Roberts Shields - Interview - Daphne and the Mysterious Girls Secret Bathroom Society

Today I welcome author Robert Shields to the blog. Robert is here to tell us about his latest release - Daphne and the Mysterious Girls' Secret Bathroom Society.

1) Tell us a little about yourself and your writing

I have been writing a syndicated sports column for over fourteen years on the side. I received my degree in economics from the University of Arkansas. I’m also an expert witness before government regulatory agencies for a utility. I have written other books, including The Economics of Sex and a sports book that were both best sellers in their genres on Amazon.

2) Where did you first get the idea for Daphne?

I cannot tell you how many fiction books I started and never finished. Then I started to write Daphne.  I went to a parochial school like Daphne. The characters to a great extent have the strengths and weaknesses that I remember in my friends.  It was not a stretch for me to imagine some of those girls when I was younger being witches. From there, the story was easy to develop.

3) Your witches and their use of magic differ from most books. What inspired you to take things down this new road?

The inspiration came from the idea that children see the world so much differently than adults. I see it in my own children and that of others. It’s only later in life when we are forced to conform or be labeled as crazy.  Typically, we all get more jaded and set in our ways as time passes. These girls are able to see the world in a different light and then are able to apply this new world of physics. I hope this makes the book more interesting than your typical witch book.

4) Do you have a favourite place to write? How do you prefer to work: Do you plan things out or just let the writing flow?

I often have an idea in my head and it often occurs to me when I’m running. Then I start writing it. This sounds simple enough, yet we all know when you start putting pen to paper it never ends up as it played in your head the first time. Or at least that is the case for me. I’m ready for them to develop the device that just allows me to download it directly from my brain to paper. I have a gift or curse depending who is around me being able to write anywhere. The downside for me is that I always seem to need at least an hour to write. It takes me longer than I would like to get my mind where the book is taking place. Or in other words, it takes me a while to get inside my mind’s eye. Once there, I can write for a long time.

5) When you're not writing, what sort of books/which authors do you enjoy reading and why?

I write some YA, so I naturally read quite a bit of YA. I liked the Kate Brian Private series. I also liked Ally Carter’s spy books. I would like to think that I am young at heart even though the years are getting by me. I enjoyed my youth and YA novels often take me back to that time.

6) Tell us a random unknown fact about yourself.

I ran for student body president when I was at the University of Arkansas as a write-in candidate. I came in third out of a field of five thanks to friends that heavily promoted me. I was beaten by a guy that later ended up in the papers who was working for President Bill Clinton.

7) What are you working on now? Any other new releases coming soon?

After Daphne, I was really inspired.  I wrote more and started several projects at the same time. I am finishing another book that will be titled Diminishing Paige that is more of an adult book about a serendipitous high school romance that becomes complicated as the girl's promiscuous past becomes a problem. I am also in the process of writing the second book in the Mysterious Girls' Secret Bathroom Society. I am open for suggestions for the next title.

8) Where can readers go to find out more about you and your books?
Nothing like self-promotion!

You can find my books at www.fruitbatbooks.com or the Daphne series at www.secretgirlsociety.com.

You can also find my author page on Amazon here: Amazon Author Page

I can be followed on twitter: @rsfromthebench


Book Blurb:

Following years of persecution at the hands of Vivica Vance, Daphne Downing levels the playing field wielding her No. 2 Ticonderoga pencil as she belatedly enters the world of witchcraft. Daphne becomes part of the Mysterious Girls’ Secret Bathroom Society and finds out that the politics governing witchcraft are daunting and sometimes deadly. She realizes she is aligned with the Charmers in this political battle, with the Spiters led by her nemesis, Vivica. Along the way, she discovers that witches do not perform magic or witchcraft but a differentiated form of physics that only some women have mastered. The story deepens as she learns about the long history of witches’ domination and annihilation of wizards.


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Author Bio:

Robert Shields is a bestselling author and has been a syndicated sports writer for over fourteen years.  Daphne and the Mysterious Girls' Secret Bathroom Society is his first book in this fictional series. He has authored other books including: The Three Skirts, The Economics of Sex, Confessions of the Self Absorbed Observer: What I Saw Today and Scarlet Fever: A Razorback House Divided. Shields is also an expert witness as an economist in the utility industry. He has testified in a multitude of dockets and other legal proceedings. He graduated at the top of his economics class at the University of Arkansas and won the award as the “Most Outstanding Student in Economics”. He lives in Arkansas with his wife and children.