Saturday, June 30, 2012

Interview with Robert B. Lowe and a Giveaway!

Robert, welcome to Hardcover Feedback! Would you tell us a little about yourself?
This is my first book and I’ve cycled through 3 careers to get here. I was a newspaper reporter for 12 years, then a lawyer for 5, then I helped launch software startups. I plan to make writing the final job.

A lot of people are on Twitter these days, so can you describe Project Moses for us in 140 characters or less (which is the size of a tweet)? 
Project Moses is a thriller in the Grisham mode with a couple who uncover a bioterrorism plot and must expose it before they are hunted and killed by the conspirators. 


When did you begin writing Project Moses? What inspired this book and how much research was involved in writing it? 
I began writing Project Moses in the mid-90s when I was between jobs. I put it on the shelf for more than 15 years and got it out in late 2011, rewrote some parts and published it in January. Having written as a journalist and being a mystery buff, the genre was a natural. I did quite a bit of research in to the genetic science that is the focus of the grand conspiracy. 


What or who made the biggest influence on you wanting to become a writer? 
Having been a reporter where much of the job is writing and seeing co-workers produce books certainly made it seem much more doable than if I had spent those years doing something totally different. 


What was the first book you ever wrote about and was it ever published? 
This is it! 


Do you have any writing habits that people might find unusual? 
I tend to have a lot of food scenes because I enjoy cooking a good food. When I’m stuck and need to get going, I sometimes just start describing food – hopefully in a way that fits into a scene – and that gets me moving. 


Do you have a favorite character or one that is especially close to your heart? 
The main character in what I expect will be series is a reporter, Enzo Lee. He’s a bit of an alter ego and I can channel a lot of my thoughts and reactions into him. I certainly identify with him the most. However, he’s fond of a female detective and a newsroom co-worker and I like those characters quite a bit. 


What is the best gift you have ever received, do you still have it and who gave it to you? 
Probably a BB gun when I was 7 or so. It’s long gone. 


What is something that you have always wanted to do, but just haven't gotten around to it yet?
Travel a lot more than I have. 


If you were stranded on a deserted island, what three things would you hope to find in your suitcase? 
A permanently charged Kindle with 1000 books, fishing tackle and a resourceful companion. 


What is your all-time favorite book? 
It’s hard to say. Some that left me saying “Wow” were the Autobiography of Malcolm X; Spectator Bird (Wallace Stegner), Cutting for Stone and several by V.S. Naipal. 


Other than yourself, who is your favorite author? 
Naipal. 


If a TV show was based on your life, what type of TV show would it be (i.e., comedy, drama, suspense, etc.) who would you choose to play the leading character (you), and what would the theme song be? Why? 
For some reason as I’m pondering this question, the introduction of Magnum P.I. is running through my head. So, I think I’ll go for that: action with a nice comedic touch and a main character who is earnest, has some charm and is self deprecating. 


What do you like to do in your spare time? 
I enjoy playing golf, going to movies and socializing over good food. 


Are you an early bird or a night owl? 
Early bird. Usually up by 6 am. 


What is your favorite TV show and/or movie?
Lately, I’ve been enjoying the new series “Awake” but also a big Modern Family fan. 


If you were throwing a dinner party and you could invite five people (fictional or real, dead or alive), other than family or friends, who would you invite and why? 
Julius Caesar, Genghis Khan, Jesus Christ, Adolph Hitler and Disraeli.  


If you had the opportunity to go anywhere you wanted, at anytime in history, where would you go and why? 
Some English ship in the 1700s stumbling on a Tahitian island because I think it really was the equivalent of a paradise for those sailors given what their lives were like in England and on a long voyage. Most other times/places would be a letdown from the high expectation, I think. 


What are you currently working on? 
The next Enzo Lee novel in the series. 


Where can people connect with you online? 
www.robertblowe.com 


Thank you so much Robert for being on Hardcover Feedback!


ABOUT PROJECT MOSES:
"...a taut thriller...with an ideal fusion of wile and wit." - Kirkus Reviews

"I especially liked all of the supporting players...from the slick and twisted CEO...to the sassy, gay police woman." S. Turtle

Enzo Lee, 37, a burned out reporter, has forsaken investigative reporting on the East Coast to churn out feature fluff in San Francisco. He likes his North Beach apartment, steps away from his Chinatown roots. Running, tai chi, great food, women who are attracted to his exotic looks. Life is good. Then, Lee is ordered to cover the unexplained deaths of a local judge and prosecutor. Intrigued by the connection, and the judge’s attractive niece, Sarah Armstrong, Lee begins to uncover a bioterrorism scandal whose perpetrators - including government officials and Silicon Valley titans - will kill to conceal. When Lee and Sarah become targets, the question becomes whether the pair can evade their hunters and piece together the story before their time runs out. Project Moses is set in San Francisco, New York and Silicon Valley. By a Pulitzer Prize-winnng author.



Product Details:
Paperback: 296 pages 
Publisher: Enzo Publications (March 19, 2012) 
Language: English 
ISBN-10: 0615614159 
ISBN-13: 978-0615614151 
Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.9 inches 
Available to purchase at Amazon


GIVEAWAY:
There will be a grand prize giveaway during the tour for 4 signed paperbacks.

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4 comments:

  1. What, no one else wants to comment? Well, i am just looking for a good read. Thanks for the chance to win. This would be my first Robert Ludlow novel.

    marianne dot wanham at gmail dot com

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  2. i like mysteries. I like it when they give you bits of hints of who done it but dont really make it easy to quess. Sometimes surprizing endings are good too.

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  3. like to try to figure them out as i read them - regnod(at)yahoo(d0t)com

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  4. I like it when a mystery keeps me guessing the whole time. The more wrong guesses I make the better!

    ReplyDelete