Author James E. Robinson - THE FLOWER OF GRASS - Free Book

Today, we're featuring James E. Robinson and his debut novel. I interviewed him earlier in the year with his non-fiction title, Prodigal Song.

Welcome, James. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.

In this, my first novel, there’s a lot of autobiographical content woven into the story. I wrote about the places, people, and emotional issues that I understood most intimately. However, even though I used real people and places as early templates, eventually the characters took on personalities of their own. The same is true of the small town where the story takes place. I drew visually from my own hometown, surrounding countryside, and real people there to paint the locations and characters in the book, but ultimately the place and people took on their own identities. So, hopefully I blended things to achieve realism and originality; though what I ended up with in the story wasn’t really my hometown at all, it will nonetheless resonate as a real place, if that makes sense. I’ve started my next novel, and this time I’m going to try to lean a little less into my own life experience, and rely instead on research about characters and places that might initially be less familiar to me.

If you're coming to the ACFW conference, you might want to take the workshop I'm teaching on how to find all kinds of information to make a book real and authentic. What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

Hmm. Well, as a recovering alcoholic, sober 19 years, I’m afraid I might have to respectfully take a pass on that question. “Quirky” is too nice a term for some of my behavior prior to 1989!

Good for you!!. When did you first discover that you were a writer?

I’m not sure I’ve discovered that quite yet! However…I know that I dreamed of being a writer for as long as I can remember, so I know I’ve at least had the heart of a writer for most of my life. But I was far too undisciplined to work on the craft until fairly recently. I used to recite “poetry” to my grandmother before I was old enough to write. Books were—and are—magical things to me. Writers have always been my heroes. In school, I was a bored, mostly average student. But in middle school one day a teacher handed out our textbook for the year, some sort of anthology of American and English literature, short stories, poems, and some longer pieces by a wide assortment of authors. And above each piece was a thumbnail sketch of the author. That book riveted me. I stuck my head into it, and in many ways have not extracted it since.

Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.

In high school I was a bit of a science fiction nut, but eventually I began exploring a wide range of fiction. I have always loved the classics. I have been influenced a great deal by older stuff, especially southern women writers of long ago—Welty, Glasgow, Cather. In many ways, The Flower of Grass is a sort of throwback tribute to that kind of work. Frederick Buechner was important to me once I got sober; my father-in-law, Bryan Haislip, who has played an important role in introducing me to some of the “good stuff” mentioned above, gave me a copy of Buechner’s memoir The Sacred Journey back in the late ‘90’s. I finished it and said, Whoa! Buechner made me realize that writing about faith could be literarily satisfying. I have pretty eclectic tastes, I suppose. I like British stuff. I’m one of those oddballs who really like Dickens, for instance. My agent, Ang DePriest, is always on me about reading more modern fiction, and she’s right, of course. I’m terribly out of touch with what’s selling these days. But she has introduced me to some wonderful new authors working out there now.

How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?

My family keeps me grounded…at least as grounded as I’m ever going to get! I’m a bit of a “head in the clouds” kind of guy, I’m afraid. But Teresa and my two kids don’t allow me to ever float too far away. My faith, sobriety, quality relationships, creativity…these are the anchoring elements in my life.

How do you choose your characters’ names?

In The Flower of Grass, I had fun using names that held some personal meaning for me. Family names, names of friends, stuff like that. For some of the names, though, I had little to say about it; the characters insisted on their own names, once I’d stared writing. Jessie was Jessie from the moment I envisioned her. She was quite adamant about it. And I don’t know anyone named Jessie in real life.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

That’s a three-way tie: Getting sober in ’89, marrying Teresa in ’92, and the birth of my daughter and son twelve and eight years ago, respectively.

If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?

A hawk. I love birds, and the big birds of prey are absolutely stunning creatures. Every time I see a hawk in the wild, I instantly become about ten years old. I even put a hawk in my novel!

What is your favorite food?

That’s a tough one. I love ALL food. I mean ALL. (This made me a very popular child with adults, by the way.) But if I have to choose one….very fresh seafood.

Tell us a little about your journey to publication.

Well, I owe the whole unlikely chain of events entirely to my agents, Ang and Dan DePriest. God led me to them through a friend and writer, Brian Schrauger. We all live in the same town. After a couple of meetings, we’d become friends. Now, only months later, we’re like family. I wrote the rough draft of the novel in a couple of months, February and March of last year, and they had a contract in my hands by Christmas. I had self published a memoir a few years earlier, for use in our ministry (www.ProdigalSong.com). But this was my first ever completed manuscript for a novel. I know how blessed I’ve been in all this. Still, it hardly feels like sudden success. I’ve been “writing” in my head for decades, and dreaming of being published for as long as I can remember. I’m a slow starter…but it feels good. I’m humbled, and very thankful to God. I know it often doesn’t happen this “easily.”

What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?

Time. Or lack if it, to be precise. I can tell from reading all the comments on the ACFW Loop that my struggle is not unique. I love the writing process SO much…I can’t imagine there ever being enough time to write.

What advice would you give to others who are trying to get their first book published?

It’s almost a cliché…but the key is perseverance. I had to learn this lesson as a professional songwriter in Nashville for many years. All artists must learn to accept “no” and keep going, keep believing. Even if the “no” comes a million times. If you love writing, though, write. I’ll always write, published or not. Being published does not make a writer great, and not being published does not mean the writer has no gift. Read a lot, and write a lot. Learn the craft, but nurture your own unique voice. And never, ever stop praying.

What would you like to tell us about the featured book?

The Flower of Grass is, as I mentioned before, a bit of an old fashioned piece. It’s driven more by the characters than by action. Much of what transpires is very internalized, in some ways. I wanted to write something that spoke to what I consider to be basic human longings: Love, family, a sense of connection and purpose, faith. It’s also a story about the precious brevity of life, and about the intense duality of flesh/spirit that challenges us all in one way or another. One of the themes I tried to induce was the supernatural elements of time…how man’s time and God’s time are two very different things, and how the passing of time does not limit God’s ability to heal and restore relationships. Though in some ways it’s a story of unfulfilled romance, ultimately the key characters come to learn unexpected truths about themselves, and discover what they need and believe on a deeply spiritual level.

The publisher is Lion Hudson of the UK, under their Monarch imprint. US distribution will be through Kregel. They are planning a simultaneous release in both markets in August ’08.

How can our readers find you on the Internet?

My author site is www.jameserobinson.com

James, thank you for spending this time with us.

Readers, check out his web site, but first leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book.

Author James E. Robinson - Prodigal Song - Free Book

Today, we're talking with James E. Robinson about his nonfiction book titled Prodigal Song. He's also recently signed a contract for his first novel. We'll have him back later to discuss that book.

This book is nonfiction. Do you also write fiction?

I’ve recently finished my first novel, and it’s being shopped around by a local agent. Actually, although I do a lot of non-fiction writing related to my ministry, my hidden dream since childhood has been to write novels; it’s my favorite kind of writing to read, and if I could write fiction for a living, I’d do it.

What would you like for our readers to know about you personally?

Well, when people ask me what I “do,” it can get a bit complicated these days! I have been a professional songwriter for years, and as a staff writer for a major publishing company I wrote mainstream country songs for a decade. These days I write the songs I want to write, record them the way I want to record them, and use them as part of the ministry my wife Teresa and I began several years ago, ProdigalSong. I combine my writing and singing with teaching about “addiction as idolatry” in our society, in an attempt to help equip the church to become a better-informed healing community for the lost and lonely…both outside AND inside the church walls.

In recent years, I returned to school and became a licensed counselor, and now spend part of my time in private practice. All this has enabled me to communicate and teach about addiction. My own family of origin was decimated by addiction and mental illness, and I eventually left home and entered into a world of addiction and darkness. The disease killed my mother, and nearly killed me. That’s the reason I wrote the memoir, and over time the ministry has evolved out of my own life experience.

Tell us about your family.

I got clean and sober in 1989, and met Teresa three years later. I know that she and our two children are nothing les than miracles. For someone who came close to dying more times than I can remember, having this family around me really continues to amaze me on a daily basis. Teresa is a trained singer, and performs with me whenever possible in churches around the country. My daughter is twelve, and my son is eight. I have the best wife and kids on the planet…or am I just biased?

Have you written other nonfiction books?

I’ve just completed a book that details the ProdigalSong Ministries approach to healing the broken spirit. It’s called Coming Home to a Place Called Hope, and we’re planning to self-publish at first simply because we are in need of the books in our ministry work. An accompanying workbook, co-authored with my dear friend and ministry volunteer Sherry Thomas, will combine with the other book and be used as tools to leave behind with churches after we perform and teach weekend events. These materials will help the church have a better understanding of the issues, and assist them in forming small recovery groups within their own congregations.

What other books have you written, and where can the readers of the blog find them?

The memoir is the only one available at this date, from Amazon, my web site, etc. However, the new book/workbook should be available soon. Anyone interested in learning more, or in finding both my writing and my music CDs, can visit our website and sign up for our e-mail newsletter. Then they’ll be the first to know when new materials become available. I also have numerous articles, many of which have been published on Christian websites such as CrossWalk and CBN, available on the site.

Do you have any other books in the works right now?

I have a second novel underway, still in the early stages. I hope to concentrate more on fiction in the coming months, though I will continue writing articles and such.

Where on the Internet can the readers find you?

Our ministry site is www.ProdigalSong.com, and my literary agents are currently putting together an “author page” as a link, one we can hopefully have up and running soon.

What kinds of hobbies and leisure activities do you enjoy?

I love reading, cooking, walking in the woods, fishing…art of all kinds, museums, concerts…none of which I have much time for! With two young children, I try to spend most of my free time with the family. They grow up too fast…so I spend a great deal of time these days on a trampoline!

Be careful on the trampoline. That's how my teenage grandson hurt his knee and had to have surgery. Why did you write the featured book?

God had already drawn me out of mainstream songwriting and into the ministry of sharing my gifts with others. Slowly, He began to give a shape to the ministry, which at first made little sense to me. But now I see He was grooming me my entire life for this kind of work. ProdigalSong uses music, writing, singing, teaching, and counseling to bring a message of hope and healing to those who might feel unworthy of love. As we traveled and spoke, many would come to me following a show and ask if I had my testimony available in written form. Finally, I knew it was time for the lifelong writer who had lived in my head since childhood to sit down and put words to paper. The whole experience was profoundly healing for me; I always encourage my counseling clients to write about their own lives.

What do you want the reader to take away from the book?

My story, really, is each of our stories. Each of us has, in one way or another, wandered from our Father’s house, and gone off on various prodigal journeys. What I’ve discovered is that even though my story might be more dramatic than some, and less than others, many more people both inside and outside the church have connected to my journey than I at first imagined possible. The book has often struck a nerve with many people who came from all sorts of dysfunctional family systems. Though not everyone has struggled with addiction, most of us struggle with some form of idolatry…anything we USE or DO that separates us from the love of Christ. So, God has taught me to paint the word ‘addiction’ with a broad brush stroke. I hope each reader can see a bit of themselves, or of someone they love, as they read my story.

Thank you, Jim, for spending this time with us.

Readers, check out Jim's ministry on his web site.

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