Pages

Search This Site

                 

Interview with Robert Boog, Author of 'Hang Shakespeare'

Aug. 30, 2020


I was privileged to invite Author Robert Boog for an interview to discuss his latest book Hang Shakespeare and the inspiration behind it. Enjoy! 



*********



What's your book about, and what inspired you to write it?
On Xmas Day, 2019, my wife and I sat down and watched a documentary called Nothing is Truer than True. The film takes a viewer on a voyage to Italy and tried to recreate the voyage of Edward de Vere, the 17th earl of Oxford. I was fascinated by the movie and raved about it one month later. However, my wife disagreed. She thought the movie portrayed a "snobbish" view. So I thought, maybe I missed something. I returned to the First Folio poem and saw the name de Vere staring me in the face. Then I saw the words "hang Shakespeare"

Who is your target audience, and why do you think this book will appeal to them?
I did not write with a particular target audience in mind, but hopefully anyone who has ever taken a Shakespeare class in school or who had watched a WS movie might be interested.

What message do you wish to pass across to your readers with this book?
The idea that William Shakespeare was given credit for works that were created by Edward de Vere should be taken more seriously. We kick students out of colleges for plagiarism. So are not we condoning plagiarism by allowing Shakespeare to be given credit for works he clearly did not write?

What was the hardest thing about writing your latest book?

Nothing. It was a lot of fun.


As a writer, is there anything you've learned about yourself while writing this book?
What I learned about myself is that I wanted to write my original thoughts down first, and then research. For example, I start with the deaths of the two men and then work backward.Too many people get bogged down in the grammar school education and I did not want to fall into that trap.

For your own reading, do you prefer ebooks or traditional paper/hard back books, and why?  
I like both. Sitting on the toilet reading an ebook and reading a traditional hard cover book while sitting on the couch or outside.


What is your niche genre, and if you were to write in a different genre, what would it be?
I have written in both non-fiction and fiction genres and fiction is by far much harder. I am thinking of writing some short stories as that is something I have never done and I would like to try it.

What books and authors have most influenced you?
Mostly self-help books like How to win friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie as I do try to apply the principles.

Is there anything you'd like readers to know about you?
I believe in simple things: wear a mask because we are in a pandemic. Wash your hands often. Keep a safe distance. Also, the authorship question has nothing to do with being "snobbish". I like to write songs as a hobby and you can find them on YouTube if you do a YouTube search for Robert Boog. So, let us replace the word "plays" by William Shakespeare with "songs". Shakespeare's songs sound like Frank Sinatra with a jazzy style and Frank likes to hold notes. He has impeccable timing. Now let us compare a Sinatra song to a 90's rap song by Cypress Hill. They don't hold notes. They rhyme hard.
Sinatra sings: The summer wind, came blowing in, from across the sea. It lingered there, to touch your hair, and walk with me."
CH sings: "So you want to be a rock super star, and live large, the five cars, the rent charge, coming up in the world, don't trust nobody."
When you compare the words of Shakespeare after 1604 when deVere died, you can hear that Shakespeare sounds different. He does not sound like Shakespeare. (And by the way, I love 90's rap and Cypress Hill) just as i love Frank Sinatra.

Do you have any more books in the works?
Not at the moment.
Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?
Yes. I deal with bad or good ones by drinking a glass of wine. A bad one I got with Hang Shakespeare was, "this is a book I wanted to throw across the room, but it's probably the best book I've read by someone who does not believe in the authorship of William Shakespeare." Then the review was mysteriously removed. I mention this because people who favor the man from Stratford want to ignore the authorship issue. They don't want to give it oxygen.

How can readers get in touch with or follow you (website, personal blog, social media handle, Goodreads)?
facebook.com/boogmusic
www.robertboog.com
@bobboog01

Yes, I am on Goodreads.

------------
I live in Los Angeles and my father and mother were both real estate brokers. We had a big family. I was the 5th child in a family with 9 children, so I had 4 older siblings and 4 younger. 

-------------------

You might also like:





No comments:

Post a Comment