Welcome to another Author Spotlight! Today we are switching gears and heading into some Sci-fi. The Magi & the Death of Biggar Fro is authored by Robert Cubitt and part of The Magi Series. I was very thrilled when Mr. Cubitt said he would be our guest.
legendsofgreenisle: Bob, welcome to the blog. I see that this first book was published just this April. I’m sure you’re very excited about it’s release. I’m always curious when I interview other writers about their back story. Tell us, when did you start writing? What made you want to write?
Robert: I pretty much started at school. I loved writing essays more than any other lessons. From there I graduated to writing for in-house magazines at work. I was in the Air Force for 23 years and just about every station I served on had a station magazine that needed content. Later I moved on to longer pieces. They were mainly for fun, but I showed them to other people. One former professional writer suggested I try a full-length book, so I did. The rest, as they say, is history. I gave up my “day job” in 2012 and now write full time.
legendsofgreenisle: I think that you and I share some similar experiences. While I wasn’t in the Air Force, I’m a military brat of the Air Force. I would say that writing full time is a dream come true. Now is this your first publication or have you published before? If so, what have you published?
Robert: I’ve had 8 full length novels published, and 3 non fiction works, plus a couple of novellas. I write in various genres, I just get an idea for a story and off I go. Sometimes the ideas work, and sometimes they don’t, but there’s no way of telling which is which until I try. I usually know by the 30,000 word mark which are going to make it to a finished book.
My first book was a fantasy, but set in modern times (strictly no dragons, wizards or magic swords), the next was a political action thriller. I then wrote two books in what has become “The Warriors” series. The first was a military based story set in Afghanistan, then a sequel set in the UK. I then delved into the world of charity telethons for a “what if” look at what might happen if the wrong sort of people got involved in charities. I am currently writing a sci-fi series, of which 3 volumes have been published and more are on their way.
legendsofgreenisle: I’m very impressed with all that you have completed. That’s really amazing. I’m curious about the Magi Series. Can you tell us about the book and its characters? How did you create the story line?
Robert: The Magi series is in the same sort of mold as Star Wars, Star Trek and Dr. Who. My protagonist, An Kohli, is a female bounty hunter.
The government of the galaxy lies in the hands of 9 wise beings called the Magi, successive generations of whom have kept the peace for centuries. Unfortunately, a galaxy at peace is also one unprepared for war, so a bunch of opportunists, called the Fell, make a bid to take over the galaxy. The Magi are threatened and the only way for them to escape is to have their intelligence uploaded into memory devices called “eggs”, which are sent to a place of safety. The eggs are intercepted and are lost.
The Guild of Bounty Hunters is engaged to find the eggs. If the Magi can be restored, the galaxy can unite behind them and rid themselves of the oppression of the Fell. Thanks to some clever detective work, An Kohli gets hold of information that puts her on the inside track to be the first to recover the eggs. Not unnaturally, the Fell are determined to stop her. Each story in the series sees An Kohli, her co-pilot Gala and a shape shifting Gau called Den, having new adventures as they search for the eggs. Although this isn’t a comedy, I hope that some bits will also make you smile.
legendsofgreenisle: The story line sound very interesting. I’m sure the series will be a success. How do you see yourself in about five years? Will you be making any other series?
Robert: There is always another idea for a story, so I hope very much still to be writing. What stories in which genre is open to question, but there is plenty of scope for more An Kohli stories, even after she recovers the Magi, and I’ve been asked by readers if I’m going to write any more books in my “Warriors” series, so that is likely to be a “yes”.
My father was in the army during World War II and had a pretty adventurous war. Later in life he went to the National Army Museum to make some recordings of his wartime memories and I would like to turn those into a non-fiction book, so that is also on my “to do” list. When it comes to book ideas, my “to do” list never seems to get any shorter!
legendsofgreenisle: We may have to talk about your future plans regarding war memories further. I’m editing two letters collections myself at the moment. One from WWI and the WWII. I’m always excited to see these types of non-fiction come to print. Well we are going to wind up the interview, but before we go, please let the readers know how to get to your books.
Robert: First port of call is probably my website http://robertcubitt.com but a search for my name on Amazon or Smashwords will also give complete listings of my work. You may also like to visit my publisher’s website at http://www.ex-l-ence.com/
I suggest my website first because there is also my weekly blog to read as well as some free stuff, including my 2 novellas, that can be downloaded.
legendsofgreenisle: Bob, thank you so much for being a guest on the blog today. I look forward to hearing from you again.
Legends of Green Isle 