Robert J Dornan is someone who wishes to leave a better
world to his children. He realizes that the odds are slim but he will do
whatever he can to increase the probability of success. He is always open to discuss new and
innovative ideas and hopes someday to see the building of a functional solar
city as well as a fair and community-driven compensation system.
Robert’s latest book is the historical fiction, 23
Minutes Past 1 A.M.
For More Information
Title:
23 Minutes Past 1 A.M.
Author: Robert J. Dornan
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 550
Genre: Historical Fiction
In the early morning of her sister's wedding day, Mila
Kharmalov stared in stunned silence at the coloured sparks streaming from
Reactor Four of the Chernobyl Nuclear Plant.
At that very moment, her life and the lives of everyone she knew changed
forever.
Years later and on another continent, Adam Byrd was writing
biographies for everyday people looking to leave their legacy in book form.
When the woman he loved phoned from Kiev
offering him the chance to write the story of a lifetime, he jumped at the
opportunity not realizing that his voyage would be a bumpy ride through a
nations dark underbelly. With the help of his friend's quirky cousin, Adam is
nudged into a fascinating adventure of love, greed, power and psychotic
revenge, culminating with a shocking finale.
23 Minutes Past 1
A.M. is a work of fiction based on factual events from Chernobyl
and villages throughout Ukraine.
For More Information
- 23 Minutes Past 1 A.M. is available at Amazon..
- Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.
Thank you for this interview! I’d like to know more about you as a person
first. What do you do when you’re not
writing?
First of all, thanks for the invite. I’m excited to be
interviewed by the most unique named website on the writing tour. I’m Shelfish…classic name for a book site!
I work full time in the financial industry so I’m fairly
busy throughout the day except during the Olympics when I secretly livestream
certain events. Don’t you?
I have two teenaged children who don’t keep me as busy as
they used to so I am now involved in environmental issues. My pet project at the moment is promoting
vertical farms in the Philippines. I realize that may sound strange but we can
discuss this some other time (if you want to).
I plan to finish my website in the near future and it will explain my
vision for inexpensive energy and food.
That was a plug in case you weren’t paying attention.
When did you start writing?
I began dabbling with short stories in University. I should have been studying but my mind would
wander into more fascinating venues than the lower bowels of the library. I eventually wrote a screenplay called The
Dance that went absolutely nowhere but it was read by a handful of artsy
personalities who in turn recommended me to a couple of authors who needed help
in editing and creating their own books.
I found this incredibly dull until I received my first “writing”
paycheck. Dull began to accumulate some
color thereafter.
As a published author, what would you say was the most
pivotal point of your writing life?
With no hesitation I’ll answer the birth of my children. All
parents want to leave some kind of legacy to their children aside from the
total adoration you have for them. I wrote two books for teens before I wrote
the more serious, 23 Minutes Past 1 A.M. The
main characters in each of the teen books are based on my kids.
If you could go anywhere in the world to start writing
your next book, where would that be and why?
First, I’d go to my kitchen where I’d bake and then down a
large pizza. Then, to my room and
underneath my bedcovers for a weird but awesome dream.
OK, maybe not.
I would go to Asia because my next
offering takes place in three Asian countries.
It’s called Sins of the Samurai,
so you can pretty well guess one of the nations in question. I have already begun
the book and am thrilled with the progress thus far. And yes…that was another `plug.
If you had 4 hours of extra time today, what would you
do? Nap, eat and maybe nap again. If
that’s not an option, I’d hang out with my children.
Where would you like to set a story that you haven’t done
yet?
Probably a beach setting in Costa
Rica.
I’d have to stay there until completion and I’m guessing this project
would be a series of books so I’d probably be done in ten years. Look me up if you’re down there.
I have a couple of books on the go that are fairly large
projects so the thought of beginning another hurts my head. Mind you, Gypsies have always fascinated me,
so maybe a Romanian setting is in the tarot cards, so to speak.
Back to your present book, 23 Minutes Past 1 A.M., how did you
publish it?
I went the self-publish route. This is and will continue to be a popular and
debatable subject in our collective group. To me, there are very few benefits
to sign with a Publishing House unless you are an established author. It’s all fine and dandy to have your book in
the neighborhood book chain store but without your own marketing, you’re
depending on word of mouth. As for
sales, I may buy a book from a brick and mortar retail store at Christmas but
other than that…online only. That being
said, I have not sent any manuscripts to a Publishing House and wouldn’t know
where to begin.
In writing your book, did you travel anywhere for
research?
No, not further than the local library. It’s a new age, isn’t it? I did no less than four hundred hours of
research on this novel and a good portion of it was done in the comfort of my
home. I’m not insinuating that videos, pictures and articles are better than
the real thing but if you’re not able to travel to a location then YouTube is
your friend. Besides, we’re talking Chernobyl
folks; it’s not on my bucket list of tourist destinations.
Why was writing 23
Minutes Past 1 A.M. so
important to you?
Thanks for asking. I
strongly believe in alternative energy, and to me, anything nuclear is just
plain wrong. We live in an age where horrific events have become so commonplace
that we forget the latest shocking event a month later. Fukushima,
for example, is a disaster that is still
happening but CNN hasn’t covered it in five years. I don’t know what can be
done to stop an individual from driving a bus into a crowd but I do know that
there is absolutely no need for nuclear power plants. If my work of fiction can inspire one person
into fighting the good fight, then I’ve done well. Thirty years later, Chernobyl
is still killing its innocent victims.
23 Minutes Past 1 A.M.
takes place in Ukraine. Many are aware what happened in Crimea
in 2014 (and fighting is still ongoing) but very few know much about the life
of Ukrainians – especially those in small villages – during the communist
reign. Although some of the story
details are gory, I found it necessary to remind readers of how depressing life
can be under oppression.
Where do you get your best ideas and why do you think
that is?
I’ll hear something on the news or in a discussion group
that fascinates me and then I begin to research. If I’m still researching a day later, then I
will begin a storyline.
Any final words?
I can be reached at jackcityguy@gmail.com Feel free to discuss my novel(s) or
sustainability projects. I’m big into
vertical farms and am trying to get the funds to build a sustainable village in
the Philippines. I would certainly like to hear any
suggestions. Take care, and to the site
owners, thank-you for having me.
No comments:
Post a Comment