William R. Potter is represented by the interviewer's Pump Up Your Book Promotion, an innovative public relations agency specializing in online book promotion.

William R. Potter’s very active childhood imagination and knack for making up stories often got him into trouble. Perhaps this is where all writers get started? Shortly after watching the first remake of King Kong, he decided to write a book and remembers something about a monster crab attacking Vancouver.

Throughout his teens his mind was in a state of unrest and he used poetry to journal the ups and downs of those difficult times. Later, his work was published in a poetry anthology.

He returned to his love of storytelling in his twenties, writing numerous short stories; and now at forty, he is re-working two full-length novel manuscripts for publishing. Many more book ideas are at the researching and outline stage, keeping him busy at the computer.

We interviewed William to find out more about his latest book, Lighting the Dark Side.

Thank you for this interview, Mr. Potter.  Can you tell us a little about yourself and how long you’ve been writing? 

Thank you. I’m thrilled to be here.

My active imagination had me making up stories before I could read. The first remake of King Kong, and the original Star Wars a year later, really got my young mind fired up, and at the age of ten I decided to write a “book.” I remember a few lines about a mutant crab attacking a city. I discovered poetry in my teens and continued to write verse into my twenties and early thirties. However, that kid’s dream of writing a book never went away. In 2001, I decided to get serious about fiction and had some success writing a few short stories. With my confidence peaking, I attempted larger projects until I had a collection of shorts and two novellas approaching novel length. It was time. After more than twenty years since that rampant crustacean of my youth, I attempted another novel in the summer of 2003 and finished the first draft just before the end of 2004.

Do you write full-time?  

No, not yet, but one can dream.

At what point in your life did you make up your mind you were going to become a published author? 

In 1994, with my second attempt at writing a novel I discovered three things about myself: I didn’t have a clue about plotting a novel length story; I was hooked on storytelling; and I was obsessed with learning as much as I could about the craft until one day I could be published.