QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS WITH Author Len Robbins

1. When/How did you begin to write?

I actually   began writing   semi-professionally   as a high school sophomore, covering   sports for the local newspaper I would later own, The Clinch County News. I had grown up a big sports fan, and read Sports Illustrated, The Sporting News, and Sport magazine voraciously.   When I realized I was too small, too slow,and well, too bad, to be a professional athlete, I found writing about sports to be something that came easily to me and didn't seem like work.

2. Who/What was your inspiration?

Originally, I wanted to a sportswriter, but when I was in college   majoring in journalism, I found myself yearning to be a general humor columnist, much like Lewis Grizzard or Dave Barry. Later, I found that writing columns was something that came easily to me and didn't seem like work (a theme in my life).

3. What is your intention in this book?

Being a small-town guy writing for a small-town newspaper, my work is seen by a limited amount of people, even with the column being syndicated. I'm hoping more people will be exposed to my work through the book, which sounds rather dirty and seedy (not my intention).

4. Any surprises in the process?

I've written a whole lot of columns. I started in 1994 and went through all 600+ for this book. Paring them down to 80 for publication was rather daunting and seemed too much like work (which I try to avoid).

5. What are you favorite chapters? Why?

One thing I've found odd is my favorites are not necessarily   my readers' favorites. For instance, I get hearty guffaws out of "My unedited stance on the Pete Rose controvery,"   but I only received one comment   on it. Most of the columns in the book are the ones I received the most positives responses from, but a few-

"Parents be stupider after birthins"   being another - I included just because I personally liked them. Hey, it's my book.

6. How would you sum up your point of view on life?

I love everybody, and you're next.

I don't know what that means. I saw it on a t-shirt once.