I was born in Amarillo, Texas and grew up in rural East Texas. I’ve been ex-pat from Texas for many years, living and working in Cincinnati. Having Southern roots is a real advantage when it comes to writing fiction because I don’t have to make up much, I just have to remember. Like Faulkner said, in the South “the past is never dead. It’s not even past.” But I do have to lie (because nobody would believe the truth).
I’ve walked in a lot of shoes, among a broad spectrum of people, many of them heroic, all of them flawed or troubled in some way. A wise man once taught me that “fiction is trouble.” As long as there are humans to walk with, there will be plenty of trouble to mine for good fiction.
People+Trouble+Lies=Fiction=Truth.
Here’s a list of my shoes:
Ditch digger
Construction worker
Farmworker
Sausage maker
Cook
Forklift driver
Welder’s helper
Ironworker
Garbage collector
Lab assistant
Salesman
Legal assistant
Marketing researcher
Adjunct professor
Data Scientist
Marketing director
Writer
That’s a lot of shoes Jim. Gets you closer to your feminine side :}
Nice web site!
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I was touched by your story “While Her Guitar Gently Weeps” in the latest issue of Prime 53 magazine. I thought the characters and their pain was so tangible that it made me weep. I wrote for a local newspaper for 6 years and am now trying to delve into a much different style. Thanks for the wonderful example of great writing.
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Hi Kimary,
Thanks for reading and thanks for your kind words. I’m very happy to hear this story struck a chord with you. It’s one of the stories in a collection I plan to publish titled Of Fathers & Gods. You might also enjoy reading another published story of mine “The Jackshit Bastards” https://rappahannockreview.com/issue-8-1/contents/fiction/jim-roberts/
Best wishes to you,
Jim
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“Having Southern roots is a real advantage when it comes to writing fiction because I don’t have to make up much, I just have to remember.” Love that!
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