Travis and Sarah
Inman currently reside in Idaho.
And now, without further ado, here's Travis!
ü How old were you
when you learned to read?
o
First
grade…so that would be about 6? I was as ordinary as ordinary could be. I
learned how to birth calves before I learned how to read! One of those is a
skill set that will help you get a paying job. One of them isn’t.
ü Since then, how
many books would you guess you’ve read…and which one stands out from all others?
o
Hundreds.
I honestly have no better guess. And my absolute favorite was Chippy Chipmunk’s
Vacation by Adda Mai Sharp. This is the first real book I read in the first
grade, and it started my journey. Your first love is always a fond memory, or
so they say.
ü What’s your
favorite form of entertainment? (Sorry, writing doesn’t count.)
o
Well,
cage fighting, of course. But, since they don’t let Nicholas come out to play
anymore, I’m going with working in the yard, planting, landscaping, etc… I
absolutely love planting trees. And with all the deer in my yard, I get to
plant them over again every year.
ü What do you like
best about the place you call home (city, state, house)?
o
I
grew up on the Wildhorse Ranch near Colorado City, Texas. Our nearest neighbor
was several miles away, and the ranch extended as far as your eyes could see. I
enjoy isolation and we had enough isolation to fill a dump truck (if that’s
possible). We could see the stars at night, and we would sit and stare into the
heavens as often as the weather permitted. And that’s how we came to see our
first UFO! But, I’m off topic. Anyway, that ranch house was home. It was where
we were comfortable and felt at peace, and it was a magnificent place to grow
up. Years later when my folks moved to town, I mourned the loss of that house
as if a dear friend died. Gee, ain’t I fun to chat with?
ü If you don’t
write full time, how much does your job/career impact your writing? (If you do write full time, which past
job/career had the biggest influence on your work?)
o
Well,
I have a broad range of experience when it comes to the many ways I brought
home the bacon. The first real “paying” job was collecting shopping carts in a
grocery store. I have also been a taco maker, a hammer swinger, a ditch digger,
a real estate salesman, a marketing rep for my very own firm, and the list goes
on. But, the jobs I’ve held that provided the most depth to my experience where
my cowboying days, the time in the Army and the infantry, and the time I spent
on the Southern border as a Border Patrol Agent. Those three jobs granted me a
glimpse at how the world works, and how it should work, and how it doesn’t
work. The last job I’ll note is being a police chaplain, which is something I
still do to this day.
ü Typically, interviewers
often ask, “If you could have dinner with any person from history, who would it
be, and why?” But I’ve never been ‘typical,’ so let’s change that up a little: If
you could take me on a tour of your favorite place, where would we go and what
would we do?
o
I’m
not sure there are any roads that would get us there, so we’d probably have to
saddle up and ride to a rock that stands out in the middle of nowhere in West
Texas. It doesn’t have a name, but it does have a history. Early pioneers,
cowboys, and soldiers carved their names on that rock which is near a watering
hole. I found that rock while exploring, and I’m not sure that more than a
dozen or so people know of its existence. What would we do? We would go out
there with a hammer and chisel, and scrape my name off of the rock. I deeply
regret scratching my name on the rock, knowing that I probably ruined its
historical value. But, man, I love that place and I can only imagine what
events happened at that rock throughout history.
ü What do you like
best/least about the Facebook group, Loree Lough and Friends: A Nice Place to
Hide?
o
Well,
the members. Those are some of the most incredible people in all of social
media, and they are all collected into one location. And I can’t offer
complaints about it.
ü If you could
change one thing about your life, what would it be, and why?
o
I
would significantly improve my health. I have a substantial heart issue that
has changed the course of my life in many ways. If I could live a life without
blood thinners, I would explore more, and do more adventuring. Perhaps knowing
my limitations has kept me alive? Perhaps. I used to be quite the risk
taker…and I have many stories that prove my willingness to throw caution to the
wind. But, I do miss that, and I long for those days of adventuring.
ü What, in your
opinion, is the scariest animal in the animal kingdom, and why?
o
Spiders.
I hate spiders. I have one approach to them. BLOW TORCH! When I was a kid, I
was crawling around under the house and got bit by spiders, and huge blisters
formed on my skin, which had to be lanced and drained. Frequently. Very bad
memories of spiders.
ü If you have a go-to
Bible verse, which is it, and why?
o
“He
is before all things, and in Him, all things hold together.” Col 1:17 I love
knowing that God has it all under control, and is holding it all together.
ü Tell us how—and
why!—you became an author.
o
Like
so many others, if I didn’t, I think I would have died. All those stories and
ideas were building up inside of me, and I had to release them into the wild. So,
it all began in junior high English. Our
teacher gave us a writing assignment to write anything we wanted. I wrote a fictional
story of a soldier on Hill 503 in Korea. My teacher wrote, “Good job! Great
imagination!” on my paper—and the bug bit me. It started with short stories. I
LOVE short stories. I even won a few writing contests back in the 80s with a
few of them. But, my career began when I had heart surgery back in 2006. I was
sitting at home and had nothing to do because there was nothing I could do. So,
I sat down and started typing out a story line that was gnawing at me. 45 days
later, When Love Called (Book One of
the Glenfield Series) emerged. So, in
a way, I became an author because of my strongest weakness.
ü What is your
newest release?
o
Shadows, which is a
book published by Fred St Laurent and Elk Lake Publishing. Shadows is Christian
speculative fiction, and it examines one man, Justin “Flip” Grey, who has to
make a decision if he will accept or reject the advances of a tempting and
mysterious woman he meets while on a business trip. Through the miracle of
writing, I allow him to make both decisions, and create a split-screen type of
story where I project the probable outcome of his decisions. In one reality he
stays true to his wife, and I examine how God blesses his life. In the other
reality, the one where he sinfully pursues the tempting woman, I analyze how
his betrayal cascades down to his wife and kids, and alters the course of their
lives. The story is edgy and gripping, and both inspiring and terrifying. All
at the same time!
ü Can you share a
little about your WIP (work in progress)?
o
I’m
currently mapping out a young adult science fiction series that involves time
travel, alternate realities, civil war, adventures in an abandoned mine,
secrets behind the theme park on the moon, treasure hunts in the past, and good
old fashioned youthful fun. I pitched the idea to my publishers, and they gave
me the nod. I’m hip-deep in researching things such as mining the moon, near
space travel, string theory, and a place called Skin Walker Canyon. My kids are
very involved with this project. Caitie, my only teen daughter, is focused on
designing uniforms and fashion for a world that doesn’t yet exist. Seth, my
only teen son, is busy building and mapping out the theme park on the moon.
It’s been a blast so far! And a new horizon for me, so to speak.
o
Having
said all of that, I will probably release the second book of the Glenfield Series, which is already
written, just delayed due to some technical difficulties.
ü When people ask
if you’ll ever retire from writing, what’s your standard response?
o
To
not be driven mad by getting words on paper? Bring it on! I’m lazy enough not
to work if I don’t have to! But, that within itself will cause a build up of words,
which have to be released into the wild, which will cause madness if they
aren’t written. I’m not sure it’s possible.
ü What can readers
expect next in the Travis W. Inman lineup?
o
I
have a few one-act plays that are scheduled to be in production in Spring 2016,
under the skillful direction of Jesus Quintero and the American Laboratory
Theater. This is a fun project for me. I love writing for theater. It’s almost
easier than writing books. Almost. But, I’m excited to see my plays actually
brought to life with real actors on a real stage.
ü Tell us a little
about the family you grew up with.
o
I
am a fourth generation Texan, who grew up in a traditional ranch setting. My
extended family homesteaded a huge ranch in Scurry County, which is in West
Texas. I grew up the middle child of
three, under parents who were kind, caring, God fearing, Jesus loving, strong,
and determined. My father is the kind of man who would bring home an orphaned
calf for us to bottle-feed, but would single handedly face down poachers or rustlers.
My mother is a fantastic cook, who knew how to feed the cowboys with brisket,
beans, sour dough rolls, and blackberry cobbler. She is also a registered
nurse. My older sister was a hardheaded teen. We used to sit around the record
player in her room and listen to music. My younger brother was and is a hard
worker who knew the value of an honest day’s work. He and I spent many hours
sword fighting in the back yard and down along the creek, where we would spend
even more time fighting Indians and Yankees, and sweeping in the very last
minute to help Davy Crockett defend the Alamo. I had a GREAT childhood!
ü How did your
background form the ‘character’ you are today?
o
I
learned the value of life and the value of struggling at an early age. Getting
up on a snowy night to help my dad pull a calf was a common thing. You learn to
respect life, doing things like that. I learned the value of strength and valor
while serving in the Army and the Border Patrol. Some things are worth dying
for, and America is one of them. But, I’m probably not actually answering your
question. I see that character is in quotes. I learned how to adventure because
Louis Lamour and Zane Grey inspired me. I would saddle up on a Saturday morning
and strike out across the pastures looking for anything that might pop up. I
loved weathering storms. I loved hunting for arrowheads. I loved camping under
the stars. I’m the “character“ I am today because I learned to adventure at a
very young age. And mischievously, at that!
ü Share a little
about your wife and kids…
o
My
wife, Sarah, is the love of my life. She is an RN who gave up her career to
become a stay at home mother and homeschooler. She is my best friend, and I’m
so thankful she didn’t jettison me when she had the chance. Caitlin is our only
daughter, who is now 17. She was born 12 weeks premature, and learned how to
struggle for life at a tender age. We are lucky she is still with us! Seth is
our 13 year old, and he is our brainiac. He knows how to write computer code,
and is a graphic designer, and is active with his YouTube channel posting video
games he designs.
ü Define
‘fatherhood.’
o
I’m
always hesitant to offer advice for something I’ve not yet fully proven, but if
I could sum up my approach to being a father, I’d say this: “Rules without relationship
leads to rebellion, while relationship without rules leads to disaster.” The
hardest aspect of being a father for me is allowing my children to fail. I’m a
fixer. And watching them fail is very painful to me. And they have to do so
before they can learn success. But, I’m always there with them, cheering them
on, and pointing the way. They may not know it, but I’m always watching them
from a distance, waiting and watching, just in case!
ü Define
‘husband.’
o
I’ve
been married for almost 23 years. I first married my sweetheart, and then my
enemy, and finally, after many years of power struggles, my best friend. Realization
came to me and I accepted that the vast majority of our troubles are because I
failed to be the leader and the lover, and I selfishly expected her to be those
things for me. Once I learned who I really was, and how that was affecting my
wife, I made a significant course adjustment and learned how to lead and love
sacrificially, and my best friend emerged! Fancy that! So, I would say this,
“It’s not about who is right. It’s about what is right. And when you decide
that together, there is harmony.”
ü Do those
definitions ‘slant’ what you write, and they way you write it?
o
I
write from my worldview and my own experience. I’ve tried not writing what I
know, and it doesn’t work very well for me. My characters will always reflect
my journey. The dark characters will also reflect me in some way. My positive
characters reflect who God has made me to be.
ü Which of your
fictional characters is most like you?
o
All
of them reflect me. My friends often compare me to Caton Harvey from the Glenfield Series, saying that his sense
of humor and approach to life are very similar to me. I would say that I most
closely identify with Justin “Flip” Grey, who is both the hero and the goat in
my newest release, Shadows. His story
could be mine in that we struggle with the same issues.
ü Please share
a favorite photo of yourself…
ü Please share the
cover of your favorite Travis W.
Inman novel…and tell us why it’s your favorite.
o
I
love the cover for When Love Called
because the depth of the character gazing into the distance speaks so strongly
of longing and desire, and perfectly encapsulates the character, Lily.
ü 25.) How can
readers get in touch with you? (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc.)
o
My
personal Facebook page is: https://www.facebook.com/travis.w.inman
o
My
author Facebook page is: https://www.facebook.com/BlunderingDiscoverer?ref=hl
o
My
twitter account is: @traviswinman
o
My
website is: www.traviswinman.com
o
My
blog is: www.traviswinman.blogspot.com
o
Gee,
that ought to be enough, eh?
Thanks,
Travis, for spending a portion of your day with us. It’s been a pleasure,
getting to know you better!
