Interview with Wyatt Roberts, Sr.

Inspired by my dear friend at Graceland, I decided to interview a family member for my next blog post. I will interview my husband Wyatt, as he usually is pretty funny, and is the only one awake besides myself. I chose to interview him about Father's Day, since we will be celebrating Father's Day in just a few short weeks.
Here goes:

When you hear the words "Father's Day" what do you think of?

WHR sr: I think of my shirt. (The kids and I made him a shirt with their handprints and footprints on it that reads "Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord...")

Do you remember any gifts/cards that you gave your father as a child?

WHR sr: No.
(Really. That's all he said. And yes he has, and grew up with, a father.)

What has been your favorite Father's day gift thus far?

WHR sr: My ball cap. "Greatest Dad" ball cap.

Describe a perfect Father's Day.

WHR sr: "A day on which I get to take a nap and reflect on how blessed I am to have so many lovely children." (awwwwwe!)

What should people NOT buy their dad's for Father's Day?

WHR sr: "uh... I don't need...anything. I don't need any ties."

So, there you go. Now we know what men think about Father's Day.

At this point I decided to move on to another subject. My husband was working on his novel before we started this interview, so I decided to ask him about books. Here we go:

"Why do you like to read?"

WHR sr: "Because I like to learn. No matter what I am reading, I am deeply engaged in the process of learning. It is very satisfying to read a well written sentence...when an author can cause you to see a setting, or pinpoint a feeling, to understand a certain situation through succint and evocative writing...they can put you in a certain place or time..I learn from that."

You read both fiction and nonfiction. What are your favorite genres in each of these categories?

WHR sr: Suspense (particularly Dean Koontz novels) in the fiction category, theology in non-fiction.

What is the first book you remeber reading as a child?

WHR sr: "It was either Tom Sawyer or Huckleberry Finn..I don't remember which one. I was 9 or 10 years old. I was sitting on a gold couch in Pensacola, Florida. That was in the fourth grade. I read that whole book that summer."

Who are your favorite fictional characters?

WHR sr: Huck Finn and Odd Thomas

Why those two?

WHR sr: Well, as for Huck Finn, I wanted to be like him. I tried my best to do many things that he did, such as build rafts...I spent a good deal of time trying to build rafts. To this day, when I pass over a river, I have this desire to hop on a raft and float down to the ocean."

What about Odd Thomas?

WHR sr: His sense of justice. And he is willing to risk his life to do what is right....And the fact that he likes C.S. Lewis...that we share a love for C.S.Lewis, 24 and The Office.

What is the first essay/poem/narrative you rememeber writing?

WHR sr: (smiles) A poem I wrote in first grade. It goes like this:

"I read my bible everyday.
I love to sing, I love to pray.
I love my sweet, sweet teacher.
I'd go to the moon to see a creature."

I also remember a story ...my dad used to have a typewriter. One summer, somewhere between 6th and 9th grade, I wrote several pages of a sci-fi story. I really wish I had that story...it was about some people who were shrunk down to the size of ants. I remember thinking, "This would be an awesome movie."

How do you find writing?

WHR sr: Painfully slow.

What is your biggest challenge?

WHR sr: Losing momentum. I guess because I am a perfectionist...it is difficult to allow myself to just put thoughts down in anything but their final form.

What makes a good storyteller?

WHR sr: Someone who can surprise you and still be believeable.

If you had to choose only 3 books for your library, what would they be?

WHR sr: The Bible....(sigh...thinking...) Websters Unabridged Dictionary....(more thinking....) The Complete Works of C.S. Lewis.
(so not a real book, but wouldn't it be great?)