Not long ago, a friend asked whether I had a favorite time of day and location to write. My response was that, to me, writing is much more about inspiration and mood than time or place.
I have written at my desk, at the dining room table, on an airplane, and in hotel rooms, among other places. I have written in the early morning hours and at various times throughout the day, although generally not during the evening. The amount of time I spend writing on any given day depends on a combination of my productivity (or lack thereof) and the calendar, which occasionally compels me to leave the writing cocoon for an assortment of other activities and obligations.
Morning hours, especially early morning, seem be my most productive time. After a good night’s sleep, breakfast, and a few cups of coffee, I’m ready to hit the keyboard. Although there have been many productive writing hours in the afternoon, the “return” on my investment of time spent at the keyboard typically diminishes as evening approaches.
My books are legal/crime thrillers, which is the result of four decades of work. As a newspaper reporter, I was assigned to cover the case of John Spenkelink, the first inmate scheduled to be executed in Florida after the use of capital punishment resumed. A few days later, I was led into a prison cell to interview Spenkelink, less than one week before his execution date. That experience influenced my subsequent decision to study law and, decades later, remained vivid in my mind when I volunteered to represent a Georgia death row inmate in his final legal proceedings, known as habeas corpus.
A Terrible Guilt, my first novel, is the story of a shocking murder and trial in a small north Georgia town. The victim is the owner of a popular diner, who leaves behind a wife and two young children. Police focus their attention on a recently fired busboy, who is arrested and charged with the murder. The district attorney, who is up for reelection, promptly announces he will seek the death penalty.
My second novel, The Shark’s Protégé, returns to the same small town to tell the story
of a local loan shark and his relationship with a young man who, after barely graduating from high school, becomes the shark’s muscle. But when he falls for a young woman who turns out to be the daughter of the town’s police chief, life gets complicated. It gets even more complicated when the loan shark is indicted and charged with hiring a hit man to commit murder in Louisville, Kentucky.
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Bob Rothman is the author of A Terrible Guilt, released in September 2024, and The Shark’s Protégé, scheduled for release on April 23, 2026. Bob was a newspaper reporter in Florida for six years, and a trial lawyer in Atlanta for 38 years, before beginning his “third act” as the author of legal thrillers. Visit Bob at https://www.bobrothmanauthor.com .
Bob’s New Release – The Shark’s Protégé
“Rothman writes with bracing intention and conviction. His knowledge of the subject matter – the novel is half crime thriller, half legal drama – is thorough …. The author has crafted a swift and seductive tale that will delight any fan of mobster stories.” -- Kirkus Reviews
https://a.co/d/00odlsq6 (Amazon link for the paperback)
https://www.amazon.com/Sharks-Protégé-Bob-Rothman-ebook/dp/B0GHZND3SP?ref_=ast_author_dp&th=1&psc=1
https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-shark-s-protege-by-bob-rothman
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/246276547-the-shark-s-prot-g
Bob,
Thanks for being a guess today on It’s Not Always a Mystery. You make an excellent point differing inspiration and mood from time and place.
Debra,
Thank you for the invitation. Writing from inspiration and mood is a long way from my early years as a newspaper reporter covering whatever stories my editor assigned and writing articles each day on short deadlines.