Pump Up Your Book Chats with David Rocklin, author of “The Luminist”

David Rocklin

David Rocklin is an attorney and a mediator.  He graduated from Indiana University with a BA in Literature.  He lives in California with his wife and children.  The Luminist is his first novel.

You can visit his website at http://www.davidrocklin.com

Connect with him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/drocklin or Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Luminist/197726206912766

The Interview

Thank you for this interview, David. Do you remember writing stories as a child or did the writing bug come later? Do you remember your first published piece?

I’ve been writing since I was a kid. It’s how I’ve always made sense of the world, and my place in it. I think my first ‘published’ piece was a cartoon I meant to be political. It was a drawing of the earth, attached to an umbilical cord, which in turn was attached to a dollar bill. I aspired to depth at an early age!

What do you consider as the most frustrating side of becoming a published author and what has been the most rewarding?

The most rewarding is absolutely the contact with readers and writers. It’s been amazing to hear from people who have read the novel and want to share their feelings and reactions. Equally important to me is the connection I’ve been able to make with other published writers, some of whom I deeply admire and respect. Just incredible – I feel very fortunate. The only frustrating side, really, is a lack of time to spend on the new one!

Are you married or single and how do you combine the writing life with home life? Do you have support?

Married to an amazing woman, Nina. She fully understands this odd obsession of mine and helps me make room. I’m grateful to know her, let alone be married to her.

What do you like to do for fun when you’re not writing? Where do you like to vacation? Can you tell us briefly about this?

We have two kids, so vacations are few and far between! Honestly, a quiet night at home or out to dinner is like an oasis for us. Togetherness is better than any vacation…though a spa DOES sound good right about now.

If you could be anywhere in the world for one hour right now, where would that place be and why?

London, to continue researching the new novel I’m working on.

Who is your biggest fan?

My wife.

Where’s your favorite place to write at home?

I actually don’t like writing at home – too many distractions. I prefer Starbucks.

Do you have any pets?

No.

Tell us a secret no one else knows.

I have an avowed weakness for bad horror movies. Ok, a few people already know that one.

The Luminist About The Luminist

IN COLONIAL INDIA, at a time of growing friction between the ruling British and the restless Indian populace, a Victorian woman and her young Tamil Indian servant defy convention, class, and heartbreak to investigate what is gained – and lost – by holding life still. Suggested by the life and work of photographic pioneer Julia Margaret Cameron, The Luminist filters 19th century Ceylon through the lens of an English woman, Catherine Colebrook and a 15 year old Tamil boy, Eligius Shourie. Left fatherless by soldiers, Eligius is brought as a servant to the Colebrooks’ neglected estate. In the shadow of Catherine’s obsession to arrest beauty – to select a moment from the thousands comprising her life in Ceylon and hold it apart from mere memory – Eligius transforms into her apprentice in the creation of the first haunting photographs in history.


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