A Conversation With Pat Williams

Co-author of Forever Young: Ten Gifts of Faith for the Graduate

 

 

  1. What was it like working with Karen Kingsbury?

 

Karen is an icon in the world of fiction in the CBA market and beyond.  I found her to be extremely focused and well organized.  She has a million things going on at the same time, but finds a way to pay attention to all of them.  It’s a remarkable quality.

 

  1. What common interests did you and Karen share that brought you together to write this book?

 

We were introduced through a mutual friend, Mark Atteberry, a pastor/author in central Florida.  We have both adopted children from foreign countries and have a great desire to make a difference in their lives.  Children of all ages and backgrounds need direction in their lives and must understand their purpose.  We wrote the book to help young people find that purpose.

 

  1. What did you learn about Karen Kingsbury that the rest of us don’t know about her?

 

Karen loves sports!  In fact, in another life, she was a sportswriter in Los Angeles.  She and her husband spend a lot of time attending athletic contests their children are engaged in. 

 

  1. Where did the ten principles you write about in the book come from?

 

The principles came from our life experiences.  I am now 65 years old and have spent 43 years in professional athletics.  Believe me, I have seen it all and taken notes on all my adventures.  I’ve been working on this book for many years and am happy I could team up with Karen to make it a reality.

 

  1. Who is this book written for?  Is this book more appropriate for a high school graduate or a college graduate?

 

We geared this book primarily to high school graduates, but the more I proofed it the more I realized that young people well into their twenties can receive great benefits from reading it.  The book has a long shelf life, and we are hopeful it will add value to the lives of young people for many years.

 

  1. How much of the material from this book came from the lives of your 19 children?

 

A lot!  Fourteen of our children have been adopted from four foreign countries, and there was one year when 16 of them were teenagers all at the same time (that’s the year I realized why some animals eat their young).  My children are always providing good stories and illustrations for my speaking and writing career.  They are teaching me new lessons every day.

 

  1. What advice do you give a young person wanting to achieve success?  Can you give an example from your family?

 

I always tell young people to figure out what they love to do as young as they can, and then find a way to get paid for it.  That’s the key to having a successful life.  God gives all of us certain interests and talents; the key is to take those gifts and turn them into a career. 

 

My son Bobby fell in love with baseball at a very early age when we were living in Philadelphia.  He knew very early what he wanted to do with his life.  And now, at the age of 27, he’s a manager in the Washington Nationals farm system and living out his boyhood dreams.

 

  1. Not all of your children went to college.  How can this book be helpful to people who have no desire to continue with school?

 

It’s true that not all of my children had a desire to go to college, but that does not mean their lives are without meaning and purpose.  We all make decisions about what we want to do in life, and then must live with the consequences.  This book is not just devoted to youngsters heading to school.  It will be of value to any boy or girl who has decided to enter the work force or go into the military.  The principles apply to everyone.

 

  1. What do you hope readers will take away from Forever Young?

 

My hope is that young people will read this book and say to themselves, “I can do it.  I’m going to attack life with great passion and live up to my full God-given potential.  When I get to the end of my life, I want to have drained the cup dry.  I want to have maxed out every one of my days.”

 

  1. With 39 books to your credit, what’s next for Pat Williams?

 

I’ve just hit my 65th birthday and find that my life is accelerating rapidly.  I speak about 150 times a year around the country and have three major writing projects underway with Health Communications.  How to Be Like Coach Wooden will be released in March 2006, Read for Your Life in September 2006, and How to Be Like Women Athletes of Impact in September 2007.  I’m very excited about the potential of these three books.

 

 

 

FOREVER YOUNG

Ten Gifts of Faith for the Graduate

Pat Williams and Karen Kingsbury

Available May 2005 from Faith Communications, a division of Health Communications, Inc.

ISBN:  0-7573-0253-X, hardcover, 160 pages, $14.95, religion/inspiration

 

For review copies and interviews, contact Pamela McClure, McClure Muntsinger Public Relations,

Pamela@mmpublicrelations.com, 615-595-8321