Dragon Soul Press had the chance to interview Robert Allen Lupton, an author featured in Pirate Gold, Trickster, Age of Artifice, Spacebound, and Lethal Impact.
Robert Allen Lupton is retired and lives in New Mexico where he was a commercial hot air balloon pilot. Robert runs and writes every day, but not necessarily in that order. Over 200 of his short stories have been published in various anthologies, magazines, and online magazines. He has three novels in print, Foxborn, Dragonborn, and Dejanna of the Double Star. His six short story collections, Running Into Trouble, Through A Wine Glass Darkly, Strong Spirits, Hello Darkness, Visions Softly Creeping, and The Marvin Chronicles are available in print and audio versions from Amazon. He edited the anthology, Feral, It Takes a Forest and co-edited the Three Cousins Anthologies, Are You A Robot? and Witch Wizard Warlock. Over 2000 of his Edgar Rice Burroughs themed drabbles and articles are located on www.erbzine.com.
- What prompted you to begin writing?
- I always wanted to write is the short answer. The long answer is that I always did, but
not fiction. My work career included stints with a major fast food company, where I
began part time as a college student and left as a vice-president. After that I couldn’t
hold a job. I owned part of two restaurant chains for a while. I wrote operating manuals
for both, and for a couple other companies. I moved into the home building business and
worked for a wonderful homebuilder in New Mexico, writing their safety manual,
homeowner’s manuals, and the operational guidelines and covenants for various
neighborhood and homeowners’ associations. When the company was sold, I started a
green building company with a great partner and wrote the documents listed above for
that company. I wrote position papers for the Homebuilding Association and speeches
for a couple local politicians. When I retired, I started writing fiction.
- I always wanted to write is the short answer. The long answer is that I always did, but
- Do you have a favorite story or poem you’ve written? What’s it about?
- That’s a tough question. In some ways, stories are like children. You love them all. My
favorite is probably “Dark Cloud Over Ladysmith,” It takes place during the Boer Wars
and the siege of Ladysmith. A body-traveling witch doctor is preying on the English
trapped in the city and a group of determined women have to lead the fight against him.
The soldiers refuse to believe that he exists.
- That’s a tough question. In some ways, stories are like children. You love them all. My
- How many projects do you have planned over the next few years? Tell us about one.
- I publish a short story collection of mine annually and will continue to do so as long as I
have enough stories to fill a book. I work with two of my cousins, David and Carol, to
publish an annual anthology under the Three Cousins imprint of West Mesa Press. Our
2024 anthology is “The Trouble With Time,” a time travel themed anthology.
Submissions are open until July 31 st of 2024. “Every Day With Edgar Rice Burroughs” a
reference book will be published within the next year in conjunction with Edgar Rice
Burroughs Incorporated.
- I publish a short story collection of mine annually and will continue to do so as long as I
- What is your writing process like?
- It’s different depending on whether I’m writing a short story or a novel. For a short story, I
think about it during a few runs and then I sit down and write it. It almost never ends they
I’d scripted it in my mind. For a novel, I write and outline and then rewrite it again and
again. Then I write the book. It never goes like I outlined. Characters can be stubborn.
I’ve published three novels and have three partially written. If I can get the cast to
behave, maybe I’ll finish one of them.
- It’s different depending on whether I’m writing a short story or a novel. For a short story, I
- Where do you draw inspiration from?
- The world around me. What I see, what I read, and what I hear. Here’s an example. A
few years ago we went to a small circus. It had a troop of performing bears who were so
well trained that the animal trainer could order them about with a gesture or a single
word. During their visit, I ran into the owner/ring master at a big box store. He said he
liked to play in the town where we were because the local officials were ‘circus friendly.”
Those two incidents made me think. What if the bears were enchanted humans, humans
who had tried to prey on the circus? Strange turn of mind, but the result was “Madame
Ursa’s Performing Bears.” Almost any situation can become fantasy, horror, or science
fiction, but asking that single question, What would happen, if… I read this week that our
bodies are absorbing micro plastics. What if we evolved and used the micro plastics to
build exoskeletons? What if the insects did? See what I mean.
- The world around me. What I see, what I read, and what I hear. Here’s an example. A
- Who is your favorite author / what is your favorite book?
- Edgar Rice Burroughs without a doubt. My favorite book of his is “The Chessmen of
Mars.” My favorite book overall has changed from time to time. “The Moon is a Harsh
Mistress” by Robert Heinlein, “Dune” by Frank Herbert, and even “The Wonderful Wizard
of Oz” have made the cut at one time or another. Right now, I’m loving anything by
James Lee Burke or John Sanford. A little Anne McCaffrey is good for the soul and Jules
Verne, H. G. Wells, Rafael Sabatini H. Rider Haggard, and Arthur Conan Doyle are still
popular after more than 100 years for a reason.
- Edgar Rice Burroughs without a doubt. My favorite book of his is “The Chessmen of
- What is one goal you have for your writing future?
- Dearly love to see something of mine on film.
- What do you hope readers enjoy most from your work?
- I’ve written sad stories and scary stories. These days I write mostly funny smart ass
stories. If I can make someone smile for a second or even just forget about their troubles
for a few minutes, that’s more than enough for me.
- I’ve written sad stories and scary stories. These days I write mostly funny smart ass
- Where can readers learn more about you?
Dragon Soul Press 