| Please welcome my guest, scientist-turned-author | | | | research in a variety of technical disciplines to |
| Bob Boan. Boan has been a member of the space | | | | compile the data to complete that book. Williams |
| community for over twenty-five years developing | | | | Lake Was Once The Center of The Universe is a |
| RF and optical systems for communications and | | | | novel. Once again, I had to do research albeit a |
| sensing satellites. He has multiple patents and | | | | different variety. This time I sought out stories |
| publications in his field. Previously, he served in | | | | associated with Williams Lake and other similar |
| academia. He earned a BS from Campbell | | | | venues from the second half of the 60s. I called |
| University, a master's from the University of | | | | upon some of my memories as attenuated by 40 |
| Mississippi and a doctorate from Florida Institute | | | | years or so as well as those of several friends. It |
| of Technology. He's with us today to talk about | | | | was also necessary to do research for the |
| his latest coming-of-age novel, Bobby Becomes | | | | historical content in the second part of the book. |
| Bob, published by Twilight Times Books. | | | | Q:Bobby Becomes Bob, however, is quite |
| Q:Thanks for being my guest today, Bob. From | | | | different from these two, and doesn't have |
| space scientist to literary author... will you share | | | | anything to do with space and science. What |
| with my readers how this came about? | | | | compelled you to take this new direction? |
| A:I first flirted with the idea of being a literary | | | | A:My desire to write was always genre-free. |
| author as a young teenager. I wondered if I could | | | | When I was thinking of writing I actually never |
| tell tales as well as some of my favorite authors. | | | | thought about fitting into a genre such as fiction |
| Being the confident optimist that I have always | | | | or science. I consider myself more versatile than |
| been, I'm sure that it was more like "I'll bet I can | | | | that. |
| write a story every bit as well as they can." | | | | Q:Has the writing of this novel transformed you |
| Nonetheless, I put that thought aside for more | | | | as a writer? |
| traditional teenage activities. It wasn't until I was in | | | | A:I've learned several lessons as a writer from |
| my 30s that I revisited the concept of becoming | | | | the experience of going through the process of |
| a writer. I made several unremarkable attempts | | | | getting this book published. One of the things that |
| at writing over the next dozen or so years. | | | | I learned is that I used the word "that" far too |
| Frankly, looking back, what I wrote wasn't very | | | | frequently. I had to reduce the number of |
| good. I found I needed concentrated blocks of | | | | repetitions of the word "that" by at least an order |
| time which were unavailable to me in order to | | | | of magnitude. I also found that I had a tendency |
| write partially because I am severely typing | | | | to oversell a point by repeating it using different |
| challenged. If I were going to be a successful | | | | terminology. I thought that I was helping the |
| writer, I was going to have to overcome my | | | | reader understand the point of emphasis; |
| time constraints. I retired to write. I flunked | | | | however, in truth I was probably losing the |
| retirement several times continuing to delay the | | | | reader. Another major transformation which took |
| fulfillment of my desire to be an author. I finally | | | | place during the publishing process was to |
| got retirement about right, I think. | | | | understand the importance of maintaining a |
| Q:You were a voracious reader as a child. Were | | | | consistent point of view. Failure to do so can be |
| you also a young writer or did writing come later? | | | | confusing and frustrating to the reader. |
| A:As I think back to my youth, I wouldn't say I | | | | Q:How do you combine your left-brained scientist |
| was so much a writer as a verbose user of | | | | self with your right-brained creative self when you |
| words much of the time. When I wasn't being | | | | sit down to write? Does your 'logical' side get in |
| unnecessarily wordy, I was blunt and brief. Neither | | | | the way at times? By this I mean, do you edit |
| of those is a highly desirable trait for an author. | | | | methodically as you write, or do you allow your |
| Good thing I didn't have to rely upon income from | | | | creative side to take control and just 'write down |
| writing to live during my youth though it probably | | | | the bones'? |
| would not have afforded a much more Spartan | | | | A:When I sit down to write I trust my creative |
| existence. | | | | side and allow it significant freedoms; however, I |
| Q:Your enthusiasm for literature was somewhat | | | | have to come back with the logical side and test |
| blunted when you took high school and literary | | | | timelines, accomplishments and the like to make |
| courses. Can you tell us why? | | | | sure that they are within the realm of the |
| A:As I mentioned before Mayra, I never lacked | | | | possible. While there are exceptions, as a rule I |
| confidence. I have been told that I successfully | | | | write the entire story before beginning to edit |
| demand to be different. Perhaps there were | | | | unless my logical nature tells me that there is a |
| those who needed the teacher to tell them what | | | | problem. If that happens, I stop and edit the |
| a passage or a story meant. That was not me! | | | | sections involved. |
| Maybe I was being a brat but I wanted to get | | | | Q:Are you a disciplined writer? I read somewhere |
| from my reading that which I wanted to get. I | | | | that you're able to write 7,000 words in an 8-hour |
| wanted to be the one to fill in the bandwidth as | | | | working day! |
| opposed to some instructor telling me that when I | | | | A:Being a task-oriented person, I think of myself |
| read the snow was accumulating in deep drifts | | | | as a highly disciplined writer. When I write, it |
| really meant that the author was in a dark mood. | | | | becomes my job; I dedicate myself to it day in |
| I didn't see and didn't want to see the instructor's | | | | and day out according to a schedule. |
| interpretation. I pretty much shut down and left | | | | I'd like to routinely write 7000 words in an |
| the printed word behind except for required | | | | eight-hour day. But, that 7000 words per day was |
| reading. | | | | a calculated theoretical upper limit for my output |
| Q:Interesting. I'm sure many students can identify | | | | as a metric to help me understand how much |
| with that. Let's move on to your latest novel. | | | | time I had to set aside to write a book. Hitting |
| Bobby Becomes Bob is a coming-of-age literary | | | | that mark would enable me to write a typical |
| story set in a rural town. What was your | | | | novel in approximately 15 days. The truth is I was |
| inspiration for it and what themes do you explore | | | | falling far short of that level of output. In practice, |
| in the novel? | | | | I was taking more like 60 days eight-hour days. |
| A:More than once, I had heard the advice, "write | | | | Speech recognition technology was partially |
| about something you know." That sounded | | | | responsible for achieving my level of production. In |
| reasonable to me so I chose to follow that | | | | the last couple of years, the technology has |
| advice. I grew up in a rural North Carolina town | | | | improved enough to allow me to approach that |
| quite similar to St. Umblers during the time frame | | | | 7000 word day on occasion. |
| of the story-the 50s through the 70s. Bobby | | | | Q:I understand that, as a writer, you were deeply |
| Becomes Bob is a story of real-life. When I | | | | affected by Mark Twain and Jane Austen. Can |
| started planning the book, Bobby was going to | | | | you tell us what about them you've found most |
| approximate a superhero. It was only after one | | | | influencing? |
| of my daughters asked me to tell her about my | | | | A:On the surface, they appear quite different. In |
| life growing up that I decided to change the tone | | | | practice, they are very similar. They reached their |
| of the story partially to answer the questions she | | | | endpoints from opposite directions. Mark Twain |
| didn't know how to ask. I found Bobby more | | | | used folksy humor to tell his stories while Ms. |
| likable after I made him invulnerable. He was | | | | Austen used the elegant language of the upper |
| certainly much more realistic. I made Bobby an | | | | crust. Despite their difference in delivery, they |
| Everyman. The hero could have been almost | | | | both had the ability to relay life in simple, |
| anyone from a large number of rural towns | | | | entertaining terms. |
| across the country. I focused on the ups and | | | | Q:Do you have a website/blog where readers |
| downs of life to which any one of us might have | | | | may learn more about you and your work? |
| been exposed during that period of history. | | | | A:My website is up and running while undergoing |
| Q:You've also penned two other books, An | | | | reconstruction. I hope to have the improved |
| Introduction to Planetary Defense: A Study of | | | | version operational by mid-August. I don't have a |
| Modern Warfare Applied to Extra-Terrestrial | | | | blog at the moment; that's something that I have |
| Invasion (Brown Walker 2006) and Williams Lake | | | | been considering. Mayra, your readers and others |
| Was Once The Center of The Universe (Verbal | | | | can find me on Facebook which is as close to a |
| Pictures Press 2008). How was your background | | | | blog as I have. |
| helpful in writing these books? | | | | MAYRA:Thanks for the insightful interview, Bob, |
| A:My science background was extremely | | | | and best of luck with all your writing endeavors! |
| instrumental in being able to co-author An | | | | BOB: Thank you, Mayra. It was a pleasure being |
| Introduction to Planetary Defense as it is a | | | | with you. I hope we have a chance to chat again. |
| science text. It was necessary to do significant | | | | |