Robert J. Emery Interview Published on: 16, Apr 2024

I really don’t know why, but as a young teen I liked to write short stories; most of the time they were no more than a page. I just got a kick out of writing. I attended a Catholic school and one of the nuns was kind enough to read my stories and encouraged me to keep writing. She was my first muse and the reason at that young age that I kept writing.

I write my novel under the pen name R. J. Eastwood and my nonfiction book under my own name. With my novels I do not repeat genres. I write about what comes into my head, any story that I become passionate about whatever the genre. My first novel, “The Autopsy of Planet Earth,” was science fiction, my second, “Midnight Black” was a suspense thriller. My current novel, “MEGASTAR”, comes out on May 1st and is a contemporary story of a 19-year-old boy who discovers he has a unique singing voice, and with the help of a New York talent agent, he becomes an international singing sensation. He meets a young college student who he falls in love with. Yes, folks, it’s also an intense on again, off again love story.

As we know, there has been intense interest in recent years of the possible visits from aliens. Because I believe we are not alone in the Universe, I wrote about what first contact with an alien race might be like. The aliens said they came to help us clean up our environment, which of course is a big story these days because of climate change. They also offered advice that would improve our lives. But all is not what is appears. There are twist and turns in the book that I had a lot of fun with.

“America: Standing Strong” covers a lot of bases. I have no idea why I decided to write the book other than there was so much misinformation and conspiracy theories circulating around 2016. We had lost our way over so many issues that were not being resolved. I did a tremendous amount of research (196 pages in all) before I began writing. Each chapter had to be nothing short of well documented in both truth and facts. Each chapter ends with common sense ways we can improve and solve problems. The key words here are “common sense.” We were too busy arguing past one another so little was getting done solving issues: Thankfully the book has been very well received.

After 4-decades as a filmmaker of both feature films and TV documentaries, I retired and began writing books, the learning curve was steep. For example, a screenplay, you mark location, which member of the cast are in the scene, write the dialogue and make brief comments on motivation. Beyond that it is the director’s job to shape the final film. When I retired and began tackling my first novel, I had my wife read the first five chapters for her feedback. She handed it back to me and said it read like a screenplay. That’s where the learning curve came in. Slow but sure I leaned to fill in the blanks in great detail; what was in my head had to be on the page. I learned quickly. “The Autopsy of Planet Earth,” went on to become a success and continues to do well.

First, I prefer fiction for obvious reasons; I can write whatever my imagination comes up with. As for nonfiction, it all began when a NY publisher asked if I would write about the behind the scenes of the making of my Starz/Encore series “The Directors.” We produced 91 one-hour episode in all and the series ran in over 75 countries around the world. The first behind the scenes book featured 13 directors and was so successful, the publisher asked me to write a second book. We ended doing four books in all featuring 52 directors. Then I wrote the nonfiction book “The Diarrhea Diaries: Trump’s Tweets That Give Us the Runs” almost as a joke. It contained just over 400 of Trump’s wildest tweets. For a short-time it was on Amazon’s best seller list in its category. Then came “America: Standing Strong” and I think that will be the last of my nonfiction efforts. I much prefer writing fiction.

Writing a script for a motion picture and a documentary are totally different animals. A documentary is information that delves into whatever the subject is. For example, my 4-hour PBS mini-series, “The Genocide Factor” had to be carefully researched because of the serious subject matter. I hired two university professors who were experts on the subject and had them write the script. Then we presented it to a genocide professor at Harvard University to be sure we were completely accurate. The series took three years to complete. I did documentary for MSNBC titled “For God and Country: A Marine sniper’s story.” It was a gut-wrenching story and difficult to watch as the young Marine featured poured his heart out about what it was like to kill another human being even though his targets were the enemy. The program won a Cine Golden Eagle award and a National Headliner Broadcast Award.

Like a novel, you have to be passionate about the subject you’ve chosen to make. If not, you are wasting your time. For me it’s the same whether it is a motion picture or a documentary. It’s a crap shoot like any other creative endeavor, so my advice to other is to be sure it is something you are really passionate about.

My answer is the same as above. I have to find a subject I am passionate about, whether if be fiction or nonfiction. An example is my new novel “MEGASTAR” which come out on May 1st. I thought it would be interesting to write about one man’s life from his birth to his death but I had no clue who he would be or how he spent his life. It went around and around in my head until I had a story. A number of people were given early copies of the manuscript so I could get some feedback. A couple of them said they thought the story was unique, so I thought I would explain how the book came about in a blog on my author website (www.robertjemeryauthor.com). If anyone wants to know the backstory about how I am to write “MEGASTAR” I invite them to read my blog.

I try to give my novels three things. First, a subject that not only entertains, but informs and is always rooted in some level of reality; a story that could actually become reality. Second, strong characters, each with their individual personalities no matter how small a part they play in the story. Finally, dialogue that rings true and is written the way people really talk.

When I created and produced the 91 episodes of “The Directors” series, the first director we featured was Robert Wise, best known for The Sound of Music, Westside Story, and the first Star Wars movie among so many other great works over his long career. To my good fortune Bob and I became friends. Whenever I was working in LA, Bob and I would always have at least one lunch together. And of course, the conversation always centered around filmmaking. I learned so much from him. It was a sad day when he died.

I only adapted one book. That was my movie titled “Swimming Upstream,” based on author Don Robertson’s novel, “The Greatest Thing That Almost Happened.” Don had passed away by then, so when I completed the screenplay, I presented it to his wife, who gave me her blessing. My other seven films were all my original stories, which I prefer. Like all book adaptations producers, directors, and writers have to adjust certain aspect of a novel to make them work in a visual medium. Sometimes that’s good, sometimes not so much when the filmmakers stray too far from the novel. I retired from filmmaking at age 65 and began writing books. There is an advantage to writing especially when you get older; I get to sit in front of a computer all day. On a film set I ran around for 9-10 hours a day or with a large cast and crew always looking to me for answers.

I’ve been fortunate to have been honored with many film and writing awards. My last motion picture, “Swimming Upstream” won the Best Dramatic Film Award at the Los Angeles Citi Film Festival. It was a wonderful way to have ended my movie making career. As for criticism, it is critically important, whether it be a film or a book, especially if the criticism is constructive.

I’m playing around with a couple of ideas for another novel, but have not made a decision yet. I have to be passionate about the story, enough that I’m willing to put in 5-6 hours a day for at least year or more. First and foremost, I write for me for my enjoyment then it is up to the reader whether I wrote something of value.

I had the good fortune to read “How to Promote Your Book” by Dr. Jan Yager who has a PhD in sociology and is a well-known author of nonfiction books. I’ve read several books on the subject, but Dr. Yager’s was the best by far. With the upcoming release of “MEGASTAR”, I followed her instructions to the letter, and although “MEGASTAR” will not be published until May 1st, by following Dr. Yager’s book, I lined up 10 people to read and review an early ARC, line up 4 podcasts, as well as three people who will read and review the book on TikTok, and of course there will be heavy social media exposure. In her book, Dr. Yager laid it out step by step like the major publishing houses do. Yes, it’s a lot of work and you have to be prepared to put the time or your book will not find an audience.

One of the websites I came across when I was assembling a list of websites where I would promote my work was AllAuthor.com. I’m very happy that that I signed on with them. Just the creative graphic designs they provide with our book covers inserted is a huge plus. Their website is one of the best laid out and they are very responsive to questions and inquiries. I would suggest all authors look into AllAuthors.com (no pun intended) as an excellent website that should become an important part of their PR efforts.