What genre do you write and why?
My last two novels have been urban fantasy, the last one YA urban fantasy, though my screenplays tend a little more toward rom coms and some drama. I intentionally chose urban fantasy because of the popularity of the genre, but my most recent novel, that's in second draft now, is a drama with some dark comic overtones. Then there's my non-fiction, two published screenwriting books and a self-help book with a twist in second draft.
Tell us a bit about your book.
"God Wars: Living with Angels" is a fusion of urban fantasy and horror, about the Witch in the Wheelchair, a young woman who was paralyzed as a teen from the waist down in a gang attack that also killed her parents. As a young adult she's a law school student when she meets a dark and mysterious professor who helps her gain magical powers through witchcraft. She then uses those powers to battle evil, but goes too far and accidentally opens the gates of hell, and starts a war with a demon she can't defeat, an angel she can't trust, and three-foot-tall aliens with really bad attitudes. She's got justice in her hands and she's really pissed off, but because of her own flaw, she now has to fight for the survival or Earth, and of her own soul. "God Wars: Living with Angels" is available as an eNovel from amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, omnilit.com and smashwords.com for only $2.99 and the reviews have been great so far, except for one of two people who didn't like the language and sex scenes. So, deeply religious people beware, because I also tackle certain controversial issues such as religion in this novel, and I'm not sure that religion comes out completely unscathed, but the good news is that I go after all religions, not just the obvious targets, lol.
What is your target readership for this book?
Fantasy, Urban Fantasy and horror fans. People who like a fast-paced, action filled, blockbuster movie kind of novel.
How did you research for this book?
I actually did research both psychic research and witchcraft in order to give the book a feeling of authenticity. As a recovering Catholic, I didn't have to really research the horror aspects too much, they came quite naturally, lol.
What other projects are you working on?
I have a Young Adult urban fantasy titled "Jo-Bri and the Two Worlds" that I'm shopping; a dramatic novel called "A Dollar Worth of Hope;" a self-help book with a twist titled "Enlighten This, Motherf*&^er;" a screenplay that's in first draft; and another script in the outlining stage. I'm also in discussions on several screenwriting assignments, so things are going extremely well and believe me I’m both humble and extraordinarily grateful. Right now, though, I'm most excited about "Jo-Bri and the Two Worlds," which has been compared to Heinlein's "Stranger in a Strange Land," one of my all-time favorite SFF novels and which I really feel is the next big thing in urban fantasy, if only I can convince someone else of that, lol. I’ve had the book called “a unique idea brilliantly executed,” from a book industry pro I greatly admire, so now it’s finding the RIGHT person to feel that same way. I really do think it’s a best-seller waiting to be discovered, so a lot of my energy is going to find the right agent for that one, an agent who believes in the book and who will pitch it passionately to the right publishers.
What do you do when you're not writing?
What? There's a time when I'm not writing? Hm. Well, I guess I go to dinner with my lovely wife Leslie, on long walks with Leslie and our dog, watch movies, ski, zipline, go to the beach, and look for new houses to buy. We’ve got six of them so far, but haven’t found exactly the right one yet.
Where can people find out more about you and your work?
Robtobinwriting.com. Please do drop by and leave me a note. I love visitors!
Anything else you'd like to add?
Yup, the book is fun, not meant to be a serious study of anything, it's a prius not a Mercedes, but that just means you can drive it in the diamond lane and get way better gas mileage out of it, lol. It's my first novel after spending the previous 20 years writing screenplays and non-fiction, but it's a fun book, so give it a shot. How bad can it be, for $2.99, lol, right? UNLESS you get offended by sex, a bit of foul language and a bit of a poke at religion, in which case you REALLY need to read this, have a drink and loosen up!!!
