Interviewed by Jules Lavalle
Robert French is a software developer, turned actor, turned author. He is the writer of the seven (so far) Cal Rogan Mysteries crime-thrillers about a drug-addicted ex- cop who fights his way from living rough on the streets to being a much-sought-after. The series, set in Vancouver, Canada, reflects the best and worst of the city. He is passionate about having the right words on the page and with every new book, his goal is to make it better than the previous one. His loves are his family, science, language, certain elements of philosophy and craft beer.
Jules: You have a diverse background. You were a software developer, turned actor, turned author. Tell us about your journey and what led you to write the critically acclaimed Cal Rogan Series.
Robert: I had been the Chief Technology Officer in a software startup. We had successfully developed our product and were seeking a new round of financing for marketing. Unfortunately, our timing coincided with the burst of the 2003 high-tech bubble. We had to close our doors. I started looking for consulting work and after one particularly grueling day of phone calls, I put down the phone, opened a WORD document and started a novel that had been brewing in the back of my head for a while. I finally stopped writing at around three in the morning and had written 13,000 words. I was hooked.
What I didn’t know was that I had no idea how to write a novel. I was an avid reader, so of course, I could write, couldn’t I? It took me three partially-completed novels, one completed-but-failed novel, a bunch of courses on the craft of writing and a chance meeting with a wonderful editor who became my mentor, before I was able to write a novel good enough to be published.
Jules: Did you always have a passion to write? What intrigues you about crime thrillers?
Robert: When I was in my twenties, I wrote a book of short stories on an old Underwood typewriter. They were pretty good but I had no idea how to approach agents or publishers. In addition, I was newly married with a child on the way and my career in computers was flying high.
I settled on crime-thrillers because this is the genre I love to read. I have always enjoyed solving puzzles and playing games like chess, backgammon and bridge. Creating puzzles for others to solve seemed like a natural to me.
Jules: Your mystery crime thriller series is set in Vancouver, Canada, reflecting the best and worst of the city. Tell us about Cal Rogan. What was your inspiration for this character?
Robert: While I was struggling with learning the craft, I was doing some consulting work for a software company in the downtown east side of Vancouver (the dodgy area.) Every morning on the way to my client’s office, I walked past the entrance to an alley that was home to a considerable number of homeless people, mainly addicts. The alley was bedroom, kitchen, and washroom all in one. Drug dealers would openly trade there. It kind of freaked me out. I started to think about what it must be like to wake up in an alley like that. I mentioned this to my editor/mentor and she said, “Who would you like to be the person to wake up in that alley?” We kicked the idea around and I decided a drug-addicted ex-cop would be the one to wake up there. Thus was Cal Rogan born.
Jules: Tell us about your first book, Junkie. How did this set the stage for your new release, JAILED?
Robert: In Junkie, Cal wakes up in that alley; he is covered in blood and he doesn’t know why. He has hit rock bottom. He only has two people left from his former life: his daughter Ellie whom he adores and gets to see once a week under supervised conditions and his best friend Kevin, who lets Cal clean up at his place once a week prior to his visit with Ellie. But this day he discovers that Kevin is dead. The police rule it as a suicide but Cal cannot accept that. He sets out to discover a murderer.
Over the series, Cal continues to fight his addiction but manages to make his way back into society and opens a PI agency with a fellow ex-cop. Because of his experiences on the streets, Cal is always a champion of the underdog. So, in Jailed, when he learns of an innocent kid locked up in one of Canada’s high-security prisons, he cannot resist the desire to get him set free. What he doesn’t know is that when he starts to investigate the murder that the kid is accused of, he will turn over some stones that put his own family in jeopardy.
Jules: Do you have a favorite book?
Robert: Of my own books, I have a soft spot for Junkie because it was the start of Cal’s journey. Other than that, I don’t have a favorite. There are elements of each book that I love: the start of Lockstep; the surprise in Three; the ending of Captive and the path Cal has to tread in Jailed. Of other authors, I think my favorite book of all time is Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath.
Jules: What keeps readers coming back for more?
Robert: My readers tell me that they fall in love with the characters. And different readers relate to different characters. Apart from Cal and his partner Nick, my own favourite characters are a couple of street-wise homeless guys, Ghost and Tommy, whom Cal employs from time-to-time. Also, I think my readers like that the endings to my books are often quite unexpected.
Jules: Tell us about your new release, JAILED. Is this your best work yet?
Robert: I strive hard to make each book better than the previous one, so I hope that Jailed is the best yet. However, that’s not for me to judge.
Jules: What’s next?
Robert: I am working on two books at the moment. One is the eighth Cal Rogan book but the second one is a departure from the current series. In Jailed, Cal’s daughter Ellie is a pre-teen. I have started a series set in 2044 in which she is a thirty-five year-old detective. In the first book she is investigating a crime that could not be committed in 2022. It is really stretching my imagination to the full.
More information about Robert can be found at: My Books | ROBERT P. FRENCH
About The Author
