As part of our SFFWorld.com’s Member Spotlight Series, Nila interviews Rob Bedford, avid fantasy reader and reviewer.
Hello Rob, thank you for taking time from your busy schedule to chat with me.
Rob: Thanks for doing this!
SFFWorld is the place on the internet that introduced me to the online genre community and subsequently to genre fandom as a whole. I have to give my utmost thanks to Dag Rambraut for inviting me to participate as moderator and book reviewer all those years ago. I really owe a lot to him for his friendship, generosity, effort, time, and commitment to SFFWorld. More people need to know about Dag and Dag needs to know how many people look highly upon SFFWorld.
SFFWorld: What’s your SFFWorld.com’s forum handle and why did you pick it?
Rob: Rob B. — it is my name after all. But let’s take a step back. When I first joined wa-aaaaaaay back in 2000, I tried to be cool and come up with a unique name that was a nod to writers/stories I enjoyed so I chose FitzFlagg. Fitz because I had recently read and loved Robin Hobb’s Farseer Trilogy and Flag because I was a life-long Stephen King fan. Considering Fitz is also traditionally an indicator of a bastard, FitzFlagg didn’t seem too contrived…at the time. As my reviewing for SFFWorld became more prolific, I wanted to use my real name.
SFFWorld: How did you discover SFFWorld.com and why did you decide to join?
Rob: Gosh, it was so long ago I don’t recall *exactly* how, but I suspect I was looking for book reviews (to discover my next read) and a place to discuss The Wheel of Time and other books I enjoyed. We have a long running topic (or topics, probably) on this in the forum and I may answered the question there, too.
SFFWorld: How long have you been a member and what keeps you coming back?
Rob: I think I joined in May 2000, so coming up on 15 years. Damn…15 years is nearly a third of my life. What keeps me coming back is what I indicated above. SFFWorld has essentially been my online genre home for so long I can’t imagine not coming back. While I may not participate in the forums as much as I once did (notch that up to social media and work firewalls/Big Brother software preventing me from accessing non-work related web sites), the community as a whole feels a great deal like home. I’ve made some good friendships here over the years (Hi Mark, Nila, Dag, Owen, Joey/Erfael, KatG) who have been extremely supportive in hard times (9/11 and when I’ve been hit by the unemployment bug) and trusted sounding boards for a variety of things. Put it this way, in the 15 years since I’ve been participating in this forum, I’ve: gotten married, moved/bought 2 homes, had several jobs, acquired a dog, began participating in the greater genre community, but through it all, one of the most consistent things in my life has been SFFWorld. When I meet people at fan gatherings (conventions, Tor.com meet-ups, author signings) and I introduce myself as Rob Bedford. On more than one occasion, people have said “You’re the SFFWorld guy!” I like that.
SFFWorld: What’s your favorite book (genre or not)?
Rob: Am I permitted only one?
Genre, maybe Heroes Die by Matthew Stover.
Non-genre, probably The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
Graphic Novel: Watchmen (I reread my Absolute edition of it about once per year)
SFFWorld: Who’s your favorite author (genre or not)?
Rob: Again, am I only permitted one? Let’s see…I don’t think I can limit it to one, so as of this writing here is a selection of favorites: Tad Williams, Matthew Stover, Robin Hobb, Jim Butcher, Elizabeth Moon, George R.R. Martin, C.S. Friedman, Brandon Sanderson, Rachel Aaron/Bach, Joe Hill, Stephen King, Robert Jackson Bennett, Robert R. McCammon, Brian K. Vaughn, Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, Daniel Abraham, Robert Jordan
SFFWorld: What’s your favorite genre (science fiction, fantasy, horror, steampunk, etc)?
Rob: Epic Fantasy is my go-to flavor of Speculative Fiction. When I started reading “adult” books at the age of was eleven or twelve, I dove into my parents Stephen King books, as a result, horror will always have soft spot for me too.
SFFWorld: Where’s your favorite place to read?
Rob: On my couch, with my wife next to me, my dog Sully either on her chair or at my feet, with a full beer in front of me, and a fire roaring in my fireplace. In warmer weather I like to sit poolside (or on a raft in the pool) with my wife and my dog and a cold beer within reach.
SFFWorld: Favorite con (convention)?
Rob: I’ve only been to two genre cons: JerseyDevil Con (back in 2003, and it is no longer held) and New York Comic Con for the last three years (2012, 2013, 2014). I’d say this past NYCC (2014) may have been the best.
SFFWorld: What do you do when you are not reading or messing around on SFFWorld.com?
Rob: You mean there are other things to do? Usually writing of some sort – reviews, various articles posts for SF Signal or Tor.com or my own fiction. I spend time going on ‘adventures’ with my wife and walking/playing with my dog. I’m also in a bowling league, I enjoy watching baseball and hockey and I’m a beer snob so I try to get to local Craft Brew festivals to “sample” various beers.
SFFWorld: Thanks for taking the time to talk to me, Rob, and catch ya around the forum.
Rob: Thanks and I think it is great you are interviewing the “People of SFFWorld!”
© 2014 N. E. White / Rob Bedford / SFFWorld.com
Nice interview – really enjoyed it.
Thanks for the kind words Rob, I really could say the same, it goes both ways. I think it has been a journey for all of us and still is in many ways.
I do enjoy hiding in the background though 🙂