Robert Hemphill, an Interview
· What
inspired you to write this particular book?
This book is a collection of letters. I started writing to my father
about my international business experience because I thought I was doing such
interesting things in exotic places and having such funny and peculiar
experiences. Dad was a smart man, but a fighter pilot in WWII and a
career Air Force officer who knew nothing about business. This was a way
of explaining what I was doing, and, I suppose, justifying the fact that I
hadn’t decided to become an Air Force officer myself.
· When
did you first know you wanted to be a writer?
I
had an English teacher my sophomore year in high school who liked the stories
that I wrote so much that she said to me, “Bob, you just sit in the back of the
class and write.” Actually it’s a wonder that I ever wrote anything
again. I was already singled out as one of the “smart kids” and this
further level of acknowledgement was enough to make me want to crawl under my
desk. I suppose I knew I wanted to be a writer, but not by being the
teacher’s pet and sitting at the back of the class while everyone else did the
things called for in the lesson plan.
· Who
is your favorite author--or do you have an author who has inspired you?
Probably
every male kid with any writing aspirations at some point wants to be Ernest
Hemingway and I was no exception, except the part about using a shotgun and
blowing your head off in Idaho was a bit less appealing. My favorite book
of all time is Catch-22, and Heller’s career after that makes one nervous about
how you maintain an on-going level of excellence in the book writing
profession. My favorite authors who have maintained such a high level are
Kate Atkinson and Robert Parker, author of the Spenser detective series.
I have read everything each of these gifted persons has written.
· What
is your writing schedule?
I
write mostly in the morning, but only after coffee. Sometimes in the
afternoon while sitting on the couch. Never really at night. Often
on airplanes until the computer battery gives out.
· What
has surprised you most about being a published author?
Because
I didn’t know any better, I approached the publishing business like any other
business opportunity, stumbling around and learning what to do, who to do it
with, whose advice to take and whose to ignore. I had to learn the
business so I could understand what my role should be. And it has been
fascinating, given the enormous disruptions facing book publishers. My
biggest surprise is how caught unawares the traditional publishers have been by
the digital book/Kindle/Amazon revolution. It’s not like the Scribner CEO
couldn’t have looked at the music industry and said to himself, “Gee, some
disintermediation seems to be going on, I wonder if analog books could be at
risk?” And then apparently, having asked this question, the answer came
back: “No, that could never happen to me.”
· When
you sit down to write is there a particular ritual you go through? Music?
Something you must have on hand to drink? Etc.?
I
used to write in long hand on yellow legal pads, but once I got my first
computer, a pretty primitive Mac, it was goodbye paper and hello
keyboard. No particular ritual, but occasionally an outline is useful.
· What
do you like to do most when you are not writing?
Advise
the President on middle east policy, cure cancer and eliminate world
hunger. My obvious success in these pursuits has led me to continue to
focus on writing.
· What
is your best advice for aspiring writers?
Honestly?
I wanted desperately to be point guard for the Celtics while I was growing up,
but eventually it became clear that a short, slow guy with no jump shot was not
going to achieve that particular dream, no matter how many hours he spent at
the Mount Vernon Elementary School basketball court. If writing comes
hard for you, this isn’t your game. Try something else.
Bio:
Robert Hemphill is an author and former senior executive
with a global power company. His most recent book, Dust
Tea, Dingoes and Dragons, is a humorous look at international
business. To read more of Robert’s blogs, visit www.rfhemphill.com.
Thank you so much, Robert, for this interview. Love the cover of the book and the title.
Marilyn
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