We’re delighted towelcome Robert Inman to Bookpleasures.com for an in-depthconversation about his latest novel, Villages.

An acclaimed storytellerand native of Elba, Alabama, Robert is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate ofThe University of Alabama, where he earned his Master of Fine Arts inCreative Writing.

 Over the course ofhis distinguished career, he has authored six novels, penned sixtelevision movies, and written eight published stage plays, all whiledrawing on his early experiences as a journalist and columnist. 

Norm: Good day Robertand welcome to Bookpleasures.com

What inspired you tocreate the character of Jonas Boulware, and how did you approachwriting about his experience as a young combat veteran returninghome?

Robert:  Norm, thanksso much for the opportunity to talk about my story. 

I’m a Vietnam-era Armyveteran, and though I never served in combat, I have friends who did,and what they told me about the experience was the germ of whatbecame Villages. 

It – and America’sconflicts since – are insurgencies, where the enemy doesn’t wearuniforms, and may take the shape of an innocent-looking civilian withexplosives strapped to their chest, or a roadside bomb. 

It means that death cancome at any moment and from any direction, so survival depends on apervasive hyper-vigilance. 

That, and the horror ofwar itself, make a profound change in the mental and emotional makeupof those who fight, and stays with them long after the war zone. 

My central character,Jonas Boulware, brings those psychic scars home with him, and hisquest is to find a “new normal” he can live with.

Norm: How did your ownupbringing in a small Southern town influence the depiction ofcommunity, family, and tradition in Villages?

Robert:  I wouldn’tbe the writer (or person) I am without having grown up in a smallSouthern town. 

I’m the oldest of 12grandchildren from a rowdy, story-telling Southern family whereembellishment was a given. 

The town of about fourthousand (then and now) was an environment where you could observepeople in the same place over time. 

I learned early on that ifI kept my mouth shut and my eyes and ears open, I could learn a lotabout what makes human beings tick. 

There were also a lot ofpeople who cared about me and encouraged me.  I’ve beenwriting about Elba folks from the beginning.

Norm: Each supportingcharacter-Gladys, Rodney, Doc, the Lieutenant, Lyric, and Ben-has adistinct influence on Jonas.

How did you developthese relationships, and what do they represent in his process ofhealing?

Robert:  Jonasappeared to me as a person who is attracted to genuine people, folkswho will look you in the eye and deal straight-up with you, and whocare about you, warts and all. 

Doc, Lieutenant, FredWesley, and Lyric are genuine.  There’s no put-on about them. They’ll tell you the truth about yourself, even when you don’twant to hear it. 

I love those characters. They’re the kind of people I like having as friends, and Jonas doestoo.  They’re crucial to his re-discovering his true sense andusing it to heal his wounded body and spirit. 

Rodney and Gladys, hisparents, lack genuineness.  Rodney is emotionally abusive;Gladys doesn’t stick up for Jonas, and she’s hobbled by along-ago family scandal. 

It’s a key part ofJonas’s journey that must find a way to deal with his young pastand come to some sort of peace and reconciliation with it.

Norm: The novelexplores the lasting effects of PTSD. How did you research andprepare to authentically portray Jonas’s psychological struggles?

Robert:  My ownmilitary experience perhaps gives me a baseline to start, but I spentseveral years educating myself about PTSD and its effect on the livesof trauma victims – not just veterans, but anyone who has asoul-altering experience such as rape, domestic violence, accident,etc. 

I’ve read everything Icould find about it, but the most important things I learned werefrom the mouths of combat medics who had been there and returnedaltered. 

Villages would notexist without them.  I think Jonas’s story is a hopefulstory.  Millions of American suffer from PTSD. 

The suicide rate amongveterans, for example, is twice that of the civilian population. 

But Jonas, telling me hisstory, says that though his entire perception of life has changed, hewill persevere and hopefully thrive, that the courage he showed inbattle can serve him well in his present struggle, and that love isessential to all.

Norm: Family secretsand unspoken truths play a pivotal role in the story. Why did youchoose to make hidden histories such a central theme, and how do theyshape Jonas’s journey?

Robert: A quick story: Myfather and three uncles served in World War Two, and all went inharm’s way. 

They returned to our smallSouthern town to take up what you would call ordinary lives –working, raising families. 

They had stored away theirwartime experiences in trunks and footlockers in my grandmother’sattic, and as a young boy, I found them – photos, letters to andfrom wives and girlfriends, old K-ration boxes, medals, bits ofuniforms, etc. 

In rummaging through theirthings, it struck me how much of their lives they had stored away,the secrets and hidden histories that helped make them who theywere. 

We all carry the baggageof our pasts, and sometimes it makes us stoop under the burden. In all of my novels, the past informs the present and is a signposton the road to the future. 

How did we get where weare now?  Well, here’s how.

Norm: The town ofCopernicus feels almost like a character itself. How important wassetting in shaping the story, and what does Copernicus symbolize forJonas and his family?

Robert:  Place hasalways acted as a character in my fictional work.  I am a smalltown kid and a storyteller, and the place I’m from has a profoundimpact on forming the person I have become. 

In Villages, thetown of Copernicus shapes the lives of every person in the story. 

Jonas’s mother, Gladys,is the daughter of a founding family, some of which made scandalousdecisions that brought economic disaster. 

Gladys is haunted by that,and her life revolves around making amends.  Likewise, being ofand from Copernicus shapes the lives of everyone who lives there.

Norm: Doc Frank Ainsleyserves as both a mentor and a savior for Jonas. Can you talk aboutthe inspiration behind Doc’s character and his role in Jonas’srecovery?

Robert:  I wasfortunate growing up to have friend/mentors outside my family whocared about me and taught by example how to have a meaningful life –a doctor, a local judge, a newspaper editor, a Sunday Schoolteacher. 

They all are part of DocAinsley, a composite of the older person who helps mold the younger. In Doc’s case, he carries the burden of a secret that shapes hisown life and, in turn, his devotion to Jonas.

Norm: The process ofcoming home and finding it changed-or realizing you havechanged-feels universal. What message do you hope to convey abouthomecoming and personal transformation?

Robert:  I’ve neverphysically lived in my small Southern hometown since I went off tocollege, but in some crucial ways, I still live there. 

I return as often as Ican, but it exists vividly in my imagination, just as it was in theyears I was growing up there. 

It is physically alteredtoday from my youth, but it is still a powerful force in defining whoI am.  One of the finest things any of us can possess is a goodmemory of home.

Norm: Where can ourreaders find out more about you and Villages?

Robert:  My WEBSITE.  It includes reviews, interviews,video, and lots more about the book and my writing life.  Italso includes first chapters from my earlier five novels, in casereaders want to explore my work further.

Norm: Finally, what wasthe most surprising or rewarding part of writing Villages, andhas the response from readers aligned with your expectations?

Robert:  The mostimportant thing to me in writing the book was to make sure it washonest and genuine. 

I’m writing about PTSDand its impact on the human soul, and I want readers – veterans andeveryone else -- to say, “Yeah, he got it right.” 

Responses so far indicateI did okay.  One of the best came from a nephew who is a combatveteran. 

He said, “The more Iread, the more I realized that it was a ‘snapshot’ of my life. It brought back so many memories.” 

Follow Here To Read Norm's  Review of Villages