Heather’s Bookshelf: Author Interview with Robert Barlow Jr

What inspired you to write “Time Passed”?

Barlow Jr: I’ve long had an interest in the Vietnam War, and I decided to write a novel based on the war. I didn’t want to write a boots-on-the-ground story, and when I decided the basis of the story, I realized I could tell it in a way that allowed me to honor those whose bodies remain missing.

How did you come up with the names of your main characters? 

Barlow Jr:  When I decided to focus the story around helicopter crews, I wanted to have experienced and inexperienced crew members. This played little part in determining their names, but it was important to show that not all pilots who flew in the war had experience.

I also wanted to include stories about loved ones left behind and constantly in the dark about what was happening to their spouses on a day-to-day basis. This is an aspect often missing in stories or war, and one that is vital to telling the complete story.

Is there anything that you want readers to know about you, your writing process or your book?

Barlow Jr: The first half of “Time Passed” is told mostly in the third person with little dialogue. The lack of dialogue is meant to represent the isolation the characters suffered while held captive, when they either had no one to communicate with or were forbidden from conversation. In writing this part of the story without dialogue, I wanted the reader to get a sense of being alone the characters experienced.

The story’s second half contains significant dialogue, which is important to communicate the touching moments between the three main characters and those that became part of their lives, and play a role in the characters’ recoveries.

What is your favorite book, genre, and/or author?

Barlow Jr: I read mostly non-fiction, and mostly American history. I despised history in school and now regret it. My favorites are Allan W. Eckert’s, Winning of America series, biographies on George Patton, Nathan Bedford Forrest and Theodore Roosevelt. Most recently, I’ve become interested in Annie Jacobsen’s books, but I enjoy Ben Macintyre.

My favorite fiction books are Lonesome Dove, The Da Vinci Code and The Alienist. I’ve read and re-read these books many times, but not recently. I also enjoyed the earlier works of Tom Clancy and Anne Rice but never read their later novels.

What are you working on next?

Barlow Jr: I’ve begun some stories, but they’ve been moved to the back burner. I recently retired and have started traveling. I started working at 14 and either didn’t or couldn’t take the time to see America. There’s so much to enjoy, and I want to take advantage of this time while I have it.

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