So, who is this guy? For real – not just the public bio. What is Robert Quattlebaum really like?
I like to think of myself as a Christian above all other descriptions. I don’t mean in the sense of being perfect, and hopefully not as someone who is holier-than-thou. But my commitment to Christ is real, and I try to make it central to everything I do. I apply biblical teaching to my own life, and I’ve been weeding out earthly habits for years. See my Statement of Faith.
Marriage and family are high on my list, just under my relationship with Jesus Christ. My wife and I originally met at church when we were children. Rebekah’s family moved to a different church, and I didn’t meet her again until we were in high school. We quickly became inseparable, and she is still my best friend after thirty-plus years of marriage. There is no one I’d rather spend time with than her, and it’s our desire that others would have that same kind of relationship.
For almost thirty years, children were a major part of our lives. Rebekah never wanted to be anything other than a wife and mother, and she certainly got her wish. After birthing three girls, we adopted a sibling set of three children. Sign up for my newsletter on my Contact page and I’ll send you a link to read about that journey. Today, we are grandparents. As of this writing we have three granddaughters. We also have three grandchildren in heaven that never saw the light of day.
Growing up, I was the brainy type. I spent a lot of time studying during my teenage years, and I graduated valedictorian from my high school. I went on to graduate with honor from Georgia Tech with a degree in computer science. From there I went into Information Technology where I did all sorts of things: programming, design, databases, technical writing, end-user support, project planning, and management. In the early years of my career, I used to build computers from parts and sell the finished product for extra spending money.
I’ve been a car nut for as long as I can remember. I used to draw pictures of cars in first grade. I hung around with people in high school that loved cars, and I still own my first car – a 1974 Nova – today. I’ve restored and customized it, and Rebekah and I take it to car shows frequently. I also have been fortunate enough to realize another dream – I owned a Ferrari for three years. (No, I’m not crazy rich. Older Ferrari’s are not as expensive as you might think, though they are rather expensive to maintain.) Although I can do some of my own mechanical work, I much prefer driving and going to shows.
I tend to be a jack-of-all trades, and I’m big into DIY (do it yourself) projects. I’ve learned electricity, plumbing, construction, and re-modeling. My wife and I have tried various business ventures over the years with varying degrees of success. We’ve owned vending machines, rental real estate, and played in the stock market. We’ve cut, split, and sold firewood. And, more recently, I’ve been exploring the world of publishing and editing.
Circling back to Christianity, my wife and I are big believers in evangelism. We’re sort of unofficial missionaries wherever we go. There’s nothing more exciting to us than to see God work in someone’s life – whether it’s drawing a believer closer to him, or bringing the lost to salvation.
Another side thing Rebekah and I do off and on is play music. I play the drums, and Rebekah plays whatever she puts her mind to – usually piano. Sometimes we play at home just for ourselves. We’ve also been part of the music team at various churches over the years. Both of us like contemporary Christian praise music the best.
I don’t have as much time for it as I used to, but I love to read. I’ll read just about anything that’s clean. I like Christian thrillers best, and my favorite book is The Oath by Frank Peretti. On the non-fiction side, I tend to read about history, with a preference for the World War II era. This is an odd turnabout because I never liked studying history in school.
As far as writing goes, I tend to like the idea of writing more than the actual work. Because it is work. You can’t imagine how difficult it is to write until you try it. The first few paragraphs flow easy from the spark of a new idea, but getting ninety thousand words into a novel is a grueling task. And once the writing is done, there is editing, editing, editing to make it right. But I like the editing part – much more than I like writing.
Where do the ideas for my stories come from? I dunno – they pop into my head when I’m not trying to think of a story. I attribute the ideas to God. I know for sure he gave me the first story I wrote, Miracle at Winterville. The rest of the stories, whether originally inspired by God or not, end up being heavily influenced by the Father. I am completely amazed when some incredible spiritual concept shows up in my writing – I don’t plan them that way.
As with all people, there’s much more to this complex person named Robert Quattlebaum than I’ve written about here. But you have a pretty good understanding now about the biggest parts of my life. If you’d like to know more about anything, send me an email from my Contact page.
God Bless.