Please Welcome Robert Lowe author of Project Moses

Project Moses

By

Robert Lowe

BLURB:  

“A thriller with an ideal fusion of wile and wit.”- Kirkus Reviews

Project Moses is a high-tech bioterrorism thriller in the Grisham mode that has been well received on Good Reads, Library Thing and Kindle (4.8 stars based on 18 reviews as of April 4).  It has romance, suspense and humor.

Enzo Lee, 37, a burned out reporter, has forsaken investigative reporting on the East Coast to churn out feature fluff in San Francisco. He likes his North Beach apartment, steps away from his Chinatown roots. Running, tai chi, great food, women who are attracted to his exotic looks. Life is good.

Then, Lee is ordered to cover the unexplained deaths of a local judge and prosecutor. Intrigued by the connection, and the judge’s attractive niece, Sarah Armstrong, Lee begins to uncover a bioterrorism scandal whose perpetrators - including government officials and Silicon Valley titans - will kill to conceal.

When Lee and Sarah become targets, the question becomes whether the pair can evade their hunters and piece together the story before their time runs out. Project Moses is set in San Francisco, New York and Silicon Valley.

 Interview

1.    What or who inspired you to start writing?

I was a newspaper reporter for 12 years out of college so that career choice showed my interest in writing and, of course, those years helped my writing.  Having written for a living in that format gave me confidence that I could write a book.  Also, I worked in newsrooms where there was always someone working on a book and some were very successful.  So, it seemed more doable that it would for someone without that background. 

2.    What elements are necessary components for this genre.

There are the things that I strive to have:  a) Compelling narrative which means both not boring and with energy or pacing to keep the story and the reader moving.  b) A tight plot with enough at stake to make it interesting but credible and without loose ends. c) Believable characters that people will react to in the way intended – particularly find your heroes likeable and believe it when romance occurs. d) New information about a profession, industry or science as an added “content bonus.”    

3.    What expertise did you bring to your writing?

My 12 years as a reporter and having writing be part of how I made my living was a big element.  My specialty was investigative reporting so understanding how to unearth facts helped both in terms of what Enzo Lee, the main character would do, but also in terms of thinking about how a plot might be revealed and come unraveled. 

Also, much of the story revolves around journalism and law.  I went to law school after journalism so that background was helpful as well.

4.    What would you want your readers to know about you that might not be in your bio?

I have been around a lot of women in my life and am probably more comfortable around a female-dominated environment than a lot of men. I had 3 sisters and no brothers and although I’m close to my father, he was very busy when I was growing up and not a big part of my day-to-day life. I remember having a lot of aunties around.  I have two daughters.  My wife had 5 sisters, no brothers.  Of my nieces and nephews, I have 3 nephews and probably 15 nieces (lost count).  When I look back at the characters in Project Moses I can see that the female ones generally are better.  Aside from Enzo, they are the memorable ones. So, I think this comfort level and whatever it implies has a lot to do with it.

5.    As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans?

I am working on my second novel, another mystery/thriller using the same main character and some of the secondary characters – all women as it turns out - that appear in Project Moses.

6.    If you could be one of the characters from this book, who would it be and why?

7.    Can you give us a sneak peak into this book?

In Project Moses the main character is Enzo Lee who is a reporter at a newspaper in San Francisco. Late 30s, and Chinese-Italian-Scottish, Lee has been a successful investigative reporter but has remade himself into a feature writer of fun, fluffy stories. Then, his editor makes him cover a couple of murders and Lee is drawn into a big conspiracy involving rogue government agents and a big corporation that is misusing genetic engineering technology in a worldwide plot.  Along the way, he meets and is thrown together with the niece of a murder victim, a young lawyer whom it turns out is also a target.  The story is really about how they try to piece together the conspiracy and expose the scandal while the bad actors are trying to silence them.  

8. When did you first decide to submit your work? Please tell us what or who encouraged you to take this big step?

I had some paid time off between jobs and decided to use it writing a book.  I showed the pages to my wife as I wrote and she was very encouraging and urged me to finish and publish the work.  She was a journalist for many years and reads widely and voluminously so I trusted her judgment.

1                     9. What is the best and worst advice you ever received? (regarding writing or publishing)

Don’t plan on getting rich doing it.  And, find someone whose judgment and candor you trust who will give you feedback. 

10. Do you outline your books or just start writing?

I have an idea of where I think the main plot/crime will go and other pieces in mind – characters that might crop up, relationships that will develop, etc. – they I sit down and start writing and see what happens.  I do find that I have threads emerging almost on their own and then have to work to tie them back into the story.  Also, the characters do seem to develop almost on their own.  It’s like I’m sitting across from someone and the revelation hits, “Oh.  She must feel this way about whatever (love, possessions, children, etc.)”

11. Who is your favorite character in the book. Can you tell us why?

I’ll have to say Enzo Lee because I identify with him the most. He is an investigative reporter as I was and shares some, although certainly not all, of my background.  This was deliberate since I thought it would be easier to just think how I would react to something and that would get me close to Enzo’s thinking.  But, I also take him through the toughest emotional swings including some tragedy in Project Moses so I feel for the guy as well.  
  

REVIEW SOUND BYTES

KIRKUS REVIEW:

PROJECT MOSES

A journalist and a lawyer stumble upon secret experiments and a government conspiracy in Lowe’s debut mystery novel.

Reporter Enzo Lee is keeping a low journalistic profile in San Francisco by specializing in light newspaper features. After he reluctantly tackles a story of a judge found dead in her office, avoiding front-page news becomes the least of Lee’s worries. The judge’s death is associated with a prosecutor—killed by a hit-and-run—another attorney and the judge’s niece, Sarah Armstrong, who’s nearly a victim herself. As more people are murdered, Lee and Sarah learn of a company, AgriGenics, that genetically enhances fruits and vegetables—but the company’s ties to biological weapons put the snooping couple in its scope. Lowe's taut thriller is fronted by a likable protagonist who retains his sense of humor even under a constant threat of death. Lee easily generates sympathy, especially since he doesn’t particularly enjoy his unbearable circumstances—he was content averting controversy with his newspaper features. Both he and Sarah are resourceful characters, and their mutual attraction and ensuing relationship is believable. In the same regard, the two convincingly manage the intrigue: Sarah connects the murders through her prior involvement and Lee, the former hard-hitting reporter, utilizes sources and information as a means to take the offense. The story’s long-reaching conspiracy is elaborate but never overwhelming, so readers can appreciate the stockpiling of secrets, elusive characters and murders committed to preserve those secrets. One of the supporting players, a female detective named Bobbie Connors, who proves an asset to Lee, threatened to steal the spotlight completely if she’d been allowed a more substantial part in the story.

A thriller with an ideal fusion of wile and wit.

AUTHOR INFORMATION:

Robert B. Lowe is a Pulitzer-prize winning author whose fiction is based in San Francisco, his adopted home.

His past experiences – a 12-year career in investigative journalism and a Harvard Law School degree – enable him to write gripping mystery thrillers in both the legal and journalistic fields. Lowe draws his inspiration from John Grisham, Dick Francis and Lee Childs and adds his own San Francisco twist. Readers will enjoy his references to the city’s landmarks such as Chinatown, North Beach and Pacific Heights  and the Bay area’s foodie culture.

When Lowe isn’t writing he enjoys a day at the golf course and spending time with his wife and daughters.

Robert will be giving away a $10 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn commenter at the close of the tour as well as to the host with the most comments, not counting the hosts or his own.

Don't forget to leave a comment!

LINKS:

http://www.robertblowe.com/

http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/RobertBLowe

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5621745.Robert_B_Lowe

https://twitter.com/#!/AuthorRobBLowe