Featured Interview With Rob Kelley
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I’ve always had a fascination for magical writers who can transport readers into a totally fictional world and make us believe that we are in a particular town or place and that we are part of our character’s lives, even if it is only for a couple of hours. As one of the characters in Pride and Prejudice once said, “I was pleasantly diverted.”
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
Writing novels, for me, came later in life. I had been writing textbooks, trade books, and family history books as a young man and was pretty much focused on writing non-fiction. (which is a heck of a lot easier than writing fiction). In the 1980’s, I used to fly down to Santa Barbara, California every July 1 to attend their week-long Writer’s Conference. They let you choose your own classes. So one afternoon, I had a free time slot, and chose to sit in an advanced creative fiction group in which novel writers read pages from their latest manuscript. I was fascinated by their passion and the breadth of topics and genres they covered. I was hooked. Non-fiction just seemed dull by comparison.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I used to read Medical-themed novels, then I got into reading Murder Mysteries and Thrillers: James Patterson (particularly, an the Women’s Murder Club series), John Grisham, David Baldacci, Janet Evanovich. And I taught law for a decade, so most of my novels have these elements in them: a hospital, a courtroom, a romance, and a murder mystery in them. They reflect my background and reading interests.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
In my early years as a writer, I tended towards fast-paced suspense thrillers. In my later years, as I mellowed, I became more interested in writing Cozy Murder Mysteries. My latest project is a three-book set of cozy mysteries set in a small town in Vermont where the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and the County Court House is located. My latest novel is called The Lottery Winner. A seventy-two-year-old widower wins a half billion dollars (after taxes) in the Power Ball Lottery. A week after his picture, with him holding the winning ticket, appears in the local newspaper, he is found murdered.