Jeff Roberts Interview

I've recently had the pleasure of meeting Jeffrey Roberts, writer of science fiction, fantasy, horror and comedy. Author of THE HEALER. Jeff, thanks for stopping by and sharing with the readers of the blog over here and best of luck moving forward. So, let's discover some info about Jeff....

First off, tell us a little bit about you

I was born in New York City on 2/24/1949. I attended Northern Arizona University, in Flagstaff, AZ, where I received degrees in writing and American history. I’m an advocate of disclosing the truth about UFO’s; I’m an airplane freak, and I’ve lived in Tucson, AZ for 4 years, having moved from my hometown of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

Tell us about your books/What genre do you consider them? 

 I write science fiction, horror, fantasy, and comedy/fantasy.

When did you start writing? 

I started writing in college.

Why do you write? 

To create worlds that never were – but might; characters that never existed – but could; and strange situations in this life- and others that can only be imagined.

What would be your choice for a superpower? 

I think perhaps either invisibility, or the power of teleportation.

Who is your favorite author? 

 I have no 1 favorite author, but several come to mind: Ray Bradbury, James Thurber, Thornton Wilder, Arthur C. Clarke, Ray Bradbury – and I kind of like me, at the risk of sounding conceited!


What are you reading now? 

Nothing right now. Too busy writing and promoting.

Who is your favorite character to write? 

The underdog, the iconoclast that saves the day and gains new found respect.

Do you have a writing process? 

 I write in long hand first, on black & white composition books, where I edit ceaselessly until it looks like I’ve hemorrhaged all over it. Then I transfer the final version to my computer, on WORD 2007.

What advice would you give to an aspiring author? 

Buy all the books you can about the craft of writing, study them—then toss them in the garbage! Because if you follow them to the letter, your book will end up bloodless, like a dry textbook. And it will read like everyone else that did the exact same thing! Do you think Hemingway or Steinbeck followed all the rules? Hardly. They had their “Own voice”. Develop your own voice, your own style! March to the beat of a different drummer, and you’ll be remembered for it!

What inspired you to pursue writing? 

Hard to say. My Dad was a writer for radio after the war. Perhaps creativity is genetic. I reasoned that since I didn’t have the math skills to be an astronautical engineer with NASA, I would use the one mental gift I did have, a creative mind- to write stories that challenge the imagination.

What are your favorite TV shows/Movies to watch in between writing? 

Sleepy Hollow, Grimm, Constantine, Supernatural, Scorpion, and Ghost Adventures, to name a few. Plus the History and Travel channel.

What are your current projects? 

My next book, a fantasy entitled IN THE SHADOW OF THE HOUSE OF GOD, should be out in about a month, and I’m working on a horror novel, THE HORROR ON THE HMS COTTINGLY.

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to readers? 

Please buy THE HEALER, by Jeffrey G. Roberts! It is a 5-star science fiction novel whose plot has never been done before!


Quick Fire: Cats or dogs? Cats, but I adore puppies, and all animals.
Coffee or tea? Coffee, but I enjoy tea also.
Favorite food? Anything that doesn’t eat me first! But out of many things, probably steak and pizza.
Vanilla or chocolate ice-cream? Definitely chocolate.
What are 3 things you never leave home without? My clothes, my wallet, and my phone.
Laptop or desktop? Laptop, a HP 2000.
Who are 3 famous people you would to hang out with? Nikola Tesla, Capt. Glenn Edwards, for whom Edwards A.F.B. was named after, and scientist Dr. Thomas Townshend Brown, who experimented with electrostatic propulsion in the 50’s.
TV or Movies? TV.

Visit me on my AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE to borrow any of my books for FREE!

Best-selling author of Wake the Dead! On Amazon Kindle here!

All Artwork and covers of my works by William J. Kenney & Carlos Cara

All maps, names and content copyright Ashenclaw Studios 2014 unless otherwise noted.

Wayland Smith Interview

Here is the next in the series of ongoing author interviews, and we have the pleasure of meeting Wayland Smith!

Tell us about your books/What genre do you consider your books? I write whatever the little voices tell me to, so I’m all over the map. My published novel is about a terrorist attack on Washington, DC, the ones I have drafts of or am shopping around range from urban fantasy, weird western, or mysteries.

When did you start writing? I played with a few things when I was a kid, but I started getting serious about it roughly seven years ago when a friend talked me into doing NaNoWriMo for the first time. I’ve been writing pretty steadily ever since.

Why do you write? I have stories to tell. The characters or scenes come to me, and pretty much pester me until I get them down. I hope I’m entertaining people along the way as I tell my tales.

What would be your choice for a superpower?Super-speed. You can do so many cool things with that.

Who is your favorite author? Toss up between the late Robert B Parker of Spenser fame, and Jim Butcher, author of the Dresden Files.

What are you reading now? My current book is Full Force and Effect, Mark Greaney continuing Tom Clancy’s world of Jack Ryan.

Who is your favorite character to write? Oh, that’s hard. I write about a team of superhuman mercenaries called Wildside, Inc., and Sprynt, their speedster, is usually pretty entertaining.

Do you have a writing process? Not really. I get an idea, be it a scene, or a character, or a “What if…” kind of idea, and I just go with it. I don’t outline, I just charge ahead when I start.

What advice would you give to an aspiring author? Sit down and write. I’ve been to talks by New York Times bestsellers, local writers, and all kinds of others, and that’s the point they agree on. Writers write. You will get nowhere by talking about, or thinking about writing, until you start putting fingers to keys or pen to page, however you do it. Then get someone you trust to give you actual feedback to go over it. Anyone who just says, “Oh, this is cool,” or something like that isn’t helping you.

What inspired you to pursue writing?Like I said before, my friend Harry Heckel (AKA Jack Heckel and Lee Lightner) pushed me into doing NaNoWriMo, and I’ve been going ahead since.

What are your favorite TV shows/Movies to watch in between writing?Top of the list, I’d have to say, would be Flash, Walking Dead, Gotham, Mentalist, and Longmire.

What are your current projects?Many, among them a zombie novel, vampires in the American Revolution, the superhuman mercenaries I mentioned above, and a monster hunter in modern Boston.

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to readers?If you find a writer you like, buy their books, review then on Amazon and Goodreads, and talk them up. I think I end up reading more books from people I hear that are passionate about them than from any other source.

Quick Fire:
Cats or dogs? Both. I love animals.
Coffee or tea? Neither. I’m one of the rare ones who are allergic to coffee and I can’t stand tea (I just alienated all my potential readers in the UK).
Favorite food? Chinese. I could order varieties of that all the time.
Vanilla or chocolate ice-cream? Of those two, chocolate, though I prefer mint chip.
What are 3 things you never leave home without? My badge (been in law enforcement for about 13 years), my business cards, and a mini-Mag flashlight.
Laptop or desktop? Both, sometimes at the same time.
Who are 3 famous people you would want to hang out with? Harrison Ford (who I met once and is amazingly kind to fans), Jim Butcher (same comment), and Pink.
TV or Movies? If I have to pick just one, movies as long as there’s popcorn, although I enjoy both.

Visit me on my AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE to borrow any of my books for FREE!

Best-selling author of Wake the Dead! On Amazon Kindle here!

All Artwork and covers of my works by William J. Kenney & Carlos Cara

All maps, names and content copyright Ashenclaw Studios 2014 unless otherwise noted.