| Interview with T.K. Welsh |
First off, thanks so much for joining us for an up-close and personal interview for TeensReadToo.com!
My name is Jen, and I’ll be your server toda…oh, wait, wrong job! Anyway, thanks so much for taking time
out of your writing schedule—which I’m sure is busy!—and answering a few questions for your readers
and fans.
Let’s get some of the typical interview questions out of the way first. When did you first know that you
wanted to be a writer?
When I was in 5th grade, at the 3Rs School in Marin County, California. My teacher, Mrs. Kinney, had just
read to us The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner by S.T. Coleridge and I was mesmerized. She then asked
us to write a poem and I responded with three pages of verse about a group of men who get guillotined in
the Chersterfield Islands and go to face their Maker. The poem was so odd that – at first – my parents
didn’t believe I’d written it! After all, I was only ten, and it was very dark and metaphysical. (I was an odd
kid!) Thus began my lifelong love for poetry and fiction.
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
I wrote my first novel – which I consider my practice novel – when I was in high school; I spent my junior
and senior years of high school at New Canaan High School in Connecticut. It was a science
fiction/fantasy YA work called THE SEED OF ICARUS. While the book was never published, it did get me
a literary agent. Then, right after college, I decided to spend some months in the Sahara, mostly in
Algeria, preparing what I consider to be my first novel – THE BLUE MEN. It’s a book set in the town of
Tamanrasset, in southern Algeria – a town of smugglers, political refugees, religious zealots and outcasts
– and it deals primarily with issues of faith: faith in love, religion, science, the ability to effect political
change, etc. Picaresque and ridiculously literary in tone, the book was never published, but it did get me
some attention in the publishing world ... and a new literary agent. Then I cut a two-book deal with
Bantam/Doubleday/Dell for two adult novels – GOSPEL TRUTHS and THE HUNTING CLUB. GOSPEL
TRUTHS came out originally in ’92 to good reviews but – alas – only moderate sales; it was my first
published work, after all, and it received precious little marketing support. THE HUNTING CLUB came out
in ’93 and did quite well. The thriller sold in 7 countries and was optioned by Lee Rich for Warner Bros.;
to be directed by Joel Schumacher with a screenplay by Ron Bass. I took a few years off to write
additional literary or more experimental works that went nowhere (THE PUBLICIST and THE WAVE), and
to concentrate on my Internet business career. (I started the first interactive ad agency in the business,
back in 1984, called Einstein and Sandom Interactive. We did the first ever animated ads online for such
startups as Trintex and AOL. Sold that business and spent a few more years in the digital marketing
services world.) Then, in 2003, I decided to try my hand at YA. I cut another 2-book deal with
Dutton/Penguin which resulted in my writing THE UNRESOLVED and RESURRECTION MEN. Then, a
couple of months ago, I emailed my old editor at Bantam and asked her if she’d consider re-issuing
GOSPEL TRUTHS; while it preceded The Da Vinci Code by a decade, it deals with many of the same
issues. (Interestingly, it was written by fellow Amherst College alumnus, Dan Brown.) Much to my delight,
my editor at Bantam/Dell agreed, and the book is being re-issued on January 30th, 2007, with a large
marketing budget this time, and a significant print run. Simultaneously, I pitched another book idea to her
– with similar themes – and Bantam has agreed to publish that as well. It’s called THE GOD MACHINE,
and it will come out in 2008. Meantime, I am in the process of finalizing a new publishing contract for two
new YA books, tentatively called SLAVE and SHADES OF FAITH. More on that soon!
Tell us a little bit about either your latest or upcoming release. If you could only tell your readers one
thing about the story that had to convince us to buy the book, what would it be?
Here’s a teaser paragraph about THE UNRESOLVED: Inspired by the tragic events of 9/11, THE
UNRESOLVED reaches back into history to explore what was, until recently, the greatest disaster in New
York City history. Based on the sinking of the General Slocum steamship -- which caught fire in the East
River, New York, in 1904, resulting in the death of over 1,000 mostly German immigrants on a church
outing -- THE UNRESOLVED is at once a ghost story, a courtroom drama, an examination of immigrant
life, and a tale of love, redemption and revenge. The novel dramatizes how a single life – and death –
can have a powerful influence on history. THE UNRESOLVED was released in August, 2006.
Here’s what the critics have been saying: Horn Book Magazine called THE UNRESOLVED, "A decidedly
unconventional ghost story ... (and) a tightly wound novel." Kirkus Reviews termed it, "A remarkable
account." The Washington Post said, "Welsh writes with a precision and delicacy unusual for YA fiction."
School Library Journal said, "THE UNRESOLVED tells a remarkable story in a remarkable way." And
Romantic Times said, "Welsh's first young-adult novel, THE UNRESOLVED, is a book you shouldn't pass
up."
RESURRECTION MEN is my second YA novel. It’s set in London during the 1830s, and it’s about body-
snatchers. Here’s a teaser paragraph: Twelve year-old Victor knows that life as an orphan is dangerous.
Death by disease or accident is common. But to the body snatcher, these fetid streets -- teeming with the
poor and forgotten -- are a paradise ... and a child, once dead, is a commodity. In this tumultuous dark
underworld, where a “fresh subject” can fetch as much as nine guineas -- the yearly salary of a working
man -- Victor must risk his life to uncover the identity of the murderer who is at the heart of London’s
furtive trade in human corpses. RESURRECTION MEN is scheduled to be published by Dutton (Penguin)
in April, 2007.
For more information about both of these books, for sample chapters, and for a few interactive jigsaw and
crossword puzzles based on THE UNRESOLVED ... just for fun, go to www.tkwelsh.com. There’s even a
section on the website where I encourage readers to suggest ideas for future projects.
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
Most of my works deal with common themes. My characters are all people who are tested by life,
oftentimes harshly, and who are forced to make difficult moral decisions. Through faith, their own
personal moral compass, and hard work, they generally manage to break through and overcome their
hardships. Think of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King. Also, I have a daughter who just turned 6. I
try and write books that I think will serve as a kind of “lighthouse” for her in her life.
Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
Both of my parents, alas, are deceased ... although they did see my first books published before they
passed away. I also have two sisters, one of whom lives nearby. She has two sons and they serve as test-
readers for my YA work: one is 16, the other 14. And then, of course, there is my daughter; I’m a single
dad. She is forced to endure my reading much of my YA work to her. Surprisingly, though she is only 6,
she’s a very solid critic. When she falls asleep during my readings, I know I have more work to do!
Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?
I love to cook. I have two favorite comfort foods: one we call Zane’s Chicken, invented by my father; and
the other is Osso Buco. Zane’s Chicken is basically chicken in a pot with celery and carrots (and
mushrooms, sometimes), served with mashed potatoes. Since you pour some half-and-half in at the end,
it also features a light cream gravy that we use to make the “lava” in our potato “volcanoes.” Yum! And
Osso Buco is a veal shank cooked for hours in plum tomatoes and beef stock/water (with a little red wine)
– so the meat falls off the bone – served either with a risotto or, again, mashed potatoes. Really sticks to
the ribs and makes you feel safe and warm!
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
1) I wake my daughter up, followed by the pets (a Rhodesian Ridgeback – Max, an Abyssinian Cat –
Zahid, and a Liliac-Headed Amazon parrot – Mia); 2) I shower; and 3) Make a very strong pot of Italian
coffee.
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise
me the most?
I have a very ornate model railroad in my basement, with Fleischmann/Marklin trains. In the dark, with all
of the little lights of the trains and the towns, the stoplights etc., it’s like I have another miniature world in
my house.
Everyone asks the question about “if you could be a tree, which tree would you be?” so I want to know: If
you could be a color, which color would it be, and why?
I’d be a rich blue-green: a little darker than aquamarine; not as purple as bluebell or iris; not as iridescent
as the cobalt blue tarantula. I guess it’s like the background color of Picasso’s “Self-portrait with Cloak”
(1901) ... but a little more liquid. It’s the kind of color you see while scuba diving off Cozumel. (I’m an avid
scuba diver and fly-fishing aficionado.)
Who is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon character is most like you?
While I really enjoy SpongeBob and Squidward, and even the classic Bugs Bunny, I’d have to say that I’m
most partial to Captain Haddock; see Tintin by Hergé. I guess it’s because I grew up in Europe. I love that
spunky young reporter Tintin with his dog Snowy, but it’s Captain Haddock who most makes me laugh. Of
course, I’m not as much a fan of rum as Captain Haddock is!
If you could beam yourself to anywhere in the world (“Beam me up, Scotty!”), during any time in history,
where and when would it be—and why?
Well, right now I’m researching THE GOD MACHINE, and Ben Franklin is a character in the book; I really
like that period in American history, when we were just forming as a nation. Conversely, I also enjoy works
about the Roman Empire. (Spartacus is one of my favorite movies of all time; see below.) But if I could be
“beamed up” anywhere, I’d have to pick some time in the future. (I’m a bit of a trekkie, for sure.) Sometime
when racism and poverty are gone, and we work for satisfaction and self-improvement, rather than
money.
So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while
you’re writing?
Since so much of my work is aurally-driven, I have a hard time listening to music as I work. I love classic
rock-n-roll from the ’60s and early ’70s. I’m also partial to punk. Regarding today’s music, I’m a fan of
Cake and The Hives. But, in the end, I’m a jazz fan. Anything from Thelonious Monk, McCoy Tyner and
John Coltrane and I’m a happy camper.
Do you have any favorite T.V. shows? Movies you watch over and over again? What was the last movie
you saw at the theater?
I don’t really watch TV, except as a time-shifter, via DVD: I like Lost and 24. But I do have a few movies
that I watch over and over again: Spartacus; Lawrence of Arabia; The Bridge on the River Kwai –
adventure films; some sci-fi classics like The Day the Earth Stood Still and Forbidden Plane; plus classics
like Hitchcock’s North by Northwest and works by foreign directors Luis Bunel and Werner Herzog. But I
also love some really romantic movies like An Affair to Remember and, more recent, Frida; I own them
both. The last movie that I saw at the cinema that I really enjoyed was Tsotsi. That said, having a 6-year-
old has made me rediscover the magic of Disney. One can’t help enjoying The Emperor’s New Groove
and Lion King 1.5?
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
Be bold. Be influenced by the friends you admire, but – ultimately – listen to your own heart more.
Buy/borrow the kind of books that you might not normally read ... if that little voice inside of you says,
“Hmmm, this might be interesting.” Try new things – not just the same old, pasteurized American pop
culture fare. Try historical fiction. Or try something with a sci-fi/fantasy feel; and I don’t just mean about
wizards and witches. Check out books that have been big in Europe, or South America, or Asia, or – dare
I say it – works set in Africa. Remember: Good fiction is not just the province of Western Europe and the
United States – our cultural heritage. There’s a world of books out there. Don’t be afraid to explore.
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
I am working on two new YA books now. One – SLAVE – is about contemporary slavery/indentured
servitude ... right here in the good old USA, not in some 3rd-world country. The other – SHADES OF
FAITH – is about a young girl in New Orleans during the Katrina disaster. While they are not technically
“historical” novels, like THE UNRESOLVED and RESURRECTION MEN, they deal with what one might
consider to be “historic” events. And, as always, they are about teens caught up in terrible circumstances
who – through their own pluck and moral fortitude – manage to not only persevere, but to make a
difference in the world.
Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!
My name is Jen, and I’ll be your server toda…oh, wait, wrong job! Anyway, thanks so much for taking time
out of your writing schedule—which I’m sure is busy!—and answering a few questions for your readers
and fans.
Let’s get some of the typical interview questions out of the way first. When did you first know that you
wanted to be a writer?
When I was in 5th grade, at the 3Rs School in Marin County, California. My teacher, Mrs. Kinney, had just
read to us The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner by S.T. Coleridge and I was mesmerized. She then asked
us to write a poem and I responded with three pages of verse about a group of men who get guillotined in
the Chersterfield Islands and go to face their Maker. The poem was so odd that – at first – my parents
didn’t believe I’d written it! After all, I was only ten, and it was very dark and metaphysical. (I was an odd
kid!) Thus began my lifelong love for poetry and fiction.
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
I wrote my first novel – which I consider my practice novel – when I was in high school; I spent my junior
and senior years of high school at New Canaan High School in Connecticut. It was a science
fiction/fantasy YA work called THE SEED OF ICARUS. While the book was never published, it did get me
a literary agent. Then, right after college, I decided to spend some months in the Sahara, mostly in
Algeria, preparing what I consider to be my first novel – THE BLUE MEN. It’s a book set in the town of
Tamanrasset, in southern Algeria – a town of smugglers, political refugees, religious zealots and outcasts
– and it deals primarily with issues of faith: faith in love, religion, science, the ability to effect political
change, etc. Picaresque and ridiculously literary in tone, the book was never published, but it did get me
some attention in the publishing world ... and a new literary agent. Then I cut a two-book deal with
Bantam/Doubleday/Dell for two adult novels – GOSPEL TRUTHS and THE HUNTING CLUB. GOSPEL
TRUTHS came out originally in ’92 to good reviews but – alas – only moderate sales; it was my first
published work, after all, and it received precious little marketing support. THE HUNTING CLUB came out
in ’93 and did quite well. The thriller sold in 7 countries and was optioned by Lee Rich for Warner Bros.;
to be directed by Joel Schumacher with a screenplay by Ron Bass. I took a few years off to write
additional literary or more experimental works that went nowhere (THE PUBLICIST and THE WAVE), and
to concentrate on my Internet business career. (I started the first interactive ad agency in the business,
back in 1984, called Einstein and Sandom Interactive. We did the first ever animated ads online for such
startups as Trintex and AOL. Sold that business and spent a few more years in the digital marketing
services world.) Then, in 2003, I decided to try my hand at YA. I cut another 2-book deal with
Dutton/Penguin which resulted in my writing THE UNRESOLVED and RESURRECTION MEN. Then, a
couple of months ago, I emailed my old editor at Bantam and asked her if she’d consider re-issuing
GOSPEL TRUTHS; while it preceded The Da Vinci Code by a decade, it deals with many of the same
issues. (Interestingly, it was written by fellow Amherst College alumnus, Dan Brown.) Much to my delight,
my editor at Bantam/Dell agreed, and the book is being re-issued on January 30th, 2007, with a large
marketing budget this time, and a significant print run. Simultaneously, I pitched another book idea to her
– with similar themes – and Bantam has agreed to publish that as well. It’s called THE GOD MACHINE,
and it will come out in 2008. Meantime, I am in the process of finalizing a new publishing contract for two
new YA books, tentatively called SLAVE and SHADES OF FAITH. More on that soon!
Tell us a little bit about either your latest or upcoming release. If you could only tell your readers one
thing about the story that had to convince us to buy the book, what would it be?
Here’s a teaser paragraph about THE UNRESOLVED: Inspired by the tragic events of 9/11, THE
UNRESOLVED reaches back into history to explore what was, until recently, the greatest disaster in New
York City history. Based on the sinking of the General Slocum steamship -- which caught fire in the East
River, New York, in 1904, resulting in the death of over 1,000 mostly German immigrants on a church
outing -- THE UNRESOLVED is at once a ghost story, a courtroom drama, an examination of immigrant
life, and a tale of love, redemption and revenge. The novel dramatizes how a single life – and death –
can have a powerful influence on history. THE UNRESOLVED was released in August, 2006.
Here’s what the critics have been saying: Horn Book Magazine called THE UNRESOLVED, "A decidedly
unconventional ghost story ... (and) a tightly wound novel." Kirkus Reviews termed it, "A remarkable
account." The Washington Post said, "Welsh writes with a precision and delicacy unusual for YA fiction."
School Library Journal said, "THE UNRESOLVED tells a remarkable story in a remarkable way." And
Romantic Times said, "Welsh's first young-adult novel, THE UNRESOLVED, is a book you shouldn't pass
up."
RESURRECTION MEN is my second YA novel. It’s set in London during the 1830s, and it’s about body-
snatchers. Here’s a teaser paragraph: Twelve year-old Victor knows that life as an orphan is dangerous.
Death by disease or accident is common. But to the body snatcher, these fetid streets -- teeming with the
poor and forgotten -- are a paradise ... and a child, once dead, is a commodity. In this tumultuous dark
underworld, where a “fresh subject” can fetch as much as nine guineas -- the yearly salary of a working
man -- Victor must risk his life to uncover the identity of the murderer who is at the heart of London’s
furtive trade in human corpses. RESURRECTION MEN is scheduled to be published by Dutton (Penguin)
in April, 2007.
For more information about both of these books, for sample chapters, and for a few interactive jigsaw and
crossword puzzles based on THE UNRESOLVED ... just for fun, go to www.tkwelsh.com. There’s even a
section on the website where I encourage readers to suggest ideas for future projects.
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
Most of my works deal with common themes. My characters are all people who are tested by life,
oftentimes harshly, and who are forced to make difficult moral decisions. Through faith, their own
personal moral compass, and hard work, they generally manage to break through and overcome their
hardships. Think of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King. Also, I have a daughter who just turned 6. I
try and write books that I think will serve as a kind of “lighthouse” for her in her life.
Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
Both of my parents, alas, are deceased ... although they did see my first books published before they
passed away. I also have two sisters, one of whom lives nearby. She has two sons and they serve as test-
readers for my YA work: one is 16, the other 14. And then, of course, there is my daughter; I’m a single
dad. She is forced to endure my reading much of my YA work to her. Surprisingly, though she is only 6,
she’s a very solid critic. When she falls asleep during my readings, I know I have more work to do!
Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?
I love to cook. I have two favorite comfort foods: one we call Zane’s Chicken, invented by my father; and
the other is Osso Buco. Zane’s Chicken is basically chicken in a pot with celery and carrots (and
mushrooms, sometimes), served with mashed potatoes. Since you pour some half-and-half in at the end,
it also features a light cream gravy that we use to make the “lava” in our potato “volcanoes.” Yum! And
Osso Buco is a veal shank cooked for hours in plum tomatoes and beef stock/water (with a little red wine)
– so the meat falls off the bone – served either with a risotto or, again, mashed potatoes. Really sticks to
the ribs and makes you feel safe and warm!
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?
1) I wake my daughter up, followed by the pets (a Rhodesian Ridgeback – Max, an Abyssinian Cat –
Zahid, and a Liliac-Headed Amazon parrot – Mia); 2) I shower; and 3) Make a very strong pot of Italian
coffee.
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise
me the most?
I have a very ornate model railroad in my basement, with Fleischmann/Marklin trains. In the dark, with all
of the little lights of the trains and the towns, the stoplights etc., it’s like I have another miniature world in
my house.
Everyone asks the question about “if you could be a tree, which tree would you be?” so I want to know: If
you could be a color, which color would it be, and why?
I’d be a rich blue-green: a little darker than aquamarine; not as purple as bluebell or iris; not as iridescent
as the cobalt blue tarantula. I guess it’s like the background color of Picasso’s “Self-portrait with Cloak”
(1901) ... but a little more liquid. It’s the kind of color you see while scuba diving off Cozumel. (I’m an avid
scuba diver and fly-fishing aficionado.)
Who is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon character is most like you?
While I really enjoy SpongeBob and Squidward, and even the classic Bugs Bunny, I’d have to say that I’m
most partial to Captain Haddock; see Tintin by Hergé. I guess it’s because I grew up in Europe. I love that
spunky young reporter Tintin with his dog Snowy, but it’s Captain Haddock who most makes me laugh. Of
course, I’m not as much a fan of rum as Captain Haddock is!
If you could beam yourself to anywhere in the world (“Beam me up, Scotty!”), during any time in history,
where and when would it be—and why?
Well, right now I’m researching THE GOD MACHINE, and Ben Franklin is a character in the book; I really
like that period in American history, when we were just forming as a nation. Conversely, I also enjoy works
about the Roman Empire. (Spartacus is one of my favorite movies of all time; see below.) But if I could be
“beamed up” anywhere, I’d have to pick some time in the future. (I’m a bit of a trekkie, for sure.) Sometime
when racism and poverty are gone, and we work for satisfaction and self-improvement, rather than
money.
So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while
you’re writing?
Since so much of my work is aurally-driven, I have a hard time listening to music as I work. I love classic
rock-n-roll from the ’60s and early ’70s. I’m also partial to punk. Regarding today’s music, I’m a fan of
Cake and The Hives. But, in the end, I’m a jazz fan. Anything from Thelonious Monk, McCoy Tyner and
John Coltrane and I’m a happy camper.
Do you have any favorite T.V. shows? Movies you watch over and over again? What was the last movie
you saw at the theater?
I don’t really watch TV, except as a time-shifter, via DVD: I like Lost and 24. But I do have a few movies
that I watch over and over again: Spartacus; Lawrence of Arabia; The Bridge on the River Kwai –
adventure films; some sci-fi classics like The Day the Earth Stood Still and Forbidden Plane; plus classics
like Hitchcock’s North by Northwest and works by foreign directors Luis Bunel and Werner Herzog. But I
also love some really romantic movies like An Affair to Remember and, more recent, Frida; I own them
both. The last movie that I saw at the cinema that I really enjoyed was Tsotsi. That said, having a 6-year-
old has made me rediscover the magic of Disney. One can’t help enjoying The Emperor’s New Groove
and Lion King 1.5?
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
Be bold. Be influenced by the friends you admire, but – ultimately – listen to your own heart more.
Buy/borrow the kind of books that you might not normally read ... if that little voice inside of you says,
“Hmmm, this might be interesting.” Try new things – not just the same old, pasteurized American pop
culture fare. Try historical fiction. Or try something with a sci-fi/fantasy feel; and I don’t just mean about
wizards and witches. Check out books that have been big in Europe, or South America, or Asia, or – dare
I say it – works set in Africa. Remember: Good fiction is not just the province of Western Europe and the
United States – our cultural heritage. There’s a world of books out there. Don’t be afraid to explore.
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
I am working on two new YA books now. One – SLAVE – is about contemporary slavery/indentured
servitude ... right here in the good old USA, not in some 3rd-world country. The other – SHADES OF
FAITH – is about a young girl in New Orleans during the Katrina disaster. While they are not technically
“historical” novels, like THE UNRESOLVED and RESURRECTION MEN, they deal with what one might
consider to be “historic” events. And, as always, they are about teens caught up in terrible circumstances
who – through their own pluck and moral fortitude – manage to not only persevere, but to make a
difference in the world.
Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!