Interview with mystery author E. William Podojil

Mystery author E. William Podojil joins me today to chat about his new thriller, The Poseidon Project.

During his virtual book tour, E. William will be giving away a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) gift card to a lucky randomly drawn participant. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit his other tour stops and enter there, too!

Bio:
E. William Podojil has worked as a writer, advisor and  international business executive while living in the Netherlands and the United States. He studied screenwriting at UCLA. His first novel, The Tenth Man, was published in 2004, by Haworth Press.  His latest novel, The Poseidon Project, will be published by Wild Rose Press in August, 2024 as the first book in the Herb Society Mysteries series.

E. William currently resides in Northeast Ohio with his husband and three sons. He travels extensively and writes about his experiences on his website.

Welcome, E. William. Please tell us a little bit about your new release.
The Poseidon Project is an international suspense thriller and the first book in The Herb Society Mysteries series.

Molly Halloran and her friends have a secret past.  Their bucolic retirement is suddenly upended when Molly’s husband is abducted and held for a steep ransom.  Now she, her friends, her tech executive son, Lukas and his Air Force pilot boyfriend must race against the clock and travel halfway around the world to meet the kidnappers’ demands.  But when they learn why her husband has been abducted, they realize how high the stakes truly are.  Molly and her friends now must face their past in order to save the future.  But not only their futures; the world’s.

Where did you get the idea for this book?
The Poseidon Project has been a compilation of many experiences, thoughts and ideas I’ve had during my life and career. In my travels, I’ve seen incredible wealth and unbelievable poverty, often in the same country or city. Resources flow freely in some places and are scarce in others. We take so many of our natural resources for granted; clean air, water and other things that it made me think about a world where these things were purposely made scarce in order to drive up price and demand.

Excerpt from The Poseidon Project:
“There’s just nothing like airplane sweaty body, Ma. I promise I won’t tell anyone you complained about your private jet.” Lukas joked.

“You know, Lukas, I know it’s your romantic life, and you don’t need your mother meddling in your affairs, but Taylor is quite a catch if you ask me. You two look so natural together, like you’ve known each other forever.”

“I hope you mean that in a good way, Ma.” Lukas blushed a bit. His mother could see right through him. “I’m waiting ’til he reveals he’s a psychotic serial killer. That’s usually how my relationships go, well, not the serial killer part, but definitely the psychotic part.”

“I think you should go for it, for what it’s worth. And why are you so negative about relationships?” his mother asked.

“Mom, I’ve known him for a week and during one of the most awful, chaotic weeks in my life. I’d like to see how we get along in a normal setting, like normal, boring life. Watching Netflix, making popcorn, folding clothes, you know? Simple life stuff. That’s when you know whether you’re with the right person or not.”

“You haven’t changed much, Lukas,” his mom pointed out. “You look at everything with logic,

precision, follow the rules, and with as little variation as possible. You’ve been that way since you were little, and I love that about you, but you have to let yourself feel emotions. Allow yourself to be vulnerable and take a leap of faith. You’re not a Klingon, for God’s sake.

a leap of faith. You’re not a Klingon, for God’s sake.”

Lukas held back a laugh. “I think you mean a Vulcan, Mom.”

“Let me ask you something, Lukas. How do you feel when you’re around Taylor?”

Lukas pondered. “That’s easy, Ma. I feel like I’m right where I want to be. I feel joy, fear, happiness, then scared and vulnerable. Panicked and terrified he’s going to walk away.”

“Like Drew, you mean?”

Lukas paused. “Yeah, Ma, like Drew.”

“You live once, honey. You’re almost forty, and before you know it you will be my age. It’s best to share a life with someone, not run probability formulas to predict success or failure. Sometimes, you just have to jump and know, that no matter what happens, you’ll be okay.”

“What did you and Dad do before I was born?” Lukas quickly changed the subject.

Molly was taken aback. “Um, well, we had a lot of adventures, that’s for sure. Not much money, so we both worked a lot, but we had fun.”

“Mom, how did you meet your friends, you know, Linda, Betty, and Donna?”

“We worked together.”

“Teaching? Lukas asked.

“Not teaching. We worked together at Argonne National Laboratory before teaching.”

“What did you guys do there?”

Molly thought about a response. “Lots of stuff.”

“Mom, can you tell me more than that?”

Molly let out a sigh. “Not every story is my story alone to tell. I have to get the ladies to explain some things. It’s a long story, so let’s go get them so we can tell it together.”

What is your favorite quote and why?
A successful person is one who can lay a firm foundation from the bricks others have thrown at them.  I like this quote because it’s about choosing how one relates to obstacles or challenges. Throughout my life and career, I’ve seen people benefit and learn most from challenging situations. It goes with another favorite quote: Rough seas make the best sailors.  It’s all about your attitude and mindset when faced with adversity: learn and improve versus run and hide.

Who is your favorite author and why?
Between the ages of thirteen-fifteen years old, I read most of the novels by James Michener like Hawaii, The Source, Iberia, Chesapeake and others. Michener helped me understand history, religion and cultures by the people who lived through them. I enjoyed how he linked characters and events through multiple generations. I developed a craving to explore the world through Michener’s stories, and as an adult, they inspired me to live overseas and travel extensively.

What, in your opinion, are the most important elements of good writing?
Well-developed characters, storyline, character arcs and twists are elements I find most important.

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