An Interview With Bob Thiel, Ph.D.
What books did you love as a child? Why?
Mysteries and biographies. I found them both fascinating.
Who are your favorite authors? How did they influence your writing?
As a child, I liked Mark Twain. His writings taught me that people like stories. Herbert Armstrong was another. He taught me that people will read long documents if they are interesting enough.
When did you decide you wanted to be a writer? Why did you decide to write?
I have been writing off and on for much of my life. The current trend to write books related to prophecy and theology came after a visit to Athens and another to Rome.
When do you find time to write?
I tend to write early morning before others in our house are up. I also squeeze it in when I can during the day.
What are the joys of writing for you?
As a non-fiction writer, I get to research and learn things myself, and love sharing what I learn from others.
What are the obstacles of writing? How do you overcome them?
Obstacles are mainly marketing-related (not a personal strength) and sometimes hurrying. Having an editor helps with the hurrying issues.
What is your favorite genre to read in? Write in? Why?
I tend to read and write non-fiction. It is not that I do not ever enjoy fiction, but there is so much that I want to learn, that non-fiction is my priority.
How would you describe your writing style? How did you develop it?
My writing style is more of a quote and comment type. I do that because I am normally advocating positions outside the norm and hope that by having lots of references, that people will be moved to not only believe what I am writing, but to take steps to change because of it.
What was the inspiration for your book?
After a visit to Vatican City, it occurred to me that writing certain types of prophetic books could help many people.
What were the challenges of writing your story? The joys?
The biggest challenges were to try to put all the pieces together in a way that others would understand them. The biggest joys were all that I learned while putting it together. But the real joy is when people come up to me and tell me to the effect that “every time I watch the news, I see things that your book said would happen.” That really brings me joy.
Do you do research for your writing? If so, how do you go about it (Internet, travel, etc.)?
My wife and I have traveled essentially around the world. We visited Mayan ruins, many areas in Asia Minor, Greece, Rome, Vatican City, and elsewhere. Also, I bought lots of books, including some that cannot be found either in bookstores or places like Amazon.
Tell us about your book.
My book explains how Mayan, biblical, Byzantine, Catholic, Islamic, Mormon, Chinese, Hindu, and other prophecies will align, what will and will not happen in 2012, and what will happen after it. Since the book was first released in September 2009, world events have lined up with at least 20 predictions in it. No other “2012” book seems to have such a track record.
What did you learn about yourself from writing this book?
I was surprised how well certain prophecies from different cultures lined up with my understanding of biblical prophecy.
What advice do you have for other writers?
Once you have an idea of the message you want, even if you know few details, get a computer and start to type.
What do you wish someone had told you about writing that you learned the hard way?
The advent of the internet and digital books was changing the book world faster than some had told me.
What is your next project?
My next book, Fatima Shock!, is also close to being finished and I am in the process of getting an editor. There is another book that I have been working on for 6-7 years, The Beginning and the End of the Christian Church Era, that I hope to stop working on and publish. Both books will amaze people interested in prophecy and the Christian church.
What are you reading now?
I have been reading early church writings. They are actually more interesting, when properly understood, than most people imagine.
Anything else you’d like your readers to know?
If they are concerned about what is going on in the world today and would like a roadmap that could help them make sense of that, as well as what will happen, give my book a try. They should be surprised, and hopefully highly pleased, with what they will learn.
2012 and the Rise of the Secret Sect:
2012 and the Rise of the Secret Sect: A Revolutionary Spiritual and Physical Survival Guide for 2012-2020 is a groundbreaking investigative work that goes beyond way beyond the usual doomsday flaming meteor and tidal wave scenarios. Award-winning researcher and end time prophecy expert, Dr. Bob Thiel, disseminates and later compares ancient prophecies of the world’s 11 major religions, explains which prophecies are not likely to occur and describes which world changing events are inevitable. Predictions in 2012 and the Rise of the Secret Sect are happening right now.
About the Author:
The author was raised in Michigan. He has studied philosophy, religion, research, science, and prophecy, both formally and informally for several decades. The author has a Master’s degree from the University of Southern California and a Ph.D. from the Union Institute and University. In the past fifteen years, he has had scores of articles published on these topics in a variety of print publications such as magazines, newspapers, and journals. He has been a lifelong researcher and has received several research awards. He has also worked for geotechnical and other research companies.
He has been married to his wife Joyce since 1981. Together they have made multiple trips to ancient sites in Central America, Asia Minor, Rome, Greece, and elsewhere. This would include visiting such places as Tikal and Iximche in Guatemala; Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea and Patmos in Asia Minor; Fatima in Portugal; Vatican City, Rome, and Pompeii in the Italian peninsula; Athens, Corinth, Crete, and Rhodes in Greece; and Constantinople (now Istanbul) and Cappadocia in Turkey. They have also visited ancient ruins in Asia and explored parts of Africa.
The Thiels have three sons and live in the Five Cities region of the central California coast.
Find and follow Bob Thiel:
Author Website
Other Website
Twitter
Buy the book:
For more information about 2012 and the Rise of the Secret Sect, click here.
Rejection Letters–An Editor’s Point of View
We’ve been hard at work putting together the Winter 2012 edition of The Copperfield Review, making the usual tough decisions about which pieces will go in and which won’t.
Contrary to popular belief, editors don’t find a sadistic satisfaction from sending out rejection letters. There is that one editor with a voodoo doll and a case of push pins, but that’s another post. Most editors are writers too, and we know there’s nothing like the prick of a rejection letter to pop the air from a writer’s bubble.
There have been times when I received too many rejections in a row and I couldn’t help but take them personally. Was it my storytelling? My habit of submitting acrostic poetry? Was my Aunt Ellie just wrong and I really don’t have a way with words? But then I became an editor, and I realized that decisions aren’t always about storytelling or talent.
The Secret is No Great Secret
Here’s the big secret that’s really no secret at all: most decisions are based on personal preference. There’s no complex system editors use to determine quality (think of the formula in the textbook meant to determine a poem’s value in Dead Poet’s Society). There’s no list of writers to accept or reject. It’s not about what MFA program you went to, or if you even have an MFA. Not everyone’s style is to everyone’s taste. That’s it. If we turn down a piece at Copperfield, that doesn’t mean it’s bad. It’s just not for us at that time.
At The Copperfield Review, we tend to have more literary, experimental tastes. I have great respect for Hemingway-esque simplicity, but it’s not the kind of work I’m drawn to publish. I love work that plays with, stretches, challenges the English language. We’re blessed to write in the English language. Truly. Our wealth of vocabulary, limitless possibilities for structure, and ability to be straightforward or lost in a stream of consciousness makes our language a vast artist’s toolbox to use to paint pictures in words.
One Thing is Too Much Like the Other
Since Copperfield is a journal of historical fiction, we get a lot of submissions set in the same era—World War II and the Old West are two of the most popular. But because we receive so many stories set during the same time, we can’t publish them all. I know the consensus is that you should read literary journals to see if those journals have published pieces similar to the work you want to submit. Generally, that’s true. But let some time pass if you want to submit a story on exactly the same subject as one that’s just been published. If you see a story in Copperfield about the American Civil War in our Spring edition, wait at least until Autumn before you send in your Gettysburg tale. We’re open to it, just not so soon.
Once we received twenty World War II submissions for the same edition. No joke. There was nothing particularly wrong with any of the stories, but we couldn’t publish twenty stories on the same subject. We rejected eighteen of them, most of which might have been published if they had been sent at another time.
Which brings us to the million dollar question: how can you know exactly when to submit your work? Unfortunately, you can’t. Sometimes journals ask for specific types of submissions for certain editions, but otherwise timing can be the luck of the draw. There is an element of luck involved in sending your work to the right publisher at the right time. But the more research you do, and the more you submit, the more opportunities you have to turn the tides of timing in your favor.
I know the form letter rejections aren’t very helpful for writers, but they’re a necessary evil due to the number of submissions most journals receive. Just remember, the next time you receive one, it’s not about your talent. It’s about the editors, their personal tastes for the type of writing they prefer, and the type of stories they’re looking to publish at the time.
For tips on submitting to editors, check here.
My Favorite Things with Author Jamie Lee Scott
On my iPod: My taste in music is eclectic, so I have the soundtrack to Black Swan (I listen to this when I’m writing darker scenes), George Strait, Kid Rock, Rob Thomas, Wynton Marsalis, U2, Cold Play, Lilly Allen, and Black Eyed Peas.
Currently Reading: Little Book of Sitcom by John Vorhaus (I’m writing a sitcom for the Nickelodeon Fellowship)
Color: Brown
City: Los Angeles (the greater area) because I have so many friends who live there, and there is so much diversity
Dream Vacation: A private beach, with my cottage just steps away from the sand, and all I can eat and drink
Activity: Working with my horses
Book: Horse Heaven by Jane Smiley
Book on Writing: I’ll just list two: On Writing by Stephen King, and Save the Cat by Blake Snyder.
Place to Read: When the weather is nice, the upstairs deck off my master bedroom. When it’s cold and windy, the rocking chair in my bedroom.
TV Show: This is tough to narrow down, so Modern Family, New Girl, Whitney, Castle, Once Upon a Time, and Grimm.
Movie: The Air I Breathe, an incredible indie film
Song: ”Good to be Me” by Uncle Kracker
Singer: Rob Thomas
Band: Band of Horses
Actor: Oliver Platt
Actress: Natalie Portman
Pet Peeve: People who are oblivious to those around them when talking on their cell phone in public. Seriously, 99% of those calls can wait until everyone standing in line doesn’t have to hear it.
Most Like To Meet: Screenwriter Bob DeRosa, who has been a mentor, but I’ve never met him. And my novel writing critique partner, Jennie Bentley.
Let Us Prey
Book 1, Gotcha Detective Agency Mysteries
By Jamie Lee Scott
Mimi Capurro has been hired to protect New York Times bestselling author, Lauren Silke, who was recently assaulted in the bathroom at a paranormal conference. Though Mimi is hired to act as bodyguard for Lauren’s upcoming book tour, plans change when Lauren’s assistant is murdered and the slaying is a replica of a scene from Lauren’s newest novel. A novel that hit bookstores the same day as the killing.
Now instead of playing bodyguard, Mimi is cracking computer code and chasing down vampires. These vampires come alive on the streets of Santa Cruz as part of a live role-playing game. Mimi must find the connection between the vampires and the author to track down the killer. This would be much easier if Detective Nick Christianson wanted her investigating the case.
Nick, Mimi’s old college fling, is the lead homicide investigator.
Though he wants her off the case, he also wants to pump her for information. Nick may have used her in the past, but this time she’ll use him to try to catch the murderer first.
About the Author:
Jamie Lee Scott was born on the Central Coast of California, where she spent her entire childhood entertaining. She wrote plays and charged admission to her backyard stage so her friends and family could enjoy the performances. She wrote her first novel at the age of 10, for her 5th grade class project. The novel was called Cindy.
Busy with horses and school, Jamie rarely wrote through her teens and twenties. She was living a life most dreamed of (well, she dreamed of anyway), competing at barrel races, hanging out with cowboys, and traveling in rodeo circles with her friends. Money was tight, but life was good. Then Jamie met the man of her dreams. And low and behold he was not a cowboy, but a farm boy. They married and he swept her away to her little piece of heaven in Iowa.
Before she finished her first full length novel, Jamie was contracted to write the book, Hiking Iowa, for Falcon Publishing. In a year, she hiked 75 trails in the state of Iowa and mapped the trails, landmarks and distances. And this was before GPS. It was tough work for the measly advance, but it was a writing credit. So now, Jamie writes the mystery series featuring the Gotcha Detective Agency.
Jamie has written three novels, Let Us Prey, the soon to be released Death of a Sales Rep, and Give a Dog a Bone. She is currently writing screenplays. She is co-founder of Scriptchat on Twitter www.scriptchat.com and TWWriterChat at www.tvwriterchat.com. She is the former president of RWA’s screenwriting chapter, Script Scene. Jamie still lives in Iowa (though she visits California as often as possible) with her husband, 2 dogs, 2 cats and 2 horses.
