Interview with mystery author Robert Gainey

Today’s special guest is author Robert Gainey to chat about his new mystery fantasy, Dragon(e) Baby Gone (Reports from the Department of Intangible Assets Book 1).

During his virtual book tour, Robert will be awarding a $50 Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) gift card. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit his other tour stops and enter there, too!

Bio:
Robert Gainey is a born and raised Floridian, despite his best efforts. While enrolled at Florida State University and studying English (a language spoken on a small island near Europe), Robert began volunteering for the campus medical response team, opening up a great new passion in his life. Following graduation, he pursued further training through paramedic and firefighting programs, going on to become a full-time professional firefighter in the State of Florida. He currently lives and works in Northeast Florida with his wife and dogs, who make sure he gets walked regularly. Robert writes near-fetched fantasy novels inspired by the madness and courage found in everyday events.

Please tell us something about your newest release that is NOT in the blurb.
The heroine of Dragon(e) Baby Gone, Diane Morris, is the Senior Field Agent of the Department of Intangible Assets, Southeast Division. Tasked with keeping the population safe and ignorant of anomalous, paranormal activity, she’s risen to this position with less than a decade on the job. If that seems quick, it’s only because the average lifespan of a Senior Field Agent is something like fourteen months. Her experience has left her careful, diligent and a little paranoid, all vital skills in surviving a job where everything that lurks wants you dead. Still, she manages to hold onto an unwavering determination to do what’s best, refusing to back down or compromise her principles.

Excerpt from Dragon(e) Baby Gone:
When you think about how the FBI gets around by helicopter, you probably think of Black Hawks or at least heavy, coal-colored aircraft bristling with instruments and/or weapons. Something very spy movie, or at least crime drama. Hell, it’s what I imagine and, actually, what I was used to. So when we landed at a small airstrip a couple miles south of Las Vegas and the only helicopter in sight had a large yellow smiley face painted onto the side with a logo for “Big Bob’s Canyon Tours,” I figured I was in for a wait until my actual transport arrived. The stewardess thanked me for flying and closed up behind me as Tomas and I staggered down the stairs. I was rubbing sleep out of my eyes as two large men in khakis and flowered shirts came over from the chopper.

Now these were some violent men. The way they walked, the way they held themselves, and the way they carried very large pistols under those loose clothes made me immediately think they were professional, but still violent. I paused where I was, and they stood, arms clasped in front of them, easy expressions on their faces and an almost lazy posture. We all waited until the private jet taxied away toward the little fuel shack at the other end of the runway.

“What’s your name?” Oh boy, that’s not a polite first question.

How long have you been writing?
I started writing stories in the fifth grade, as part of a class assignment. Something about the whole process stuck with me and I’ve been working on improving myself ever since. For the most part, I’ve kept to fantasy and science fiction because that’s the kind of story I enjoy reading. Here and there I trespass into mainstream fiction, usually a retelling of some true event from life or from my work as a firefighter. Most of that stays pretty short, and of that only one story ever saw a printing.

What advice would you give a new writer just starting out?
Write for yourself, and write something you’d like to read. Stick with a routine and don’t be afraid to learn as you go. Accept criticism and praise as equally valuable, and don’t let either get on top of you. Be proud of rejections. Learn to network, something I struggle with.

Do you have any tattoos?  Where? When did you get it/them? Where are they on your body?
Funnily enough, I don’t have any tattoos yet. When I was in college, I made a bet with a friend of mine that if I were ever published and sold a certain number of copies, I’d get a tattoo to commemorate the occasion. Suffice it to say, that time may be fast approaching, so I suppose I’ll have to reach out and see if they remember the details of the deal. I’m not sure what I’d get or where I’d put the tattoo, but it’s fun to think about.

Is your life anything like it was two years ago?
In the past two years, I’ve built a house with my lovely wife, gotten two dogs, and set up a solar panel array to power my home. I’m fortunate enough that overall, my life has stabilized into a comfortable routine, but part of that comfort is having new experience. Good or bad, the past two years have been memorable.

Links:
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Buy Links:
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Google

Thanks for being here today, Robert.

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