with Jim Rubart

Patterings


Welcome to Patterings, Jim! Tell us about your epiphany moment when you decided you were going to seriously pursue writing and eventually publication.
When I was twelve I wanted to be an NFL quarterback, I wanted to compete in the Olympics and I wanted to be an author. They were all fantasies. I never believed any of them could come true. As the dreams of pro stardom faded the writing dream just increased. I dabbled with writing short stories, subscribed to Writers Digest, even went to a few local writing workshops, but I never showed my writing to anyone.

Then in 2003 when my wife went on a fast without knowing why God had told her to do it. On day three I said, “I know why you’re fasting. God is saying I need to decide if I’m going to step into this gift He’s given me or refuse.” At that point I jumped in full force.

Which of your books (published or upcoming) has been the most fun for you to write and which character is your favorite?
ROOMS is my favorite at this point because it’s my first and so much of my heart is in it. My favorite character is Rick. He's wise, strong, kind, focused, passionate, full of mercy and justice at the same time. I wish I could be more like him.

What is your most difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it?
Time. I have a full-time job, two wonderful teenage boys and an amazing wife. Being an author could easily consume all my time all by itself. I overcome it by writing in batches. I might write for an entire weekend and then not for two weeks. When I’m under a deadline that’s not an option, but I try to balance family time and writing time so both receive the attention they deserve.

Which character in your new release most interested you while you wrote?
My main protagonist, Micah Taylor. He’s so tortured! But in a good way. He’s full of passion, spontaneous, and I didn’t know what he was going to do. I watched him in my head and simply wrote it down.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?
I’m terrified of heights, but jumped out of an airplane at 10,000 feet anyway. I thought I would conquer my fear by facing it. Didn’t work, but it was a rush! I felt like I was outside my body for six hours after jumping.

Are there things you put off doing because you dread them?
Yes. Why can’t everything be easy? Oh, we live in a broken world? Shoot, that’s right.

What would a perfect day for you look like?
Connection time with Jesus at 7a. Waterski with my boys at 8a. Long walk with my wife after that. Dirt bike with my boys in the afternoon. Do some writing. Long dinner with my wife. We all watch a great movie together. Sleep.

Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.
Everything. Bios, magazines, fiction, non-fiction, Reader’s Digest, trivia books…

Are there certain foods or snacks keeps the words flowing for you?
Coffee with almost as much Cream Brule cream as coffee. (Yes, for those of you who have already read ROOMS, Micah gets that trait from me.)

Are there spiritual themes you like to write about?
Absolutely. A friend once told me, “Every Pastor really has one sermon and they keep doing it over and over again using different angles.” So my “sermon” would be freedom, healing, and destiny.

What lesson is the Lord teaching you right now or recently taught you?
That He doesn’t care about sin. He wants relationship. Don’t misunderstand. The Father abhors sin. But that’s why He sent Jesus, to take care of it once and for all, past, present and future. It says in the Word we should be, “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith,” but so often we focus on our sin and try to fix ourselves. We can’t. We don’t have the power to be Holy. But the Holy Spirit does have the power. We have the Holy Spirit inside us. If we fix our eyes on Jesus, hang out with Him, immerse ourselves in our relationship with Him, focus on the unfathomable depth of His love, and let the Holy Spirit change us, we will become more Holy almost without being conscious of it.

All too often we focus on the wrong thing. Thanks so much for that reminder.
When is your next book due out and can you tell us about it?

Book of Days will hit shelves in January 2011. It’s the story of a young man who is losing the memories of his wife who died two years earlier. In an attempt to recover the memories he 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.

Jim is giving away a copy of Rooms. To be entered in the book giveaway, leave a comment and check back on Tuesday, May 11th to see if you've won. You can enter twice--once on each post in this spotlight. If you want to guarantee that you're notified if you win, then leave your email address in the comment, otherwise, you can just check back and email me through the button in my sidebar.
**Annoying little disclaimer: This giveaway is open only to U.S. addresses. By clicking on the Amazon link above or in the sidebar, and purchasing, I will receive a very small percentage of the sale.

9 comments:

  1. Please enter me in your giveaway:) Thanks so much!!

    esterried[at]yahoo[dot]com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great post.
    csdsksds[at]gmail[dot]com

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous6:27 AM

    This book sounds good!
    Sunny

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a lesson, one we all need to really take to heart. If we focus on Him, knowing Him and loving Him, He will take care of the rest for us! Amen! Thanks for that reminder!

    inspiredbyfiction[at]gmail[dot]com

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love Jim's themes of freedom and destiny. Rooms sounds like a wonderful, inspirational book. Please include me in the drawing. Thanksk!
    worthy2bpraised[at]gmail[dot]com

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous7:12 PM

    I would love to read Jim's book...please enter me. Thanks!!!
    jackie.smithATdishmailDOTnet

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous9:48 PM

    would love to read this fabulous book...thanks for the chance :)

    karenk
    kmkuka at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  8. I enjoyed the interview and learning personal things about the author.

    joann4us@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  9. Loved the interview, and Rooms sounds positively wonderful! I would absolutely love a chance to read it! Thanks! Esther

    ReplyDelete

Thanks so much for stopping by! I love hearing from you.

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