ROBERT ADKINS

Robert Adkins is an American writer that has been fortunate to have a first career of over 30 years in business that has allowed him to travel throughout Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Enjoying the rich and varied cultures along the way, Robert has blended people, experience, and vivid story lines into his novels.

He spent his early years living on Army bases, his father a career infantry soldier fighting in both Europe and Korea, later serving in the “Old Guard” before finally retiring. Robert’s grandfather escaped the poverty and coalfields of western Virginia to fight for both the British Army and the US 1st Infantry Division during WW-I, only to return to western Virginia as a wounded veteran. On June 6, 1944, Robert’s grandfather passed away while listening to the radio on his front porch in Wise, Virginia. Just as Robert’s father, then assigned to the 1st Infantry Division, stormed the beaches of Normandy.

Book concept Robert believes is an art, and since history drives many of his stories, the conflicts during those periods illustrate and define the interaction between somewhat flawed individuals within that historical backdrop. The plot lines of his stories form a complex matrix of history, character conflict, and a framework of events capitalizing on imagination and storytelling.

The concept for his first four books has story lines that span several decades of history and tie together a rich character set and underlying antagonists. Historical backdrops are sophisticated and timely, with complex story lines exploring emotions and weaknesses across the various plots. Personal sacrifices are often a theme and, of course, history, while revealing the back-story behind the real or imagined conflict.

These days, Robert manages a financial services firm in New York when not writing and lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, with his wife and son. His genuine passions are his wife, family, writing and, of course, fly-fishing.

 

These are My Stories

Robert Adkins has completed his first two works; Counter Dead (122,000 words), now in edit form and Grains of Diplomacy (142,000 words), which is in final editing. Adkins is working on Inherit the Lion with the first three chapters completed and expects the manuscript to average around 120,000 to 140,000 words.

  •     GRAINS OF DIPLOMACY 98% 98%
  •     COUNTER DEAD 95% 95%
  •    INHERIT THE LION 25% 25%

History and Family as Inspiration

The original concept for my first four books was to develop a story line spanning several decades of history by tying together a rich character set and an underlying antagonist. I used historical backdrops with a sophisticated and complex story line enabling the reader to explore emotions and weaknesses across various plot lines. Don McDowell is the main character in Counter Dead; Stamford and Tyler, both US Marines, are central to Don’s actions. Samiyah and Alexandra add complexity, doubt, and a future to Don McDowell, while Richardson represents an individual gone wrong.

Don McDowell and Richardson appear in Grains of Diplomacy, where Cooper (Jack) McGrath, another US Marine, is the main protagonist, but we again see Samiyah and several new enduring characters. Inherit the Lion develops Paul Stamford and his war hero father while tying back into Counter Dead. The fourth in this series Religion is a Candle, develops Samiyah and the civil war in Lebanon, drawing again on Don McDowell, Tyler, Stamford, and Jack McGrath. The backdrop begins with the Sabra and Shatila massacre that spiraled Lebanon into civil war and drew the US further into the Middle Eastern conflict.

My fifth book Box of Medals, will be a historical fiction centered on my grandfather. He ran away from the coal fields of western Virginia when he was fifteen to join the US Army. Stationed in Alaska when WW-I broke out; my grandfather left Alaska and the US Army. Paying his own way to Britain, he joined the Gloucester Regiment to fight for the British and once the US entered the war, rejoined the US Army. Fighting and being wounded several times with the US First Infantry Division. My grandfather, as noted earlier, passed away sitting on his front porch in Virginia listening to the radio June 6, 1944. Just as my father, then, in the US First Infantry Division, stormed the beaches of Normandy.

Cries for Me, still in its early stages, depicts a young veteran torn between a war in Asia and a lost childhood. Loss and despair form a framework for dealing with the reality that drives the young man forward meeting danger and personal doubt. For today’s servicemen and women returning from multiple deployments, it offers hope and an opportunity to overcome trauma.

I hope you enjoy my works half as much as I have enjoyed writing them.

Robert