Q: When did you first know you wanted to be a writer?

ROB: When I was seven years old I dreamed of either becoming a writer or playing right field for the Mets. Once I realized I couldn’t hit a curve ball, I focused on writing. As a kid, when the weather wasn’t accommodating to hang out with my friends, I’d often spend a rainy or snowy day sitting on the floor in the my bedroom in Queens making up little stories in those old black and white composition books.

 

Q: What is your favorite part of writing?

ROB:  The limitless potential. You can be a great actor but some of your films will bomb. You can be a great singer or songwriter but not every tune you come up with will be a hit. You can be a talented ballplayer but you’ll still fail seven out of ten times. I’ve always believed that the only limit when it comes to writing is that of your own mind. And really, that is limitless. To me, there is no better feeling than sitting down when you’re starting a novel and wondering where you will take it as well as where it will end up taking you.

 

Q: What is your biggest surprise about the business?

ROB: When I signed my first contract with a publisher, I related the information to a friend of mine who is a well-known author. She told me, “Congratulations on becoming a writer. Now you’ll have a lot less time to write.” No one likes to admit it. I sure didn’t. But writing, like everything else, is a business, one that is constantly changing and evolving.

 

Q: Who have been your biggest writing influences?

ROB: There are numerous authors who are extremely talented and exceedingly gifted. I'm a big-time fan of  Michael Connelly, C J Box, James Grippando, Tess Gerritsen, Brian Freeman, Brad Thor, Archer Mayor, Linwood Barclay, Linda Castillo and the timeless works of Ed McBain. But as far as influencing me personally I’d say Vince Flynn. As embarrassing as this is to admit I used to detest reading. Then I came across Mr. Flynn's “Memorial Day” and got hooked. Sure, the writing, the prose, the characters, the plot twists and turns, were all flawless. But what I found most influential to me—what resonated with me personally--was the fact that he never gave up on his dream and went after it full throttle. To me that was more inspiring than any thriller a novelist could create.

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Q: What’s next?

ROB:  In addition to promoting “Plain God,", "Sacrificing the Pawn," and "Punching at Fog," all released through Black Opal Books, I'm also fine-tuning a crime fiction/thriller, "Flesh and Blood," which features the return of Detectives Frank Grace and Michelle Santana who first appeared in "Sacrificing the Pawn." I also have several other completed manuscripts in the pipeline.