Ask the Author: Robert Evert
Answered Questions (13)
Robert Evert
Boy! Sorry for the delay. I didn't see your question!! Riddle is only an e-book and audio book. However, I am releasing a new book next week called Sword of Betrayal. (Edris wants to be a poet. His father wants him to kill the king's son.) It is currently available for pre-order (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07...)
It will be out in paperback on the 17th!! Let me know what you think!
Thank you VERY much for you question!
It will be out in paperback on the 17th!! Let me know what you think!
Thank you VERY much for you question!
Robert Evert
My mother-in-law came for a visit. She wouldn't say when she'd leave.
Robert Evert
Definitely Middle Earth. Third Age. I'd love to walk around Bree and the Trollshaws. Maybe climb the Misty Mountains or visit with the Ents!
Robert Evert
I just downloaded a bunch of books from Audible. A couple are writing books...one from the Great Courses. Another is on the mosquito and it's role in shaping human history. Another is a murder mystery from a Norwegian author who's name I'm forgetting. It looks good!
Robert Evert
Hi Kelley! Sorry for the delay. Edmund is Riddle's main character. He's a fat, stuttering librarian. But there's also a kind of "love interest" name Abbie. I'd like to spin her off into her own series, but we'll see:)
If you are interested in a female lead. My latest book, Quests of the Kings, has a female lead named Natalie. She is a peasant girl who gets caught between two feuding adventurers and has to pick a side to stay alive. It's a bit dark and she starts off kind of bitchy. But she ... well, let's just say not all heroes are big strong knights! :)
If you read it, please let me know. I'd love to hear your thoughts!
--Rob
If you are interested in a female lead. My latest book, Quests of the Kings, has a female lead named Natalie. She is a peasant girl who gets caught between two feuding adventurers and has to pick a side to stay alive. It's a bit dark and she starts off kind of bitchy. But she ... well, let's just say not all heroes are big strong knights! :)
If you read it, please let me know. I'd love to hear your thoughts!
--Rob
Robert Evert
Hey Anne Marie!!!
Well, my wonderful agent is pitching my latest manuscript to publishers as we speak!!! Hopefully somebody will be willing to publish it. I'd like to make it into its own series.
Fingers crossed!!
Thanks for stopping by!!!
P.S. Sword of Betrayal will be released September 17th, 2019. Here's the pre-order link! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07X331RF5
Well, my wonderful agent is pitching my latest manuscript to publishers as we speak!!! Hopefully somebody will be willing to publish it. I'd like to make it into its own series.
Fingers crossed!!
Thanks for stopping by!!!
P.S. Sword of Betrayal will be released September 17th, 2019. Here's the pre-order link! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07X331RF5
Robert Evert
Hey Trish!! Sorry for the delay. Who inspired me to write? That's easy... Tolkien. I really got swept away by the Lord of the Rings. Being a very shy, anti-social kid, his books made me feel as though I belonged somewhere. After I read them (over and over again), I started writing fan fiction about me in Bree or the Shire or the Trollshaws. Eventually, I started writing my own stuff!!!
Thanks for the question!!!! Maybe someday I'll inspire somebody to write their own books!
Thanks for the question!!!! Maybe someday I'll inspire somebody to write their own books!
Robert Evert
When I get ready to write, I envision myself visiting with my characters. We sit down in a darkened tavern or walk the streets of some little village or hike in the wildlands, and they tell me what is going on in their lives. I then write it down. What they tell me becomes my story. It's as simple as that, really.
I never feel pressured to write. It's something I truly enjoy doing. I suppose it's the only time I feel at peace with my surroundings.
I never feel pressured to write. It's something I truly enjoy doing. I suppose it's the only time I feel at peace with my surroundings.
Robert Evert
I am currently finishing up a new book called Sword of Betrayal. The tag line right now is: "Edris wants to be a poet. His father wants him to kill the king's son." It's about a son who tries to live up to his father's overwhelming expectations while attempting to figure out who he wants to be.
I got the idea when talking to a high school athlete who really didn't enjoy playing football anymore. But he is very good at it and he wants to please his father. So he felt trapped. He was actually hoping to get injured so he could do other things.
There's such an immense amount of pressure on gifted and talented kids (and all kids really), I just thought it would be a good story. Hopefully, I was right! You'll have to be the judge!
I got the idea when talking to a high school athlete who really didn't enjoy playing football anymore. But he is very good at it and he wants to please his father. So he felt trapped. He was actually hoping to get injured so he could do other things.
There's such an immense amount of pressure on gifted and talented kids (and all kids really), I just thought it would be a good story. Hopefully, I was right! You'll have to be the judge!
Robert Evert
Read Stephen King's "On Writing." And study the craft of writing.
Also, Writing isn't about putting words on a page. It isn't even about telling a story. Writing (in my humble opinion) is about making the reader FEEL something...fear, loneliness, longing, love, hate, anger.
People might be able to tell a story, and they might even be able to write in such a way that it is grammatically correct...however, if the story doesn't move people, it isn't worth reading.
Also, Writing isn't about putting words on a page. It isn't even about telling a story. Writing (in my humble opinion) is about making the reader FEEL something...fear, loneliness, longing, love, hate, anger.
People might be able to tell a story, and they might even be able to write in such a way that it is grammatically correct...however, if the story doesn't move people, it isn't worth reading.
Robert Evert
Going to new imaginary places and meeting wonderful imaginary people. I've never met a character I haven't liked. Real people, on the other hand...
Robert Evert
Well, I'm not sure I've ever had "writer's block." You see, I just sit and record what I see my characters doing. When I know my characters, I know how they'd deal with a given situation. Writing becomes pretty easy.
Occasionally, I'll struggle for a word or a name (I'm horrible at naming characters. I actually named a dog "Thorax" because I couldn't think of anything else.), but I usually just throw something down like "Mr. X" and then come back to it in later drafts. The idea is to keep writing and not get bogged down in details.
When I begin a manuscript, I'm often daunted by the blank page. But again, I just start typing. I might type five or six pages of meaningless descriptions or dialogue before I hit the true beginning of the story. A great deal of my writing gets cut in the revisions.
Occasionally, I'll struggle for a word or a name (I'm horrible at naming characters. I actually named a dog "Thorax" because I couldn't think of anything else.), but I usually just throw something down like "Mr. X" and then come back to it in later drafts. The idea is to keep writing and not get bogged down in details.
When I begin a manuscript, I'm often daunted by the blank page. But again, I just start typing. I might type five or six pages of meaningless descriptions or dialogue before I hit the true beginning of the story. A great deal of my writing gets cut in the revisions.
Robert Evert
When I started writing Riddle in Stone, I literally had no plot or story in mind. I wanted to practice writing dialogue, so I sat down every day and wrote for fifteen minutes about this guy, Edmund, who was simply walking down the road. Again, I had no clue who he was or what he wanted or what his story would be. It just ... developed.
I try not to have preconceived notions about what a story is about or where it'll end up. Instead, I put characters in situations and say to myself, "Okay, what would he/she do now?" Like Stephen King says, "All stories end somewhere." So I just write.
Some ideas do come straight from my experiences. For example, I went to Bergen, Norway. Beautiful country and city. I absolutely love the brightly colored buildings and cobblestone roads...so I put that into one of my towns.
Also, there's a scene in my second book where Edmund is at a party, standing around, feeling awkward. That's all me. I can't go to a party without feeling like a loser!
The problem with having preconceived ideas about a story is that it becomes boring to write. If I know x, y, and z are going to happen, it becomes a chore to write about them. I like not knowing. It's a wonderful feeling to see a character pop up and take control of the scene. It certainly makes my job easier!!
I try not to have preconceived notions about what a story is about or where it'll end up. Instead, I put characters in situations and say to myself, "Okay, what would he/she do now?" Like Stephen King says, "All stories end somewhere." So I just write.
Some ideas do come straight from my experiences. For example, I went to Bergen, Norway. Beautiful country and city. I absolutely love the brightly colored buildings and cobblestone roads...so I put that into one of my towns.
Also, there's a scene in my second book where Edmund is at a party, standing around, feeling awkward. That's all me. I can't go to a party without feeling like a loser!
The problem with having preconceived ideas about a story is that it becomes boring to write. If I know x, y, and z are going to happen, it becomes a chore to write about them. I like not knowing. It's a wonderful feeling to see a character pop up and take control of the scene. It certainly makes my job easier!!
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