Interview with Robert Thornhill

Author of Lady Justice and the Raven

Where are you from originally and where do you reside now?

I grew up in two small towns near Kansas City, Missouri. I lived in Harrisonville through my freshman year, then moved to Blue Springs through graduation in 1961. I was born in 1943 and grew up during the 1950’s, the decade of the best cars and best music in American history. Back then, the girls wore poodle skirts instead of studs in their body parts, and in the movies, you could always tell the good guys from the bad guys. Living in that era definitely influenced my writing style. I currently live in Independence, Missouri with my wife, Peg.

If you currently reside somewhere besides where you were born, what’s the story that lead from there to here?

I have always lived in the Kansas City area except for the five years between 2002 and 2007 when Peg and I moved to Maui, Hawaii.

What made you decide to write and publish your first book?

I retired from thirty years as a real estate broker at the age of 66. Within a week ,I was bored to tears. My wife and I both read mystery novels. At that time, a friend introduced us to Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series. We read all 14 novels in the series that were available at that time and thoroughly enjoyed them. When finished, I said to myself, “I think I could write something like that.” I had never written anything before, but I went to the office, pretended I was Janet Evanovich, and wrote three chapters using her Stephanie Plum characters. When finished, I presented them to my wife who declared that it wasn’t too bad and that I should start my own series. So began the Lady Justice mystery/comedy series which currently has 39 volumes. If anyone is interested in reading those first three Stephanie Plum chapters, you can read them at: file:///C:/Users/Bob/AppData/Local/Temp/Welcome_Stephanie_Plum_Fans.pdf

How would you describe your books to first time readers?

My main character is Walt Williams, a retired realtor who, at the age of 65, decides to become a cop. The first book in the series tells how Walt finagles his way into the Kansas City Police Department at that ripe old age, and his story continues through 38 more volumes. Like the Stephanie Plum series, this is mystery/comedy. While Janet writes about young, sexy people, in my series, old guys like me get to be the heroes.

Who do you feel is most likely to connect with the topics you write about?

Since most of my characters are senior citizens, I initially figured my best audience would be other seniors, but I soon discovered that all ages love the series. Seniors see themselves portrayed, and younger folks see their parents and grandparents. So far, I have over a half-million Kindle downloads of the series.

What unexpected or surprising thing did you learn during the process of writing and publishing?

I learned that publishing is a dog-eat-dog business, and that there are a lot of bad characters out there waiting to take advantage of aspiring authors. I also learned that unless you are already an established author, politician, or other celebrity, no one is going to promote your work but yourself. In ten years, I have published 39 novels in the series, but I have spent many more hours promoting than writing.

If you could, what advice would you give to your past self before embarking on this journey?

Don’t get sucked in by the vanity publishers who take your money and give you nothing in return. The moment I learned how to publish and market myself was when my writing career really started. In fact, I published a book, Tears and Triumphs of a New Author, where I tell my story, including the mistakes I made and the things that finally worked. You can read it here: file:///C:/Users/Bob/AppData/Local/Temp/TT_5x8.pdf

How many people would you ideally like to reach with your books?

As many as possible. My books make people laugh and think. I love the reviews my readers post on Amazon and Goodreads. They thank me for the books, and that’s what keeps me writing.

What has been the biggest challenge and frustration during the process to date?

Again the biggest challenge and frustration was figuring how to navigate through the publishing swamp as a new author.

What’s your biggest strengths when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

Focus and unrelenting marketing. Millions of new books are published every year. To be successful, an author has to keep writing and marketing. I spend at least three hours every day doing one or the other.

What’s your biggest weakness when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

A self-published author is always fighting the system. As a no-name author, it has taken me ten years to build up a strong fan base, but it is next to impossible for a self-published author to achieve the success of a Janet Evanovich, no matter how good they write.

When do you think you will write your next book?

I’m already working on #40 in the series. You can see them all at http://booksbybob.com
Also, all 39 books are on audio. You can see them at: https://www.audible.com/search?keywords=robert+thornhill&ref=

Are you self published or did you use a hybrid publisher, or a traditional publisher?

All three. I used a hybrid and a traditional publisher on my first books until I learned about the CreateSpace program on Amazon.