R. Lawson Gamble was born in Morristown, New Jersey into a family of pioneers. His grandmother was raised in a sod home a mile from the Laura Ingalls Wilder little house on the prairie, and his grandfather was raised along the Oregon Trail. Rich himself has traveled widely and climbed on three continents. His sense of adventure, along with his curiosity, love of history, and his “desire to see what most people never see” help stimulate his writing and are evident in the pages of his books. A teacher in a private boarding school for 34 years, he now lives on the Central Coast of California and continues his adventures as his writing allows.
For buy links and more information on his mystery/ suspense titles please check out his Amazon bio page.
Amazon.com/author/rlawsongamble
BMH: You have a long weekend. What would you do with the time?
RLG: With no other obligations, I would head for the mountains to camp, with a good book in hand. Peace, tranquility, and adventure within and without. What could be better?
BMH: You can go back in time, meet and chat with anyone, who would it be? What would you talk about?
RLG: There are so many people I’d want to talk to. I think Marco Polo, after I learn Italian. I’d like to know what he really did all those years with the Khan.
BMH: Who are your favorite authors?
RLG: So many! Most recently, I love Philip Meyer. I enjoy a lot of Larry McMurtry, and most of T.C. Boyle. And, of course, Elmore Leonard.
BMH: What is something you wish someone would have told you before you became an author?
RLG: I wish someone had warned me that it’s easy to end up doing very little writing as a writer. I mean, with the press of doing one’s own marketing, with the many other writing related projects, with saying ‘yes’ a lot, its difficult to find time just to write…in an unencumbered kind of way, that is.
BMH: What do think about the new faces of publishing?
RLG: I’m very excited. I don’t know how its all going to come out in the wash, but I believe more people will have a voice, which means so much more talent to discover. For too long agents and big publishing houses determined our literary taste.
BMH: How do you promote yourself?
RLG: I try to keep a solid presence on line, in social media. I maintain a blog (LAWritersblog.com), and have a website (RLawsonGamble.com). But I also try to stay visible in the physical world, with launches and parties, writers groups, and doing talks.
BMH: What would be your ideal vacation spot?
RLG: Not to sound snobbish, but I live in it, right here in Central Coast, California. I spent many years traveling but have never found a better climate, more beautiful surroundings, or more opportunities for activity.
BMH: How did you celebrate when your first book was published?
RLG: I threw a big party. Well, two parties. One for my town (my launch), and one for my friends and neighbors at home. Any excuse for a party.
BMH: What is the oddest thing you’ve ever done?
RLG: Hmmm. I’ve done a lot of odd things. I suppose the oddest was living at a college in which I wasn’t enrolled for a couple of months. I found a way to get meals––I even faked French at French house to get to eat. I performed in their arts department musical, even. No one ever knew!
BMH: What do you do just to cut loose and have some fun?
RLG: I ski, canoe white water, sea kayak, mountain climb, sky dive, trail run, explore…and drink a lot of great ales.
BMH: You’re president of the United States for enough time to only make one executive decision. What is it?
RLG: Abolish Congress.
BMH: What’s a common and accepted practice for Americans nowadays that you think we’ll look back on with regret?
RLG: Paying taxes and wondering where it all went.
BMH: Describe your level of ambition.
RLG: I plan to write until I’m filthy rich and famous. Or at least until I finish this next novel I’m working on.
BMH: Describe a few pet peeves of yours.
RLG: Chewing gum left on sidewalks, answering cell phones at the table, phones ringing in the theatre, being served Bud light at parties–– and Congress.
BMH: What do you know now that you wished someone had told you ten years ago?
RLG: There is no correct answer.
BMH: What childhood event shaped or scarred you the most?
RLG: I was playing with a garter snake as a child, quite small and harmless, you know, and then it bit me. Maybe it was the shock, but I’ve feared snakes ever since.
BMH: What is a typical writing day for like?
RLG: Up between six and six thirty, a tankard of coffee, then sit down and write until I can’t any more, usually around noon. Then do something entirely different until late afternoon. that’s the time to edit, do social media, and all that.
BMH: Would you rather live without music or live without TV?
RLG: Tough choice, but I’d have to say TV.
……be gossiped about or never talked about at all?
RLG: Be gossiped about, but in a good way.
BMH: Do you blog? If so, why and what do you usually blog about?
RLG: Yes, as I said, I do blog. I like to wire about my writing adventures, what I learn about publishing, marketing and all that as I go along.
BMH: Have you ever done a blog book tour? What was that like and would you do it again?
RLG: No, I’ve never done one. I’d like to try it some time.
BMH: Do you enjoy doing promotion?
RLG: No, I really don’t. It’s really not my personality.
BMH: What’s the oddest thing you’ve ever done to promote your work?
RLG: I suppose sending the Mestaclocan( Is his second mystery suspense book..BMH) image around in a Christmas card. Something about the glowing red eyes surrounded by holly…
BMH: Respond to these pairings and tell why you respond the way you do:
a. Series or stand-alone books
RLG: I prefer stand-alone, because it’s less restricting. With a series, your options keep narrowing.
b. Outlines or find-your-way plotting
RLG: I like a find-your-way plot. That keeps it exciting for me, too!
c. Lots of research or make it all up
RLG: I like to research. I like everything about my fiction to be real exempt the characters.
d. Neat or sloppy
RLG: Definitely neat.
e. NY or DC
RLG: Neither. I’ll take Boston.
f. Carnivore or vegetarian
RLG: Carnivore rapidly becoming vegetarian.
BMH: How have you grown as a writer?
RLG: I think I write more clearly and less consciously. I can express myself with fewer words, but more right ones.
BMH: If you were to go to a deserted island for an extended stay what are three things you would take with you?
RLG: Steinbeck’s East of Eden, Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With The Wind, and my computer.
