Robert Bailey's Blog

Enjoy this playlist of songs featured in RICH BLOOD, RICH WATERS, and RICH JUSTICE!

Highway to Hell, AC/DC Jason Rich’s theme songI Wanna be Rich, CallowayIn RICH WATERSBeers and Sunshine, Darius RuckerIn RICH BLOODSweet Home Alabama, Lynyrd Skynyrd Has to on the playlist!Buy Me a Boat, Chris Janson In RICH BLOODNo Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems, Kenny ChesneyIn RICH BLOODDeeper Than the Holler, Randy TravisIn RICH WATERSTheme Song from DallasColonel Satch Tonidandel’s favorite showShoot to Thrill, AC/DCIn RICH WATERSHells Bells, AC/DCIn RICH WATERSPoker Face, Lady Gaga Colonel Satch Tonidandel loves him some GagaSailing, Christopher CrossIn RICH WATERSAfrica, TOTOIn RICH WATERSListen to the Music, The Doobie Brothers In RICH WATERSLive & Let Die, Guns & RosesIn RICH WATERSTurn the Page, Bob Segar In RICH JUSTICEGet up Offa That Thing, James BrownIn RICH JUSTICEBlack Water, The Doobie Brothers In RICH JUSTICE

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My next thriller, Rich Blood, will release on September 1, 2022. This will be a new story and the start of a new series set on Lake Guntersville in Marshall County, Alabama and featuring troubled attorney, Jason Rich. The story is set in the same fictional universe as my other books, so there will be callbacks and Easter eggs for those who have read my prior novels. I can’t wait to hear what everyone thinks! Here is the back cover description:

“From Wall Street Journal bestselling author Robert Bailey comes a compelling legal thriller about a lawyer who takes on his sister’s case—and confronts small-town secrets and family skeletons.

Attorney Jason Rich has made a fortune off other people’s bad luck. His billboard slogan—“In an accident? Get Rich!”—accosts motorists on highways from Alabama to Florida. As ambulance chasers go, he’s exceptional.

But after a recent divorce and a stint in rehab, Jason has hit a rough patch. And things only get worse when his sister, Jana, is accused of her husband’s murder. Even though Jason has no experience trying criminal cases, Jana begs him to represent her.

Jason has mixed feelings about returning to Lake Guntersville, Alabama—and even more reservations about diving back into his sister’s life. Between the drugs, the affairs, and a tendency to gaslight everyone in her inner circle, Jana has plenty of enemies in town.

But did Jana hire someone to kill her husband? Jason isn’t so sure. He heads back to his hometown to unravel the truth and face off against opponents old and new.”

Enjoyed discussing The Golfer’s Carol with Bryan Nolen on Sports Talk with Bryan and TB. In this interview, I discuss the adversity that Randy Clark faces in the story as well as what I hope readers will take from the story.

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Today is the release day for The Golfer’s Carol! I hope you enjoy the odyssey of Randy Clark, who I named after my dad, Randy Bailey.

I sure wish he could have read this story.

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The Golfer’s Carol releases tomorrow! If you’d like to read an excerpt from the story, please click on the link and scroll down. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B085BSNHM2/ref=nav_timeline_asin?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

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Excited to share a few awesome blurbs for The Golfer’s Carol, which releases in just five days (Nov. 3rd!):

“Inspiring…Sharp in its dialogue, real with its relationships, and fascinating in details of the game, The Golfer’s Carol is that rarest of books–one you will read and keep for yourself, while purchasing multiple copies for friends.”  —Andy Andrews, New York Times bestselling author of The Noticer and The Traveler’s Gift

“A celebration of faith, family, and the human spirit, The Golfer’s Carol is a page-turning story of love and second chances that is sure to become a classic. The four inspiring lessons will stay with readers long after the last page is turned.” —Winston Groom, author of Forrest Gump

“The greatest golf courses are those that can be enjoyed by duffers and aces alike. The same can be said for The Golfer’s Carol, a story you don’t have to be a golfer to love, though it doesn’t hurt. Bailey grabs your imagination from the first swing, and walks you through a course of miracles that golf dreamers will cherish. Packed with heart and with hope, golf needed a Christmas classic, and now it has one.” —Tom Coyne, New York Times bestselling author of A Course Called Ireland and A Course Called Scotland 

“Bailey wrings genuine emotion from Randy’s tragedies. This life-affirming sports odyssey will appeal to fans of uncomplicated inspirational yarns.” —Publishers Weekly

 “At some point in our lives, most golfers like to imagine playing a round of golf with our sporting heroes, a heavenly foursome comprised of the greats of the game and maybe a missing loved one. In his wee gem of a book, The Golfer’s Carol, Robert Bailey creates both a hymn to the heroes of golf and a moving fable about what is most important–and enduring–to learn from the game. The moral rings clear: It’s never too late to have a Wonderful Life. George Bailey couldn’t have told the story any better!” —James Dodson, author of Ben Hogan: An American Life

“A fun, fast read, this novel kind of sneaks its wisdom up on you. I thought it splendid.” —Homer Hickam, author Rocket Boys and Carrying Albert Home

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The Golfer’s Carol releases in EIGHT DAYS!! The book comes out on November 3rd, and I’m excited to announce our book tour with “virtual” stops at the The Snail on the Wall bookstore in Huntsville, Alabama, FoxTale Book Shoppe in Woodstock, Georgia, the Vero Beach Book Center in Vero Beach, Florida and Second Read Books in Decatur, Alabama. See the picture for dates and times. These events will all be virtual so anyone can attend regardless of where you live. Please visit the store’s website or Facebook page (They all have great Facebook pages) for more information about how to attend these events virtually.

I can’t wait to get this tour rolling!

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In 2012, I was trying to get my first novel, The Professor, published and my agent, Liza Fleissig, recommended that I try to obtain a blurb from a big name author. I sent hundreds of emails and website requests to my writing heroes. As an unpublished writer without a book under contract, it was a tremendous shot in the dark, and almost every single author I queried at that time said no. All were very nice about it, but most bestselling authors have a huge stack of books that actually have a publisher that they are being requested to blurb. I knew the chances of getting a blurb were very slim, but I still asked.

After over a hundred rejections, one author said yes.

Winston Groom.

I knew Winston then as the author of Forrest Gump, one of my favorite novels and my very favorite movie of all time. He was a legend. I figured there was no way he would even respond to my request. But he did. And one week later, I had the blurb that eventually donned the cover of The Professor.

When I reached out to Winston, we were so close to breaking through. Several times, we got as far as the boardroom of a publishing company, where editors who liked the story had pushed things to a vote and a decision had to be made. But the answer kept coming back no. All we needed was a push. A nudge. A break.

Winston Groom was that push. He did that for me without ever meeting me. Without knowing me. And without me having a publisher. It was the break of a lifetime.

I met Winston a few months after he gave me his wonderful blurb. We were in Point Clear for the State Bar Meeting, and he invited my wife, Dixie, and I to his house for a drink and then to dinner. He was an incredibly gracious host and it was a pinch me moment for me to hear him talk about his trials as a young writer. Since then, on several return trips to Fairhope, we were able to connect with him, and he was always kind and generous with his time.

Last December, Winston was nice enough to offer a blurb for The Golfer’s Carol. As with The Professor, Winston’s words will again grace the cover.

I learned yesterday that Winston had died. He had an incredible life and touched so many people in a positive way with his words and actions. He created a fictional character, Forrest Gump, that will live forever. His early novels were critically acclaimed as were the histories he wrote in later years. He was an icon in the state of Alabama. A beloved figure in Fairhope and all over the world. And one of the damn finest people I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing.

Winston taught me a couple of lessons that I have shared with prospective writers and readers in my book talks over the years. First, you never know what someone will do for you unless you ask. Second, in the writing world, which is full of a thousand “no’s,” all it takes is one “yes,” that can change your stars.

Thank you for saying “yes,” Winston. Thank you for being so gracious to me and my family.

You will be missed.

THE GOLFER’S CAROL releases on October 20th. I’m thrilled to share the official cover.

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Looking forward to returning to Fairhope, Alabama for a signing at the Page & Palette bookstore this Saturday (February 8) at 2pm.  With Legacy of Lies kicking off my new Bocephus Haynes’ series in June, now would be a great time to get signed copies of the books that introduced Bo and General Helen Lewis as characters.