George Orwell once wrote that “good prose is like a windowpane.” I love that quote because it emphasizes the fact that good writing allows us to see into the world of someone else. Perhaps a different race or time in world history. Here’s what to expect from my future books.
My work so far
To date my work has focused on writing the world wars from a White European perspective. Obviously as a Black writer, this is a different experience that I would know but I was able to carry it off successfully enough to earn the praise of respected industry leaders such as Publisher’s Weekly and Midwest Book reviews.
Good writers don’t just tell stories; they relay stories that they’ve lived in the skins of other people. For me, that meant getting out of the skin of a Black man with Caribbean roots and entering the skin of White Europeans who lived more than a hundred years ago.
It was an exhilarating experience.
What to expect from future books
And now, I’m working hard to invite all readers–irrespective of their race or ethnicity–to join me in seeing the world through the eyes of those with Black skin. The bodies of the men and women I’ll portray aren’t dressed in tuxedos and silk gowns. They’re heroes who are fighting for both their lives and respect in a world that’s been slanted against them from birth.
Moving forward, I will focus on clean, WW2 novels that feature Black protagonists.
My characters are soldiers and spies. Politicians and dreamers. Sinners and saints. Religious leaders and rebels. Fathers and mothers. They’re young, old, in-between, married, single and divorced. They’re an eclectic world of humans whose lives revolve around dreams that they’re determined to make reality.
Orwell also wrote that he writes because “there is some lie that I want to expose, some fact to which I want to draw attention.” I identify with those words. I write to expose hidden truths, to bring to light historical injustices that are little discussed and to draw readers into worlds other than their own.
For me, that focus is what makes the journey worthwhile.
Kickstarting this journey is my short story series Unheard Voices. Be sure to subscribe to my email so you don’t miss a moment.
Thanks, as always, for being part of my story.
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About JP Robinson
JP Robinson seamlessly fuses relatable situations with rich, authentic depictions of the past. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and French and a Master’s degree in Education. JP’s novels have been praised by industry leaders such as Publishers Weekly and repeatedly secured the #1 spot on Amazon’s historical thrillers category.
He is a frequent guest speaker at writers conferences as well as radio programs. JP has been married for over 18 years to the love of his life with whom he has three children.
[…] My current novel centers around the Black experience under Hitler. Afro-Germans, especially those of who were mixed-race, experienced intense persecution and were possibly slated for extermination alongside Germany’s Jews. While there is evidence for a few isolated cases of fair-skinned Afro-Germans joining Hitler Youth, the images generated by Google’s Gemini AI are absolutely inaccurate. […]