James L. Rubart is the best-selling and Christy award winning
author of, ROOMS, BOOK OF DAYS, THE CHAIR, SOUL’S GATE, and MEMORY’S DOOR.
During the day he runs Barefoot Marketing which helps businesses and authors
make more coin of the realm. In his free time he dirt bikes, hikes, golfs,
takes photos, and occasionally does sleight of hand. No, he doesn’t sleep much.
He lives with his amazing wife and teenage sons in the Pacific Northwest and
still thinks he’s young enough to water ski like a madman. More at www.jameslrubart.com
INTERVIEW WITH JAMES RUBART
S.S: How long have
you been writing?
I dabbled with short stories for many years, but it wasn’t
till 2002 that I got serious about writing. To be blunt, I was afraid. My
greatest dream had always been to write novels, but I never took action,
because what if I attempted my dream and it crashed and burned? I’d have
nothing then, not even the dream anymore. What a lie. I think God gives us
desires. Those desires reveal the way he designed us. That design reveals our
destiny. My destiny was to be a novelist, even if I never was published. God’s
definition of success and ours is very different. His definition is, “Did you
try? Did you risk? Did you go for it?” So in the early 2000s I took the risk,
started writing, and finished my first novel (ROOMS) in late 2005.
S.S: Do you write full time? If the answer is no, what else do you do?
If you are a full time author, what other jobs did you have in the past?
These days around 70% of my time
is spent writing and related activities, the other 30% is running my marketing
firm which I’ve owned since ‘94. I work for businesses, and authors, on their
websites, advertising, branding, etc. I also teach and give keynote talks at
churches, retreats, and conferences.
S.S: Tell us about
the moment you finally felt like a “real author”?
This might sound strange, but it wasn’t till I won the
Christy for Soul’s Gate this past
June. Yes, I knew I was an author before that. I’d written three other novels.
I’d hit the bestseller list. I’d won awards for my other books, heard from many
wonderful people how my stories had changed their lives—but there was something
about standing up there on stage, looking out at all these people I’d admired
for so long and winning an award I’d dreamed of winning for what seemed like
forever that made it feel real. It was a surreal moment in the best way.
S.S.: Who has been
your greatest supporter as an author?
Without question my amazing wife, Darci. She’s talked me off
the ledge so many times she has a lawn chair set up out there. She’s been my
encourager, my editor, my counselor, my friend, my challenger, my rock.
S.S: Do you write in any other genres? If so, what?
Not yet. I’ve always said you can only write in one genre,
that readers come to expect a certain type of story from their favorite authors
and to break out of that is to break a promise to your readers. But … I’m
starting to toy with the idea of dipping my toe in the lakes of other genres as
well as non-fiction. We’ll see.
S.S: How does your
faith play into your writing?
I’ve never thought about it. I don’t try to put my faith in
my novels. So far I’ve simply written the story that pops into my head, usually
in the form of a question: What if you could walk into the rooms of your soul?
(ROOMS). What if you could find God’s book of days on earth that shows your
future? (BOOK OF DAYS). What if Jesus made a chair that lasted until today that
has supernatural healing power? (THE CHAIR) What if you could send your spirit
into other people’s souls to fight for their healing and freedom? (SOUL’S GATE).
So I don’t set out to write a story with faith elements in
it, I just write the idea I’m passionate about, and so far, faith has
organically been part of the story.
S.S: If you couldn’t write, what else would you want to do?
Make movies. I’ve always loved
film, loved acting (acting in a community play is on my bucket list) so I’d be
a producer or director. (And I’d love to write the screenplay.)
S.S: Tell us about your current release.
Memory’s Door is
the second novel in my Well Spring series and as well-received as Soul’s Gate (the first in the series)
was, I think people will enjoy Memory’s
Door even more.
The stakes are higher, the lows are lower and the battles
are more epic. There were a number of scenes that brought dust to my eyes as I
wrote them, and that’s always a good sign that I’ve captured a few elements
that will go to the deep parts of people’s hearts.
It’s an epic story but at the same time deals with one of
the most intimate, devastating issues of being human: our regrets. Here’s the
back cover copy:
“The prophecy brought them together. But the Wolf has risen,
and now their greatest battle begins.
The four members of Warriors Riding have learned to wage war
in the supernatural, to send their spirits inside people’s souls, to battle
demonic forces, and to bring deep healing to those around them.
But their leader Reece is struggling with the loss of his
sight. Brandon is being stalked at his concerts by a man in the shadows. Dana’s
career is threatening to bury her. And Marcus questions his sanity as he seems
to be slipping in and out of alternate realities.
And now the second part of the prophecy has come true. The
Wolf is hunting them and has set his trap. He circles, feeding on his
supernatural hate of all they stand for. And he won’t stop until he brings utter
destruction to their bodies . . . and their souls.”
S.S: Where did you get your inspiration for this book?
My contract with its firm
deadline was incredibly inspiring. Kidding. This is a deeply personal story
that came out of time of spiritual and personal crisis and having to face my
own regrets. Writing the novel was incredibly freeing and in some ways is an
expression of my journals and the struggles I went through while writing it,
coming out in published form.
S.S: What is the main thing you hope readers remember from your story?
Not surprisingly, that
they can get free of their own deep regrets. Regrets are devastating because
they not only keep us locked in the past, they keep us from living fully in the
present and the future. There’s another major theme in the novel, but saying
anything about it would be a bit of a spoiler. Sorry.
S.S: Who is your
favorite character in this book and why?
Have to go with Marcus Amber (University of Washington
physics professor) for this one. While Reece was arguably the main focus of Soul’s Gate, Marcus gets a little more
of the spotlight than the others this time. He’s the one who has to face his
deepest regret and somehow get free of it. Because if he doesn’t, his actions
will destroy the other three members of the Warriors Riding.
S.S: Who is your
least favorite character in this book?
Zennon. Why? Because he is bent on the utter destruction of
The Warriors Riding. He’s brilliant, insidious, and has been orchestrating the
Warriors demise for years.
S.S: What are you working on now?
I’m finishing edits on The Spirit Bridge, which is the third
and final book in the Well Spring series—releases spring 2014—and starting on
my next novel after that which will be a stand alone with a truly mind-blowing
concept. And I have a major project I’m working on that I can’t say much about.
Yet. (If folks are interested, they can go to my website and sign up for my
newsletter and they’ll find out more as soon as I can tell them.)
S.S: Any writing goals you still hope to achieve?
So many! I want to write Y.A. novels.
I want to finish a number of short stories I started in my 20s. I want to write
screenplays for my novels and turn them into movies. I want to write a number
of non-fiction books. I want to co-write a novel with an author friend of mine.
There’s more, but that’s plenty for the moment.
S.S: Now let’s get a little
personal. Name two things on your “bucket list” that you haven’t done yet.
Ride my bicycle down the entire
Oregon coast. (But I’d have to get in shape for that wouldn’t I?) Spend a month
in Italy with Darci.
S.S: What is the silliest thing
you have ever done?
I’ve done a lot of
silly/stupid/crazy things so this might not be the silliest, but it’s the first
one that popped into my mind.
A friend and I were standing in
a long line to see the first Spiderman movie and a local radio station was
interviewing people as they came out of the theatre. I said to my friend,
“C’mon, let’s pretend we just saw the movie.” So we joined the back of the
line. When we reached the reporter he asked, “So wha’d you think of the movie?”
I said, “Three thumbs up! It’s a superhero mutation!” The next day a friend of
mine said, “Did I hear you on the radio yesterday?”
S.S: What is the hardest thing you have ever done?
Jump out of an airplane at
10,000 feet. I’m terrified of heights, so forcing myself to toss my body out of
that plane was a significant challenge. But wow, what a rush! I loved it. It
was a tremendous metaphor for my life—that anything we want in life comes with
a risk and most of the time, fear. But the rewards so far outweigh the downside
that there’s no other way to live.
S.S.: Where can readers find you on the internet?
S.S.: Anything else you’d like to share with us?
I stepped into my destiny after
it was only a dream for a long time. If you’re reading these words and haven’t
stepped into your purpose, do it. Take the chance. Jump off the cliff and build
your wings on the way down. It will set you free.
James is giving away a copy of his book, MEMORY'S DOOR! To enter, leave a comment, along with your contact information. James will pick a winner on Monday!