About
Walt S. Williams writes urban fantasy about demons, magic, and pizza. Thorns will release in March 2024, and Hunger will follow in summer 2024.
Bio
Walt S. Williams is the pen name of Will Stalcup, Virginia-based urban and high fantasy author. Born and raised in the DC suburbs, Will spent his childhood devouring any fantasy media he could get his hands on. At the age of thirteen, his elder brother introduced him to National Novel writing month. This proved to be a watershed moment in his life, as for the first time, Will attempted to produce something fantasy-related, rather than consume.
After earning a degree in computer science from the College of William & Mary, Will got a job teaching English in Japan, where his love of writing truly flourished. Since returning from his time abroad, Will spends as much time as possible putting pen to page and crafting the sorts of stories that inspired his lifelong love of all things fantastical.
Q&A
-
Robert Jordan, Steven Brust, Drew Hayes, Pirateaba, Miya Kazuki, Glen Cook, and many others. Really, if they write fantasy, I’ll give them a shot.
-
First and foremost, I’m inspired by the media I consume. I’ve found inspiration in music, video games, television, and art. Sometimes, an emotion will inspire me, like the feeling of standing in the cold, half asleep, as you wait for your dog to do his business at 2 AM. Sometimes, a conversation with a friend will inspire me, like a debate of how different the world would be if wireless electronics suddenly stopped working. And, of course, the books I read inspire me greatly, as no novel could exist without the library of literature that came before it.
-
Good pizza can be made by just about anyone with just about any equipment. I’m not half the pizza-chef some of my characters are, but I’ve picked up a few tips in my attempts at cooking pizza at home.
You want high protein, finely ground flour (00 is the gold standard).
For New York style pizza, uncooked sauce is king - that means fresh tomatoes and little else.
Full fat, low moisture mozzarella is the best cheese for pizza, but just about any variety mozzarella will get the job done.
You want to get your oven as hot as possible. A steel is best for this, but a stone will work as well. If you’ve got neither of those, try cooking your pizza directly on the oven grate, and enjoy your crinkle crust.
Run wild with toppings, but be aware that nothing will ever top a pepperoni pie.