James Rubart and Free Books!

What if you woke up one morning and the dark parts of yourself were gone?

Before we meet today's author, I want to announce that the winner of the signed copy of As Bright as Heaven, by Susan Meissner, is:

dobeworld@...

Congratulations! I'll email you for your snail mail address, and we'll get your book right out to you. I encourage readers to keep commenting and/or subscribe at right (above my list of books) in order to participate in future book give-aways! Subscribers are entered a second time when they comment.

And now let's chat with novelist James L. Rubart, author of the psychological thriller (with a Christian supernatural element--or supernatural suspense), The Man He Never Was (HarperCollins Christian Publishing, February 2018).

James L. Rubart is 28 years old, but lives trapped inside an older man's body. He thinks he's still young enough to water ski and dirt bike with his two grown sons, and loves to send readers on journeys they'll remember months after they finish his stories. He's the best-selling, Christy BOOK of the YEAR, CAROL, INSPY and RT Book Reviews award-winning author of nine novels, a speaker, branding expert, co-host of the Novel Marketing podcast, and co-founder of the Rubart Writing Academy.

He lives with his amazing wife on a small lake in Washington.

May I interject here that many of us suspect Jim truly is 28 years old. He's not joking about the sports in which he engages. He's always been energy personified, and that spills over into his imaginative story ideas.

Jim, please tell us one random thing we might not know about you.

A 20,000 pound, 130 foot tree crashed through our home in 2014, almost killing my wife and youngest son, but it led to a profound working of God in our lives, as well as the chance to live next door to Viggo Mortenson (Aragorn from Lord of the Rings) for three months in a hotel while he was filming a movie, and our home was being rebuilt. In case you’re curious, Viggo is a wonderful person.

Where can I sign up for the near-death-meet-Viggo experience, please?

Tell us a bit more about the plot of The Man He Never Was.

What if You Woke Up One Morning and the Darkest Parts of Yourself Were Gone?

Toren Daniels vanished eight months back, and his wife and kids have moved on—with more than a little relief. Toren was a good man, but carried a raging temper that often exploded without warning. So when he shows up on their doorstep with no notice, they’re shocked to see him alive. But more shocked to see he’s changed. Radically.

His anger is gone. He’s oddly patient. Kind. Fun. The man he always wanted to be. Toren has no clue where he’s been, but knows he’s been utterly transformed. He focuses on three things: Finding out where he’s been. Finding out how it happened. And winning back his family.

But then shards of his old self start to rise up from deep inside—the man kicked out of the NFL for his fury—and Toren must face the supreme battle of his life.

In this fresh take on the classic Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde story, James L. Rubart explores the war between good and evil within each of us—and one man’s only chance to overcome the greatest divide of the soul.

You see what I mean, readers? How cool is that story premise? My book club read Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde this past year, and we saw so many Christian elements featured in the doctor's struggle. 

What is it about Toren that will make your readers care about him?

He’s you. He’s me. He’s anyone that has said—as Paul famously said in Romans 7—“I do the thing I hate.” So I think readers will care because they’ll see themselves in Toren, and maybe in his wife Sloane as well, who has to deal with the dark parts of Toren.

Share with us a quote you like from a book other than yours.

“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

—Gandalf in The Fellowship of the Ring

Why do you like the quote?

We live in an age of blaming everything and everyone around us, instead of acknowledging that we have choice, in every moment. Choice how to view our circumstances, choice on what kind of attitude to have, choice how we spend our time. We get to decide. I liked being reminded of that.

I agree, and so much of that choice needs to be considered before circumstances call for action. The more we consider what we believe, the more prepared we are when choices have to be made.

What is the last novel you read that you would recommend?

My son bought me East of Eden for Christmas. Not a novel I would have ever picked up on my own, but I read it to honor him and am so glad I did.

Why do you recommend it?

The sentence structure in places is beautiful. The insight into the human condition is brilliant. Great writer.

East of Eden was one of the first "literary" novels I ever read. It hooked me on the classics. 

What are you working on now?

I’m working on a new novel called, The Pages of Her Life, a story of a woman who finds a journal on the side of road that takes her life places she couldn’t have imagined. And I just wrapped up recording the audio version of The Man He Never Was—quite fun to do all the character’s voices and voice the book the way I heard it in my head when I wrote it.

Where else can readers find you online?

On my website jameslrubart.com where they can sign up for my newsletter and get a free copy of one of my short stories, on my Facebook page and on Twitter: @jamesLrubart

The book can be purchased online via the following button:



Finally, what question would you like to ask my readers?

What’s the best movie you’ve seen in the past six months? Should my wife and I watch it?

Thank you, Jim, for visiting and telling us about yourself and your book. Readers, Jim has offered to give away a signed copy of his novel. To enter, leave a comment and your email below in answer to Jim's question, above. "Please enter me" won't get you entered. Remember that subscribers are entered an additional time in each drawing. The drawing is done by email, so leave your email address, like so: trish[at]trishperry[dot]com.

Many commenters are left out of the drawing because they forget to include a way for me to notify them of their win (their email).

Also readers, I'd love it if you'd connect with me on Facebook. Just click on my name at the right of today's post title.

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Annoying legal disclaimer: drawings void where prohibited; open only to U.S. residents; the odds of winning depend upon the number of participants. See full disclaimer, as well as my Disclosure of Material Connection HERE