Welcome to the Weekend With.... R. B. Holbrook

Some of you may remember a review I did a little while about on Oracle's Legacy, the first two books in a trilogy. They were fabulous as is their creator who is our guest today. A big welcome to another great North Carolina author, RB Holbrook. Makes me proud to be from NC!

First tell us a little about you-


Hello! I am 29 going on insane. I suffer from sleep deprivation because I have to get my writing in somehow since I work an average 8 hour job. I love music and my computer.

When did you first start writing and did you always want to be an author?

I started writing in the 3rd grade. I believe I was 8. My class had just learned cursive and the teacher brought in a guest who taught us poetry. I've been writing ever since.


As much as I love writing it had always been a hobby to me. Realistically, I knew writing wasn't lucrative, so I never seriously considered being an author until three years ago. A push from my mother to follow my heart and the inspiration of my brother pushed me into this direction.

What is the most challenging aspect of writing? Most rewarding?

The most challenging aspect is getting everything that's in my head out and onto paper or in my computer. Sometimes I can't write fast enough and ideas slip away. That sucks. Sometimes I can't find those perfect words to describe my thoughts.

The most rewarding, when I find those perfect words. Oh, and when readers also agree that those words are perfect. I especially love when readers enjoy the scenes I loved writing most. Don't get me wrong, I want readers to love all that I write. But when we can come to an agreement that a certain scene is the best... I gets the warm fuzzies all over.

Where did you get the idea for Oracle’s Legacy?

I got the idea from a million different places. I read Marvel and DC comics growing up and I enjoy watching super hero movies. Then I began asking myself a lot of questions: What if these heroes had a community? What if their origins were specific and not freaks of nature? What if they had a combined history and government? What if the heroes and the villains were just everyday people? I took all the what ifs, mixed them up, built on them, and eureka!

How much research did you do for your book and how much ended up in the finished product?

Not much research really. I have a lot of useless information in my head. Places I've gone, people I've meet, and things that I have learned in school and life have all contributed to research. And trust me when I say not even a fourth of that information made it into these books.

How do you keep track of your world building?

Notes. And most of those notes are a bit unorganized visually, but there is a system in all the madness. The most visually organized part, I put in my book: the glossary!

How long, on average, does it take to write a book?

I honestly couldn't say, but I think it depends on how much effort I or anyone wants to put into writing. Children of Sun, my first book, took me a year and it was 200 pages LESS than Shadows of Fate which also took a year. Dawn of Illumination, the third which I am writing now, is almost complete and it has only been about four months since I started writing it.

Which character in this book most resembles you?

That's tough to say because I think a little of me is in all of them. But I think I'm more like the Oracle: she's observant, not hands on, and not very vocal.

If Ollie had a theme song what would it be?

Gosh, I love music, so I have several songs that could be hers. Heck, I got a soundtrack:


Bad by Michael Jackson
Born To Be Wild by Steppenwolf
Bitch by Meredith Brooks
Static (Don't Start None Won't Be None) by James Brown
Getting Away With Murder by Papa Roach
No More Sorrow by Linkin Park
Girls Just Want To Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper


I got more... but I'll leave you with those.

Your story has several paranormal elements. If you had one of their abilities which one would you choose?

I should say something like a healer or maybe something massive, like shooting energy beams out from my hands, but I have to be honest. Mind Manipulation: its freakin' diabolical, ruthless while being subtle and almost effortless.

If you were a character in your books, which one of the Houses would you belong in?

House of Sun - I admire mental prowess and the mental abilities that govern Sun.

I know you self-published. Why did you choose that route and what has been the best and worst aspects of that process for you?

I chose that route because I wanted hands on experience. And oh did I get it. I liked working to put my book together, giving ideas on the cover art, working with editors, and learning marketing. It makes me appreciate and respect publishing.


I can't say I like the stigma that comes with self-published books. And I'm no salesperson, so getting people to buy it is difficult. Another thing, self-publishing is time consuming, taking away from writing. I don't like that. So if by going the traditional route and finding an agent will save me time while upping my readership, I think I will do that for future books, after the third one.

Have you always lived in North Carolina ? Does your environment help or hinder your writing/creativity?

Yes, NC is where I was born and raised. And where I now reside. Living here has done nothing to hinder my creativity. In my opinion, I think it has fueled it. Living in an conservative environment taught me restraint, but it also helped me learn to express all my thoughts and feeling through writing, allowing my imagination to run free on paper.

Who are your favorite authors?

This question always gets me. I don't have just one: King Solomon and Moses of the Bible, Ray Bradbury, Octavia Butler, Piers Anthony, Kahlil Gibran, Hafiz, and Shel Silverstein.

What three authors/writers/characters would you have a slumber party with and what would you do?

Ugh! I'm a party pooper. Slumber parties happen at night, and that's my writing time. These people would be infringing on quality time with my computer and I would have to ask my guest to excuse me. I'm bad, I know.

You can influence any one thing in the entire history, the present or the future of the world (what has occurred, how something works, etc.). What would you choose to change and why?

That's easy, I would smack both Adam and Eve before they decided to screw the whole of humanity royally.

If you could spend the day with one person (someone in history, a favorite author, a public figure, a character in a book, etc.), who would you choose and why?

I have my head in the clouds so often, I can't just choose one person. And no one comes to mind... thought I would love to spend the day with Warren Buffett at a time when he's feeling most charitable. Heehee!

Finally, I know you are working on the third book in the Oracle’s Legacy Trilogy, what's up next for the characters?

Ha! Something you have to know about be: I'm evil and twisted. I love to make people yearn for more, so you won't get much info out of me. And because I get such joy out of torture, I plan to do the same to my characters... just a bit.

Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions. It's great to know more about you! I can't wait until the next book comes out. Be sure you check out the website http://www.rbholbrook.com/