INTRODUCING
ROB GREGORY
AKA R.A. GREGORY
Hey there!
First questions:
What are you doing so far away?
I part own a bar and restaurant in Thailand, so
spend most of my time there.
*See the restaurant and menu at the very end!
*See the restaurant and menu at the very end!
Next!
Your WIP is set in Thailand. Would the patrons
and staff of your restaurant find themselves in it?
They might think they did, but they'd be wrong.
Any resemblance to real people etc...
Next question:
Your work sounds like so much fun -- and some
gross-out humor. What is your audience like?
I'm not sure. I would say people who
love quirky humor and like a good story.
I write across multiple genres, so am a bit tricky
to categorize.
Awesome!
You have a PhD?
Yes, indeed I too. So I'm supposed to be called
Doctor Rob, but no one, apart from my son, ever
does. I got a Doctorate of Philosophy from Oxford
University, way back in the year 2000.
How cool is that, "Doctor Rob?"
Do you think your philosophy studies have
popped up in your writing?
I don't think so, although they certainly
changed the way I look at the world which
may explain some of my writing quirks.
Actually, thinking about it, I have mis-quoted
Nietzsche in one of my short stories!
Great talking to you, Shauna and the best of luck
with your writing! Rob over and out.
Thank you!
STANDARD TWEEP TATTLER INTERVIEW
1) Where do you live?
I tend to spend most of my time flitting between New Zealand and Thailand these days. It sounds glamourous, but trust me, it’s not. Going from blistering heat to chilly cold on a semi-regular basis, is no fun for the body, I can assure you!
2) What is the first thing you remember writing?
I did a short story when I was about seven or eight, but I’m not sure that it really counts. The first proper thing I remember writing was a horror story for my English exams at school. It was called The Bunker and ran to something like twenty chapters. At the time, I thought it was brilliant. I’m not so sure if that would be the case today, but it did get me an A grade.
3) Why do you write?
Quite simply because I love it. I’ve always enjoyed writing and I get a huge buzz from creating new worlds, characters and situations that have never existed before. These days, I actually find writing more enjoyable than reading, because I get so utterly immersed in the storyline that’s developing, that I sometimes forget there’s a real world out there.
4) Have you published any of your work?
So far, I’ve self-published three children’s books that form a series called the DATS Trilogy and a compilation of all three books, with illustrations, called The Lucius Chronicles, that was released in March 2019. I also published a satirical fantasy novel called Drynwideon in March of 2018. With Drynwideon, a friend of mine persuaded me to publish it as a paperback, as well as an ebook and I still have a few copies left, if anyone is interested. They’ve sold surprisingly well, which just goes to show that the popularity of physical books hasn’t quite died out yet.
5) What are you currently writing?
I’ve just finished an action novella set in Thailand about a group of expats that try to take on the military government with disastrous results. It’s a modern-day Guy Fawkes story and probably the most serious thing that I’ve written to date.
6) Are you currently querying?
Yes, I have a revenge thriller, called Yogol’s Gold, out for query with a number of UK literary agencies at the moment. The story follows the lives of two friends, who become mortal enemies, following the discovery of a cache of gold in 1917. Spanning over seventy years of the twentieth century, it’s a bit of an epic. I really enjoyed writing it, but I’m having problems finding the right agent to represent me. Still, based on the experiences of other authors on Twitter, I’m not alone as far as this particular problem is concerned.
7) Finish this sentence (three lines or less):
IT WAS A DARK AND STORMY NIGHT…
And the buns were so terrified that their icing was on the verge of melting. “Don’t worry, I’ll look after you,” said the baker, trying to soothe the distressed cakes. Suddenly, the door to the bakery opened with a chilling squeal and from out of the darkness, The Mouth appeared.
8) Which activities do you like to participate in, in the Twitter writing community (VSS365, etc.)?
I’m a bit of a watcher and responder, rather than an initiator on Twitter. I like to reply to people’s comments and take the occasional poll, but that’s about it. I have made some good friends on the platform, including James Stevens (@fernmajestic), who did the cover artwork for The Lucius Chronicles, which was amazing. I guess you could say that I value real connections more than having thousands of followers (I only have around 300 at the moment by the way).
9) Do you have any formal training/education for writing?
Not really. I guess you could say that I’ve trained myself on the job!
10) Do the people in your life know that you write?
Yes. Just about everyone that I meet knows that I’m a writer. I’ve made it my profession, for the time being at least, so it’s in my interest to promote that fact as much as possible.
11) Tell me about the people in your life. Family? Pets?
Partner, young son and a really cute dog. That’s about it really.
12) Where do you wish your writing to take you?
I’d like to become known as a writer of high-quality fiction and a bit of a humourist. Someone who touches other people’s lives and makes them smile in their daily lives, even if it is only for a short while. It would be lovely to become a superstar writer, but to be honest, as time goes by, I’d be happy if I could just make a modest living out of my work.
13) What did you expect when you joined the Twitter writing community? Did it turn out as expected?
I didn’t really have any expectations when I joined Twitter. It was another friend who suggested that I needed to use it to gain visibility and connect with people. I’m quite introverted, so it has been a bit of a challenge, but so far, it’s been an enjoyable experience, especially becoming part of the amazingly supportive writing community that exists here.
14) Where do you write?
Everywhere! At my desk. Down in the bar (did I mention that I have a bar/restaurant?). On holiday. You name it, I’ve probably written there. I’ve even been known to start scribing on plane journeys between countries! Does that make me an international author, I wonder?
15) How much time do you dedicate to writing, weekly?
I treat writing as a full-time job, so I would say at least twenty to thirty hours a week, if not more. I try to write at least one substantial blog post a week for my website (www.rob-gregory.com), as well as make sure that I’m plugging away on my latest story, whatever that might be. I’m not sure that it will always be like this, so I’m trying to get as much done before the money runs out and I have to go back to paid employment.
16) Do you have other talents?
Umm. I’m a bit of a whizz in the kitchen and can bake a half-decent cake and do a nice roast dinner. I’ve done a bit of painting in the past, mainly abstract stuff, had a brief stint in television editing and used to be a techno DJ in the late 1990s, but that’s about it. I am an expert on the welfare of farmed animals, but I’m not sure that you’d call it a talent.
17) CHOOSE ONE:
A. I do not mind when other writers ask for advice. (A - Although I’m not in a position to provide detailed/in depth comments or get involved in editing/proofreading.)
B. I’d rather keep to myself!
ABOUT ROB GREGORY
Born in the wilds of Bristol, England, in the mid-nineteen seventies, Rob Gregory, that’s me in the picture, by the way, bravely battled school and an unusually high number of bad haircuts to emerge relatively unscathed with a basic, but well-loved education, tucked under his arm. Using this in much the same way as a thief uses his favourite crowbar, he wormed his way into Reading University – which is quite appropriate for a writer – and studied Biology – which is not!
Having gained a slightly broader education and a fondness for old buildings, he shimmied his way along the well-trodden towpath to Oxford University, where he locked himself in a broom cupboard for three years and emerged with a PhD, having still not written any substantive works of fiction, despite what critics of his thesis on chicken behaviour might say!
Following those halcyon years, he set off with reckless abandon to seek his fortune among the glittering lights and gold-paved streets of Londinium, where he promptly fell in with a pioneering Internet TV company, called NOW.com. It was a wild and passionate affair, involving late nights, plenty of alcohol and playing around with expensive televisual equipment. But alas, it was not to be and he was run out of Chiswick a little over a year later, by a band of howling warrior maidens from the BBC.
Never one to stop running, he fled across the continents, ending up in New Zealand, where he found excitement in the windy nether regions of the capital, Wellington and solace in the welcoming arms of the Waikato – definitely not the capital. It was there that he finally put finger to keyboard and wrote his first book, Death and the Schoolboy, which was put onto a 3.5″ floppy disk and promptly forgotten about. However, the deed was done and no matter how hard he tried to ignore the urge, even focusing for more than a decade on a glittering career in farm animal welfare, the need to write became ever stronger.
Finally, he capitulated and at the beginning of 2017, he began a new life as a wandering author (and animal welfare consultant – old habits die hard, don’t you know). What you see here, today, is the ongoing legacy of that fateful decision…Enjoy!
FACEBOOK: @MalthusDevryn
TWITTER: @theunrealrobg
GOODREADS: Robin Alexander Gregory
SMASHWORDS: R.A. GREGORY
AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/Robin-Alexander-Gregory/e/B06WLLS94D/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
ROB'S RESTAURANT IN THAILAND!
