Jeremy Robinson is no new comer to the world of fiction and writing in general. In his childhood he was heavily influenced by comic books and sci-fi novels. He started as an illustrator for numerous comic books and comic strips, but soon realized that he needed to tell stories. He is the author of nearly 20 novels and has no plan of stopping. Yay!
His latest novel Xom-B gives readers a sci-fi thrill that not only includes zombies, but robots, a dsytopian future, class wars, high tech science, but so much more. Check out the numerous reviews on Goodreads, Amazom, and B&N, and see the amazing number of positive reviews it is getting.
I had the privilege and pleasure of asking Jeremy Robinson five question for Writer’s Wednesday. Here is what he had to say:
1. You were exposed early in your life to science fiction and comics. Was there any one story or experience that made you realize that you wanted to be a story teller both through your comic book illustrations and writing?
It was less of an experience and more of a solid understanding of what I’m wired to do. My mother brought this up a few weeks ago. She told me, “You always knew exactly who you were and what you wanted to do.” While the medium has shifted between art, comic books, novel writing and screenwriting, the core desire to tell stories has just always been a part of my DNA. I do remember the transition from comics to movies was inspired, in part, by the movie, The Relic, which I loved (despite grumblings from people who read the novel, which, yes, is better than the movie) and my transition from screenwriting to novels was inspired, in part, by Subterranean by James Rollins. But the broader desire to tell stories, in any format, has been there as long as I can remember.
2. Many people see the fascination with zombies slowly coming to an end after being overloaded with them for years. What made you decide to tackle the subject now and in such a new and innovative way?
If I’d been asked to write a normal zombie novel, I think I would have passed. There are so many zombie novels that are just clones of one another and people are getting tired of it. I’m getting tired of it. But the challenge in taking the zombie genre and coming up with something original and innovative is exciting. It’s kind of like cooking someone a cheeseburger and doing it so differently (and deliciously), that after a taste they say, “Hot damn, that’s a cheeseburger?!” Taking something old and making it new is a lot of fun and often more surprising than just coming up with something no one has ever heard of.
3. When writing your novels what is your research process like? How deep do you go with it to make sure that what is read is plausible?
Depends on the novel. If there is a lot of history involved, like in my novels SecondWorld and Island 731, which both involve World War II, I do a lot of research. I want to be accurate and there are also a lot of experts who will be quick to point out every detail I might have fudged. With a novel like Xom-B, which takes place in the future, there is less research to do. The world is different. Technology is different. People are different. Most of my research for Xom-B had to do with robotics, as there are robots in the story and I wanted to get them right. Other than that, I my research was limited to details, rather than a comprehensive study of past events.
4. Writing for a living is your job. How do you go about taking what is in your head and putting it into actual words?
For me, it’s all about routine. I day dream during the quiet moments of the day—when I wake up in the morning, when I’m in the shower—picturing the scenes I’ll soon be writing. That way, when I sit down in my office (9 – 5, five days a week) I already have a very clear idea of what I’m going to be writing. Writing on a random schedule can lead to distraction and procrastination, so for me, it’s all about planting my butt in the chair and being mentally prepared when I get there. If I can do that, the words tend to just flow right out.
5. The theme for this year’s Geek Gala is time travel, a subject I know that you are more than familiar with through your love of reading and your own writing. What historical mystery would like to try and solve through time travel?
I actually answered this very question with my first novel, The Didymus Contingency. I asked myself the question, then a series of friends and family of varying ages, beliefs, backgrounds, etc. What I discovered was that a large percentage of people had the same answer: to go back in time and see if Jesus really did rise from the dead. When you consider ancient stories and which has had the most impact on the past 2000 years of history, the life of Jesus, whether you believe or not, has radically altered the world more than any other single point in time. Some would go back and hope to prove him a fraud. Others would go back hoping to see him rise. And still others might go back with no preference, but knowing what they discover will alter the way they see the world. Whatever the answer is, it would be profound. So, that’s where I would go, and through The Didymus Contingency, I provide one of those possible outcomes.
Thank you so much Jeremy for your time and your wonderful writing. We look forward to your future work with bated breath.
If you didn’t click in the links above you can find more information on Jeremy Robinson at the following sites:
- http://www.jeremyrobinsononline.com/
- http://www.xom-b.com/
- http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/r/jeremy-robinson/
Don’t forget to share this with anyone you know that might be interested. Spread the Geekiness.
