling carnival in Florida. It was a crazy experience that ended very badly for one of my traveling companions. When it was over, I stole a girl’s bicycle and rode it seventeen miles to a bus station so I could get back home.
This story was formulated from my experiences with the carnival folk and the stories real gypsies told me.
JP: What sets Gypsy Eyes… Gypsy Blood apart from other books in the same genre?
WCF: This ebook is everything that I love about horror stories and thrillers, plus I added a dash of romance. It’s told through the eyes of the two women lead characters. Instead of damsels in distress, the damsels in Gypsy Eyes… Gypsy Blood are doing the butt kicking, and they are saving people. The story is fast-paced with fascinating characters popping up all along the way.
JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that led to Gypsy Eyes… Gypsy Blood getting out to the public?
WCF: Sit. Write. Repeat. Those are the keys to getting published. You first must have a great story. There is no getting around that. Once you have a finished story, the real work begins.
I pursued every avenue available to me to get Gypsy Eyes… Gypsy Blood published. I sent queries to publishers, went to author readings, sent chapters to agents, got great responses. After sending my work to Esquire Publications and finding out that I could be in control of every aspect of my ebook, I decided to go that route. They helped provide all the things that made putting this project out to the public such an enjoyable endeavor. With my input, we put together a strong cover, a dark fun atmospheric editing system and a marketing plan that attacks not only online consumers but also includes postcard/flyers for the more personal touch.
Still, none of that means anything if you don’t have a good, strong story told in an entertaining way. It all starts with the story.
JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take you to start and finish Gypsy Eyes… Gypsy Blood?
WCF: I write every day except Saturday. This has been my routine since 2016, but I started Gypsy Eyes… Gypsy Blood ten years ago with only an outline. After several false starts, I got back to this story and wrote the first treatment in 2006. After some words of wisdom from some professionals, I completely changed the ending and added another character that was not in the first story. That took a year, and it was finished.
JP: What’s next for W. C. Filmore?
WCF: My next ebook is entitled Dark Paradise of the Dead. Two women find themselves trapped on the island kingdom of Haiti. One woman searches for her destiny while the other woman tries to escape her legacy. It’s a dark cat-and-mouse game with voodoo queens, urban gangs and zombies. Which woman will come out alive?
“Most people think that once you write and publish your book that the work is over, but really it’s just begun. You have to market your book. You have to push it in peoples faces so that they know that you’re out there and you’ve got something that they should be reading. Always market to your key audience. They will get the word out and hopefully, that will spread beyond your genre. Remember: ‘When gypsies come to town, evil is sure to follow…'” ~ W. C. Filmore
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