Character Interview: Robert James Austin from William R. Leibowitz's 'Miracle Man'

We’re thrilled to have here today Robert James Austin from William R. Leibowitz’s  award winning  cross-genre thriller, Miracle Man.  He’s coming to us all the way from the great state of  Massachusetts.    It is a pleasure to have him with us today at The Literary Nook!

Q: Thank you so for this interview, Robert. Now that the book has been written, do you feel you were fairly portrayed or would you like to set anything straight with your readers?

A:  Overall, I think that the author of Miracle Man, William R. Leibowitz, tried to do the best he could given his relatively limited abilities, but I certainly take exception to some of his characterizations—particularly in the latter half of the book.  I spent so much time with Mr. Leibowitz that I thought he really was getting to know me and understand me, so his failure to do so is disappointing.  

Q:  What do you believe is your strongest trait?

A:   My ability to focus all of my energies on what I want to accomplish.  This I do to the exclusion of all else.

Q:  Worst trait?

A:  My ability to focus all of my energies on what I want to accomplish, to the exclusion of all else.

Q:  Do you have a love interest in the book?

A:  Yes, her name is Christina Moore.  She’s not only my love interest,   she’s my angel.  She saved my life more times than I can count.  Without her, I wouldn’t be here today.  My love for Christina is greater than I can possibly express.

Q:  At what point of the book did you start getting nervous about the way it was going to turn out?

A:  About half way through Miracle Man, I began to glean that the author really didn’t understand me.  

Q: If you could trade places with one of the other characters in the book, which character would you really not want to be and why?

A:  I wouldn’t want to be Orin Varneys.  I would hate to spend my life being so manipulative and controlling.

Q:  How do you feel about the ending of the book without giving too much away?

A:  I detest the ending of Miracle Man.  So many times in the book, I made it clear to the author exactly what was going on and what the causes of certain problems and conflicts were.  I just don’t know how he could ignore what I said.  Frankly, it’s disrespectful.  I can’t fathom what I did to offend Mr. Leibowitz that made him behave so poorly.

Q:  What words of wisdom would you give your author if he decided to write another book with you in it?

A:  Firstly, I hope that doesn’t happen --although I have heard from some of the other characters in Miracle Man, that  Mr. Leibowitz is already sketching out a sequel because of “reader demand”.    God help me, as thinking about that prospect is adding to my already terrible and frequent nightmares.  If Mr. Leibowitz insists on going down this ill advised path, I would ask him to please try to be more insightful and even -handed in his treatment of me.  After all—without me, he wouldn’t have been able to write Miracle Man.

Q:  Thank you for this interview.  Will we be seeing more of you in the future?

A:  Anything is possible.

About the Author:

William has a Bachelor of Science degree from New York University (magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa) and a law degree from Columbia University.  He lives in the village of Quogue, New York with his wife, Alexandria, and dog, George. 

William wrote Miracle Man because of its humanistic and spiritual messages and because he feels that in our current times – when meritless celebrity has eclipsed accomplishment and the only heroes are those based on comic books, the world needs a real hero –and that, of course, is Robert James Austin, the protagonist in Miracle Man. Miracle Man won Best Thriller in the National Pacific Book Awards.

For More Information

• Visit William Leibowitz’s website.
• Connect with William on Facebook and Twitter.
• Visit William’s blog.

About the Book:

REVERED   REVILED    REMARKABLE

The victim of an unspeakable crime, an infant rises to become a new type of superhero. 

Unlike any that have come before him, he is not a fanciful creation of animators, he is real. 

So begins the saga of Robert James Austin, the greatest genius in human history.  But where did his extraordinary intelligence come from?

As agents of corporate greed vie with rabid anti-Western radicals to destroy him, an obsessive government leader launches a bizarre covert mission to exploit his intellect.  Yet Austin’s greatest fear is not of this world.

Aided by two exceptional women, one of whom will become his unlikely lover, Austin struggles against abandonment and betrayal.  But the forces that oppose him are more powerful than even he can understand. 

For More Information

• Miracle Man is available at Amazon.
• Pick up your copy at Barnes & Noble.
• Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.