Ask the Author: Robert Alan

“Ask me a question.” Robert Alan

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Where did you get the idea for your most recent book?

Robert Alan The idea for my first book, 'This Way Madness Comes' came to me in pieces; first it was a story set in present time and centered on the development of a new type of super weapon of mass destruction. Then came the idea of starting the story back in the Cold War days in order to utilize the drama of that period between the US and USSR. Then it only seemed reasonable to include a little CIA vs. KGB action. Fast forward to the fall of the Soviet Union and beyond; then throw in a little romance, a touch of Sci-Fi, and some political intrigue, and, well, I think you get the picture.

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How do you get inspired to write?

Robert Alan That’s a tough one. To quote Dorothy Parker again, “I hate writing, I love having written”. In my case maybe ‘hate’ is a little too strong a word, but I do find writing difficult, and, like most things I find difficult, it’s easy to come up with excuses for put it off. I think what most help motivate me to write, is to read a lot.

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What are you currently working on?

Robert Alan Aside from writing an occasional short story, I’m working on a second novel, tentatively titled, “The Second Law”. The story is centered around the discovery of a heretofore unknown element/mineral that, at first glance, appears to promote self-organization. Maybe the central theme of the story can best be understood by the musings of one of the story’s protagonists: What if it were possible, he thought. What if there was a way around the Second Law. What if the forward pointing arrow of time, demanded by the Second Law, could somehow be reversed? What if random motion could somehow be organized into something useful? Our energy problems would be solved. And what about medical applications; burn treatment, tissue regeneration? What if the inexorable degeneration of the body could somehow be halted, or even reverse; but why stop there, why not the creation of life itself, a second Genesis, but this one deliberate and controlled. The utility of such knowledge, such technology, would be priceless; the kind of knowledge that would bring out the best and the worst in human nature. It would be the kind of knowledge that could and should benefit the entire world. But, Dwight was not so naive as to believe that there would not also be many who would use this knowledge to further their own agendas, and satisfy their own insatiable appetites for power and control.

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What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

Robert Alan With one book, and a few short stories to my credit I’m hardly in a position to give advice, but if your primary motivation for writing is financial, then you’d probably be better off with a different hobby. On the other hand, if you’re looking for a way to express your inner creative spirit, then sit down and write something.

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