About Bob Stockton:
Bob Stockton, author of seven books, was born in Trenton, New Jersey. Leaving school in his junior year Bob began a twenty-year Navy career in 1957. During the course of that twenty-year career Bob has sailed the seven seas while serving in surface vessels (destroyers), diesel electric submarines, auxiliary vessels, aircraft carriers, reconnaissance attack squadrons and patrol gunboats in Vietnam.
Following Navy retirement as a Chief Petty Officer, Bob has earned undergraduate and graduate degrees and has worked as a shipyard welder’s helper, university adjunct graduate instructor, epidemiologist, pharmaceutical trainer small business owner and radio host.
Bob currently receives full Veterans Administration compensation from exposure to Agent Orange while serving in-country Vietnam. He resides in Jacksonville, Florida in close proximity to his three children, four grandchildren and a large but amiable
American Bulldog who occasionally answers to “Bowser.”
What inspires you to write?
My initial inspiration was to leave a written account of my life for my children and grandchildren who have no knowledge of my past adventures and missteps. Subsequent to the original memoir, I have “branched out” in an effort to become a better writer and teller of fictional stories.
Tell us about your writing process.
I am basically a “seat of the pants” guy. I have a general idea of what my novel wants to say and take it chapter by chapter, reviewing each day’s work the following day to see if the previous day’s effort has “settled in,” or requires a re-write or some tweaking.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I know my characters in most of my novels, and know how they will speak or react to situational book events. For my other novels I do extensive research. For example, in my fictional novel about the life of Kit Carson, I read and studied no fewer than six novels by authors of the early west era.
What advice would you give other writers?
Know your both your topic and your characters inside out. Live with them.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
“We do not accept unsolicited manuscripts.” Thank you very much, there are a jillion independent publishing houses out there that will provide a turnkey operation for my book at a reasonable cost.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
While e-books such as Kindle and Nook have recently fallen off somewhat, I think that electronic self-publishing will continue to grow.
What do you use?: Professional Editor, Professional Cover Designer
What genres do you write?: Memoir, Military-navy, Western, Historical fiction
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print, Audiobook
Website(s)
Bob Stockton Home Page Link
Your Social Media Links
Goodreads
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit to allow you the reader to hear the author in their own voice.
