Robert Greer is a native of Columbus, Ohio, who spent his formative years in the steel mill town of Gary, Indiana. He graduated from Miami University at Oxford, Ohio, in 1965 with a Bachelor of Arts degree and subsequently earned degrees in dentistry, medicine and pathology from Howard University and Boston University. He is a professor of pathology, medicine, surgery, and dentistry at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center where he specializes in head and neck pathology and cancer research. He also holds a masters degree in Creative Writing from Boston University and an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Miami University, his alma mater. Greer has lived in Denver for thirty years. In 1986 he founded The High Plains Literary Review and continues to serve as its editor-in-chief. He is the author or co-author of three medical textbooks and over 125 scientific articles. His short stories have appeared in dozens of national literary magazines and his short story collection, ISOLATION AND OTHER STORIES, published in 2000 by The Davies Group Publishers, sold out its hardback printings and is now in trade paperback.

Greer has been involved in cancer research at the University of Colorado Health Science Center for more than thirty years. In 1983 his research group was the first in the world to report a synergistic link between smokeless tobacco use and human papillomaviruses in certain cancers of the mouth. That research foundation is the basis for the plot of THE DEVIL’S HATBAND.

In addition to writing, medicine, and research, Greer reviews books for a Denver National Public Radio affiliate, KUVO, and raises cattle on his ranch near Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

You can visit Robert on the web at www.robertgreerbooks.com

Welcome to Beyond the Books, Robert. Can you tell us whether you are published for the first time or multi-published? Can you give us the title(s) of your book(s)?

I have published ten novels over the span of the past ten years:

CJ Floyd Mysteries: The Devil=s Hatband

The Devil=s Red Nickel

The Devil=s Backbone

Resurrecting Langston Blue

The Fourth Perspective

The Mongoose Deception

Blackbird, Farewell

Two Medical Thrillers: Limited Time

Heat Shock

Short Story Collection: Isolation and Other Stories.

What was the name of your very first book regardless of whether it was published or not and, if not published, why?

My first book was The Devil’s Hatband and was published by Warner Books in 1997.

For your first published book, how many rejections did you go through before you either found a mainstream publisher, self-published it, or paid a vanity press to publish it?

My first novel was handled by my agent. It was picked up by a mainstream publisher, Warner Books. I am not sure how many rejections I received, but certainly ten.

How did the rejections make you feel and what did you do to overcome the blows?

I am not phased by rejections and if you are, you probably shouldn’t be in the publishing game.

When your first book was published, who published it and why did you choose them?

My first book was published by Warner Books, the choice was made not by me but my agent negotiating with the New York publisher.

How did it make you feel to become published for the first time and how did you celebrate?

I did not have that much of a celebration. When I published my first novel I was, of course, exceedingly pleased that it was published, but I am not the celebratory type. My satisfaction comes in completing the task and never from patting myself on the back.

What was the first thing you did as for as promotion when you were published for the first time?

My first novel, The Devil’s Hatband, was promoted widely by Warner Books. They sat up the tour schedule which included largely mystery book stores and I simply proceeded with their plan.

If you had to do it over again, would you have chosen another route to be published?

No, I would not.

Have you been published since then and how have you grown as an author?

Yes, I’ve published ten books since the first one in 1997.

Looking back since the early days when you were trying to get published, what do you think you could have done differently to speed things up? What kind of mistakes could you have avoided?

I was lucky in the publishing game. I had quick success. I am not certain I would have done anything differently to get my first novel published. Luck, perseverance, and skill are all required to get into the publishing game and that first time, luck just happened to be on my side.

What has been the biggest accomplishment you have achieved since becoming published?

The biggest accomplishment would be self-satisfaction. Accomplishments that would be more mundane would include the acknowledgement of fans who like my work, starred reviews in trade journals and hitting the L.A. Times best seller list.

If you could have chosen another profession, what would that profession be?

I have in fact chosen another profession. My full-time job is as a physician (pathologist at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center). I consider that to be my profession and writing to be my passion.

Would you give up being an author for that profession or have you combined the best of both worlds?

I’ve been lucky and have been able to combine the best of both worlds. I’m quite happy with that.

How do you see yourself in ten years?

In ten years I hope to be able to spend all my time on my cattle ranch in Wyoming, fly fishing and enjoying retirement.

Any final words for writers who dream of being published one day?

Yes, my final words to anyone who is pursuing publishing, is to preserve, treat writing as if it were a job instead of a hobby, have faith in your skills and read as much or more than you write.

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