Richard Lamb has lived quite a storied life, having been an educator, sailing instructor, and truck driver. He even has a background as an author, having published A Ghost in Maritime America in 2023. Richard enjoys using Homer to put a smile on people’s faces in campgrounds, motels, and cafés as well as at events as he travels. He is eager to more broadly share the joy that Homer brings with the publication of Homer, America’s Traveling Jackalope!
Q: What inspired the idea behind your book?
A: I was inspired to write this book for several reasons. Seeing pictures of others from all walks of life posing with a jackalope named Homer convinced many curious people to have their own photos taken for themselves, their family members, and their friends. How often does one see a picture of a jackalope in a hot air balloon, or in an airplane, or even on a train? The photos of Homer the jackalope in various locations around the country have created a wow factor some readers can relate to, and they make others wish they could travel across the country too.
For me, this book serves as a twenty-year memoir. It’s a testament that most people are open-minded when facing a spontaneous, brief opportunity that has come their way. The smiles across America convinced me to write this book.
Q: What is your favorite book?
A: I have two: The World According to Garp by John Irving and On the Road by Jack Kerouac.
Q: Was your main character modeled after anyone in your life?
A: Yes! The book was based on my true life experiences.
Q: What is your favorite part of the writing process?
A: I would have to say world-building to stimulate readers about possibilities!
Q: Do you believe that being a “good writer” is a developed skill or a natural talent?
A: A good writer, I believe, is a naturally talented storyteller but is always getting better with continued education through reading and writing more.
Q: Do you have a favorite quote from a book, poem, TV, or movie?
A: My favorite quote is “Life is ALWAYS better with a jackalope!”
Q: Would you write another book (or are you already writing another book)?
A: Yes.
Q: Is there an author you look up to, and why?
A: I love how John Irving writes about writers and the relationship between a mother and her son in The World According to Garp.
Q: If there were an apocalypse and you could only take five books into your doomsday bunker, what would they be?
A: My mother wrote her first book at eighty years old and another at eighty-five. I wrote my first book at seventy-one and my second at age seventy-three. I would take those four books with me.
Learn more about Richard Lamb and his new children’s book, Homer, America’s Traveling Jackalope, at https://blueballoonbooks.com/bookstore/homer-americas-traveling-jackalope/.
