Ms. Mod of StephenKing.com recently sat down with David Williamson, reference model for Michael Whelan’s illustration of Father Callahan, to get some insight into what it’s like to be a part of Michael’s work for Discordia.

The  image above has been taken from Discordia's "Character Orbs." It has been watermarked in order to
 protect users from seeing the full version that is only available through Discordia. Please do not repost.

Ms.Mod: You are the model Michael Whelan used to create his illustration of Father Callahan for the stephenking.com Discordia project.  Can you tell us how that came about?
 
David: I have been a huge fan of Michael Whelan for some years now, and I think he is an incredibly gifted artist. Michael and I first met at the Palavercon conference organized by Donald M. Grant Publisher, Inc. (the publisher of The Dark Tower series, among other King novels) in the summer of 2005. As it turns out, Michael lives only about 45 minutes away from my home in Connecticut. Periodically, we get together on a social basis and over the last few years have become good friends. One night last winter, we were discussing matters of the world and he looked at me and said in passing that I would make a great Father Callahan. I thought nothing of it at the time, but then about two months later in mid March, Michael called me one evening and asked if I would like to come to his studio and be the model for Father Callahan in a new Stephen King project he was working on. The next morning, he photographed and “sketched me” in his studio and gave me a high-level overview of the Discordia project, although swearing me to secrecy. Let me tell you, it has not been easy keeping this project and my role as Father Callahan under my hat for the past eight months, but I managed!
 
 
Ms.Mod: What were your thoughts about the character of Father Callahan prior to being the inspiration for his likeness?
 
David: As most of us know, Father Callahan was a key character in the novel Salem’s Lot many years before he became a member of Roland’s Ka-tet in The Dark Tower series. My impression of Callahan after reading Salem’s Lot was that he was weak of faith, lost and full of doubt about himself, and in the end, a broken man on the run. However, my feelings and respect for Father Callahan changed 180 degrees after the awe-inspiring role he played in the final three books of The Dark Tower series. His transformation, I thought, was entirely believable and extremely well orchestrated.
 
 
Ms.Mod: Have your feelings changed since you will now be seen as Father Callahan by thousands of people?
 
David: As the “face” of Father Callahan, I now find myself, at times, comparing my own character traits to those that I see in him. Father Callahan is now someone more real to me than just a character I have admired in a book. Michael Whelan has tied me to this character in some way, and I find that exhilarating. I have always harbored a secret desire to be a gunslinger, and if you look at Michael’s depiction of Callahan, I think he has perfectly captured the confidence and icy blue, calculating eyes of the gunslinger that lie within myself and Father Callahan.

 
Ms.Mod: You have recently become the owner of Betts Book Store.  Congratulations! Can you tell us about your plans for the future of Betts?
 
David: Thank you. It is with great honor and enthusiasm that I assume the role of caretaker of Betts Books. I would like to thank Stuart Tinker for his dedication over the past years and for inspiring in so many of us a passion for all things Stephen King. The formal transfer of ownership should be completed by December 1st.
 
One of my primary long-term goals is to help expand people’s knowledge and appreciation for the literary works of Stephen King and to be an advocate for reading in general. I also pledge my continued strong support of The Haven Foundation. As for taking the business in new directions, I have quite a few ideas but am not yet ready to reveal any specifics. That said, I do plan to incorporate the strong ties that I have with several artists and my professional background as a researcher to offer some compelling new products and services to Betts customers. The year ahead promises to be an exciting one, so stay tuned!
 
Ms.Mod:  Thank you for sharing all of this with us.  It sounds like we have much to look forward to and send you our best wishes for the future success of Betts!