Author Interview ~ Paul Robertson

Paul Robertson is a computer programming consultant, part-time high school math and science teacher, and former bookstore owner in Blacksburg, Virginia. This is his first novel.

Your debut book, The Heir, is terrific. We've read it (the review is up on Novel Reviews ) and enjoyed it. How did you come up with this story? Was there a specific “what if” moment?

Jason is the story–I wanted to take a character and drive him to the absolute end, through as much disaster as I could, to the point of greatest, most intense despair. Jesus said it was hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. That verse is almost irresistible to a fiction writer, and it set up a basic conflict that could create the intensity I wanted.

Tell us about your publishing journey. How long had you been writing before you got a contract? How did you find out and what went through your mind?

I’ve been writing for years. I made one attempt about ten years ago to get published, and I learned about the process. Two and a half years ago I decided to try again, for real. It was a very conscious, deliberate decision. I went to a conference and sat through James Scott Bell’s three-day workshop.

Then based on that, I set about writing a book that a publisher would want: I decided on the length, genre, and protagonist–and the market. I also knew of a good agent, Steve Laube. I put together the most professional proposal I could and sent it to him. He took the project, and had the contract with Bethany a few months later.

Are you having "second-book syndrome" or is your next work in progress going well?

I have a two-book contract with Bethany. The second book, which I’m working on full speed ahead now, is also a murder mystery, but in a very different setting, with different characters. I like it–I hope everyone else will.

Do you ever struggle with writer's block? If so, how do you overcome it?

There are two reasons that I get stuck. One reason is that I’ve gotten ahead of myself, and I need some time for the story to catch up–it’s a subconscious thing, or a God thing. I just have to wait. After a while it starts coming again. The other reason is that I’ve gotten off track with the plot, and I finally figure out that I need to just delete the last couple chapters and try a different direction. And maybe the two reasons are the same.

Where do you write? Do you have a dedicated office or a corner or nook in a room?

I write at my local coffee shop, Mill Mountain Coffee and Tea. There are too many other things to do if I’m at home, and also I don’t like to tell my family to leave me alone. So I leave them alone. On the other hand, I like to have some activity buzzing around.

Do you have a word or page goal you set for each day?

On a good day, 2000 words is no problem, or even 3000. On a slow day I’ll give up after a few hundred if I’m not making progress. I track it by the day, but my goals are more by the week.

What does a typical day look like for you?

My “real” job is computer programming, which I do for clients by contract on my own schedule. I also teach chemistry and math classes for homeschool students. So one day might be school with my own kids in the morning, then writing from noon until midnight. The next day might be programming in the morning, teaching class in the afternoon, then writing in the evening. Another day would be ten straight hours programming. I have a general weekly pattern, but it gets messed up a lot.

What’s the best writing advice you’ve heard?

Just do it. And do it because you enjoy it. And do it as worship. That’s not advice I’ve heard from anyone, it’s my own experience.

What do you wish you’d known early in your career that might have saved you some time and/or frustration in writing? In publishing?

For getting published, go to conferences–not to sell your manuscript, but to learn what the publishers want, and to learn how to write well.

How much marketing do you do? What have you found that particularly works well for you?

I do as little as I can. I’m just getting started at this, so I haven’t had to do much marketing yet. I wish the book would just sell itself. I’d rather hide out for a couple months until everything has died down. Fortunately for my publisher, my wife has a lot more sense than I do.

Do you have any parting words of advice?

If you want to get published, the most important thing is to write well. Nothing else will do–creating a beautiful proposal, making exactly the right pitch, sending chocolate to the editor. Put your time and effort into writing. The second thing is talk to the editors and agents. Ask before you put two years into a project.

And finally, do it primarily for God–not for fame or fortune or the editor or anyone else. He has a lot higher standards than anyone else, but you’ll meet them.