Ali's Bookshelf: Let's Chat with author James Robinson Jr.

Friday, June 7, 2013

Let's Chat with author James Robinson Jr.

So today, we have the blog tour for Book of Samuel by author James Robinson Jr. I got to ask him some great questions about his book and would love to share those with you today. There is also a great giveaway below. Enjoy!!!

Who did you write this book for? Who is the audience?

Book of Samuel is a love story—a love story for the General Adult audience which is made up of both men and women. But it’s not a romance. I’m hoping that writing it from a male perspective and keeping it out of the straight romance genre will attract more men who shy away from reading Romance.

If you could have a conversation with any author living or dead, who would it be and what would you ask?

Any number of romance authors such as Danielle Steele. I would as her how she manages to write so many books in the same genre. What is her secret for her ability to be so prolific? Does she love writing that much? Does it come that easily to her? Good editors?

If someone who hadn't read your book, what would you tell them to get them to read your book?

I would tell them that the book is very simple, straightforward, and uncluttered and that the characters are all regular people—flawed individuals with problems just like them. Many of the readers may be a part of a dysfunctional, complicated family such as the Johnsons—families with secrets, skeletons in the closet, and phobias. I would also tell them that the book is filled with drama and loaded with intense scenes that will hold their attention from beginning to end. Not to mention the fact that it’s perfect for a plane ride to that summer vacation—since it is an 84-page novella—or a short afternoon read.

How long did it take you to write Book of Samuel?

It took about six months from concept to publication. It’s hard to say how long it took to actually write. Also, since I have always been a non-fiction writer and this was my first foray into fiction, I had to get a lot of on-the-job training. Kathie Shoop, an award-winning, best-selling author served as editor of the project and helped guide me through the process. I am currently writing a prequel to Book of Samuel which, due to my previous experience, is taking a lot less time to write.

What made you want to write this book?

Having had a similar experience in the Savannah, GA Airport—missing a plane and being stuck for the day, not the rest of the drama—I wanted to base a story on this event and take it up a few notches. Most of the characters are similar to my own family members. Sam Sr. is based on my father. I am similar to Samuel in many ways, and the Maxine character is loosely based on my mother. And I do mean loosely. My mother doesn’t drink; she isn’t addicted to pain medication and she certainly doesn’t throw turkeys. (Read the book to find out what I mean.)

Stranded in the Savannah, Georgia Airport after a family wedding, Dr. Samuel Johnson—a Gynecologist—his wife and his parents confront their family emotional baggage even as their Louis Vuitton luggage makes its way to the families final destination. During his eight-hour layover in Savannah, Samuel discovers the painful secrets that mull his father’s past, suffers through the erratic behavior of his mother, and even his lovely even-keeled wife has acquired an inexplicably hard edge. He is also forced to confront the fact that he has grown weary of his all-consuming medical practice and longs for another life. As tensions rise, more and more secrets are revealed as the airport becomes the family’s battleground. Can Samuel find a way to make things right?

James Robinson, Jr. is an award-winning author of two non-fiction books: Fighting the Effects of Gravity: A Bittersweet Journey Into Middle Life, and Death of a Shrinking Violet. Book of Samuel – a Novella -- is his first foray into fiction. He is an Indie Excellence Finalist and the recipient of a Readers’ Favorite Five-Star Review.

Robinson was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in 1974. He didn’t become a serious writer until 1995 when he began writing Fighting the Effects of Gravity.

He lives in Pittsburgh with his wife, Deborah. He has three adult children and four grandchildren.