William J. Borak
Author Interview - William J. Borak
Author of Stranger on the Shore
This spellbinding fictional story spins a web of linked mysteries about a beautiful young woman, Marisa, who is found almost lifeless on the bank of the East River in New York City. The Investigating Detective’s preliminary conclusion -- she “must have fallen out of the sky.”
Chris, grieving the loss of his fiancé Theresa, meets the enigmatic Arielle on the beach and agrees to meet her at a party. However, when he arrives at the party, he finds no sign of Arielle, but instead meets Marisa, a waitress who bears an uncanny resemblance to Theresa and even possesses her complete memory. Chris is stunned by the coincidence and wonders if everything is part of some greater plan orchestrated by Arielle.
As the story unfolds, Marisa's identity is revealed and her destiny to face one of the most notorious cartel leaders in a deadly battle becomes clear. Along the way, Ana and Chris develop a tumultuous love affair, which ultimately leads Chris to fight by Ana's side as she battles the cartel leader. But the story takes a twist when the mysterious Arielle appears at the most critical moment in the fight, adding another layer of mystery to the tale. Will Chris and Marisa triumph over their foes and find happiness together, or will the forces against them prove too strong? Follow along as Stranger on the Shore unravels these mysteries and more.
Author Interview - William J. Borak
Author I draw inspiration from:
Michael J. Fox from a book he wrote a while back, Always Looking Up, about his more complete transition from working on the sitcom Spin City to accepting his role as a full time Parkinson’s patient. Beyond inspirational and taking on an active role in developing his foundation for research on the Parkinson’s Disease.
Classical—for me the greatest author of all time is William Shakespeare
Author Interview - William J. Borak | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book:
In the family room either during quiet time or while listening to music.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
Achilles from the Iliad. I loved Homer’s Odyssey and Iliad, so many incredible characters and heroic figures.
Author Interview - William J. Borak | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
There wasn’t any epiphany, I knew right out of college when I went to the Time Life building in NYC and almost nailed a job with one of Time’s related magazines. I got the bug again later in my work life when I started writing short stories for family and friends and almost got a short story accepted by the New York Times magazine, but they asked that I change the ending of the story because it had a kind of “Twilight Zone” ending, but that was the point of the whole story.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
Audiobook listened to while driving to work- many audiobooks, mostly sports figures. Then a hardback would be second choice.
The last book I read:
Born to Run - Bruce Springsteen’s autobiography.
Author Interview - William J. Borak | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer:
Definitely computer. My whole work life was spent on PCs of all kinds and especially for writing, I love having a thesaurus at my fingertips as well as spell check.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with:
Cheating here—Bruce Springsteen (Born to Run) or Michael J. Fox (Always Looking Up); traditional books—I love crime stories - how about Alex Cross from James Patterson’s Kiss the Girls. I would have loved to bring those nefarious criminals to justice.
Author Interview - William J. Borak | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a:
I’m retired and spent a good part of my professional life as a consultant for Fortune 100 companies at an Executive level. Professional baseball player, CEO of a mid-size company...
Favorite decade in fashion history:
I have no fashion sense, but I loved the clothes from the ‘60s, when everybody was doing “their own thing.”
Place I’d most like to travel:
Italy for the history and beautiful coastlines and landscapes; also Spain, Portugal, France, Sweden and Switzerland.
My signature drink:
Flavored vodka and tonic, iced tea and lastly, Coke. Water all day long.
Favorite artist:
Weak topic for me—Norman Rockwell.
Number one on my bucket list:
I’m not a Bucket List guy, never had one. I’ve had a great life - getting Stranger on the Shore published was definitely a goal in my retirement.
Anything else you'd like to add:
I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s roughly 9 years ago. It pushed me to an early work retirement. It is a disease with many tentacles. Luckily, for me tremors is not a major issue, but it has robbed me of many other physical and mental capabilities. Most especially leg pain, the loss of any running, and I go to many PT sessions for balance, endurance, speech and cognitive improvement.
Author Bio:
WILLIAM J. BORAK is a retired business professional who worked as a Management Consultant for half of his 42 years in business. In this capacity he worked primarily for Fortune 100 companies (AT&T, Bloomberg Financial, Pfizer, Merck, etc.) developing Technology based solutions and Organization analysis via White papers for C level Executives. During this time, he drafted a few family-oriented articles published by the local papers and a chapter in a technology based textbook (Data Management, Barbara von Halle and David Kull, Editors, published by Auerbach). Bill is a life-long New Jersey resident and graduate of Rutgers University.
