Charles Williams

Charles Williams is a native of Monroe, Louisiana who spent most of his professional life in commercial real estate finance after obtaining an MBA from The Wharton School. From 1993-2003, he resided in New Orleans while working for Chase Bank and The National Equity Fund in the financing of large and often controversial real estate developments. In 2003 he moved to Alexandria, Virginia, and was working on similar financings in fifteen states when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. He volunteered to return to south Louisiana in 2006 to arrange financing under special government programs that were created to help Louisiana rebuild from Katrina's damage. He concluded his real estate finance career in this role. Charles has always been a student of Louisiana history and has followed Louisiana's politics even in the years he lived out of state. His work experience allowed him to see the seamy side of his home state at close range on many real estate projects. In his novel, he presents a realistic picture of the corruption and infighting that ensue when a large development receives $24 million in government-supported financing.