Bio
Bob Doerr Bob grew up in a military family, graduated from the Air Force Academy, and then had a 28 year career of his own in the Air Force. It was a life style that had him moving every few years, but also one that exposed him to the people and cultures of numerous countries around the world. In the Air Force, Bob specialized in criminal investigations and counterintelligence gaining significant insight to the worlds of crime, espionage and terrorism. His field of work involved close coordination with the investigative and security agencies of many different countries and with the FBI and CIA. This background has helped Bob develop the fictional plots and characters in his books. In addition to his degree from the Academy, he also has a Masters in International Relations from Creighton University. Bob is now a full time author, with three mystery/thrillers already published, and a fourth to be released in the fall, 2011. Two of his books, Cold Winter’s Kill and Loose Ends Kill, were selected as finalists for the Eric Hoffer Award. The latter is also currently a Finalist for the Military Writers Society's 2011 award for Fiction/Mystery. Bob lives in Garden Ridge, Texas, with his wife of 38 years, and their ornery cat Cinco. Bob’s books: Dead Men Can Kill:
http://www.amazon.com/DEAD-MEN-CAN-KILL-Doerr/dp/1590957598/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1315666198&sr=1-1 Loose Ends Kill:
http://www.amazon.com/DEAD-MEN-CAN-KILL-Doerr/dp/1590957598/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1315666198&sr=1-1 Cold Winter’s Kill:
http://www.amazon.com/COLD-WINTERS-KILL-Bob-Doerr/dp/1590957636/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1315666306&sr=1-4 Bob’s Website:
http://www.bobdoerr.com/ BMH: You're president of the United States for enough time to only make one executive decision. What is it?
BD: All adults over the age of 55 would be assigned a college student to assist them with all computing, internet networking, social media, and texting needs. Why? The older I get, the further behind I become in simply staying current – and I don’t think I’m alone.
BMH: Describe a few pet peeves of yours.
BD: I dislike people taking advantage of other people. Bad drivers irritate me. And maybe paying a lot for a meal just to get an itsy-teeny portion.
BMH: Would you rather...
- Live without music or live without TV?
Without music. - Be gossiped about or never talked about at all?
As an author, I’d rather be gossiped about
BMH: You are going to a deserted island, you can take only two comfort items with you, what would they be?
BD: A big pillow and all the toilet paper I could carry. I admit it probably means I have some issues.
BMH: Do you blog? If so, why and what do you usually blog about?
BD: No – see my answer to the first question above.
BMH: Have you ever done a blog book tour? What was that like and would you do it again?
BD: No, but I’d like to do one.
BMH: What's a common and accepted practice for Americans nowadays that you think we'll look back on with regret?
BD: Making it more and more socially acceptable for the healthy & capable to live off government handouts. Those who need to be helped should be, everyone else should have to work to receive the public’s welfare.
BMH: What would you attempt to do if you knew that you could not fail?
BD: Rid the world of evil – it’s my superhero complex.
BMH: How often do you Google yourself?
BD: Two to three times a month.
BMH: What do you know now that you wished someone had told you ten years ago?
BD: Buy Apple stock.
BMH: What advice would you give to a beginning writer?
BD: Join writers’ groups and don’t give up.
BMH: What childhood event shaped or scarred you the most?
BD: I’m not sure, maybe winning the sixth grade dance contest or being selected Duke of my sophomore class. Things have kind of gone downhill since.
BMH: Who has been the biggest influence in your life?
BD: My wife.
BMH: Do you have any pets? If so tell us about them.
BD: Bad question, Skyler our dog and friend for the last fourteen years recently passed away. He was really an exceptional pet. Our cat, Cinco, is our only pet now. He’s not too bad either.
BMH: Do you enjoy doing promotion?
BD: For the most part, yes.
BMH: What’s the oddest thing you have ever done to promote your work?
BD: Sorry, nothing I can think of that would be considered odd.
BMH: What is the strangest fan question/request you’ve ever gotten?
BD: Somebody once asked me if I had ever killed anyone.
BMH: Respond to these pairings and tell why you respond the way you do:
- Series or stand-alone books.
- Series – that’s what I’m writing.
- Outlines or seat of the pants plotting.
- Seat of the pants – I enjoy letting the story evolve.
- Lots of research or make it all up.
- Research, but not lot’s of it. I spent a long time as a criminal investigator so I do research but not as much as others.
- Neat or sloppy.
- Sloppy, but not terribly sloppy.
- NY or DC.
- NY, I’m not a fan of politicians.
- Carnivore or vegetarian.
- Carnivore, vegetarians are almost always the prey.
BMH: How have you grown as a writer?
BD: I feel more confident.
BMH: What has gotten better?
BD: My handling of dialogue and detail.
BMH: What things have you dropped along the way?
BD: Explicit violence.
BMH: What helped most in your growth as a writer?
BD: Critique, feedback, and writing more.
BMH: If you could go back in time and ask anyone a question, who would you ask, what would you ask and why do you want to know?
BD: I had a friend and neighbor, who had a family and was reasonably successful in life who, at age 60, turned into a criminal and is now a fugitive from the law. I’d love to go back a couple of years and ask him what was going through his mind that made him start down the path that has now ruined his and his family’s lives. As it didn’t start off with a spontaneous crime of passion, which I imagine could happen to a lot of us, it fascinates me that anyone with half a brain would have made the decisions he must have made.
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