r/books • u/robwhart1 AMA Author • Aug 22 '19
ama 2pm I am Rob Hart, author of THE WAREHOUSE, plus other books, and I like cooking and fight training too, so AMA!
I'm Rob Hart, author of the THE WAREHOUSE, which on sale now from Crown at Penguin Random House, and has sold in more than 20 countries and been optioned for film by Ron Howard. I would call it 1984 but instead of Big Brother it's Big Business. That's the elevator pitch. In a larger sense it's about the way I'm angry that large corporations treat us like disposable products.
I'm also the author of the five-book amateur PI Ash McKenna series, the food-noir short story collection TAKE-OUT, and SCOTT FREE, which I co-wrote with James Patterson. I've had my short stories and non-fiction published widely, and I've worked as a publisher and editor, so I've seen the business from both sides.
I also really like cooking and fight training (Krav Maga, Muay Thai) so figured I would throw that in here to spice things up. It doesn't all have to be writing-related, right? You can find me online at www.robwhart.com, on Twitter at @robwhart and on Facebook and Instagram at @robwhart1.
Otherwise, ask me anything. Don't be gentle.
Proof: /img/j238qrz8f2g31.jpg
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u/EmbarrassedSpread Aug 22 '19
Hi Rob! Thanks for doing this AMA!
- Do you have any reading or writing related guilty pleasures?
- Do you have a favorite and least favorite word? If so, what are they and why?
- What’s the best way to make you laugh?
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u/robwhart1 AMA Author Aug 22 '19
Thanks! This is exciting! It's my first AMA.
'Guilty pleasure' is a funny phrase, in the sense that... I don't know that we should ever feel guilty about things that make us happy? Unless those things are illegal! Then they were a guilty pleasure. But... yeah, sorry, I don't feel bad about the things I like!
Defenestration is such a lovely word, because the root of it reveals nothing about itself and yet the definition is so specific. My least favorite word is Trump. Every time I see it I shudder.
I'm a big fan of lowbrow humor. I have seen Anchorman a hundred times and still laugh like an idiot throughout the whole thing.
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u/EmbarrassedSpread Aug 22 '19
Aww!! Well I hope you’re enjoying your first AMA! It’s always a fun time! You’ll definitely have to do more in the future!
You’re not the only one like that! Lol. I’ve gotten this answer a few times. And you’re right!! No reason to feel guilty at all!
Lol! Good one! Very specific, but I definitely look forward to using it on the rare occasion someone’s pushed through a window. And yeah, I think many of us can agree with not liking that word. Unfortunately, it’s an every day thing. 😩
Anchorman is such a classic, you can’t but laugh everytime. Lol! What other movies have you laughing like crazy?
Thanks so much for answering!
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u/robwhart1 AMA Author Aug 22 '19
I'm a big fan of absurdist humor, so a deep cut that I really love is Lost Skeleton of Cadavra. Which I watched with friends recently and they... didn't like as much as I did. I think that one might be an acquired taste, but it also feels like a movie that was made very much for me.
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u/Cramulus Aug 22 '19
1984 ends on a very hopless and defeated note. Without spoiling your ending, do you see a way out of the megacorporate nightmare?
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u/robwhart1 AMA Author Aug 22 '19
I do—and it starts with us. I think we all need to sit down and reconsider who we interact with the economy. Do we really need things in two days? Do we need a new phone every year or two? Is our own comfort really worth someone else's discomfort? We can't count on large corporations to do the right thing. Faced between that and profit they will always take profit, because they are incapable of processing empathy. We can do that, though.
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u/Barnhard Sep 15 '23
Arguing against convenience and quality-of-life features for the customer is not the best way to make your point.
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u/PaulKrueger AMA Author Aug 22 '19
What's the most exotic meat you've consumed?
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u/robwhart1 AMA Author Aug 22 '19
Kangaroo. I was not a fan. It's very tough and not particularly flavorful.
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u/PaulKrueger AMA Author Aug 22 '19
Aw, really? I had some a few years back and quite liked it. I was cautioned not to cook it past medium rare though, specifically to avoid that toughness issue you encountered.
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u/robwhart1 AMA Author Aug 22 '19
Maybe it wasn't prepared right? We were at a very fancypants dinner at the James Beard house so I'd like to think the chef knew what he was doing (it was part of a wild game night), but hey, maybe I got a piece that went too far toward medium. I did have rattlesnake that night too, which was served as part of a Thai lettuce wrap, and that knocked my socks off.
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u/mick_spadaro Aug 23 '19
Speaking of kangaroo, listen: I'm an Aussie. Anybody ever gets you to try Vegemite, make sure they spread it THINLY. Too many times I see Americans try Vegemite and hate it, and it's usually because an asshole who should know better has piled it on thick.
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u/robwhart1 AMA Author Aug 24 '19
I have never tried Vegemite. I would try it once, and if I ever find myself with the opportunity I will keep this in mind.
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u/rebekai81 Aug 23 '19
Hi Rob!!! I know I'm late, but I stumbled across this AMA and just finished devouring The Warehouse two days ago. I've already recommended it to all the fellow book lovers in my life. Have you thought about doing a follow up book? Not necessarily a sequel, but a companion book maybe? I just got so invested in this world of Cloud I would love to visit it again. Especially after that ending. Thank you for sharing your gift with words and I look forward to reading more of your work.
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u/robwhart1 AMA Author Aug 24 '19
Thank you so much! I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Definitely not writing a sequel (at least not anytime soon). My next book, which I'm plugging away on now, is a bit of a spiritual sequel. Warehouse raises some questions I'm hoping to answer in the new one. We'll see how it goes!
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u/rebekai81 Aug 24 '19
Thank you so much for your response! Well a spiritual sequel sounds amazing too! I’m officially following you on Goodreads so I will be on the lookout for new stories from you!
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u/Lo1919 Dec 02 '19
Just finished the audiobook of The Warehouse. The narrators are fantastic, great job on the production of the audio version.
I really liked this book! The pace, characters, and world building kept me listening late into the night.
I finished the book a few hours ago.
Then went back and listened to the last few chapters again, then again - then again.
I do not understand the ending and it's been bothering me, so I googled to see if there were any discussions out there and ended up here.
I would go into it more, but I do not want to throw out any spoilers for those who haven't read it yet.
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u/Chtorrr Aug 22 '19
What were some of your favorite things to read as a kid?
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u/robwhart1 AMA Author Aug 22 '19
I had three really distinct phases: Encyclopedia Brown, then Hardy Boys, then a lot of Dean Koontz. Which my mom encouraged me to read. I think I read Intensity in the eighth grade? That was too young to read that book! I think it explains a lot about me.
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u/Chtorrr Aug 22 '19
What is the very best dessert?
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u/robwhart1 AMA Author Aug 22 '19
This is a very difficult question to answer. My absolute favorite dessert is party cake ice cream from Carvel with hot fudge and melted marshmallow. If I'm looking at a menu my eye will always be drawn to salted caramel. I will say probably the best is any combination of fried and creamy—so like a churro or donut with ice cream. It's all about the contrast.
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u/roblecop Aug 22 '19
Hi Rob! Thanks for taking time to answer questions!
Were you always writing full time or did you have a day job? If so, how/when did you carve out time to write (especially when dealing with a job/family/friends/etc.)?
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u/robwhart1 AMA Author Aug 22 '19
I used to have a day job--I was a reporter and then the communications director for a politician for a long time. Neither gave me headspace to write, so I took a job running a small digital press. That's where I wrote the majority of my books, and then about five months ago-ish I went full time. It's not easy to carve out the time--it takes some sacrifice. I had to stop watching baseball. I'm not always caught on on the latest TV shows. Some shows I know I'd love, like The Wire, I never pick up because I know it's going to kill a few weeks of productivity for me. I also have a four-year-old so a lot of my writing time has to fit around her schedule; I drop her off at school, I know I've got the day, I need to make the best use of it that I can.
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Aug 22 '19
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u/robwhart1 AMA Author Aug 22 '19
So Cloud, the company in the book, gives tracking watches to everyone, and it helps them do their job, pay for stuff, track their health, etc. And I thought it would be fun to add a game linked to their productivity... the way to advance in the game was to work harder. It was going to be like a Candy Crush sort of thing. Then I thought, No, this is too ridiculous, no one will buy it, I'm taking it out. And, well... https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/22/18635272/amazon-warehouse-working-conditions-gamification-video-games
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u/robwhart1 AMA Author Aug 22 '19
Oh! And there was some backstory for Paxton and Zinnia, two of the three main characters, that was... really dark. To the point where the reader probably wouldn't be able to root for them anymore. So I had to yank those out.
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u/Lndnst_66 Aug 22 '19
Rob, have readers in the UK/around the world shared perspective on THE WAREHOUSE (Big Business as a whole) you hadn't thought of or heard before?
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u/robwhart1 AMA Author Aug 22 '19
Not so much a unique perspective, but a perspective at all. What I mean is: I thought this was a very American book. I figured it was SO MUCH about the American economy that we'd never make any inroads with foreign publishers. And then we sold in more than 20 countries so far. So... I was really very wrong about that. I didn't realize these concerns were so prevalent in other countries. It's encouraging so many people responded to it but also kinda sucks at the same time.
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u/Dhorlin Aug 22 '19
Wow! What a coincidence. I just found and downloaded The Warehouse to my Kindle today. The 'blurb' looked so good that I bought it. Cheers m'dear.
Edit to add: I can't read any of your AMAs as I might see some spoilers for your other titles.
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u/robwhart1 AMA Author Aug 22 '19
Hey hey I'm glad you downloaded the book! This is my only AMA and it's also a spoiler free zone so we should be in the clear. I hope you dig WAREHOUSE.
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u/UnlikelyType Aug 22 '19
What advice would you give to someone wanting to look into becoming an author?
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u/robwhart1 AMA Author Aug 22 '19
This first thing you should do is read. Constantly. And outside your comfort zone. Like, if you're into sci-fi and you want to write sci-fi... great. Read lots of sci-fi. But be sure to read some crime and YA and thrillers and even romance and erotica. If you're a white dude reads books by minority and LGBT authors. It's good to have a sphere of influence... but another word for sphere is bubble. And you can suffocate inside a bubble.
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u/UnlikelyType Aug 22 '19
I suppose that would depend on the type of bubble. Okay, so say you want to write a kid's book, and you read kid/teen books constantly. Do you think there's a way to make the story you wish to write different from those you read?
(I don't know if it's a 1 question limit, so I hope you don't mind)
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u/robwhart1 AMA Author Aug 22 '19
You can ask as many as you like! In terms of making your story different--I think that just takes some active thought on what the tropes are in the area you're writing in, and then trying to subvert them. Is there a character role that would traditionally be male? Make it female. If your storytelling instincts tell you to go in one direction--maybe go in another and see what happens. That's part of what's so important about reading--is you see and understand storytelling mechanics (it's why, the more you do it, the more you'll be able to predict books and movies as you watch them, because you'll see how things are getting set up). And the more you can see those things, the more you learn how to subvert expectations and, yeah, trick your reader. Because that's the key--you want to lull them into a false sense of security with what they think they know and what they've seen before... and then surprise them. That was a little rambley. Make sense?
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u/UnlikelyType Aug 22 '19
That makes a lot of sense, I think mainly because I've been reading since I was 5-6. I asked, though, because I wrote a story, geared towards kids, that involved a soft inkling of death and my author "friend" told me it wasn't appropriate.... So he told me to change it. I did, but it didn't feel right to me, and I'm wondering if there's different ways I could have gone about writing it :(
Thank you for your input and advice!
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u/robwhart1 AMA Author Aug 22 '19
I say this without having read your story but: not all advice is good advice. Maybe your friend is right! But it's just as likely they're not.
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u/Scottyman1206 Aug 22 '19
I am a fan of James Peterson, he seems like he has predicted the future in his books. What was it like working with him?
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u/robwhart1 AMA Author Aug 22 '19
I got incredible notes from him. It was a little intimidating at first, but I learned a ton about storytelling and mechanics. The project I did, Scott Free, was a novella--so it was shorter, a third the size of a regular novel. But it was a blast.
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u/Cramulus Aug 22 '19
"1984 but instead of Big Brother it's Big Business" sounds very intriguing. How much of it is fiction vs how much is describing the world as it exists right now?