Robert J Dornan is someone who wishes to leave a better
world to his children. He realizes that the odds are slim but he will do
whatever he can to increase the probability of success. He is always open to discuss new and
innovative ideas and hopes someday to see the building of a functional solar
city as well as a fair and community-driven compensation system.
Robert’s latest book is the historical fiction, 23
Minutes Past 1 A.M.
For
More Information
About the Book:
In the early morning of her sister's wedding day, Mila
Kharmalov stared in stunned silence at the coloured sparks streaming from
Reactor Four of the Chernobyl Nuclear Plant.
At that very moment, her life and the lives of everyone she knew changed
Years later and on another continent, Adam Byrd was writing
biographies for everyday people looking to leave their legacy in book form.
When the woman he loved phoned from Kiev
offering him the chance to write the story of a lifetime, he jumped at the
opportunity not realizing that his voyage would be a bumpy ride through a
nations dark underbelly. With the help of his friend's quirky cousin, Adam is
nudged into a fascinating adventure of love, greed, power and psychotic
revenge, culminating with a shocking finale.
23 Minutes Past 1
A.M. is a work of fiction based on factual events from Chernobyl
and villages throughout Ukraine.
For More Information
- 23 Minutes Past 1 A.M. is available at Amazon..
- Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.
Thank you for your time in
answering our questions about getting published. Let’s begin by having
you explain to us why you decided to become an author and pen this book?
Author: To give a proper
response, I’d have to offer a brief description of myself. I am a quiet
environmentalist and a closet revolutionary that agrees entirely with climate
control advocates. My transformation from weenie to greenie is a byproduct of
my research on 23 Minutes Past 1 A.M.
The thirtieth anniversary of the
Chernobyl accident has received
mild press attention this year, but the nuclear disaster that has been linked
to the fall of the Soviet Union, has remained a mystery
to many and even worse, forgotten or made irrelevant. Cancelled television shows are irrelevant; an
accident that has arguably caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands is not
irrelevant and cannot be swept under rug like a childhood secret. The story
must be engrained in our psyche.
The Da Vinci Code was chock
full of interesting facts and/or beliefs. It was more than a suspense; it was a
learning experience. 23 Minutes Past 1 A.M. is a compelling work of fiction filled
with facts that will cause readers to question the need for nuclear power as
well as question the long arm of the Russian bear. That’s why I wrote the book.
Is this your first book?
Author: No, I have penned
several books or at least have been involved in the writing of several
books. I have a series of books called Jack
City geared towards teens. I
released Part One a couple of years ago but have since made revisions and will
re-release in November followed by the sequel.
Early next year, I will release another teen book called Gwydion and in
mid-2017, my second adult fare, Sins of the Samurai, will be made available.
With this particular book,
how did you publish – traditional, small press, Indie, etc. – and why did you
choose this method?
Author: I’m not a young, up and
coming novelist with years of book writing ahead of me. Few if any mainstream publishers would take a
risk on me. I realize the notion of
being published is exciting or even romantic but unless you’re an old school
author, your books will get limited shelf time in corporate bookstores that
have turned their attention to more profitable items such as greeting cards and
lattes. You’ll end up marketing your own
book just as I am doing right now but unfortunately for a smaller margin.
Self-publishing is an art form
to itself and allows someone like myself to control my own destiny. I don’t fear failure and I don’t write
stories to make vats of money. For
someone like myself, Amazon, Barnes and Noble and the like, are perfect
partners. There was no better option.
Can you tell us a little
about your publishing journey? The pros
and cons?
Author: When you take the self-publishing route, you
have full control. Unfortunately, having
full control also means preparing for what feels like an endless number of
hours of editing before you give it to someone else to edit. Make no mistake about this; editing sucks.
Editing is like screeching chalk on a blackboard. It’s the Brussel Sprouts of writing.
Your family cannot purchase an
infinite amount of copies of your book. Eventually you’ll have to unlock the
front door, step outside and beg your neighbors to buy it too. No?
Then lose your insecurities and hop on the marketing bus because selling
a total of ten books is not a conversation starter. Being somewhat of a border line introvert,
this is not an easy task for me but it has to be done so here I am, hoping you
continue to read my nervous dribble.
If you’re not careful, you can
get scammed along the way. One person
may charge you twice as much for a book cover than someone equally as
talented. Don’t ask a friend or family
member to do your book cover! Keep
family away from your creativity.
The benefits or pros is that I
write at my own pace and I write whatever I please. I don’t worry if a
publisher will accept my manuscript. I don’t worry about deadlines or being
pigeon-holed into a specific genre. Best
of all, I release a book when I’m ready and only when I’m ready. That’s kinda cool.
What lessons do you feel you
learned about your particular publishing journey and about the publishing
industry as a whole?
Author: With respect to
everyone who has signed a publishing contract or works for a Publishing
House/business, the industry has changed drastically in the last ten years and
will continue to veer towards e-books and self-publishing. Hard cover books are comfortable and
nostalgic to a degree but so are LP’s and 45’s yet I still prefer to download
all my music.
Why should I pay twenty dollars
plus shipping and/or gas for a new novel when I can download the e-book for
one-quarter the price (or more). Nostalgia? To fill up my ancient bookshelf or
hide a hole in the wall?
The common argument that
publishers garner higher standards Is not holding as much water as it used to
because established authors are going the self-publishing route and the smaller
publishers are sticking to niches with the sole purpose of reducing
budgets.
23 Minutes Past 1 A.M. was edited a dozen times and I researched
well over four hundred hours. The lesson
I learned is that if you take your time, research and edit until you’re blue in
the face, you will produce a quality book.
A quality book that didn’t require a publisher.
Would you recommend this
method of publishing to other authors?
Author: Most definitely.
Everyone has a dream and if your dream is to see your name on the front cover
of a novel, then go for it. I would
emphasize that it is YOUR name on the book cover so if your effort or lack
thereof has produced crap, then you may wish to rethink your bucket list.
What’s the best advice you
can give to aspiring authors?
Author: Have no fear. If you worry about offending a specific
group, your family or whomever, then your target audience should be readers who
worry about offending their mom’s and whomever.
Good luck with that.
Include as many interesting
tidbits as you can as long as they are relevant to your story.
Research. Research. Research.
Grow some thick skin because
not everyone is going to like your story and many will try to debunk your
claims. No big deal…they read your story
and hopefully paid to do so.
Thanks s much for your
time. If you’d like to discuss my books
or the environment, feel free to email me at jackcityguy@gmail.com
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