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
Jim Roberts Fiction 
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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