Robert Bailey's Blog, page 6
May 16, 2018
Birmingham Sellout!
Well, we sold out of copies of THE LAST TRIAL in one hour last night. Thank you Books-A-Million at Brookwood Village and thank you Birmingham for a fantastic night! So much fun seeing old friends and new fans of the series!
May 11, 2018
NEXT STOP: BIRMINGHAM!
I’ll be at Books-A-Million in Brookwood Village next Tues, May 15 from 6-8 pm. Hope to see some of my friends and fans in the Birmingham area!
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May 10, 2018
We are Launched!
What a night! We had our biggest book launch yet last night for THE LAST TRIAL. Thank you to Bobbi Maples and everyone on staff at Books-A-Million in Huntsville for a fantastic and memorable night. Here are some of the photographs from this special evening.
May 9, 2018
“We Can Do This”
Dixie and Dad before cancer
In his masterpiece, On Writing, Stephen King advised that, when revising his novels, he would ask himself, “What’s it all about, Stevie?” Having a theme that resonates through a story is important, and King said he would look for places in his manuscript where his theme could be enhanced.
When I began writing The Last Trial, I knew I wanted to pit Tom and Rick against their friend, Powell Conrad. I also knew I wanted to bring Wilma Newton, the trucker’s widow from The Professor, back. The story would revolve around the trial of Wilma Newton in a friend v. friend courtroom showdown. I also had the idea for a mobster character from Jasper who would figure into the plot. The beginning was clear in my mind. We’d start in Boone’s Hill with Wilma. The prologue would be almost word for word Wilma’s last scene in The Professor when she faces the mirror and points a pistol at her head. She pulls the trigger and the chapter ends. That’s where we would start and eventually the characters would assume their roles. I had the plot in my mind but it was loose and the ending was vague. I knew how I wanted to solve the mystery, but I didn’t have all the pieces. But the big thing that was missing was theme.
In other words, what’s it all about, Bobby?
The theme of The Professor is redemption. The theme of Between Black and White is revenge. What was this book going to be about?
Then, in April 2016, a couple of weeks after Between Black and White came out and while writing the first draft of book 3, my dad was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer. The disease had spread to the bone, and his prognosis was grim. Six months was what the doctor told my mom and dad during their initial consult after the scans came back. Eight months later, in late November, 2016, Dad had lost almost fifty pounds, but he was still alive.
On November 30, 2016, my wife, Dixie, went to lunch with her sister and started experiencing blurry vision. I took her to the emergency room and the doctors ruled out a stroke or any brain problem. I don’t even know why they did a chest x-ray, but it was part of the protocol.
They found an eight centimeter mass in her lung. She was diagnosed with lung cancer on December 7, 2016, a little less than three weeks from Christmas. Hers was Stage III; it had spread to the lymph nodes but surgery was still an option. From December to the end of February, Dad and Dixie both went through lung cancer treatment together at Clearview Cancer Institute in Huntsville.
Dad’s condition began to deteriorate in January. He died on March 3, 2017, nearly doubling the doctor’s prognosis of six months. He fought hard and passed away surrounded by the ones he loved. At his funeral, his friend, John Hays, eulogized him with a number of stories about how Dad would encourage those around him during trying times, saying over and over, “We can do this.”
Dixie’s surgery was scheduled for April 3, 2017. In January, February and March, she underwent a brutal chemotherapy and radiation regime that caused her to lose thirty pounds and all of her hair. By the end of March, she hovered at 90 pounds. On March 30, 2017, she had to undergo one last round of scans to be cleared for the operation. Because her tumor had not shrunk much on the CT, there was some concern that her PET scan might show that the disease had metastasized, eliminating the chance of surgery. I have never been as scared as I was on March 30, 2017 while we waited for the results. In the room while I waited, I imagined my dad standing over in the corner, arms folded, whistling. Dad was always best in a crisis.
“We can do this.”
Then Dr. Waples came in the room and said that the PET scan showed a lot less activity than her original scan a few months earlier. There were no other hot spots. She was cleared for surgery.
“We can do this.”
On Monday, April 3, 2017, Dixie underwent surgery to remove most of her right lung at Huntsville Hospital. She was in the hospital for about ten days, but the operation was a success. They got the tumor out and she was declared in remission. In the year since her surgery, her scans have been clean and she has fought her way back to good health. She still has pain from the surgery, but she pushes through it with a resolve that inspires me and our kids every day. We are so thankful for her.
As set out in the Author’s Note at the end of the book, I found the story for The Last Trial in Dixie’s hospital room. In the months after her discharge, I was so grateful to have this story and these characters to pour my emotions into. The result of that process is the book that we launch tonight.
The theme of The Last Trial is resilience.
The story is about facing adversity and having the fortitude to stay the course and not waver. To accept the challenges and roadblocks placed in your way, look them in the eye, and say,…
“…we can do this.”
May 7, 2018
We Made the TV!
Here is a clip of my guest appearance yesterday morning on WAFF 48 News. Topics discussed include where THE LAST TRIAL fits in this series, the local flavor of my stories and our upcoming book launch at Books-A-Million in Huntsville this coming Wednesday, May 9, from 6-8pm. Thanks to Haley Baker of WAFF 48 for a great interview!
Local Attorney Turns Best Selling Author – WAFF-TV: News, Weather and Sports for Huntsville, AL
Source: Local Attorney Turns Best Selling Author – WAFF-TV: News, Weather and Sports for Huntsville, AL
We Made a Podcast!
I really enjoyed this Next Lawyer Up podcast, which focuses on my writing career, law practice and some of the personal challenges of the past year. Thanks to Ron Sykstus for a great discussion!
Next Lawyer Up Ep: 30 featuring Robert Bailey
May 6, 2018
We Made The Paper!
It was pretty cool to see this article in the newspaper today. Thanks to Shelly Haskins with al.com for a great interview! There is a nice summary of some (but not all) of my upcoming signings/events at the end of the article. Can’t believe we are almost to the finish line!
Robert Bailey: Alabama\’s John Grisham | AL.com
April 24, 2018
NEW BOOK DEAL!
With the release of THE LAST TRIAL just two weeks away, I’m excited to share that Tom McMurtrie will return for a final time in the Spring of 2019. I’m also thrilled to have the opportunity to write the first book in a new series. So grateful to be able to continue this journey and can’t wait to work with Megha and my team at Thomas & Mercer on the next two stories. Also very thankful for my agent, Liza Fleissig, for brokering this deal. Finally, thank you to all of my followers on this page and my readers, who have, by word of mouth, social media shares and positive energy, made Tom, Rick, Bo, Powell and the rest of the gang come to life. Thank you!
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April 18, 2018
Book Giveaway! Enter to Win a Free Copy of THE LAST TRAIL
Book giveaway for The Last Trial (McMurtrie and Drake Legal Thrillers Book 3) by Robert Bailey Apr 10-May 07, 2018
April 13, 2018
FIRST REVIEW!
Excited to share my first review of THE LAST TRIAL. “Author Robert Bailey lives in Huntsville Alabama and is obviously quite familiar with life in the Deep South. His descriptions of Tuscaloosa and its environs were so vivid that I feel as though I had actually been on a city tour. Even the restaurants and food came alive as I got deeper into this “who done it” legal thriller…I was lucky to happen upon Bailey’s first book several years ago, and he quickly became one of my go to authors. This book certainly keeps him on that list.”
The Last Trial (McMurtrie and Drake Legal Thrillers Book 3) by Robert Bailey – MADDERLY REVIEW
Source: The Last Trial (McMurtrie and Drake Legal Thrillers Book 3) by Robert Bailey – MADDERLY REVIEW
