What motivates you to write and where do you get your ideas? 

I find writing strangely cathartic.  What began as a means to "escape" during my teens (some people did drugs, I would write) developed into a hobby I really enjoy.  While I like the control I can exert over characters and the milieu, sometimes the story will change in the midst of my writing, taking an unexpected turn, or including details that fit because of something I've platformed in an earlier chapter, or the previous novel.

Ideas well up from within my soul.  I don't know where they come from.  My thought processes are so vivid that for awhile during my childhood, I had a hard time distinguishing reality from imagination.  When I write, the story seems to flow out of me as if it were a series of historical events that I'm actually witnessing.

Are your characters based upon real people?

Most of them are composites of several people I know, but I don't describe actual people with whom I am familiar.  (In other words, if you know me, don't go looking for yourself in my story.)  Names always present a challenge.  Sometimes I will use someone's last name because it sounds "right" for a character, but I'm not in the habit of including friends, relatives, or enemies in my stories.

How can you describe a woman's thought processes so accurately?

I grew up in a household dominated by women.  It's not hard to know what a woman is thinking, as she is usually quite willing to speak what's on her mind.  Even the shy ones reveal their thoughts once they are comfortable.  So, some of the things I've included in the narrative come directly out of conversations I've had with various women in my life.

In addition, I appreciate the feedback I receive from female readers.  In particular, my friend and colleague, Kelly Schmalcel, effectively opens my eyes to how a woman views what I write.

Why don't Garrick and Brenna just "get along"?  Why is Algernon always arguing with Astrid and Kira?

If they had no conflicts, would that be interesting to read?

Were you ever in the military?

No.  I'm a complete coward, and I don't want to hurt anybody.

How can you write such compelling battle scenes?

It's mostly imagination.  I dream up the tactical problems faced by a commander, or I "borrow" them from history (the action at Little Round Top in Gettysburg served as a kind of template for the Azgaril attack at Kicking Horse Gap in The Edge of Justice) and modify them to suit my needs.  I think: "How would I accomplish an attack on this place, or the defense of it, with the tools available to my characters?"  I also depend on input from my previewing readers when refining battle scenes.  If what I've written makes sense to them, then I've probably done an effective job of writing.

As far as actual fighting is concerned, I studied martial arts for many years.  In truth, I was TERRIBLE at it, likely for the same reasons I didn't join the military, but I fully understand how fighting works, even if I'm not skilled, nor sufficiently aggressive to inflict harm on another human being.  With Algernon, I've taken each scene and broken down the conflict into simpler steps, describing singular moves in the same way I might teach a child how to perform an academic task.  Readers who are also educators have expressed appreciation for this technique.

Who is your favorite author?

Harold Coyle used to be my favorite, until his work became ridiculously political. Martin Cruz Smith and David Poyer are two other authors whose work I really enjoy reading.

Did you "borrow" the name for Dead Hand Ridge from Harold Coyle?

Mr. Coyle's book, DEAD HAND was published in 2001.  By that time, The Edge of Justice manuscript had already been sent to the publisher and I had NO IDEA that my favorite author would be using that name in one of his novels.

Do you "borrow" names from other people or places?

Sometimes, but not always intentionally.  The names Dathan and Tamar are taken directly, and quite deliberately, out of the Bible.  I had been working on my story for a number of years when someone pointed out to me that the last name "Ravenwood" appears in Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Illithia sounds a lot like a Tolkein place name.  One of my favorite cousins told me that the two main characters in Johanna Lindsay's Fires of Winter were also named Garrick and Brenna (and at first blush the characters may seem similar), but the initial ideas for how my hero and heroine look actually came from the animated Ralph Bakshi film Fire and Ice, not the Johanna Lindsay novel.

It's very difficult to come up with names that don't elicit someone else's work, somehow.  I believe I would go absolutely crazy trying to eliminate all references to stories I've read, songs I've heard or films I've seen.  If the characters remind you of someone you've encountered before, I ask that you stick with the story in the confidence that my own ideas will shine through.  These people and places ARE my own, with a few exceptions:

The Woodwind character in my story IS borrowed.  James Gordon gets credit for coming up with Woodwind, but I've taken a LOT of liberties with that character in order to make him fit into my story.

Place names, however, are fair game as far as I'm concerned.  I named Kicking Horse Gap from the Kicking Horse River, an actual river in British Columbia.  The Tualitin, on Tamaria's southern border, is a real river that flows through Oregon.  I derived the name Hecate Creek from Hecate Straight, off the coast of Prince Rupert.  Washington State boasts "Deception Pass" on the north section of Whidbey Island, and I grew up knowing place names like "Death Valley", "Hungry Valley" and once spent hours as a teenager looking for a campsite called "Hardluck" with my best friend.  Place names in the far western region of North America often consist of words or phrases that carry a foreboding connotation.  I kept that trend in naming geographic features in my narrative, to preserve the flavor of the west coast.

You dedicated The Edge of Justice and The Long Journey to the glory of God.  Are you a Christian?

Yes.

Why do your stories contain sex, homosexuality and graphic violence, including rape?

Answering this type of question always makes me wonder about the motives of the person who is asking . . .

The scriptures are full of sex, including homosexuality, and violence, including rape.  That doesn't mean that God condones such behavior.  My stories occur in a war time setting, which demands an attention to warfare and the associated actions of people whose minds are set on violent deeds.  That doesn't mean I condone violence.

In fact, I have tried very hard to portray violence in a brutal way to avoid glamorizing warfare and combat, even while describing some characters as fighting with tremendous skill.  I encourage readers who find violence offensive to skim those sections of the narrative.  Every reader has that right.

Concerning sexuality, I'd like to remind worried readers that attraction and procreation are normal.  Most of the alarm has been raised concerning Garrick and Brenna in The Long Journey, because their relationship progresses to the point where the physical attraction between them grows into exploratory behavior.  It is, however, always couched in terms of morality, and just because the characters--especially Brenna and Algernon--struggle in this area is not an indication of a flaw.  Both of those characters strive to do what is right, despite the temptations they encounter.

While the story is full of erotic tension, I strive to write scenes that underscore this tension while avoiding explicit depictions of sexuality.  In hearing what my previewing readers had to say about this issue, I've taken pains to strike an effective balance between presenting the conflict with integrity, and avoiding scenes inserted merely for titillation.  The blossoming sexuality is a natural development of Garrick and Brenna's relationship, and I daresay that if two attractive people of opposite gender WEREN'T interested in one another, that would be abnormal and difficult for a reader to relate to his or her own experience.

With respect to homosexuality, I invite concerned readers to actually READ The Long Journey before drawing conclusions.  I've tried to present that perspective with sensitivity and authenticity, but this is not easily done because I can't understand why someone would be sexually attracted to their own gender.

As a Christian, aren't you concerned about modesty?  Why does Brenna appear so immodest on the home page of this web site?

Brenna is more covered up in that image than the average girl at a swimming pool or a beach, but I'll try to be fair in answering the question.

That problem lies not in the appearance of the character, but in the mind of the viewer.  Many people do not want to wrestle with the idea that looking lustfully is directly equated with adultery by Jesus in the New Testament, yet that IS what he taught.  It's easier to decry immodesty than to exhibit self control.  It's easier to impose morality on others, especially on those who exist in positions of weakness or minority, than to pluck out your own, offending eye.

On another level, this question relates directly to the issue of cultural influence and the expectations imposed with reference to morality that are accepted by consensus.  Early in the scriptures, Adam and Eve are described as "naked and unashamed" because at that time they both remained innocent.  I've taken this concept and related it to Illithian cultural norms.  The Illithians, who live in a warm, tropical climate, associate nakedness with innocence.  Their children remain unclothed until they begin to exhibit secondary sex characteristics.  At that time, Lithians of BOTH genders transition into fine, diaphanous clothing as a sign of readiness for marriage.  Rather than seeing Brenna's clothing as provocative, an Illithian would view her as a young woman who is ready for a lifelong commitment.  Once married, the beauty of an individual is no longer "on display", couples always appear fully clothed in opaque garments, and their privacy is jealously guarded.  Therefore, the concept of modesty from an Illithian perspective is one that depends on a very specific social context, and as a product of her culture, Brenna reflects the behavioral norms of the society in which she lives. 

The same is true in nearly every culture.  Most readers in North America, have been influenced by a mind set that associates nakedness with shame, and immodesty with shamelessness, yet what is considered modest attire in western countries might raise the eyebrows of a traditional Islamist Arab.  Therefore, the concept of modesty absolutely depends on cultural perspective.  For example, a loving father whose teenaged daughter appears at the sink for a glass of water before bedtime would think nothing of his girl being dressed in a nightgown; even if the girl resembles her mother when the older woman first turned the father's eye.  It's very likely, however, that the same man would not permit his daughter to leave the house on a date dressed in her nightgown.  Is the father a hypocrite for this attitude?  I think not.

Brenna, as a devout Lithian, is dressed as an unmarried Lithian would dress when Dathan Herulus first sees her.  As the story unfolds and she travels north into Tamaria, the response to her appearance reflect the cultural perceptions of the various characters with whom she interacts.  Nonetheless, the woman retains her devout faith throughout the story.  Her personal concept of modesty conflicts with Tamarian norms, yet the Gudrun character, who appears modest from the Tamarian perspective, contrasts significantly with Brenna where the principle of morality translates into behavior.

It's not my intent to convince a reader one way or the other.  I developed that conflict to stimulate thought on the topic.

Many of your characters seem to have difficulty with authority and traditional religion.  What are you trying to say with this?

Nothing, really.  I grew up in the 1960's, a period of time when questioning authority became a perfectly acceptable rite of passage.  Most of the people I call friends remain unafraid to question orthodoxy and the assumptions that underlie belief systems.  If these can withstand scrutiny, they are likely worth treasuring.  If not, why not discard them?  My characters simply reflect this kind of thinking.

Algernon, in particular, challenges orthodoxy and chafes under the yoke of leadership.  His perspective is deliberately contrasted with that of Astrid and Garrick, two characters who thrive under the more rigid restraints of heirarchical leadership.  Decide which is more compelling for yourself!

Why did you choose self-publishing over traditional publishing?

At first blush there seem to be many advantages to a print on demand book.  The Edge of Justice was my first novel, and as such, my reading audience had to be developed.  Careful targeting of that audience requires patience and an investment that traditional publishers are generally not willing to extend to a first time author under current market conditions.  That's partially why this web site exists.  I would like potential readers to peruse the chapter samples I've included so that they can gain a sense of my writing ability.  In this manner, new readers take less risk in spending money on a novel written by an unknown author.

I would like to see more widespread use of electronic book readers as a means of broadening the market for aspiring authors.  The Edge of Justice and The Long Journey can both be downloaded for free by request to anyone who contacts me, electronic reading represents an environmentally friendly approach (provided that batteries are recharged and responsibly recycled after use), and a portable electronic reader gives the consumer nearly the same convenience as a paperback.  However, the manufacturers of electronic readers really need to agree to a format.  This problem impedes progress and limits sales.

While some people think that a novel that hasn't been traditionally published isn't worth reading, I beg to differ.  Traditional publishing houses are now cranking out material that hasn't been edited, modern books by famous authors are filled with spelling and grammatical errors, and much of the publishing industry remains focused on work written by celebrities or established writers.  The difficulty authors like me experience in getting published has more to do with market factors than skill, or the compelling features of a given story. 

An inexpensive electronic copy, downloaded online, can solve many of these problems.  Once the e-book reader companies have agreed on a common format (which they seem unable to do because everyone wants a propreitary format in order to ensure maximum profit), enthusiasts will be able to download inexpensive copies of their favorite author's work, and the risk associated with reading a new author will diminish.

How can Brenna shoot a bow without discomfort?  Wouldn't the bow string bang into her breast?

I'm not sure what motivates this type of question, but it's come up several times.  Because Brenna uses her bow to such deadly effect and she's also described as a well-proportioned girl, some readers have complained that she could not fire her bow effectively because her breasts would get in the way.

Although I'm not an archery enthusiast, I CAN say that I've fired a bow often enough to question that this would be a problem.  Michael McCollum, one of my readers, was kind enough to provide a render that illustrates why the bow string on the breast issue is really a non-issue:

Since the bow has to be held straight out at arm's length, there is a line that MUST be formed between the left arm, the arrow, and the right elbow.  Any serious deviation from this form will create stress on the upper body.  Note, however, that in such a stance, the bow string doesn't come anywhere near the girl's bosom.  Her breasts could be three times the size of what is pictured in this render, and they STILL wouldn't be struck by the bow string when she released the arrow.

Now, I know that some people will contend that if Brenna drew her bowstring all the way back to her earlobe that this might create the requisite problem.  Even then, however, the bow string would be drawn back against soft flesh and released in the opposite direction.  It makes no sense that this would hurt.

If you have a question I did not answer, please e-mail me and I'll do my best to include it with a response.

 robert@newadventure.ca

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