Bob Brill Originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and a huge fan of Pirates and Steel Man, Bob Brill began his radio career in 1972 and has worked throughout the Western United States, several times in the Los Angeles market. He is currently a news anchor at CBS Radio LA; KNX News Radio 1070.
Bob Brill has won several broadcast awards, including the Edward R. Murrow Award (among others) for maintaining KNX’s Storm coverage in 2011.
Baseball historian Bob writes a popular weekly column on www.baseballinthe1960s.com. He’s also a podcaster, who teamed up with former NFL quarterback Erik Kramer for a weekly fantasy football podcast called Kramer and Bob Brill, which can be found anywhere you download his podcast or on the site their website www.kramerandbrill.com. Both are still posted on Facebook as well as Twitter.
Bob Brill made his mark on the UPI radio network when a gunman went mad at a fast food restaurant in San Diego and Bob told the story. It was his first big break. He later became a national correspondent and bureau chief of UPI. He’s interviewed presidents, covered Super Bowl and Hollywood games, and major news stories.
He lives in Los Angeles. He survived earthquakes and a fight during the 1992 LA riots while covering the story, which was taped.
Bob Brill is considered to have an outstanding voice and not only has done many voiceovers and radio plays, he has also acted in television commercials. Bob Brill is the author of Schiffer’s Fan Letters to a Stripper: A Patti Waggin Tale and NO Barriers: How the Internet Has Destroyed the World Economy. His third book “Al Kabul; Home Grown Terrorist” is sure to be a controversial novel as well as a read. “Lancer; Hero of the West – The Prescott Affair” is the first in a series of Western novels set in the 1880s and revolving around the central character; Lancer. Lancer is a mercenary, a good guy, working west from Tombstone.
Here is an interview with Author Bob Brill
Bob Brill interview is here:
Bob Brill, Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I am an award winning journalist with the main part of my career in radio. I was a national correspondent for the UPI Radio Network and am currently a news anchor/reporter for KNX1070 News Radio in Los Angeles. I’ve been in radio for 50 years at the time of this writing.
How many hours a day do you write?
Generally speaking when I’m writing it varies, but I will usually write for 3-4 hours, go do something else and then come back later in the day and write for a couple more hours.
How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?
None at the moment. Now unfinished screenplays? Different story, I have three or four which I am working on.
How long on average does it take you to write a book?
First draft 3-5 weeks.
Where did you get the idea for your recent book?
I was living in Ventura, CA, where the book takes place and I just started thinking about creating a crime character, a cop, something along the ocean (Ventura is a seaside community known for surfing so that had to be an element), I knew a cop or two and I knew people in the area who would make good characters in a book.
How did you develop your plots?
The Lancer series is formulaic. Certain things happen in ever book but just using different legendary characters. The Tattoo Murder is quite different. I wanted to delve deep into the characters and I knew there were going to be rival biker gangs (The Hells Angels are headquartered in Ventura, so it seemed natural to involve bikers).
How do you select the names of your characters?
Answer; John Potenza was easy. Potenza, the city in Italy, is my family’s ancestral home. I wanted to honor it. A few of the characters I chose their real first names but changed the last names, and of course since John was Italian the family members had Italian-American names like those I remember growing up with.
Bob Brill, If you didn’t write, what would you do for work?
Answer What I have been doing for 50 years; radio.
How did you get inspired to write your recent book?
Answer I actually wrote it 10 years ago, let the women in my family read it and they hated certain parts of it. Too sexy, too racy, soft porn were the comments. So I put toned it down and put it aside. In the meantime, I wrote 12 other books. When I was encouraged to bring this one back by a few others who read it, I decided it was time.
What is your favourite childhood book?
Answer Centerburg Tales
Have you read anything that made you think differently about fiction?
Answer Only that it takes a lot less time and research to write fiction than non-fiction and your liabilities are fewer.
What are you currently working on?
The sequel to The Tattoo Murder (The Belt Buckle Murder) is making it’s way to notes but I’m working on several film projects which will take priority to a degree.
Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?
Yes I do. I love the good ones. I try not to hate the bad ones and try not to take them too seriously, but if there is some constructive criticism, try to learn from it.
Jim Christina and I are good friends. He helps me understand grit in westerns, I think I help him understand the TV Americana of the westerns.
What’s your advice for aspiring writers?
Write, write, write and never let the word procrastinate come into your mind.
What was the best money you ever spent as a writer?
On a publicist.
What’s the best thing about being a writer?
Answer Freedom of expression, let me rephrase that; the fact you think you have freedom of expression. The things you really want to say in today’s world you don’t let see the light of day.
Read Also :
An Interview with author Julie Gianelloni Connor
Interview with Author LeeAnne Hansen
Will you have a new book coming out soon?
Answer The Belt Buckle Murder will be about a year out, Lancer; Hero of the West – The Virgina City Affair about the same.
Bob Brill Bio: https://www.amazon.com/Bob-Brill/e/B00411A3MY