BELLOWS FALLS — Historical fiction author Bill Lockwood published his sixth novel, Forced Entry?
The former social worker and journalist said he had long wanted to write a book, but it took him until after he retired to get one published.
“I have now had six books published by The Wild Rose Press - the first in 2016, the most recent May 18, 2022 - I've written a few that haven't gotten published too,” he said.
Lockwood's previous books include Gare de Lyon, The Monsignor's Agents, Buried Gold, Ms. Anna, and Megan of the Mists.
Inspiration from real life
Lockwood's inspiration for the story and characters came from a real-life experience.
“Years ago, an 'old actress' we knew told us her young adult daughter was being harassed by a mysterious young man,” he said. “We helped her try to secure her house better and got to know what was happening.”
Lockwood said he came to believe that the daughter was making up the whole story. But the memory of the incident provided the inspiration for his newest book.
“This is not her story at all, but it gave me an idea,” he said.
Forced Entry? is about a daughter and her boyfriend harassing her mother and neighbor.
The daughter, Henrietta, hopes to inherit her mother's fortune and, to speed up that process, she enlists a young man she met at a party.
The message Lockwood wants his readers to get from this book is “to see how fear can take over a situation and how vigilantism can create a reality of its own.”
Lockwood said he found his love for writing in preschool. “My mother started reading The Hardy Boys mystery series of books to me,” he said.
Lockwood, who is writing a sequel to his novel Gare de Lyon, tells inspiring writers that patience and perseverance are important during the publishing process.
“From 2003 to 2016 I sent out 113 queries to agents and publishers for my first published book, Buried Gold,” he said. “The Wild Rose Press took it, and they have taken five more of my stories, and most likely the next one since then.”