Meet Rob Ficiur
Author Rob Ficiur (pronounced feature) is the author of two LDS Historical fiction novels published through Covenant Communications:
Time Travelers in Church History: Trouble in Palmyra (2005)
Time Travelers in Church History: Rescue the Prophet (2007)
(Please see the right hand panel of this page to purchase.)
Rob lives in Bow Island, Alberta Canada with his wife Jane. They have six children and two grandchildren. “My three oldest sons have served missions in Denver (2004-2006) Salt Lake South (2006-2008) and Mexico Veracruz (2008-2010). Their name was Elder Ficiur. Two youngest sons are still at home trying to keep me in line.”
For 14 years he has edited /authored a multi-graded classroom teachers newsletter and write a sports column for a weekly paper. He also has a fascinating website about the Church in Canada.
“On this website I have collected stories of LDS Canadians, including conversion stories, member profiles and LDS Canadian History.
Book reviews of my novels are also on the website. (Guess I should really get my own author website too)”
I asked Rob to tell us more about himself and how he came to be a writer.
I was born at a very young age. As my young age has gotten older I know more things than I used to – but I forget much of what I learned.
I served in the New York Rochester Mission – which allowed me to visit the Sacred Grove, Grandin Building and Hill Cumorah Pageant regularly. In 2001 our family was in the Hill Cumorah Pageant cast. This life changing event for our family also inspired my writing career.
While walking down Main Street Palmyra at pageant time there are all kinds of church goodies for sale. Joseph Smith videos (probably cds now), Hill Cumorah Pageant T-Shirts and more. As I walked down this “Mormon Town of Palmyra, I wondered what a stark contrast this was to what Joseph Smith went through – especially in 1829 as the Book of Mormon was being printed.
The contrast between 1829 and 2001 made me realize it could best be expressed in a fiction novel.
What do you do for a living in addition to writing?
I have a B.Ed. 1986 and M.Ed 2000. I have taught school for twenty years. For nineteen years I have taught in a one room multi-graded classroom on a Hutterite Colony. For those who don’t know what a Hutterite is – the Hutterites are a Christian group who believes that all things should be held in common. Hutterites across Canada and the western USA live on communal farms called colonies. As a group a colony will have a diverse farm operation including dairy, pork, chicken and crops. The public school division hires “English” people to come out an teach the approved provincial or state curriciulum to the students.
What’s the strangest job you’ve ever had?
Just after I got my Bachelor’s degree I spent the three most boring days of my life as a flag man on a highway road crew. I pity those people every time I see those people I feel their pain and boredom.
When did you first start to think of yourself as a writer?
When I was in Grade 4 (translate that to American English: Fourth Grade) our teacher gave us an assignment to write a story. By the end of the year I had written nine or ten Hardy Boy-like stories. Through the rest of my school years I wrote. After my mission and early married life I didn’t write anything except university papers.
One of the first Master’s Degree classes I took was entitled Teachers Life Histories. This class became close as we shared our trials and triumphs. As I did this class realized that my writing had the ability to entertain people and make them laugh.
Not long after this I began writing a sports column for the weekly paper. It was gratifying to get feedback from local towns folk – especially the ladies that read my column even though they weren’t sports fans.
As I began to develop the idea of Time Travelers in Church History series – I looked back and realized that I had been a writer since that Grade 4 assignment – each step I took brought my writing to a new level.
Did you ever have a mentor?
At Easter 2008 I attended the LDS storymakers conference. Until that day I had never met a published LDS writer in person. My wife was probably my best mentor because we would talk ideas back and forth. When she proof read she wielded an instructive red pen.
Why do you write? What drives you? What motivates you? What do you hope your writing will do?
Why do I write? These stories come to my mind and I want to get them out there. Each one I have written and the dozen or so in my head all have a message that needs to get out there.
What motivates me? Part of it is I need to get the stories on paper. In one form or another the stories all hope to bring to hard lessons I have learned – and hope to pass on.
Last week we had a ward activity and the members of the neighboring ward were invited. A grandma from that ward came up to me and told me how much she loved my books. She gave specific details of what she enjoyed. (Such as how Martin Harris’ wife came to life for her in Rescue the Prophet). This type of feedback isn’t why I started writing – it is the inspiration to keep me writing.
In this whole process I need to remember not to let my ego get too big. Writing faith promoting LDS fiction requires insights beyond my ability. As soon as I start to think I am pretty smart and know my stuff then I find myself humbled once again to remember where the best writing ideas I have had came from.
How do you write your rough drafts--computer, typewriter, pen…?
I don’t know how one could be a writer without a word processor. I hate rewriting – but can only imagine the agony it would be to rewrite it all for a few mistakes.
Where do you write?
Finally after writing two novels and several other drafts – I have sent away enough sons on missions that there is a room in my house to write. Looking back when we had five boys at home I don’t know how I got anything written because we had only one computer.
When do you write?
The end of the day seems to work best. I am not an early morning person. When others settle down to watch tv – it is time to write. Some weeks I do not wirte much.
What process do you follow when you write--do you outline? Start with characters or plot?
I have to have an outline. Sometimes I don’t follow it completely – but I have to have a starting place. My Historical Fiction novels started with a time in history – then I collected all the data on that time such as the First Vision. Then I dreamed up ways to include my fictional characters in the story without changing the historical outline.
Do you let anyone see your work before it's finished?
Yes yes. I have three members of my ward that have edited my books over and over before I submit anything. They come from all walks of life.; a medical doctor, a recent convert; a retired sister and my wife.
After the storymakers conference we began a critique group in our little non-LDS town. Now I have two non-LDS people giving me feedback as well.
How did you find your current publisher?
I did my research. I know the owner of an lds book store. He spent an hour or two with me reviewing what publishers worked in each area. When my first novel as done I submitted it to seven publishers. I was very lucky that one contacted me and wanted to persue my novel.
What kind of writing do you wish you could do? Why?
Historical Fiction has been what I have loved. I believe that a well written fiction novel is the best way to teach about the past. An anthropology professor taught me that there is more truth in fiction than non fiction books. I believe that this can be true in the LDS market – as we teach and bring concepts to life.
As I have worked on my member missionary book – I have collected about three dozen conversion stories of ordinary people. Each story is a miracle.
What would make you feel you had reached the top of your career?
I was at the first ever Whitney Awards. If I won one of those that would be a new height to my writing career. However, when a young man in Germany read Rescue the Prophet and told his mom that he felt the spirit – I already reached the highest height there was.
What’s ahead in your writing career?
I have more ideas to write about than I have time to write. I am working on my third time travelers novel set in the Kirtland era. I have been working on a member missionary book on and off for five years. Lately I have begun writing a fiction novel about the trials and challenges of a new coming to a very weird ward….(Do you think he came to your ward….you never know)
I asked Rob for some words of wisdom for those who would like to follow in his footsteps.
What advice do you have for new writers?
Keep your day job. Whether in the LDS market or the national market – getting published takes a long time. We hear the story of J K Rowlings and how rich she got with her seven books. I have read several excellent manuscripts by new authors who have not been able to find publishers yet.
What surprised you about being a writer?
Prior to writing fiction novels I had edited a quarterly teachers newsletter for 12 years; I had written a weekly sports column for 5 years; still I had no idea how much work it was to write and rewrite a novel. Now as I work on another book – it is just as big a task as the first one – it doesn’t get any easier.
Have you done book signings?
I have done several book signings – and in the process got to know people who work at the book stores. I found I had to promote myself and talk to people when they came in. That was hard to push myself – but it was great.
The book store staff gave me excellent feedback and ideas.
It was fabulous to come to the Idaho Falls Sea Gull Books in 2005 and find that they knew and loved Trouble in Palmyra.
I did several book signings in 2005 and 2006 in Idaho Falls. In 2007 my son got a job at the Sea Gull Book store. A few months after my second novel Rescue the Prophet came out. One day while my son was working a lady came to the till to purchase a copy of Book #2. She told my son “I met the author of this book. He was here last year and signed a copy of his first book.”
My son smiled and took her money and off she went.
It could have been worse. He could have said to her “Well, I grew up in the same ward as that guy. I spent many hours in his house…and let me tell you stories about him…”
At the LDS Story Makers conference some of my books were for sale in their store. One teen age girl (whose Mom was an author) saw me putting out my books and went up to her room and brought down her copy of book #1 for me to sign. I had signed many books – but never had anyone brought one for me to sign.
Writing for Church members has some unique aspects. I asked Rob to talk about this.
How does writing an LDS book differ from writing a mainstream book? How far are you willing to push the gospel standards in a book?
I have intentionally written faith promoting books. What I have written is part of me – part of the message I want the world to hear. (I have sold several of my novels to non members – and figure if they want to read about the First Vision or the coming forth of the Book of Mormon that would be fine with me).
I realize that I have written for a small market – and so the monetary rewards may not be as huge as if I wrote for a national market.
How does the gospel influence your career?
I once read a story about Joseph Smith when he was translating the Book of Mormon in Fayette NY. He had a bit of a conflict with Emma that morning. He tried but couldn’t translate. He went to the woods prayed and then apologized to Emma. Then he could translate.
I can write my sports column or my teachers newsletter whenever I need to do it. However, writing inspirational fiction means I have to have harmony at home and in my heart. (I should have that harmony anyways – but I can’t write without it).
How could / should someone prepare to write an LDS fiction novel?
First, read, read, read. Know what is out there in whatever market you are writing for. The book I am writing about that weird ward (is it your ward?)-- there is nothing out there like this. Reading also can give you tangent ideas that can lead to characters in your book. My son who is in High School got me hooked on the TV show Lost. As I watched that show with him – I made notes in my writing journal about how these characters were constructed. This gave me ideas for my characters as well. A Lost fan would not recognize my fictional characters from the novel – but I got ideas / themes and traits from them.
Second, write about something you are passionate about – something you feel strongly. If you don’t you’ll never finish the project.
Write what you feel you should write – because you have a story in your mind that the world needs to hear.
