Archive for the ‘Interview’ Category

Today we are pleased to welcome to Rhodes Review, Stacy Green, author of Into The Dark who is currently on tour to promote her book.

Rhodes Review: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

Stacy Green: I’ve always wanted to be a writer, but for a long time, it was something I never thought I could accomplish. It wasn’t until a good friend read some recent work and started pushing me that I finally decided to take the plunge.

Rhodes Review: How did you start writing?

Stacy Green: I’ve written little stories since I was a kid, but the first thing I remember writing that had any plot to it was a story about New Kids on the Block, probably around 1989. I would have been 12 and thought it was a masterpiece. My mom still has the notebook

Rhodes Review: What is your work schedule like when you’re writing?

Stacy Green: I’m a SAHM and do part-time child care, so I’m able to get a lot done as long as I don’t procrastinate. I usually try to write for a couple of hours before lunch as well as after. On my off days, I can write straight through, but when the kiddo is around, it’s choppy.

Rhodes Review: What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

Stacy Green: Hmm. I suppose the natural light thing. I don’t like to write at night anymore, partially because I’m always beat, but I also like to be in a room with the main light off and lots of light in the windows.

Rhodes Review: Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?

Stacy Green: I watch a lot of true crime shows, so I’m always looking for ideas there. I also keep a journal of any sort of “what if” question that might pop into my mind. With INTO THE DARK, I originally wanted to write about a SWAT officer saving the damsel in distress. Then I discovered the tunnels beneath Las Vegas, and the book took on an entirely different meaning.

Rhodes Review: What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

Stacy Green: Read! Relax. Spend time with my daughter. We try to cram in as much family stuff as possible on the weekends.

Rhodes Review: What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

Stacy Green: How crucial back story is to the plot and how very little of it actually makes it into the book. You can’t tell a good story without knowing what happened before, so in a sense, you’re writing two books. You just can’t bombard the reader with the details.

Rhodes Review: Do you have any suggestions to help someone become a better writer?

Stacy Green: Keep writing. And read, read, read. Read the books in your genre, study how they are telling their stories. Read outside your genre, too. Look for fresh sentences that stand out, and always write the story you want to. If you love it, others will, too.

Rhodes Review: Which of your books was the easiest/hardest to write?

Stacy Green: I can’t say that any of them were. Into the Dark is my debut, and as a new author learning story structure, it had its own set of challenges. My April release, TIN GOD, was tough because the plot was much more intricate than Dark’s. And the book I’m currently working on has a pretty intense subplot, so it’s tough as well. And that’s how it should be – if you’re learning as you write, every book will present new challenges.

Rhodes Review: Which of your characters is most/least like you, and in what way(s)?

Stacy Green: Emilie has some of my personality, in that I’ve dealt with letting go of the past and not letting my mistakes eat me alive.

Rhodes Review: If you were to do your career as an author again, what would you do differently, and why?

Stacy Green: That is really tough, because I feel I’m still at the start of my career. If anything, I wish I’d had more faith in myself early on and not taken so long to get to this point.

Rhodes Review: What inspired you to write Into The Dark?

Stacy Green: Many things. Originally it was simply the idea of a hot SWAT guy. And then I wanted to write about a woman with some secrets. But it wasn’t until I found out about the tunnels and the homeless living inside them that I really started to understand who the bad guy was, how he could use those tunnels, and how the plight of those living inside could shape both Nathan and Emilie’s lives. So it really started to come together after that.

Rhodes Review: What was your favorite part of Into The Dark?

Stacy Green: A couple of scenes. First, when Nathan discovers what’s under the bank and realizes what the Taker has done. Second would be much later, when Emilie is in true peril. I really felt like that’s when the theme came together.

Rhodes Review: What was the hardest part of Into The Dark to write?

Stacy Green: The hardest part was learning story structure and understanding how much that plays into the plot. Writing a story is very different from writing a book, and I really had to learn (and am still learning!) how to do that.

Rhodes Review: What did you wish was different about Into The Dark?

Stacy Green: You know what? It’s my first book, and I’m happy with it. There are little things I would change, but there will always be something you wish you’d done differently. At this point, you have to be proud of what you’ve done and let it go.

Rhodes Review: What are your favorite authors/books?

Stacy Green: Lisa Garder, Thomas Harris, Stephen King, Anne Rice, Greg Iles. Gardner’s Say Goodbye is a standout to me, as is Silence of the Lambs, The Shining, The Queen of the Damned, and Turning Angel. But all of their books are great.

Rhodes Review: If you could have dinner with one person, dead or alive, who would it be and why?

Stacy Green: Nefertiti, although I’d need a translator. I’d like to know what her life was truly like in ancient Egypt, and if she was as beautiful as her famous bust shows.

Rhodes Review: What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

Stacy Green: That writing a book is a lot harder than I thought! It’s one thing to have a bunch of great ideas, but putting them together in a cohesive plot that isn’t too far fetched yet keeps readers on the edge of their seats is tough, and a constant work in progress!

Rhodes Review: Stacy, thank you so much for joining us here.

Stacy Green: Thanks so much for having me! I hope your readers enjoy INTO THE DARK.

INTO THE DARK is on sale for $2.99 for a limited time only!

INTO THE DARK/Blurb

IT’S THE MOMENTS FROM OUR PAST THAT BIND US.

Branch Manager Emilie Davis is having a day like any other–until two masked men storm into WestOne Bank demanding cash. Her hopes of a quick end to her terror are dashed when she realizes one of the men has no interest in the bank’s money. Emilie is his prize, and he’s come to claim her.

When hostage negotiator Nathan Madigan and Las Vegas SWAT enter the bank on a rescue mission, Emilie’s captor makes a shocking escape into the abyss that lies beneath the city: the Las Vegas storm drains, a refuge for the downtrodden and the desperate.

HOW WILL IT END?

Who is the man the media has dubbed the “Taker?” Why is he after Emilie, and what is the connection he’s convinced they share?

Emilie can’t run from the Taker, and she can’t escape her own past. As her life closes in on her, she has nowhere to turn but to Nathan. The lines of professionalism blur as Nathan becomes determined to save Emilie. Together they venture into the depths beneath Las Vegas and discover a shocking piece of the puzzle.

But the Taker remains one step ahead. Desperate for the threat to emerge from the shadows, Emilie makes a bold move to reclaim her life, and it may cost her everything.

Amazon for Kindle
MuseItUp Store for all digital formats
Smashwords for Nook, iTunes, and other digital formats: (use Coupon Code: CF97D)

Sign up for Stacy’s newsletter by February 19th to be entered into the contest for a $25 Amazon Gift Card. Subscribers will only be contacted with pricing and contest exclusives for them!

BIO

Stacy Green is fascinated by the workings of the criminal mind and explores true crime on her popular Thriller Thursday posts at her blog, Get Twisted.

After earning her degree in journalism, Stacy worked in advertising before becoming a stay-at-home mom to her miracle child. She rediscovered her love of writing and wrote several articles for Women’s Edition Magazine of Cedar Rapids, profiling local businesses, before penning her first novel. Her debut novel, INTO THE DARK, is set in Las Vegas and features a heroine on the edge of disaster, a tormented villain, and the city’s infamous storm drains that house hundreds of homeless. INTO THE DARK is available on all digital formats and paperback November 30th.

Website: www.stacygreen.net

See our Review of Into The Dark here and our Giveaway here.

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Rhodes Review: Who were some of your favorite characters in Murder Takes Time?

Giacomo Giammatteo: My favorite character was Nicky. I had the most difficult time writing him, which is probably why I liked him so much.  After that, I think Mamma Rosa.

Rhodes Review: Which of your characters would you most/least to invite to dinner, and why?

Giacomo Giammatteo: Mamma Rosa because she cooks such magnificent meals. Johnny Much because he’d be frightening to have in your house. At any time, let alone dinner.

Rhodes Review: What would your ideal career be, if you couldn’t be an author?

Giacomo Giammatteo: An editor, but if we limit choices to something outside the publishing business, then I’d have to say something dealing with helping animals or kids.

Rhodes Review: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

Giacomo Giammatteo: Not until late in life. When my youngest son was a teenager, we started reading fantasy books together. When we finished, we’d discuss them, talk about plots, characters, what we would have done differently. That led to us saying, “hey, we could write one of these.” And so we did, although being a teenager, he quit on me after we plotted out the first one. By then, though, I was hooked.

Rhodes Review: How long does it take you to write a book?

Giacomo Giammatteo: That’s a loaded question. I can usually write the first draft pretty fast. I did this book in two months. But…and this is the key, it takes a lot of time after the first draft to get it to the point where you say, “Okay, this is ready for publication.”

Rhodes Review: What is your work schedule like when you’re writing?

Giacomo Giammatteo: My days are hectic, and yet, organized. My wife and I have an animal sanctuary with 41 animals, so I get up early—6:30 or so—feed some of the animals, do some work with Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, etc… then go to work on my normal job. I take off in mid-afternoon to do the primary feeding of our animals, then back to work. I quit work around 6:00, go inside to eat, spend more time doing social media things, and then spend a few precious minutes with my wife. After she goes to bed, I write until late at night.

Rhodes Review: What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

Giacomo Giammatteo: If you mean writing process, it’s probably writing with loud music and several dogs beside me. If you mean regarding the books’ content, I’d say it would be that I put my animals in all my books.  There is always a character/animal that is represented.

Rhodes Review: What are some of your favorite authors/books?

Giacomo Giammatteo: Favorite book of all time is The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas. Modern day, I’d have to say Frank Hebert, author of Dune, and in the mystery category, John Sandford’s Prey novels.

Rhodes Review: I know you are bringing back Rat and Bugs in the next book, can you provide any details?

Giacomo Giammatteo: I’m not one to spoil things for readers. About all I can say is that it will be another dual plot line, and will take place in Brooklyn and Wilmington.

Rhodes Review: What were some writers who influenced you?

Giacomo Giammatteo: Dumas for his storytelling. Sandford for his brevity. Hebert for his meticulous attention to detail. I can’t compare to any of them, but I strive to get there.

Rhodes Review: What was your favorite part of the book?

Giacomo Giammatteo: When the kids were young. I loved writing that, mostly because the majority of it was real.

Rhodes Review: What was the hardest part to write in the book?

Giacomo Giammatteo: Some of the death scenes. I don’t mean the murders, but the ones where the good guys died. I had to dig deep for those emotions, and it took more than I thought it would.

Rhodes Review: What do you wish was different about the book?

Giacomo Giammatteo: This is a difficult question because I don’t want to sound like an ass, but I really am happy with the book. I don’t think I’d change it.

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Today we are pleased to once again have Joshua Graham join us. Joshua is the author of the recently released Darkroom.

About Josh

Joshua Graham is the award winning author of the #1 Amazon and Barnes & Noble legal thriller BEYOND JUSTICE.

His latest book DARKROOM won a First Prize award in the Forward National Literature award and was an award-winner in the USA Book News “Bests Books 2011” awards.

Rhodes Review: What gave you the idea for Darkroom?

Joshua Graham: It started with the title, which I thought would make for a great double entendre, then I remembered how ghostly some of the images in an old fashioned darkroom looked when they were coming up in the developing solution on the contact paper.  They start off looking like a negative, then they turn out normal.  But I thought:  What if someone could see clairvoyant images in the darkroom, the way Johnny Smith did in THE DEAD ZONE by Stephen King, when he touches someone?

Rhodes Review:  It goes heavily into background in Vietnam, what was the research process like?

Joshua Graham:  It was fascinating! I learned a lot from historical records, but I also got a lot of firsthand information from people who were actually there, especially around the fall of Saigon.

Rhodes Review:  Is there any chance of the characters returning in other stories?

Joshua Graham:  Does the name Jodi Bauer sound familiar to you?  If you read BEYOND JUSTICE, you’ll remember that she was nick-named Jodi the Piranha, and was the defense attorney for the serial killer in that novel.  Well, the attorney that defends Xandra Carrick in the last part of the book comes from her law firm.  So, as you can see, my characters sometimes inhabit the same world.  And they might
even cross paths, who knows?

Rhodes Review:  Which character would you most and least like to invite to dinner?

Joshua Graham:  Interesting question.  Of course, I think Xandra would be a real kick to hang out with.   She’s got quite a personality and is not boring.  She’s feisty (as one reviewer put it) and she doesn’t let things go easily, so I bet she’d be fun to get into a debate with.  I’d also love to meet her father Peter Carrick and hear the stories he has to tell from the Vietnam War.  Who would I least like to invite to dinner?  Mark Collinsworth.  Everyone has their story, but his cocky attitude really grates me.  Great for a book character, but for a dinner guest, not so much.

Rhodes Review:  What do you think makes a good story?

Joshua Graham:  That which draws you in, such that you forget your reading a book.  And it should also provide a healthy dose of catharthis.

Rhodes Review:  What is your work schedule like when you’re writing?

Joshua Graham:  Wake up, get the kids ready for school, have breakfast, study the Bible and pray, check email, social media, write, write, write…answer phone calls, emails, write, write, write…

Rhodes Review:  What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

Joshua Graham:  Once in a while, I interview my characters.  Ask them probing questions, then let them answer in their own voice.  Some of them have gotten pretty mad at me, some of them have broken down, and still others have made me laugh so hard I was grateful I didn’t have a mouthful of coke.

Rhodes Review:  What was your favorite part of Darkroom?

Joshua Graham:  The surprises and twists.  Which ones?  Well, I could tell you…

Rhodes Review:  What was the hardest part to write in Darkroom?

Joshua Graham:  Definitely witnessing the human atrocities where innocents are killed and tortured.  These are things you never want to imagine.  But they have happened, tragically.  And in order to fully bring it to life, I had to put myself in the scene and imagine the details, the emotions, from different points of views.   As a husband and a father, these kinds of images (scenes) are always the most difficult to write (as it was in the opening chapters of BEYOND JUSTICE.)  My readers have had the same reaction to these pages as mine.  We all wanted to go and hug our children after reading them.

Rhodes Review:  What do you wish was different about Darkroom?

Joshua Graham:  Maybe that a major motion picture studio had already optioned it before the book was published?  So many people (early readers) have told me that this book must be made into a movie.   I even have an agent from one of the top Hollywood talent agencies who approached me and said the same thing.   On the other hand, it’s probably better that the book comes out first, because a book and a film adaptation are very different creatures, and must be viewed as such.

Rhodes Review:  Which of your books was the easiest/hardest to write?

Joshua Graham:  None of them are what I would call easy.  I already described
what was difficult about them to write.   But the truth be told, DARKROOM came through divine providence and inspiration.  I never completed a first draft as quickly as I did DARKROOM.  The words and story just flowed and I practically typed non-stop from start to finish.

Rhodes Review:  Does writing a book get easier as you write?  Ie. Is it harder to write your first book, then your 14^th?

Joshua Graham:  I’ll let you know when I get to book 14.   Each book has its own
challenges and rewards.  On one hand, being more experienced makes it easier.  But then, the challenge is to write with equal and better quality, and remain fresh.  After about 4 novels, I can tell you that the latter concern is becoming more and more of a challenge.  But it’s a challenge ALL writer’s must face, nothing new under the sun.

Rhodes Review:  If the author could have dinner with one person, dead or alive, who would it be and why?

Joshua Graham:  C.S. Lewis, for sure.  He was a remarkably gifted man of deep insight and literary skill.  I love everything he’s written in regards to his literary, philosophical, and theological viewpoints.  And, from what I gather, we share a similar sense of humor—I think.

Rhodes Review:  How did you get interested in writing?

Joshua Graham:  I’ve been writing stories for as long as I can remember.  Even in the 1^st grade, with crayons and construction paper, my pictures had a separate sheet of paper with a story (caption).  Since then, I’ve enjoyed writing scripts for plays, movies, and all kinds of stories.   It was only later in life that I rediscovered this passion for storytelling, and at the urging of some great friends, decided to pursue it
professionally.  Little did I know it would alter my destiny and be there, ready and waiting, when my 12 year career in IT disappeared, making way for my life as a writer.

Rhodes Review:  What are some of your favorite books/authors.

Joshua Graham:  GOD:  The Bible

C.S. Lewis’ Narnia, The Screwtape Letters

Stephen King: The Dead Zone

John Grisham:  The Rainmaker

Rhodes Review:  Do you have any suggestions to help my readers become a better
writer? If so, what are they?

Joshua Graham:  For those interested in becoming a writer professionally, remember, the key characteristic needed more than talent, connections, more than anything else combined, is persistence.  Never give up until you’ve arrived.  Even then, you have to keep honing your skills, learning the business, making connections, learning from others.  You’ll either love the sound of that, or hate it.  Chose this path carefully, because like all things worthwhile, it will come at personal cost and sacrifice.  But it will also come with unspeakable rewards, if you are looking for the right things.

Rhodes Review:  If you were to do your career as an author again, what would you do differently, and why?

Joshua Graham:  I might have spent a lot less time worrying about what others think because ultimately, the books I’ve written that drew the most negative comments from other aspiring writers, have gone on to become #1 bestsellers and have given me a new career (all thanks to God!)

Rhodes Review: Would you like a Snickers bar?

Joshua Graham:  If you even have to ask….

Connect with Josh at the following:

Website: www.joshua-graham.com/blog
FACEBOOK: http://joshua-graham.com/fb
Twitter: @J0shuaGraham

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Today we’re pleased to welcome with us, Mr. Mikey Weinstein, author off the book No Snowflake in an Avalanche.

Mikey Weinstein: We’re very greatful that you’re taking the time to take a look and give us your thoughts and want to thank you for making the effort.

Rhodes Review: A lot of people would say you and the book are anti-Christian, and that it’s just a liberal attack on religion. How would you address that?

Mikey Weinstein: Well, I would say they’re full of shit. Let me explain why. That is a canard. That’s like saying that if you fight back against bullying in schools, you know that new movie Is out bullies, that you’re against bullying. In our situation we have just between 80 and 90 people that work in our foundation around the country. Most of our folks are full time volunteers. The vast majority of our staff are Roman Catholic and Protestant. We had 27,385 clients as of a few hours ago. It is just like a universal constant. It stays right around 96% of our clients are Christians. About 3/4s are Protestants of pretty much every denomination alone. We have 21 different varieties of Baptists alone. The other ¼ of the 96% are Roman Catholic. Only 4% of our clients are non Christians. Ironically some of our best donors are very conservative Republicans but don’t want people to know what their names are.

Our largest organization supporter is none other then the California Council of Churches IMPACT Organization. They interviewed and followed us for many years then made the decision to endorse us. Get this, there are 5,500 individual protestant churches in the state of California, 21 Different protestant denominations, and it’s 1.5 Million California Protestants. So if we are anti-Christian, that’s news to our staff, our donors, our endorsers, our clients. If you saw the video (link) I tried to explain we are absolutely at war with the American Christian Fascistic Taliban and that’s what the book is focused on and those are Fundamentalist or Dominionist Christians, they follow the great Commission

Mark 16:15 – And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

Matthew 28:19 – Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

They feel they have the right to scream Jesus in a crowded theater. They feel there is no time, and there is no place, and there is no manner that can restrict them from proselytizing. That’s why one of our largest growth areas is Evangelical Christians. We now have them on our advisory board, as clients and donors. Of the 368 Clients we have from the Air Force Academy, the only one that is out is a Conservative

Evangelical Christian Republican. Even the Evangelicals follow the great commission, but they refuse to proselytize in a manner that is constitutionally noxious. So to say that is like saying we’re against all of Islam because we’re also against the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, etc. Of course we’re against Fundamentalist Islam. 10% of every Muslim American in the U.S. Military is our clients, and we never have any of them saying you’re anti-Muslim because we’re fighting the Fundamentalists in Islam. We don’t hate anybody’s God, we don’t favor or oppose anyone’s faith, we support our Constitution. It allows everyone to celebrate what faith they have or no faith. The rules are since we have a social contract in this country, you need to follow the rules of the law. And we have a Constitution that represents that social contract that there is a place, time and manner you can proselytize to your hearts content, but we also have the rules when you can’t do that, and if you want to violate it, then we’ll see you in that court.

Rhodes Review: I liked where you mentioned you even had a few Jedi clients.
Mikey Weinstein: I’d never heard of the Jedi Faith before, I think it’s a lot like Bahai. It’s not our position to sit there and say “What a ridiculous faith”, that is more than a slippery slope, one of our most well known clients, a highly decorated combat Medic, told us when he was told he had to stand in formation and bow his head to a Jesus prayer, mandatory, military, U.S. Army Formation, he told his first sergeant he didn’t want to do it. The sergeant told him he could follow his own religion when he wanted to, but when the Army tells you you’re going to do this. He told the first sergeant “My religion requires me to absent myself from people attempting telepathic contact with imaginary beings.”

Rhodes Review: You and your family face a lot of hatred and hostility as well as anti-semitism. How do you cope with that on a day to day basis?

Mikey Weinstein: That’s a tough question. I’ve told people that we’re not activists. We’re actually civil rights fighters. It’s like I’m talking to you with a gun stuck in my face. This is not like riding a unicorn through a cotton candy forest handing out lollipops to little forest animals who are singing in English in unison. This is a bloodsport. This is very, very hard. It’s dangerous, lonely, and expensive. The book was to try to make people understand. It’s like what Gandhi said was right: There are four phases of fighting, the first stage they ignore you. In stage two, they ridicule you. In stage 3, they fight you. In stage 4, you win. We’re well beyond ignore, we’re well beyond ignoring and ridiculing, we’re into fighting and winning. This comes at a cost. You know the quote from Voltaire where the title of the book comes from “No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible”. Here’s another that explains this “It is very dangerous to be right in manners, upon which the established authorities are wrong.” . He also said “Courage cannot see around a corner but goes around it anyway. “ It’s something we realize we have to do. We’re not going to stop. We’re not going to be cowed. We do our best to protect ourselves with our weapons, our security, our firearms, whatever we’ve got. We’re trained to drive home in different ways, sit in restaurants in certain ways. I’m not asking everybody to be fighting this everyday, I’m just asking for one day of the lion. Give me just one day. Help us fight. It’s not like I don’t care about the starvation and violence in Darfur, or the HIV Crisis in Subsahara Africa, or global warming, or how to save the whales. I do. But the people we’re fighting want to use nuclear weapons to bring Jesus back. Dealing with this type of oppression and marginalizaton, we’ve had our windows shot out of our house, animals slaughtered, swastikas and crucifixes painted on our house, and we get it, you don’t like us being here. We also understand it’s important. The bill of rights which includes the first amendment where the Separation of Church and State exists, even though the Christian right says we don’t see those words there, they were put in to protect the minority. Frederick Douglas said “Power concedes nothing with a demand” so me, my family, and my foundation are the demanders of the commanders. The others out there are afraid to speak, to deal with the tyranny of the majority. The book is intended to be a primal scream to get people to understand, to make a call to action.

Rhodes Review: Tell us about the Chaplaincy of full Gospel and the Imprecatory Prayer. I remember similar prayers for the President?

Mikey Weinstein: About 12 days ago, the judge granted a summary judgement motion. He couldn’t see causation. We thought the judge was going to let it go to a jury, and let the jury decide. Yet the judge did not grant summary judgement.. The judge said how can you see a correlation between someone praying for someone to die and anything that happens to you.

[For the Readers: An Imprecatory prayer is a prayer wishing harm on others. In Obama’s case, it was for his days in office to be few and his children to be left orphans. In Mr. Weinstein’s case, it tends to be prayers for violence and death upon his family.]

Mikey Weinstein: Where are you going to post this review?

Rhodes Review: My own website, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble.

Mikey Weinstein: How many of these have you done in the past, you ask good questions.

Rhodes Review: Probably about 30 or 40.

Mikey Weinstein: Wow, I don’t’ want to take up your whole night, please continue with your excellent questions.

Rhodes Review: Is this just a problem in the airforce, or is it all branches?

Mikey Weinstein: Do you have a pen. Hold your pen up six inches over your desk. What made the pen drop?

Rhodes Review: Gravity.

Mikey Weinstein: Correct. That is exactly how systemic and ubiquitous and out of control Fundamentalist Dominionist Christianity is, in the technologically most lethal organization ever created by human kind which is our U.S. Military. We have roughly 1,000 military installations scattered around the world, in 150 countrys, as we garrison the globe. This is a national security threat to our Country. It’s inextricably entwined into the very DNA of the Pentagon or as we call it the Pentecostalgon. One of President Eisenhower’s most famous speeches was where he warned about the rise of the Military Industrial Complex. We’re facing this enormous Fundamentalist Christian Parachurch Military Corporate Congressional Complex. It is the very particulate of the department of Defense.

Rhodes Review: Can you tell us about the 68 Nuclear Missile Launch officers? The Jesus Rifles?

Mikey Weinstein:  The 68 Nuclear Missile Launch Officers were part of the Jesus Loves Nukes situation, I believe that’s chapter 14 of my book. The Jesus Nukes occurred late July/August last year, the Jesus Rifles were around January 2010.

We’ve had a lot of our stories go viral. The Nazi SS flag being used by the Marine Scout Snipers had over 16 Million News Hits alone. Nature Abhors a vacuum. If you’re being persecuted in the military because of your religious faith, you can’t go to the EO people, you can’t go to the inspect general, you can’t go to the Chaplain, You can’t go to the Lawyers, you can’t go to your chain of command, they’re the biggest perpetrators.

We think somewhere between 28 and 32 percent of the senior enlisted and officers are Fundamentalist Christians. People say what’s the big deal, but here’s the problem. The problem is they’ll come out and outrank 80% of the military. These other organizations such as the ACLU doesn’t speak military, we do. In every conceivable way, this is a template ofFundamentalist Christian Facism. We’re our own worst enemies in regards to Afghanistan, etc.

Rhodes Review: Are there any political leaders that we can depend on who are unaffected by this? It seems we’re in trouble either way sometimes.

Mikey Weinstein: No. In an election year they won’t touch us. I spent a lot of money with a very well appointed lobbying interest in Washington D.C. until they came and told us to stop paying them. I’m a registered Republican myself. Under Republicans it’s man exploits man. Under Democrats it’s just the opposite. It’s not a left or right issue, it’s a right or wrong issue. Martin Luther King Jr. said “In the end we remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” And there comes a time where silence becomes betrayal.

We live in an America where most people don’t speak truth to power. They don’t have the guts to do it, especially If it’s a spouse, teacher, particularly a boss, they’re too terrified. Most Americans are too docile to tell others to “shut the fuck up” if they’re talking in a movie theater, so how do you expect them to stand up and fight if they’re being told there is one approved solution for religion. It’s not a small matter. It’s well beyond racial, gender, sexual orientation. None of those have an ideological book telling you what to do. Of course the people we’re fighting, the Fundamentalists, have that stench, they are anti-semitic, islamophobic, misogynyistic, and homophobic.  They also have a virulent hatred of the constitution.

Rhodes Review: There are those who might think this was just another conspiracy theory such as birtherism. What would you say to such critics?

Mikey Weinstein:  Well I would tell people there were 300 spartans at the battle of Themopoly. In honor of those 300 brave men, give me two seconds of your time, give me six hundred seconds, that’s 10 minutes and go to Military Religious Freedom.org and look at the video, listen to the audio, read the text particularly the part that says you ought to read the book. Read the Book. There’s a reason Harper’s Magazine referred to me as the Constitutional Conscience of the Military, and I’m proud of that.

This isn’t about self-grandizement. I’m 57 years old, I don’t care if anyone likes me. Trust the message whether you like the message or not. I wrote the book because I knew I wouldn’t be happy until people were unhappy. Until people face some level of discomfiture, they won’t do anything.

Have you ever gone on a picnic? You and your wife go on a picnic and are surrounded by flies, no big deal, but if there’s suddenly hornets and wasps, that’s going to scare the shit out of you, you’re going to do something about that. So we had to make ourselves into hornets and wasps, because people won’t pay attention to anything else. Remember power pays attention only to demands.

The Department of Defense’s only weaknesss is bad press or being hauled to the federal or state court. There’s two things I want to say here. When you tell somebody they lack integrity, character, courage, intelligence, trustworthiness, honorability, and honor, because of their chosen religious faith, or lack thereof, there’s no difference between that and telling them they’re stupid because of the color of their skin or because they were born with a vagina.

What we’re dealing with here is a Fanatical religiosity. Not the enemy we’re fighting, not jihadist Islam, but Fundamentalist or Dominionist Christianity. You have one of it’s biggest leaders, Rob Parsley of World’s Harvest Church. He’s very fond on Sunday, and I’ve seen him on the videos, he’ll sit there and promise them a 200 mile long river, 4 ½ feet deep filled with nothing but human blood. Then he’ll say “Therefore my brothers and sisters, rejoice, rejoice because the worst is yet to come.”

So we’re dealing with a fundamentalist, fanatical religiosity tied in with a putrescent disgusting version of patriotism, and an unfettered access due to this draconian specter of vertically entrusted military command influence. What you have is a metastasizing cancer, a fundamentalist Christian, unconstitutional cancer that is of such magnitude that it’s almost impossible to believe unless you are complicit.

If you have a little tickle in your throat, your wife gives you hot tea. If that doesn’t work you see the doctor. The doctor gives you antibiotics. That doesn’t work they give you a shot. But ultimately at some point you need those adenoids and tonsils to come out. And we’re way beyond the stage of hot tea. It’s in our public schools, it’s in our sanitation departments, it’s in our cops. But they don’t have laser guided and nuclear weapons. If I can increase the level of trust and communication 1000 fold between the dark forces of Christianity then and only then can I fairly describe the relationship between them and us as two ships passing in the night.

Someone asked my wife how much do you owe? What did you have to give up, probably a lot huh? She was crying when she made the statement, “No, we didn’t have to give up a lot, we had to give up everything.” There is no retirement fund. There is no retirement home. There is no sense of security. But we’ve made the decision that someone has to do something. If you rescue a child who crawled into the street are you called a hero. No you are doing the right thing. I know the people we fight consider me at best to be an asshole, but to the people who we represent most of whom are protestants and catholics, and all of whom wear the uniform of this country, or have worn it, we are badasses, and we work hard to be hornets and wasps and bees.

Sorry if that’s too long winded.

That’s why this review is so important. We’re hope merchants. We’re supposed to give our clients AARP. Anonymity, Action, Results, and Protection. We have to give people hope. At any one time, we have a dozen clients on the cusp of suicide. It’s a horrible feeling of marginalization and people can only take it so long. I’ve had clients who were Muslim whose commanders told them the only good Muslims were dead Muslims, and they fantasized about killing themselves with a note saying “Am I a good Muslim now.”

There’s a saying “One often finds their destiny on the road one takes to avoid it.” I didn’t ask for this to happen. I was at point A in my life in 2004 when I was faced with anti-semitism and I didn’t care if I lived or died, someone was going to get a beating, and I was going to do it. Now I’m at point B, whenever I see unconstitutional religious tyranny of any type from any client, I don’t care if I live or die, someone is going to get a fucking beating, and I’m going to be the one to do it.

For those on the religious right, those fundamentalist Christians who say separation of church and state isn’t in the constitution. I’ll ask them if they were arrested and taken to jail, would they have the right to a fair trial? They’ll always say yes, but it’s not. You have the constitutional right to a speedy trial and a public trial, but not a fair trial. That right is given by something called legal precedent case law just like Miranda rights.

Remember we’re dealing with an American populace more focused on Dancing with the Stars, and the book is intended to be a wakeup call.

Rhodes Review: What advice would you give to those wanting to get involved?
Well, I would say read the book, buy the book, get the book to as many people as you can. Donate to us. We’re the tip of the spear. It is a way to reach out to politicians, they will not touch us. And finally give me that one day as a lion.

We’d like to thank Mr. Weinstein for joining us here at Rhodes Review and for taking the time to talk to you about this issue, and about his book.  As part of this, We’ve been given permission to offer two signed and personalized copies of his book, “No Snowflake in an Avalanche” to our readers.  To Enter the contest go here.  And be sure and read our review of No Snowflake in an Avalanche here.

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Today, Rhodes Review is proud to welcome to our pages, Cesar. Cesar is the author of Book of Prophecies. Welcome Cesar.

Rhodes Review: What persuaded you to write the Book of Prophecies?

Cesar: Well its a tough question because it is hard to explain, at the time I was working on other books, and I felt God just saying to me that I need to stop writing what I was, and to start a collection of prophecies to get them published.

Rhodes Review:  When you see these Prophecies are they physical images, mental images?

Cesar: They are mental images, sort of like what people would describe as day-dreams.  Although day-dreams are achieved by mere thinking, these images were achieved by not thinking.

Rhodes Review:  In the book you mentioned the Two who will follow, who are these two?

Cesar: There will come a time where two individuals will cause chaos across the world, in my mind, they would either have ways of attracting audiences or they will be fluent with technology itself.  They will be seen as being against the world and many people will try and stop them, maybe even try to destroy them.  I wrote a note aimed to them because, at some point with a person such as this, they would need confirmation that they are not crazy.

Rhodes Review: Can someone be trained to tap into their abilities, or is it a case of you have the ability or not?

Cesar: Funnily enough I have asked myself the same question a hundred times.  I don’t think that a person can be trained to do it, it is something that must seep through a persons mind body and soul, sure you can teach methods but you cannot teach a person to truly believe.   But I do believe that the gift of prophecy can be given to anyone.

Rhodes Review:  What is your background?

Cesar: I was brought up in a devout Christian family here in Ireland, but I have been walking on a somewhat different path for the last eight years, learning the ways of the world and experimenting with a lot of stuff too such as walking haunted graveyards and so on.  But for the last two years I have almost lived as a hermit, I guess in quiet contemplation about my life.

Rhodes Review:  What are some events that you prophecied correctly?

Cesar: Well the book is only out, however, on launch day (Jan13th) a disaster struck the Costa Concordia and I will give you a few extracts from the book;

“death to men, peril to ships” 1(vii)

“A man runs from responsibility and it will bring loss of affection” 3(ii)

“abandoned, plates left overturned, it is empty… silence on the ship” 7(iii)

“ship lost, danger, death, balance lost” 7(iv)

“a champagne glass sideways in a picture on the wall where green curtains hang” 10(xi)

“man found in orange by boat overturned” 12(vii)

Rhodes Review:  There were two predictions at the beginning of the book for what seemed to be the United States, can you expand on these?

Cesar: Well basically those two prophecies are claiming a downfall in the economy of the United States, but also about wrong decisions being made by the politicians making it worse, seemingly pushing to gain International recognition of their strengths, only to fall flat on their faces later on.

Rhodes Review:  When did you realize you had this gift of prophecy?

Cesar: I have known for a number of years that there was something strange about me, like foreseeing things in my personal life and with my friends and so on.  But I thought that maybe I was just psychic or something like that, but I know now that its nothing like being a psychic.  I had a lot of people offer to review my book before its publication, one of which was a psychic, and every time she went to read it on her computer, it would crash on her and eventually she refused to review it on the terms that it ‘was not meant for her eyes’.   The source of prophecy differs to the sources used by psychics, in fact, they are in opposition in ways.

Rhodes Review:  I’ll be honest, I didn’t understand a lot of the book, much as I don’t understand a lot of what Nostradamus wrote, is there a way to learn how to read books and interpret books such as this?

Cesar: I will admit that even I struggle to read what Nostradamus wrote!  Well there are almost like a set of rules about using prophecy, as knowing and foretelling the future can actually change the present which in turn changes the future and if the future is changed, then the prophecy may never come true.  This is why they are written as they are.  But there is enough information given so that you can get the general idea, and I have given twin interpretations to try and help people to understand.  People can, if they wish, purchase a dream book to interpret for themselves the meaning in the cryptic script section of each prophecy.  I believe that Nostradamus is so hard to understand because the imagery he used is hundreds of years old, meaning that we cannot use modern dream interpretation methods on his work.

Rhodes Review:  Besides writing, what are some things you enjoy?

Cesar: I enjoy reading, I love random road trips or any sort of travel, I enjoy meditation and I also dabble with art and music.

Rhodes Review:  What are some writers you enjoy reading?

Cesar: At the moment I am reading the Game of Thrones series by George R R Martin and I am enjoying his style of writing, I’m on the fourth book. 

Rhodes Review:  If you had any advice to offer myself or my readers, what would it be?

Cesar: To buy my book? Only joking.  No, I would like to offer a little guidance and suggest to everyone to research their own spiritual beliefs as there are so many misguided people out there.

Thank you again Cesar for joining us.  As this is the last stop in Cesar’s tour, he has offered the following coupon.

The discount code is:  78CCCRH8.  In addition, Cesar is sponsoring a giveaway through Goodreads in which you can win a copy of his book. You can enter the giveaway here. Also be sure to see our review of The Book of Prophecies here.

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Today we are pleased to welcome James LePore to Rhodes Review. Mr. LePore’s latest Novels Gods & Fathers is available today at your bookstores or online.

Thank you for joining us Mr. LePore.

Rhodes Review: What is your work schedule like when you’re writing?

James LePore: I write every day in the morning for four or five hours.

Rhodes Review: What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

James LePore: I play golf, I read, I take walks with my wife.

Rhodes Review: What inspired you to write Gods and Fathers?

James LePore: I had been following the story of the Rafik Hariri assassination since it happened in 2005. My first instinct was that Syria was behind it, and that Iran was behind Syria, which was not unique to me. Almost everyone who follows Mideast politics reacted the same way. I remember wondering at the time if the UN commission appointed to investigate the assassination would have the courage to aggressively pursue it. I was then surprised, and disappointed, to see that Washington, in 2009, appointed an ambassador to Damascus, for the first time since we withdrew our embassy after the Hariri assassination in 2005. I then began seeing articles suggesting that the US might be offering Syria a get-out-of-jail-free card if it would help broker a peace between Israel and the Palestinians. This was the genesis of the political aspect of the plot of Gods and Fathers. (It turns out that the UN has indicted four memebers of Hezbollah, who take orders from Iran, in the Hariri case, an act of courage I did not see coming. This is still brewing, however, and God knows what will happen).

As to the personal story, the one involving Matt DeMarco and his son, Michael, my inspiration came, as always, from my great interest in the dynamics of family. I had not explored the father-son relationship in my prior work and felt it was time. Family pain can be very intense, but dealing with it is one of the fundamental ways in which we grow, or not grow, as human beings. When things got very difficult, both Matt and Michael had choices to make, choices that would determine the nature of their relationship for the rest of their lives. The real story of Gods and Fathers lies in how and why they chose the way they did.

Rhodes Review: What was your favorite part of Gods and Fathers?

James LePore: I liked writing the action scene involving Bill Crow in Stone Ridge, New York. And the scene toward the end between Matt and his ex-wife, Debra, in a restaurant, is one of my favorites.

Rhodes Review: What was the hardest part to write in Gods and Fathers?

James LePore: I have a hard time with love scenes. I hope I did okay with Matt and Jade.

Rhodes Review: How long does it take you to write a book?

James LePore: From the first word to my last look at the copyedited final version, one year.

Rhodes Review: What are your favorite authors/books?

James LePore: I am a big Hemingway fan and also love Alan Furst. I recommnend anything written by either of them.

Rhodes Review: Do you have any suggestions to help others become a better writer?

James LePore: Read the great novelists. Write every day. Find a professional editor whose criticism you know is right even though it hurts to hear it. Be ready to rewrite.

Mr. Lepore is currently on tour promoting his book Gods and Fathers.  Be sure and enter our giveaway for A World I Never Made another of his novels here. Also check out our review of Gods and Fathers here.

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Today we are pleased to have visit with us Kiki Howell, author of What are you afraid of?

Rhodes Review: What inspired you to write What are you afraid of?

 Kiki Howell: Actually, it was a lot of little things that came together from the need to write a book dealing with kids fears (having been a fearful child myself), to research my husband was doing finding a link between creativity and compassion (knowing we often damage the creative mind when dealing with fears), to  noticing my hundred pound dog was afraid of children in costumes…it just all came together finally to form my story.

 Rhodes Review:When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

 Kiki Howell:Not sure really, but I was really young. I realized early on that when I didn’t like a story that I re-wrote it in my head the way I wanted it to go. LOL

 Rhodes Review:How did you start writing?

 Kiki Howell:I have written since I could put pen to paper really, but off and on as life allowed.

 Rhodes Review:What would your ideal career be, if you couldn’t be a writer?

 Kiki Howell:Hmmm, not sure really. I have often joked about not knowing what I want to be when I grow up. I have a degree to teach Secondary English Education, but can’t imagine going back into a classroom now. I am crafty and I love helping others, but not sure what career would let me do both!

 Rhodes Review:How long does it take you to write a book?

 Kiki Howell:A few months usually at novel length, but only because I become obsessed until it is done  

 Rhodes Review:What is your work schedule like when you’re writing?

 Kiki Howell:I write from the time my kids get on the bus till the time they get off the bus, roughly seven to three each day. I always say I am going to take an hour to exercise, but often write right through it

 Rhodes Review:What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

Kiki Howell:I spend way too much time staring at a sentence sometimes just playing with the words until I think they fall together just right. 

Rhodes Review:What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

Kiki Howell:Spend time with my family, knitting, drawing, etc.

Rhodes Review:What are your favorite authors/books?

Kiki Howell:Wow, couldn’t possibly say. I read in as many, if not more genres than I write in *giggles*

Rhodes Review:If you could have dinner with one person, dead or alive, who would it be and why?

Kiki Howell:Jane Austen. Preferably, I would like to go back in a time machine and have that meal in Regency England as well! 

Rhodes Review o you have any suggestions to help me become a better writer? If so, what are they?

 Kiki Howell:Only to stay true to your story. Don’t question it. Don’t write it wondering what others will think.

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Today we’re pleased to have Natasha Deen appear on our pages. Ms. Deen is author of True Grime, a comedic fantasy mystery.

Rhodes Review: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer? 

Once again we’d like to thank Ms. Deen for taking the time to talk with us.

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Today we are pleased to have with us Alicia Arnold author of Creatively Ever After.

Rhodes Review: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer? 

Alicia: I’ve enjoyed writing since I was a teenager, however, I didn’t consider becoming a writer until decades later. In 2007, I took a writing course where I was able to hone my writing skills and find my voice as an author. This course launched the concept for Creatively Ever After.

Rhodes Review: How did you start writing?

Alicia: My writing process started with identifying the problem, then creating a how-to book to answer the needs of business leaders and providing a solution to the creativity crisis.

Rhodes Review: How long does it take you to write a book? 

Alicia: Creatively Ever After took 4 years to write. I was working on a number of ideas simultaneously, but just couldn’t get the idea of writing a book on creative problem solving out of my head. 

Rhodes Review: What is your work schedule like when you’re writing? 

Alicia: I work best in the morning and late at night. Writing the book consisted of waking up hours before my two boys stirred and getting a couple of pages done at a time. As ideas came to me, I kept notes on whatever scraps of paper I could find and would then spend weekends, early mornings, and nights synthesizing the ideas into the plot. My schedule became a bit frenetic with the demands of a full time job and kids on top of writing. I found it best not to add extra pressure by creating a strict writing schedule. Instead, I wrote when the mood struck me. When I hit a wall with writing, I put the manuscript aside for a little while. What I found was that I had to fall in love with writing the book over and over again. Reading and re-reading early chapters kept me going. And, soon I became curious about how the tale would end. Once I hit this point, everything fell into place.

Rhodes Review: What would you say is your interesting writing quirk? 

Alicia: When I hit particularly challenging points in writing the book, I would think about them just before going to bed and allow my subconscious to work out the details. This is how I wrote many of my best works while in college. Dreaming can be a wonderful tool.

Rhodes Review: Do you have any suggestions to help me become a better writer? If so, what are they? 

Alicia: It is important to find a topic you are passionate about. Writing can be a marathon rather than a sprint. By writing about a topic you love, you’ll improve your chances for following through. I feel the topic is more important than the mechanics of writing as there are lots and lots of great editors to help with mechanics. 

Rhodes Review: What inspired you to write Creatively Ever After?

Alicia: There were two inspirations for writing Creatively Ever After. The first inspiration was all of the dialogue about the need for creativity and innovation in business. There were many research reports and studies, including work by IBM (http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/31670.wss), citing creativity as the number one leadership competency for the future. The second inspiration was research and reports citing the decline of creativity. Newsweek’s cover article on the “creativity crisis” (http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2010/07/10/the-creativity-crisis.html) helped shine a light on this issue. Knowing there was empirical evidence supporting creativity is learnable, I set out to help answer the call for creativity in business by writing a how-to book that would teach specific creativity skills, tools and techniques.

Over 50 years of research proved that creativity can be learned. When auditing all the reading materials around the topic of creativity, two things came to light. One, most of the material was academic in nature and challenging to read. The second was the material was not always well researched. Given these two dynamics, I decided to write an educational, yet entertaining book teaching based on the well documented and proven tools and techniques of creative problem solving.

Rhodes Review: Using Jack and Jill was a very interesting way to teach the process, how did you come up with this?

Alicia: Creatively Ever After is a business fable.In designing the fable format, I recalled vivid memories of Sesame Street and how I learned the alphabet through storytelling, song, and engaging techniques that seemed too fun to be called learning. When I teach creativity, I leverage these “edutainment” tools by teaching creativity through nursery rhymes. I’ve found even the toughest c-suite executives were able to let down their guard and open their minds to creativity when using this format. So, when thinking about how to combine the potential dryness of fact with the enjoyment of fiction, I landed on the business fable. Using the fictitious storyline of Jack and Jill to demonstrate the nonfiction creative problem solving process helped illustrate how the creative process can be used to solve challenges many think are not solvable. I chose Jack and Jill because it is a highly recognizable nursery rhyme and one that we’ve been trained to believe is unsolvable. Using the steps of the creative problem solving process I walk through how Jack and Jill – Define their Goal, Gather Data, Clarify the Problem, Generate Ideas, Develop Solutions and Plan for Action. As readers go through each of the chapters, Jack and Jill’s challenge with the hill becomes a metaphor for how readers can use creative problem solving to tackle their own challenges. Each chapter ends with content rich sidebars to recap learning and pose questions to help readers work through each of the steps of creative problem solving.

Rhodes Review: What are some of your favorite authors/books?

Alicia: My favorite books include A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, The Secret Garden, and Orbiting the Giant Hairball. I love the perspective of human nature of these three books provide. 

Rhodes Review: If you could have dinner with one person, dead or alive, who would it be and why?

Alicia: I wish I could have dinner with Steve Jobs. There are lots and lots of people with great ideas. But, Steve Jobs was able to build a culture of creativity and innovation that broke through corporate culture and the barriers that stand in the way when introducing something new. Jobs’ vision and ability to execute were inspiring.

We’d like to thank Alicia once again for joining us here and taking time to answer our questions.

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Today we are pleased to have with us Robert Louis Smith, author of the fantasy novel Antiquitas.

About the Author

Robert Louis Smith, author of Antiquitas Lost: The Last of the Shamalans, has numerous degrees, including psychology (B.A.), applied microbiology (B.S.), anaerobic microbiology (M.Sc.), and a Medical Doctorate (M.D.). He serves as an interventional cardiologist at the Oklahoma Heart Institute. He is married and the father of two young children. He began writing Antiquitas Lost in 2003 while studying at Tulane University in New Orleans.

For more information please visit http://www.antiquitaslost.com and follow the author on Facebook and Twitter

Rhodes Review: How did you get interested in writing?

Robert Louis Smith: I have been interested in creative writing from a very young age. Unlike most physicians, I have always been somewhat of a “left brain” person, and my favorite courses in high school and college were English and the language arts rather than science.  As long as I can remember, I have aspired to write a novel that could be appreciated by others. Aside from this, my decision to sit down and start writing was really motivated by two different circumstances.  On the one hand, there are authors out there (Hemingway and Dickens come to mind) who write so beautifully that I can’t help but marvel at their skill for the craft.  When reading these authors, I find myself wishing I could find it within me to write something as powerful, or beautiful as they have done – scenes that tells us something meaningful or thought-provoking about the human condition.  This is akin to a painter looking at the works of Michelangelo or Da Vinci and wishing he could create something as wonderful.  On the other hand, I have consumed countless books over the years, many of them bestsellers, where I have reached the end and thought: I could do better than that! In addition to these very different motivations, I also find writing to be a wonderful escape from the stresses of daily life.

Rhodes Review: What are some of your favorite books/authors.

Robert Louis Smith: I love many different books and many different authors.  Most of my reading-for-fun involves popular authors like Stephen King, Anne Rice, Michael Crichton, Dean Koontz, or JK Rowling (to name but a few).  I suppose my favorite book is Stephen King’s The Stand, which I first read as a teenager.  Other childhood favorites include the Tolkien books, the Narnia books, and as an adult, I thoroughly enjoyed the Harry Potter series.  But I like to read just about any good story, and I can get caught up in anything. For example, in researching how horses behave for scenes in Antiquitas Lost, I read Lonesome Dove.  I had never read a western in my life, and would have told you I had no interest in the genre, but I simply couldn’t put it down, and was sad when I reached the end.

 Rhodes Review: Which of your characters is most/least like you, and in what way(s)?

Robert Louis Smith: It is inevitable that each of the characters have at least some things in common with their creator.  After all, each of their voices in the end comes from the writer. Antiquitas Lost is an epic fantasy novel, and many of the characters fill roles that are ultimately related to the “Hero’s Journey” plot structure.  I wrote the novel in a fashion meant to be somewhat consistent with this type of plot, so really none of the characters are autobiographical. That said, the protagonist, Elliott, has a mindset that is cynical in many ways, and this is something he inherited from me.  Also, I really like the character Hooks, who is a big beastly creature that serves in the role of protector.  He has a big heart, is childlike at times, and is also quite resourceful. I suppose I relate to him the most (despite the fact that he isn’t human!). 

Rhodes Review: Which of your characters would you most/least to invite to dinner, and why?

Robert Louis Smith:  There are several Antiquitas Lost characters I would like to have dinner with.  For starters, I will pick Waldemariam.  He is the chancellor of the politically powerful Grayfarer Council, and he is a mysterious character with a hidden past.  In addition to being 8 feet tall, winged, and wolfish in countenance, he is also a complete badass.  I would love to see what he looks like in person and hear some of the battle tales he has to tell.  I would also like to hear more about his birthplace and upbringing on the far side of Pangrelor, as it is surely much different than anything introduced in Antiquitas Lost.  I would also be interested in having a conversation with Slipher. This character intrigues me because he is a member of the remorselessly violent serpan culture, yet somehow he seems like not such a bad guy. Throughout the book, I kept thinking that there was a good soul in there somewhere, and that he was reformable, if only he would let down his guard and trust. 

 Rhodes Review: What would your ideal career be, if you couldn’t be an author?

Robert Louis Smith: This is an interesting question, as I have chosen a “day job” that is well suited to me, but quite different from writing.  Most of my hours are spent as an interventional cardiologist performing medical procedures in the cardiac catheterization lab.  For a variety of reasons, this is an extremely rewarding career, and one that required many years of study and preparation. But medicine can be quite stressful, and the hours are often long and hard.  Over the years, I have frequently joked that my cardiology career is “plan B”, just in case I can’t make it as a writer.  It seems to me that a full time writing career is something reserved for the few, as it is difficult for most to financially support a lifelong career in a rewarding fashion.  For those who have found long term personal financial stability writing, in many ways, I would say they have the ideal career.

Rhodes Review: If you were to do your career as an author again, what would you do differently, and why?

Robert Louis Smith: Aside from the constant desire to become a better writer, I’m not sure I would have done many things differently.  Anyone who sits down earnestly to put pen to paper hopes to write something great.  But writing is something that takes practice, and it is only with repeated effort that we can learn how to take those wonderful visions in our minds eye and transcribe them in a way that will be meaningful to others. All the preparation in the world cannot supersede the importance and value of honing your technical skills by simply sitting down and writing. 

Rhodes Review: How long does it take you to write a book? 

Robert Louis Smith: If I had nothing to do but write, I suspect I could complete a novel in perhaps six or eight months. I am lucky in that I never seem to develop writer’s block (not yet, anyway).  The thing that really holds me back is the fact that I have a busy, full-time career in medicine, so my writing time is limited.  I do the majority of writing in the late-night hours, usually from 10pm to about midnight, and I am often quite tired this late in the day. Even so, if I have a long, uninterrupted stretch of nights, I can get quite a lot done.  Antiquitas Lost was written in fits and starts over many years, and I often had to stop writing for months at a time in order to prepare for board exams, after the births of my children, or when preparing a project for work, etc. I have often wondered what I could accomplish if I had unlimited time to focus on writing, and could do it at times when I was more refreshed.

Rhodes Review: What is your work schedule like when you’re writing?

Robert Louis Smith: I mention below that it is important to be disciplined about writing. This is a critical point.  When I am working on a writing project, I plan a minimum of 2 hours daily (usually from 10pm to midnight) and I really make myself stick to this schedule.  Often, I get going and work beyond the two hour limit, but writing is like studying.  You have to sit down and make yourself do it if you want to achieve anything. Of course, if I didn’t have a “day job”, I would probably devote much more than two hours per day.

Rhodes Review: What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

Robert Louis Smith: In life, I talk too much.  In writing, I write too much, which is to say I tend to include a lot of unnecessary verbage.  In both settings, there is value in discovering the economy of language.

Rhodes Review: Do you read reviews of your books? If so, do you pay any attention to them, or let them influence your writing?

Robert Louis Smith: I absolutely read my reviews and pay attention to them.  How could you not?  It is true that we shouldn’t let negative reviews discourage us from doing what we love, and that some reviewers, for whatever reason, offer unfair assessments.  But on the whole, I find that professional reviewers do a good job at picking apart the strengths and weaknesses of my work, and I’m sure this influences me on some level.

Rhodes Review: Do you have any suggestions to help my readers become a better writer? If so, what are they? 

Robert Louis Smith: Write every day.  Be disciplined about it, even if you think what you’re writing isn’t any good.  It is only through experience that you learn what works and what doesn’t.  Like any skill in life, practice makes perfect (and only God gets it right the first time).

Rhodes Review: Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?

Robert Louis Smith: Since my debut novel is not yet released, I don’t have many readers to hear from just yet.  But something interesting has happened with Antiquitas Lost.  In late July, 2011, we put up a facebook page, which now has about 14,000 followers.  In mid August, we put up a website, which has already been visited by web-surfers from 50 different countries spanning every continent except Antarctica. I have no idea how all of this has come about, but I have great fun perusing the online profiles of the Antiquitas Lost followers, and reading the comments they post. Most say they are excited about the release, or wonder if the book is going to be any good (Kirkus says it will be, by the way). Others comment of the remarkable quality of Geof Isherwood’s illustrations (they are fantastic).  But the main thing I think of when I see the wide variety of people who show interest in the book is that these people were my target audience – the ones who I wrote the book for – and I hope they enjoy the ride as much as I have.

Rhodes Review: Which question are you most sick of answering in interviews?

Robert Louis Smith: Well, I’m new enough that I’m not sick of answering anything just yet.  In fact, I’m glad somebody cares enough to ask, so thanks for the opportunity!

We’d like to thank Mr. Smith for taking the time to talk to us here, and you can read our review of his novel at: here

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