Meet and Greet: James L Rubart

 Author James L. Rubart lives in the Pacific Northwest and describes himself as a water skier, guitar player, dirt biker, cliff jumper, husband to his amazing wife for almost 24 years, and dad to two awesome sons, 17 and 14. His day job is helping authors and businesses market themselves through his company Barefoot Marketing. His debut novel, Rooms, just released with B&H Publishers and has already reached the top position in  the Amazon sales list.

BRC: How would you describe your book?
A story with all the boring parts taken out. Smile. Rooms is the story of a young Seattle software tycoon who inherits a home on the Oregon coast that turns out to be a physical manifestation of his soul. If you’re saying, “Ooooooo,” then I think you’ll like it. If you’re saying, “Huh?” then the jury is out. J If you took It’s a Wonderful Life, Disney’s the Kid, The Shack, The Screwtape Letters, Field of Dreams, Wild at Heart, some romance and mixed them all together you’d have Rooms. The headline on the back of my cover conveys the story pretty well: “What would you find if you walked into the rooms of your soul? One man is about to find out.”

BRC: What message do you hope it conveys?
That there is incredible freedom and healing in Jesus. And people can step into their destiny, even if they feel like they've missed it their whole lives.

BRC: What did you enjoy most about writing this book?
As I say in my dear reader letter, I needed this book for my own healing and freedom. It was a story I wanted to read, so I loved watching the ideas flow from the imaginings God gave me onto paper and into my heart.

BRC: What did you dislike most about writing this book?
I think the book will set some people free. It’s the theme I keep hearing from people who have already read it. And freedom is vehemently opposed by the enemy of this world. So there were definitely times I had to push through that were tough. Times I was tempted to give up where my amazing wife pushed me to press on through the oppression coming at me.

BRC: What inspired you to become a writer?
Christmas ’72. My mom gave my sister and me The Chronicles of Narina. At nine years old I was sucked into that world and never wanted to leave. Through C.S. Lewis’ brilliance the bug bit hard and never let go. Ever since I’ve wanted to try to do for others what Clive Staples did for me.

BRC: Tell us about your writing process
These days—with as crazy-busy as I am—I tend to write in batches. I'll take a weekend and write eight hours a day for two and half days, then might not write again till three days later.

BRC: What are you working on now?
Book of Days which will release in January 2011. It’s the story of a man who goes on a quest to find God’s Book of Days—described in Psalm 139—that has recorded the past, present, and future of every soul on earth. Also, I’m working on The Chair which will release in the fall of 2011. And in the land of surreal, a number of film production companies are interested in both Rooms and Book of Days, so we’re starting to explore possibilities there.

BRC: What books do you enjoy reading?
Everything. Bios, fiction, non-fiction, magazines … I always have five or six books going at the same time.

BRC: Where can readers buy your book?
Amazon, as well as Barnes & Noble, Books A Million, Amazon, Family Christian Stores, LifeWay, CBD, etc.

BRC: Where can readers find you online?

• http://www.jimrubart.com/ 
• http://www.barefootmarketing.com/Home/
• Facebook: James L. Rubart
• Twitter: @jimrubart
• e-mail: jim@jimrubart.com

Book Giveaway Contest: Leave a comment on this interview to enter. Entrants are limited to those with mailing addresses in the United States and will be accepted until midnight on Wednesday (Pacific Time). The winner will be announced on this blog on Friday. For complete contest rules, click the link in the right sidebar.