Robert D. (Bob) Calkins has been a volunteer search and rescue (SAR) dog handler in Kitsap County, Washington, for more than dozen years. He and his dogs have responded to everything from routine lost hiker cases, to homicides, to the horrific 2014 mudslide in Oso, WA that claimed more than 40 lives.
He also teaches classes in the community on what to do if you become lost and, more importantly, how to avoid becoming lost in the first place.
Prior to retirement, Bob spent more than 15 years as a Public Information Officer in two very high profile organizations. He was the media spokesman at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport for three major events—the 9/11 attacks, the crash of Alaska Airlines flight 261, and the Nisqually Earthquake.
Bob later moved to the Washington State Patrol, where he was the agency’s spokesperson on sensitive topics such as employee conduct, major uses of force and line-of-duty deaths.
In 2015, Bob began writing stories for all ages based on his experiences with search dogs. While many authors produce “series” of books around the same lead character, Bob set out to produce what he calls a “spectrum” of books. His stories all have the same characters, but are written for different reading levels from pre-school to adult.
His first book, “Sierra Becomes a Search Dog,” is intended to be read aloud to children who can’t yet read for themselves. Once the little one is asleep, adults can sit down with “Digger,” a very grown-up murder mystery about sweet dogs and serial killers. Soon to come will be more books for pre-schoolers, and chapter books for elementary-age readers.
Bob lives in Olalla, Washington with his wife Mary Ann, and Ruger, his third search dog.
Amazon Author Page:
https://www.amazon.com/Robert-D.-Calkins/e/B01FSUTW64/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1534180934&sr=8-1
BMH: What is something you’ve never written about, but hope to some day?
BC: I’d like to write a textbook on how to train a search and rescue dog, but written from the dog’s perspective. If SAR dogs could talk most would say: “Stop yapping at me over and over to ‘find it find it find it.’ I know what I’m doing, just stay behind me and I’ll handle it.”
BMH: How big a part did your upbringing have on your writing?
BC: I was an only child in a neighborhood with few children so I spent a lot of time around adults. My parents liked going out, and always took me along. I got a soda pop just as they got mixed drinks, and the conversations were on adult levels. That really boosted my communications skills and really helps me with both writing and speaking extemporaneously.
BMH: What is something you wish someone would have told you before you became an author?
BC: That I was really becoming a small business person. When I set out to become a world famous author I didn’t realize I’d be running to the bank on Friday to have one dollar bills for making change on Saturday.
BMH: You can go back in time, meet and chat with anyone, who would it be? What would you talk about?
BC: Sir Robert Peel, the father of modern policing. I wonder how he’d feel about today’s police officers and some of the controversies surrounding them.
BMH: Who is you hero/heroine? Why?
BC: My human hero is a teenager by the name of Bryce Finn, and his canine partner is Sierra the Search Dog. I originally set out to write children’s books and adventure stories about search and rescue dogs. A teenage handler was a good fit, and is actually legal in my state. I stayed with him when I evolved to writing mysteries, because a precocious teenager beating detectives to the killer is always entertaining. His flaw is that he has lots of teenage angst, both about girls and speaking up when he should. He’s smart as a whip, but doesn’t always have the confidence to tell detectives when he sees something that appears to be amiss.
BMH: What do you do to cut loose and have some fun?
BC: Go on Search and Rescue missions with my current dog, Ruger. My wife and I have an RV, and we’re starting to get out in that more often as well.
BMH: Why crime fiction?
BC: It’s what I know. I’ve worked in or around law enforcement since 1973. I know their quirks and foibles, and how to create a realistic police personality.
BMH: Have you written in other genres?
BC: I write across genres now, with the same characters. My business plan was “readers for life.” I started with children’s books, included a chapter book for elementary-age readers, and am publishing my second mystery novel for teens and adults. The hero and his hero dog are consistent characters throughout all levels. I encourage parents to read my teen/adult novel as the kids are going through the children’s books. The whole family is reading about the same characters, in age-appropriate stories. Most individuals think that is a great idea, but it’s a turnoff for publishers. Publisher that do children’s books don’t do murder mysteries. So I’m self-published.
BMH: What two words best describes your writing style?
BC: Easy. Read.
BMH: How do you create your characters?
BC: I picture them in my mind, down to details of physical build and style of dress. More importantly, I think through their ethos, which then drives everything else. Are they honest? Trustworthy? Smart? Kind? Lazy? Mean? Dumb? Troubled? Once I have that image in my mind, then their behavior and dialogue naturally follows.
BMH: What comes first for you, characters or plot?
BC: For my teen/adult murder mysteries, the hard part is coming up with a villain that an 18-year old cadaver dog handler could reasonably ferret out. Once I have THAT character, then plot follows. But otherwise, my stable of characters is pretty well developed.
BMH: Outliner or seat-of-your-pants writer?
BC: I suppose I’m a pantser, but I give a lot of thought to scenes while I’m hiking with my dog or doing other things. I work it all out in my head, so when I sit at the computer I’m little more than a typist. But I don’t put an outline on paper, hence the pantser designation.
BMH: How much editing do you do as you write your first draft?
BC: I’ll print a hard copy of each chapter as I go, and put it in a binder. When I’m midway through the book and the first chapter has sat idle for a while, I’ll sit in my kitchen and start reading. First reading is just for clarity and entertainment value. Then I’ll go back and start to copy edit.
BMH: How do you use social media to promote yourself?
BC: I do a lot on Facebook and my blog, and am starting to use Instagram. I would like to use GoodReads but it makes my head hurt. All the places in GoodReads where you’d want to promote yourself…prohibit authors from promoting themselves. There’s this swirl of groups and subgroups and rules…it’s all very confusing. I would invite competent consultants with a proven track record of success on GoodReads to contact me with a proposal.
BMH: What do you think of the new faces of publishing….ebooks, POD, indie-publishing?
BC: They’re the only part of publishing I’ve ever known, so they’re only new to me in the sense that everything’s new to me. I’m just trying to figure it all out, while still writing books. There’s a lot to learn!
BMH: Do you blog?
BC: Yes, though I’m not sure of the return on my time. I try to publish something every couple of weeks. I’ll write in three general areas: 1) About the experience of being an author, 2) Tips for dog owners, or 3) A window into the world of K9 Search and Rescue.
BMH: Do you have a daily writing routine?
BC: I like to write early in the day so I can feel I’ve accomplished something. Then I go off and train with the dog or go for a hike. I try to avoid writing more than about 1000 words in a day, so that I don’t burn out. Some chapters or scenes need to be written to conclusion, but if possible I break it off at 1000 words and pick up the next day.
BMH: What did you do to celebrate when you signed your first book contract?
BC: Well, I don’t have a contract but when I got the first hard copy of my book I took my wife out to dinner.
BMH: Where was you first appearance as an author?
BC: I sell a lot at Farmer’s Markets. I was soooo nervous that the first time somebody asked to use a credit card, I got mine out and ran it through my Square reader.
BMH: What authors influenced you the most?
BC: Tom Clancy, for his ability to educate about technical topics while still entertaining. I try to educate people about search and rescue without descending into “info dumps.”
BMH: Research?
BC: Most of my research stems from searches that I’ve been on with my dogs over the years. Most searches end benignly, but I can take the basic scenarios and twist them enough to make a good plot.
BMH: Why did you become a writer?
BC: I’ve been writing since I was a teenager, but mostly as a journalist or agency public information officer. In that role, your longest piece is a 90-second news report or a one page press release. Writing book-length material was a new experience.
BMH: When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
BC: I have always liked storytelling, whether verbally or on paper. It’s about having the person who is listening or reading light up with a smile on their face. People have so many troubles and tribulations in their lives. My goal as a storyteller is to take them away from all that, for at least a while.
BMH: How about some hard-earned advice.
BC: I skimped on a developmental edit on my first teen/adult novel, based on advice from a pretty knowledgeable person. She thought the book was pretty good, and was trying to save me some money. In retrospect, I wish I’d spent the money to make it an even better book.
