Robert M. Drew is a soldier first, writer second with a Bachelors of Science in Information Security. He has been auto racing for nearly two decades and started as a role player on games like Star Wars Galaxies & Elder Scrolls that honed in his ability as a comprehensive writer and later dungeon master for groups in those games. In which that inspired him to write the saga you see today. The Stubborn Dawn Saga.
Q&A
What inspired you to write your first book?
Initially I had no plan to write anything, I did it for fun and then someone I knew told me of their venture, writing about their character on a google doc, so I did the same. Eventually it got to the point, I need more content, so I started adding in characters and more events for him and the crew to come across. I had a creative itch I needed to scratch. When it came to the end of it, I read it through, put it through a spell check because there were a lot of errors and shared with people. They liked it, so it gave me the idea, what if I published this and then it was decided to split into multiple books and here, we are. Also, it was debated, should I make them novels or novellas. Combine 2-3, 4-5, 6-7 and leave 1 on its own. But it made more sense to me to keep them at similar length than one being a novella and the rest novels. So, what inspired me. People that just took interest and I just started going from there.
Can you share a little of your current work with us?
This series as you read it is only the beginning. I have extensive plans to tell the entire D&D campaigns through The Stubborn Dawn Saga. So, to include Book 1 through 7. You’re looking at 6 story arcs. All leading to the final epilogue where I give what these characters I have had for years a good way to go versus being left on a shelf to collect dust. I believe that is worth something more especially as a writer knowing my own character had a good life as I did.
How do you relax?
My best way to relax is with my dogs, driving my car, going to the race track, driving competitively in the safest manner possible. As I like to say when doing that racing experience. I am in full control of what happens next, whether I crash or go as fast as I can make this race-craft go. There is no better feeling of release than knowing you control what happens next without being told how to do it next.
What was the hardest part of writing your author bio?
I think we can all relate here as people, no one is good at writing about themselves, at first, I thought I’m going to read someone else’s bio and copy the idea, tell it like it’s a 3rd party writing about me, I still have it there, but as you read further into it, I tell the story of how the book came to be, where it started, how long and the decision making process. You get to see a firsthand look at how my mind operates. That I believe is worth more than any biography to admire.
Do you have any writing buddies?
This one actually I want to say is truer than you think. Kessondra and Orrulun are not my characters, they belong to people I know and write with or previously wrote with for months to years at a time during D&D and otherwise in games to enjoy the experience. But they are also people I do a podcast with bi-monthly, called Delta’s Domain.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
As I say in the beginning of the book. Dedicated to those whose voices cannot be heard, or who lack the courage to use them. Putting your work out there is one of the toughest decisions anyone can make, because people can be nasty, critical and all around mean to the idea.
That’s where half the strength comes from, if they don’t like it? Fine, though do not let them get you down about it. It’s a brilliant thing to put your stuff out there, whether it does well or it does not. Have the courage to do what no one else has and own it. Who knows, someone might relate to your story and take from it as a way for them to write their own story or tell something similar. The sky is the limit for creativity.
What was the hardest part of writing your book?
Retelling a story is always the toughest part, most of the content I have is calling upon memory and missing documents that I once had for these former campaigns, because when I was a Dungeon Master, all of the ideas and struggles were on me to come up with on the fly, most of it got written down, but not every detail. Which in itself makes the process difficult but worth the struggle. As I recall more of what happened and tell a new side story alongside the main story like you’d see in any video game out there. Complete all the side quests to do better with the main story kind of idea. As a gamer, I hope you know what I mean.
How do you come up with names for your characters?
When I came up with the characters, honestly. Blymer was something I just randomly generated in a program, give me names with the term “Bly” in it, it gave me Blyden, Blymer, Blymee. Just all these different things.
For Mira, I had done the same thing for a lot of characters, I have an idea, I run it across people and programs and just come up with them, some of them came faster than others, I knew for Mira it was tricky because she would be the heart of the group towards the end, so give her a strong, but memorable name to go across.
Orrulun is my friend’s choice which will come up in Book 2 Special Edition, so be sure to read those Author Notes when they come.
Varek, I thought of what could be a good villain name that will stick and be logical but sinister. A lot of good characters start with the letter V and a lot of evil ones tend to have a V. So, work with your creativity, it comes up on its own.
Do you ever experience writer’s block?
Yes, every day. The way I get out of it is quite simple, just walk away from the situation and do something else. Inspiration comes and goes, but with the right people and things beside you to spend time or on. Writer’s Block is a temporary setback, not an issue that’ll hold you back forever.
Do you write an outline before every book you write?
Yes, 100%. The next 7 books, 8-15. I took a very different approach than how I did 1-7. Having to outline and organize it properly so when I start writing again, it’s not just my mind going off of memory. There is actual prep this time around. That process is already done. So, while I continue to work on the refinement and revisions of the rest of the books before release. 8-15 is outlined and ready for me to start. However, with the other 5 books in this set of 7. I do outline for revisions I catch where I want to add more transitional detail than how it was originally made. Have it flow better as I do read my reviews; they give me some insight to ensure the next book doesn’t make the same mistakes.
Ghost in the Machine is available for purchase from Major Retailers including
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0H8SDK4JP
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ghost-in-the-machine-robert-drew/1150790267?ean=2940184866505