Interview With Author Ronald W. Luce (R. Luce)

  

1. What inspired you to write this book? It was inspired by my desire to challenge stereotypes about gay men and the desire to create a quality literary work that provides a multi-level reading experience for serious readers of literature.  

2. What exactly is it about — and who is it written for? The book is about the relationship of two men who happen to be gay, one of them a police officer, and the other (narrator) a writer with a trauma background who is attempting to revitalize his career as a writer after engaging in self-destructive behaviors. Jake (the police officer) calls upon Rob (narrator) to consider writing about a 100-year-old, mystery. Attracted to one another, they pursue the story though Rob doubts it is going to be successful. As the men interact, Rob is pulled into crimes Jake is pursuing as a police officer—crimes that affect both Jake and Rob as they become targets of a corrupt former police officer’s wrath. More importantly, this is a novel about perseverance, beating the odds, finding love in a world that isn’t welcoming of people who are “different” (gay). It is a novel that breaks many of the stereotypes attached to gay men, and a story about surviving trauma. I write for sophisticated readers who enjoy language, character-driven stories, psychological depth, and literary quality.  

3. What do you hope readers will get out of reading your book? First and foremost, I hope the reader will feel pleasure in the reading experience itself and will walk away from the last page feeling they are sorry the book has ended. I hope readers will come away feeling that diversity is not something to be afraid of or ashamed of. I hope readers will come away feeling like they have experienced the complexity of human relationships and find connections to their own lives as humans making sense of the difficulties of living.  

4. How did you decide on your book’s title and cover design? The title comes from the character talked about from the long past incident that caused Jake to contact Rob (100+-year-old mystery) where a young man was hanged by a mob for murdering three people (though his guilt was never proven). I like the concept of the past always being a part of the present. No one in the novel knows for certain where Nathan’s grave is, but his presence is felt by Jake and Rob.  

5. What advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow writers – other than run!? Write because you must, not because you want to be rich and famous. If you get published and become rich and famous, great! But wealth and fame should not be your primary focus. Write well and write as though the world depends upon your view of it. The writing itself is the ultimate reward.  

6. What trends in the book world do you see -- and where do you think the book publishing industry is heading? It is becoming painfully obvious that writers have to do more of the background work for publishing than the days when publishers handled much of the promotional work.  The writer is incurring most of the costs of publishing and is having to become more of a self-promoter. More of a writer’s time as a writer and thinker has given way to spending significant amounts of time finding and paying for services and in self-promotion. The public, in general, doesn’t seem terribly interested in quality literature. The focus seems to be on “quick reads,” simple storylines, and escapist lit.  

7. Were there specific experiences in your personal life or career that came in handy when writing this book? Yes: early childhood trauma, beating the odds imposed by poverty and poor parenting, depression and anxiety, achieving a successful career, trying to deal with being gay despite the cultural shame attached to it.  

8. How would you describe your writing style? Which writers or books is your writing similar to? My writing style is complex and demands a reader’s involvement in the work. Though I always seek to be clear and straightforward about what is happening within a storyline, I tend to be poetic at times when it comes to philosophical underpinnings of the work. I’d like to think that my passion for quality literature comes through the texts I create and that I have found ways to bring what I learned from Faulkner, Hemingway, Steinbeck, and Fitzgerald (and others) into a style that is uniquely my own.  

9. What challenges did you overcome in the writing of this book? Trying to maintain the multiple threads of the story and use them to lead the reader to what I consider ultimate truths about the world in which we live: The universe is indifferent to us; humans transcend that indifference by their attempts to make meaning and establish reasons for existing and maintain hope despite all evidence to the contrary. 

10. If people can buy or read one book this week or month, why should it be yours? Walking on Nathan’s Grave is a gripping story about the power of love and hope to counter the ugliness the world too often throws our way: trauma, hatred of others different from ourselves; and lust for power and money. Great characters, great storylines, psychological depth … What’s not to love? It is a work worthy of America’s great writers.

About The Author: Ron Luce has published three two novels, two nonfiction works, and an anthology of his short stories, poems, a novella, and a play. He has served as an editor of journals and books, and published numerous professional articles related to the teaching of writing during his years as a professor of English. He has a B.A. from SUNY, College at Brockport and an M.A., and PhD from Ohio University, Athens, Ohio. In addition to writing, he has performed in and directed a number of plays (community theater) and has created many works of art—largely in oils, acrylics, and watercolors. For more information, please see: www.rluce.net.

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About Brian Feinblum

This award-winning blog has generated over 6,200,000 page views. With 5,600+ posts over the past 15 years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs  by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.”  Copyright 2026.

 

For the past three decades, Brian Feinblum has helped thousands of authors. He formed his own book publicity firm in 2020. Prior to that, for 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and as the director of publicity at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler.

 

His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully) and (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/10-things-my-dog-taught-me-about-marketing-books). He was recently interviewed by the IBPA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0BhO9m8jbs

 

He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, three times at BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association, Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, five times at Morgan James Publishing Red Carpet, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. He served as a judge for the 2024 IBPA Book Awards.

 

His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.

 

Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog.

 

You can connect with him at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum/ or https://www.facebook.com/brian.feinblum