Lindsey spent the last 20+ years building businesses overseas, giving him a unique insight into different cultures and ways of life. Today, he has a thriving practice as a corporate consultant, life coach, and mentor to CEO’s and business owners across the globe. On his long, trans-Pacific flights, Lindsey fell in love with reading fiction. The failure of his parents’ marriage and his own first marriage, coupled with decades of being happily married and raising three beautiful children, led Lindsey to write his debut novel dealing with human connection, passion, and the extreme consequences we, as a humans, are willing to risk to find that perfect love.
Hi Author C. Lindsey Williams! Thanks for taking the time to chat with us! Why were you inspired to write this book?
I never dreamed that I would ever write a book – particularly a novel. I thought that perhaps one day I would write a non-fiction account of my experiences living and working overseas. But it was a chance encounter that pushed me head-long into writing The Hunger & The Hunted. I was on a road trip with my life-long friend when we stopped in a small town for the night. At dinner we struck up a conversation with two local women who, after a very animated night of conversation and light-hearted banter, invited us back to one of their houses to continue the “fun.” We politely refused. I have never cheated on my wife of 32 years, because first of all, it just isn’t in my DNA. But secondly, I am convinced that I would get caught. I run into people EVERYWHERE that I know. So, my friend and I had a great conversation starter that lasted well after our trip was over; it involved a storyline that IF you were rich and “connected” enough, could you get away with an affair? The idea was hatched, and a book was born.
What is your book about?
The book is about abusive relationships and the resultant, very human, vulnerabilities the characters succumb to – with devastating consequences.
What do you hope people will learn from it?
For people who are long-term, committed relationship partners, they don’t cheat on their spouse for sex. They cheat for connection. That quest for “belonging” and feeling cherished is all-powerful. I wanted none of my readers to question why the female protagonist, Meagan cheated, but I wanted everyone to question why the main male character, Geoff, cheated. The negative consequences of that betrayal had to be severe. One of my reviewers commented that Geoff didn’t factor that, along with his mistress, he was getting her deranged, psychotic husband as baggage. Affairs are most often entered into because they are “easy.” No kids, no bills to pay, no emotional minefields, no domestic pressure. But that inevitably changes. Life gets deadly complicated.
You’ve written a book about some of the challenges people experience in relationships and you have been married for over three decades. What suggestions do you have about keeping a relationship engaging and healthy?
Marriage is a lot of work that requires conscious and continuous commitment to that relationship. It is not surprising that occupations/careers, building a family, financial pressures and our individual friendship circles try desperately to pull us apart. Temptation is literally everywhere: in media, advertisements and in our daily lives. As a couple, it is vitally important to care for our spouse – even if they don’t deserve it.
What’s next for your writing career? Any books in the works?
Yes, in fact my second novel is underway. For the multitudes that thought The Hunger & The Hunted ended without closure, be prepared. Don’t want to give anything away, but all is not what it seems. There is a lot still to unfold in this torrid relationship and the complicated consequences tied to finding connection.
What research did you do to write this book?
I have lived a full life deep in relationship richness, observation and human experience – both positive and negative. I am the product of a broken home as a teenager and a failed first marriage. I drew from years of counseling and coaching others, and have spent the last 25 years leading peer advisory boards with the specific intent of turning men and women business leaders into human beings. There were also several specific areas of research that I undertook in the areas of aircraft, archery, hunting and human sexuality that added to the realism of the novel.
What advice would you give to new writers?
Where do I begin?! I would first ask yourself how serious you want to be about your goals for your book. Approach your work as an educational project (you actually have no choice as a rookie author) and get knowledgeable help at every quarter. I started by consulting with a very well-known book coach who guided me and gave me priceless advice. Create a routine of transition that gets your mind ready to create. For me, I would without exception, sit down at my chosen desk at the library overlooking the Pacific Ocean, and pull out a crossword puzzle and work on it for 20-30 minutes. This seemed to get my mind clear, my vocabulary focused, and my thoughts fluid to the art I was penning. And finally, know that you need only please yourself with your work. Particularly if you will want to market your novel as a commercial success, you have to LOVE what you wrote. You will be the lead cheerleader, advocate and face of the book. Be over-the-top passionate about it!
To know more about Author C. Lindsey Williams visit: www.clindseywilliams.com and don’t forget to follow him on Facebook @CLindseyWilliams and Instagram: @wchillingworth