James Rubart Interview

Q: Let me start with asking you to tell us a little bit about yourself.  

A: I’m a husband, dad, friend, author, speaker, and marketing guy—in that order.

Grew up in the Seattle area, got a degree in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Washington, did a stint on air at a Seattle radio station, started my marketing firm (Barefoot Marketing) in 1994.

Married twenty six years to the world’s most amazing woman, two sons 20 and 17.  

Q: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

A. At eleven years old. When I was eight my mom made me read half an hour a night. I fought that for about two weeks and then turned into a voracious reader. (I was that kid with the flashlight under the covers reading far past the time my light was supposed to be out.)

So I fell in love with books and thought it would be fun to try to write my own someday. Reading the Chronicles of Narnia sealed the deal. I started dreaming of doing for others what C.S. Lewis had done for me—take people away to other worlds and immerse them in an adventure they felt they were almost living themselves and that they couldn’t put down.

Q: Could you give us the highlights of your professional writing career including how you got your first writing break?

A. Being a bestselling author and having all my novels so far either win awards or be nominated has been nice because it helps me combat the fear  I don’t know what I’m doing.

But the true highlights have been the e-mails from readers telling me the impact my novels have had on their life.   

My first break

My first agent submitted ROOMS in the fall of ’06 to David Webb (executive director of B&H Fiction at the time) who rejected it, but said if it didn’t sell somewhere else, to bring it back to him in six months. A year later (in the fall of ’07) I met him at a conference and he said, “I’ve read 200 manuscripts since I read yours and I can’t get it out of my head. Let’s take another run at it.” David got it through his publishing committee in the late spring of ’08.

The relationship with my current publisher—Thomas Nelson—came about through a deep friendship. In the fall of 2008 I met Allen Arnold (who at the time was Sr VP and Publisher at Thomas Nelson) and we quickly became close friends. The friendship had nothing to do with publishing and everything to do with shared passions about life, family, adventure, similar histories, and love of epic stories. In late 2010 he brought up the idea of doing books together and in the spring of 2011 I signed a five-book contract with Thomas Nelson.

Q: Would you tell us about your current book release Soul’s Gate?  

A: What if you could send your soul into other people’s souls to fight for their freedom and healing? That’s the premise of Soul’s Gate and it’s a wild ride.

I love what Publisher’s Weekly says about the novel: “Readers with high blood pressure or heart conditions be warned: this is a seriously heart-thumping and satisfying read that goes to the edge, jumps off, and “builds wings on the way down.”

And here’s what RT Book Reviews says: “Rubart’s novel is enthralling and superlative. Truly a story about freedom from things that we hold onto, this tale will captivate readers and encourage a more active, dynamic spiritual life. The original plot and well-drawn characters elevate this book to “must read” status.”

Here’s the back cover copy which gives a more of what the novel is about:

“Every now and then we get a break from reality. A glimpse into the other world that is more real than the reality we live in 99 percent of our days. The Bible is about a world of demons and angels and great evil and even greater glory.”

What if you could travel inside another person’s soul? To battle for them. To be part of Jesus healing their deepest wounds. To help set them free to step boldly into their divinely designed future.

Thirty years ago that’s exactly what Reece Roth did. Until tragedy shattered his life and ripped away his future.

Now God has drawn Reece out of the shadows to fulfill a prophecy spoken over him three decades ago. A prophecy about four warriors with the potential to change the world . . . if Reece will face his deepest regret and teach them what he has learned.

They gather at a secluded and mysterious ranch deep in the mountains of Colorado, where they will learn to see the spiritual world around them with stunning clarity—and how to step into the supernatural.

Their training is only the beginning. The four have a destiny to pursue a freedom even Reece doesn’t fully fathom. But they have an enemy hell-bent on destroying them and he’ll stop at nothing to keep them from their quest for true freedom and the coming battle of souls.

Q: Where did you get your inspiration for Soul’s Gate?

A: As I wrote my first novel, ROOMS (the story of a young man who goes inside the rooms of his soul) I wondered how I could take that idea to the next level.

What if a person could enter into another person’s soul by God’s Spirit and confront the wounds and brokenness inside and help heal and bring freedom to that person? So while SOUL’S GATE isn’t a sequel to ROOMS (which I plan on doing someday) SOUL’S GATE was definitely inspired by ROOMS.

Q: What is the main thing you hope readers remember from this story?

A: That God longs to see them healed and set free from the chains that hold them back from stepping into their destiny and all that God has for them.

Q: What is your favorite scene/chapter from the book?

A: I believe the greatest enemy of the church today is the spirit of religion. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. Where the spirit of religion is, there is legalism and condemnation and division and guilt and burdens God never intended us to carry.

In one scene about halfway through the novel my protagonists go to a church and their eyes are opened wide to the spiritual realm. Very wide. They see the destructive power of the religious spirit at work right the middle of the service.

Telling any more would be giving too much away, but suffice it to say I think many readers will resonate with the scene and maybe see some chains they’ve allowed religion to place in their own lives and lead them into more freedom.

Q: What inspires you to write?  

A. Deadlines! J Seriously, for me it’s like the movie Chariots of Fire. Remember the hero of that film, Eric Liddell? He says, “I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.” That’s me. I believe God made me for the purpose of writing—and when I write I feel His pleasure.

Q: How has being a published novelist differed from your expectations of the profession? 

A: I hoped (and expected) to make an impact on reader’s lives: Draw them to Jesus, encourage them, see them set free—and that has happened. But to a greater degree than I imagined. The greatest thrill of being an author is getting those e-mails saying their life has been utterly changed.

What I didn’t expect is the depth and richness of relationships that have developed within the publishing world. A number of my writing heroes have become friends. Very cool. The publishing world is small and getting to hang out with the people I used to know and admire only through their books is a thrill. 

Q: What advice or tips do you have for writers who are just getting started?

A:  Run. Away from your keyboard as fast as you can and never look back. Seriously, I’d say realize you are learning a art form and like all art forms it takes intense study and practice. I could entertain you with my guitar for half an hour or so and you’d walk away saying, “That was pretty good. I enjoyed listening to Jim.” But you wouldn’t plunk down $12 for a CD of my playing. I’m just not that good. I’d have to practice for years to get to the level where someone would shell out money to hear me play.

You understand where I’m going? Okay then, no need to belabor the point. Suffice it to say aspiring writers often don’t understand how hard it is to get to a publishable level of craft. But those that do will have a good shot at publication because most aspiring writers (and singers, and painters, and chefs, and photographers, etc.) give up leaving room at the top for those willing to pay the price.

Q: Would you share with us what you are working on now?  

A.  I just finished the sequel to Soul’s Gate, which is called Memory’s Door. It’s the second book in the Well Spring trilogy and will release summer of ‘13. I’m also working on a non-fiction book for novelists on how to market themselves and I have a few other projects in the works that I can’t go into detail on at the moment.

Q: When you’re not writing what do you like to do? 

A. Too many things to do them all! I love waterskiing, photography, back packing, watching movies, sleight of hand, golf, and snow skiing to name a few of my hobbies.

Q: Where can readers find you on the internet? 

A. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/James-L-Rubart/320882261326243    My Web site: http://www.jameslrubart.com/  Twitter:  @jimrubart

Q: Anything else you’d like to tell or share with us?  

A. This life is short. I heard a quote years ago that said, “Life is not a dress rehearsal.” For a time I agreed. But now I believe life is a dress rehearsal. It’s a chance to try all those dreams we’ve held but haven’t acted on. Who cares if we crash and burn? At least we stepped out and took a risk. So dream big, follow the Spirit and let worry and fear slip away. God has so much more for us than we could ever imagine.  

Thanks for having me!