Please give a warm welcome to Tyler Roberts, author of Truth’s Blood.
Tell us a bit about yourself and what you’re currently working on or promoting.
I grew up in the farm country of eastern Washington. I’m semi-retired with two grown sons, a wife of 33 years and Burly, our very large English Mastiff. We manage a small orchard, keep chickens, grow grapes, berries a very large organic garden. My passion though is beekeeping.
What genre is your book? Do you write in other genres as well?
It fits the dystopian genre best, though action adventure would be a close second. Truth’s Blood is my first book, so I have not written in other genres but my oldest son would like me to write a memoir. I grew up in the 60’s and 70’s. I think I would have to skip writing about a few years in there.
Who or what inspires you?
The time we are living in inspires me. I love history and I’m fascinated by the fact we as a nation are repeating it. Even more fascinating is how humans seem incapable of learning from history.
Do you have an agent and/or publisher or are you self-published? If self-published, do you use a professional editor? If traditionally published, who is your publisher?
I’m self-published and I did pay for an editor. I chuckle a bit when I say this but editing is the one great drawback to writing.
What advice do you have for writer’s just starting out?
Just write. It’s a skill that must be honed and developed like any other skill, so just write, regardless of how good or bad you think it might be. Your internal critic can review it later.
What project are you currently working on?
The sequel to Truths Blood.
What has been your best moment as a writer?
I think the best moment was the realization I could actually do this, write a story, publish it and actually receive good reviews. I’m still amazed by it.
What challenges have you faced in your writing career?
I never believed in myself. My senior year in high school I humored a sweet old English teacher who asked me to take a test and write short story. A few weeks later she returned with two scholarship offers. I was seventeen and couldn’t take it seriously. Simply could not imagine myself as a writer, but the seed had been planted. That seed lay dormant for years until I retired and began to write a story just for myself simply because I enjoyed writing. Never told anyone about it. Finally one Christmas when my oldest son was home the matter came up and he really twisted my arm about polishing it up to publish. A year later the book was published.
Is there a message in your book(s) that you want readers to grasp?
Definitely. My approach to the book was to take the lessons of history and apply them to current times in the United States to write a fictional story. Everything in the book is backed with history from across the ages – Rome, Germany, Argentina, Britain, Russia, etc.
Do you see yourself in any of your characters?
Oh ya. Cliffson would be me.
Is there a character that you enjoyed writing more than any of the others?
Yes, it would be Monk. He’s an amalgamation of a number of people I have known and having all those folks to draw upon made it a real joy to develop the character.
What do you do to stay sane as a writer?
Are writers sane? We certainly are a different breed.
Do you read your reviews and if so, how do you cope with a bad one?
I read them with the attitude I can learn from them. As for the bad ones, well as any author knows, you are not going to please everyone.
I have found the writer’s community to be very supportive and welcoming. Please share writers that you recommend:
Marsha Roberts and Michael Murphy
Please be sure to check out Tyler Roberts Blog and click below to buy Truth’s Blood.
