Interview Robert James Allison

by

Dalia Trevino

1) Did you find yourself doing extensive medical research for the coma portion of your story?

Not to any great extent. It is amazing what information is readily available on the Internet.

2) Was it difficult to write about such an emotional subject, such as the kidnapping of a child?

No, all you have to do is watch the news and you get more emotional subjects than this one.

3) Do you plot out your stories in detail before you begin writing or do you begin with a general direction and let the characters develop as you write?

I just write. An idea hits me that I think would make a good story and I sit down and write. Characters and plots just appear.

4) What research tool did you utilize most in the writing of this novel?

The only research required was on the coma and I used the Internet for that. Being an attorney, with a law enforcement background, I was familiar with everything else.

5) Was it a challenge for you to combine poignancy, mystery, and faith for your novel?

It just came out that way. I get a story idea and when I start to write, it just comes out. This happened to turn out to be a combination of mystery and inspiration. I do sort of guide the plot, but not to any great extent.

6) Have you ever come upon a point in your novel when you didn't know what happened next? If so how did you overcome that obstacle?

Sometimes that happens, and when it does I stop writing for a few days, or weeks. Pretty soon, when I’m not really thinking about it, a solution appears. Much like any other problem. Sometimes thinking about it or trying to force it is the worst thing you can do.

7) Is there a possibility of any secondary characters in this novel having a story of their own in the future?

This was actually the first of a trilogy that I wrote years ago, but was never happy with it and never finished it. I changed the names and some of the plot of this book to make it a stand-alone novel, and the second book in the trilogy was also changed to make it a stand-alone; The Preacher was published last December by Wings and it is that second book. The third book of the trilogy was never written, and never will be. I’m finished with this story line.

8) Was there one character more than any other in Matters Of Faith that you enjoyed writing for? Is so why?

No, I can’t say that I favor any one over the others. Occasionally, I find a character in a book that I like over the others, but that didn’t seem to happen with this book.

9) Do you find yourself plotting your next novel while working on your current one or do you force yourself to only think about the story you are writing at the time?

I always try to finish the current work in progress, even if I get another idea for a story while working on it. I may speed up on my WIP and then put it on the shelf to work on the new idea, but I don’t quit on a WIP until the first draft is finished. When I’m working on a book, I’m thinking about it almost all the time and even working out the dialog. I want to get that on paper while it is fresh, so I never quit on a story.

10) Do you have any other published works? If so, are they in the same genre as Matters Of Faith?

I have three other novels published by Wings. The First Suitor, a contemporary romantic suspense, The Preacher, a romantic mystery/detective, and Scholarly Pursuit, a romantic suspense/military thriller combination. Next May Wings will publish Fairway Fatality, a murder mystery.