Interview Robert James Allison

By

Pam Labud

1.) First, tell us a little about yourself. Where were you born, go to school, etc. Are you married? Do you have children? Anything to help us get to know you better.

I was born and raised in Decatur, Illinois and pretty much went to school in that area. After a three-year stint in the U.S. Army in the early ‘70s I came back to Decatur and attended Richland Community College and Sangamon State University. In the late ‘70s I moved to Chicago to attend law school, but came back to the Decatur area immediately after graduation. I am married and have two adult children, both currently in the Illinois Air National Guard, one in Afghanistan.

2.) What or who first inspired you to become a writer? How long have you known that writing was your passion?

I have always thought I would like to write and dabbled with it when I was very young, but never felt I had the ability. About twelve or fourteen years ago I decided to try it again and have been writing ever since. Some of my manuscripts are good and some are bad. All writers know how that goes.

3.) Who inspires you now?

No particular person or thing inspires me. I just feel compelled to write, to tell a certain story, at a given time.

4.) Who are your favorite authors? What kind of books do you enjoy reading the most?

Mark Twain, Louis Lamour, Mary Higgins Clark and Tom Clancy. I don’t think I have a favorite genre. I just like a well written, fast paced book.

5.) If there were anything about writing and publishing today that you could change, what would it be? What would you like to see stay the same?

I would like to change the exclusiveness that so many publishers, agents, booksellers and writing groups exhibit. There are too many narrow-minded people in the industry with preset notions of what makes an author an author. I want writing standards to stay the same. A book should be judged on its own merits, according to the author’s skill, no matter who the author might be.

6.) I see that you have several books out. To what do you owe your success?

All of my books are currently published by or contracted with Wings ePress, Inc. and I owe Lorraine Stephens and all the staff at Wings for that. They saw something in my writing that no one else saw and they have all helped me to become better.

7.) How do you come up with your story ideas? Do they come in bits and pieces, or do you see them as a whole story?

Story ideas just hit me. It might be something I read in or saw in the news or that I saw out on the street. Once the idea hits me it just builds until I put it on paper.

8.) Are you a seat of the pants writer, or do you like to sit down and plan every aspect of your stories?

I never plan a story in detail. Once an idea hits me, I create a theme in my head and start writing. My characters tell me what to write.

9.) What part of being a writer suits you the best? What is your least favorite part of writing?

I like the freedom of being able to work when the spirit moves me, so to speak. I don’t have to punch a time clock everyday or even write everyday, and I don’t. I hate editing, especially galley proofs. I get so tired of reading the same story over and over again, and still missing errors. Thank heavens for editors who can see what I can’t.

10.) What have you got planned for future books? Any new releases on the horizon?

I have some other books in the works and am still smoothing them out for submission. They are a mix of romance, mystery and thrillers. I have two more books coming out with Wings. Scholarly Pursuit in July 2005 and Matters of Faith in January 2006.