The Dark Side of the American Sports Scene: Interview with Mystery Author Robert Greer

Robert Greer is a native of Columbus, Ohio, who spent his formative years in the steel mill town of Gary, Indiana. He graduated from Miami University at Oxford, Ohio, in 1965 with a Bachelor of Arts degree and subsequently earned degrees in dentistry, medicine and pathology from Howard University and Boston University. He is a professor of pathology, medicine, surgery, and dentistry at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center where he specializes in head and neck pathology and cancer research. He also holds a masters degree in Creative Writing from Boston University and an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Miami University, his alma mater.

Greer has lived in Denver for thirty years. In 1986 he founded The High Plains Literary Review and continues to serve as its editor-in-chief. He is the author or co-author of three medical textbooks and over 135 scientific articles. His short stories have appeared in dozens of national literary magazines and his short story collection, ISOLATION AND OTHER STORIES, published in 2000 by The Davies Group Publishers, sold out its hardback printings and is now in trade paperback.

His latest book, Blackbird, Farewell, is a "punch-packing whodunit that exposes the dark side of the pro-athlete good life."

We interviewed Robert to find out more about his exciting new mystery novel, Blackbird, Farewell.

Thank you for this interview, Robert. Can you tell us briefly what your latest book, BLACKBIRD, FAREWELL, is all about?

Blackbird, Farewell is about a college basketball superstar player who is murdered and the effort on the part of his best friend, Damion Madrid, to find out what happened to his best friend. The book takes a look at the dark side of the sports scene in America and the hidden stories that athletic superstars often have.

Can you tell us what (or who) the inspiration was behind the writing of your book?

There was no individual who inspired the book. I have simply had an interest in trying to write about the dark side of the American sports scene for years.

Is this your first published book and if so, can you tell us your experiences in finding a publisher for it?

No, this is not my first published book. In fact, I have published ten books, nine novels and one short story collection. Seven of the novels are CJ Floyd mysteries, as is Blackbird, Farewell, and the other two novels are medical thrillers. CJ Floyd appears in all of the novels, even the medical thrillers.

How has North Atlantic Books been to work with?

North Atlantic Books has been a wonderful publisher for me. They are distributed by Random House which gives them a wide penetration of the market. However, they have been able to maintain their own independence and act very much as an imprint of Random House. Therefore, I have been able to get the best of both worlds—what some might describe as the benefits a small publishing house and the muscle of a worldwide publishing giant.

Do you have an agent?

Yes, I do have an agent and if you are going to look at publishing successful commercial fiction, you pretty much have to have an agent. My agent is in New York and that is where the vast majority of successful agents reside.

Can you tell us how long it took you to write your book and also how long it took from the time North Atlantic books sent the contract and the time it was released?

It took me approximately ten months to write the book which is typical for my mysteries. Since I am on a one year contract for each work, North Atlantic Books expects me to write a book a year, and turn it in at a specific time. I generally start my manuscripts on July 1 each year and turn in a finished manuscript the following April. The books are published the following October, so it takes seven months from the time my publisher gets the manuscript to bring it to print. That is exceedingly unusual in the publishing industry. It typically takes eighteen months from the time the editor receives the manuscript to bring it to a finished book.

Do you have any words of inspiration from other writers who would like to be wearing your shoes?

Work hard and treat writing the way it should be treated if you are writing commercial fiction, which is as a job. Don´t be disappointed by failure. You will no doubt have some to go along with your successes. Appreciate that it will be a grind. Be prepared to promote your work at all costs and never say die.

What is next for you?

My next project is a literary project. I am just about finished with a novel entitled Spoon which is a piece of literary fiction rather than a mystery or medical thriller. Some might consider it a modern day counterpart to the famous western, Shane. Spoon is not a true western, however, it is a contemporary literary novel set in the west with considerable western sensibility.

Thank you for this interview, Robert. Can you tell us how we can find out more about you and your new book?

You can find out about me by emailing me at www.robertgreerbooks.com.