Today, Norm Goldman Publisher & Editor of Bookpleasures.com is pleased to have as our guest, James Ross author of Lifetime Loser, Finish Line, Tuey's Course , Opur's Blade, and his most recent novel, Pabby's Score.

Good day Jim and thanks once again for participating in our interview

Norm:

Pabby's Score is your fifth novel, what is your creative process like before sitting down to write your novels?

James:

On several occasions either a story or cast of characters popped into my head while I was working on a prior book. Ideas are saved in a note file and on a couple of the books I started the first chapter before finishing the current project. Other than that I try to develop a story line that somehow delivers a message connecting the principles of sport to real life situations.

Norm:

Is writing a form of personal therapy for you? Are internal conflicts a creative force?

James:

As we experience life and observe the actions of others we all develop our own perspective. With the different characters I can express the pros and cons of things through their dialogue and mannerisms. They are as unique as all of us. I enjoy creating them and putting words in their mouth. Of course strife and varying opinions move the story along.

Norm:

What do you surround yourself with in your work area to help you concentrate?

James:

Online Internet radio. When I’m sitting at my keyboard looking at a page on the monitor music seems to take me to my comfort zone. Actually the situations and chapters get written in my head. An author thinks about his current project subconsciously all day long. Those thoughts can pop up at any time. Mine come to me while driving down the road, jogging or believe it or not, sleeping.

Norm:

What motivated you to write Pabby's Score?

James:

As people familiar with my writing know my stories are delivered from a golf setting. Golfers tend to come from somewhat of a privileged background. In this story I wanted to introduce two characters from an impoverished situation. That created the “haves and the have-nots.” I wanted to show how an abuse of power can lead to catastrophic events if it is misused. Hopefully that message was delivered.

Norm:

How did you develop the plot and characters for Pabby`s Score? Did you use any set formula?

James

Both are merely a creation of my mind. There is no set formula except maybe good versus evil in this story. However if we all read and/or watch the news we can find situations. My stories tend to mirror life to some degree, but I look for the bizarre and absurd events that can be extrapolated in fiction.

Norm:

What was the timeline between the time you decided to write Pabby`s Score and publication? What were the major events along the way?

James:

Pabby’s Score came to me three or four years ago. So it has been in my mind for a while. However I had to think of a way to deliver the story. In that time frame Internet dating, instant messaging and texting exploded in our society. I used those means of communication to help with this story. Of course the bizarre legal opinions coming out of our courts fueled the fire as well.

On a sidelight I can write a novel in a six to eight month period if the focus is there. Editing consumes another three to four months. On this story we are spending an additional four months for pre-release publicity.

Norm:

Did you know the end of Pabby`s Score at the beginning?

James:

Absolutely. I knew where this one was headed, the actions of the main characters and how it was going to be written from the start. On two of the others the ending changed through the course of writing the book.

Norm:

Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?

James:

The news. We all need to take a look at the irrational events that happen all around us each and every day. I may borrow ideas from several different news outlets and twist those into a tale of fiction. Characters need perverse actions and so do plots to rivet the reader.

Norm:

What will you be doing for promotion of Pabby’s Score and how much of it is your doing?

James:

My marketing is the world wide web. The online social networking sites are my way of connecting to the world. I try to get on radio talk shows. We’re getting pre-release reviews done and publicizing those to create some buzz. All of the marketing comes from the author so I spend a lot of time developing those sources.

Norm:

Where can our readers find out more about you and your books?

James:

Google Author James Ross. Online book sites like Amazon as well as Barnes & Noble carry my novels. Goodreads and Shelfari are sites that are popular with readers. But there are a host of others. The minute I start trying to name some I’ll forget a dozen others. LinkedIn and Facebook are popular. My personal favorite social networking site is Twitter. My two accounts there are @golfnovels where I post live tweets and @JamesRossBooks. Earlier I mentioned music. I play a lot of tunes on Blip.fm under the DJ name of golfnovels and AuthorJamesRoss.

With the explosion of eBooks my stories are available on Kindle and the Nook as well as Sony’s Reader. My fourth release, Opur’s Blade, is available for the iPad.

Norm:

Is there anything else you wish to add that we have not covered?

James:

I’d like to let the readers know that I write realistic fiction and deliver the message through reoccurring characters. Many of the stories use dialogue to get the point across. In some way, shape or form I use the principles of golf and/or sport and extend those lessons to real life. For every action there is a counter action and/or results that can either be victorious or shameful. The reader will get the opportunity to determine whether or not the character got what they deserved. At any rate, welcome to my world and enjoy the characters and situations that I’ve placed them in. Hopefully all of my stories cause you to think, develop an opinion but, most of all --- entertain.

Norm:

Thanks once again and good luck with all of your future endeavors

Click Here To Read Norm's Review of Pabby's Score