Author Rob Walker talks in a slow, circling pattern. He answers a question or begins a story and it spirals inward until it reaches the point he's trying to make. He doesn't rush. He is mindful that a story takes time to be told.

Walker is the author of 40 books, most of them paperback thrillers like "Shadows in the White City," "Fatal Instinct" and "Cold Edge." He settled in Charleston more than three years ago. It wasn't the place he expected live.

The 59-year-old was born in Mississippi, but grew up on the streets of Chicago. He was one of five children. His father, a World War II vet, was a hard-drinking, hard-smoking truck driver.

"I was one of those guys yelling into a bar, asking if my father was in there," Walker said.

The Chicago of the 1950s and 1960s was famously tough. Gangs like the Vice Lords and the Latin Kings prowled the streets, while the Chicago Outfit, led by crime boss Sam Giancana, ruled crime in the West from the Windy City, controlled unions and influenced elections. Stories of violence and murder were in the morning paper every day.

But it also was a period of change.

"Growing up in Chicago was a good experience for a writer," he said. "The city was a melting pot. Before the Vietnam War, we had Vietnamese in the school. I went to school with black kids. Being around different people, I think, gives you a broader perspective."

Walker got started in writing after a junior high teacher raved about one of his assignments. He says the reaction was invigorating. It was powerful.

"And as a kid from a family of five, it was a cool way to be heard."

He published his first book, "Sub-Zero," in 1979. It was a science fiction story about Chicago caught in the grips of a sudden ice age. From there, he's published in a variety of genres, including horror, science fiction, mystery and even books for young adults.

He's built a substantial body of work, but his success has been modest. Becoming a paperback writer has never provided the kind of income to allow him to support himself and a family.

In the 1980s, he sent a letter to 10 best-selling authors. He asked them how they did what they did? How could he get books on the best-seller list?

"Dick Francis called me from an airport," he laughed. "I didn't learn anything from him, but it was great to talk to him."

Horror novelist Dean R. Koontz sent him a six-page letter, gave him advice on what to read for pointers and told him to move back toward

reality-based horror fiction. It was advice he followed, but he also learned to pay attention to trends.

Once, Walker wrote a 60,000-word mystery novel and pitched the book to a publisher he'd worked with before. She declined it. He called and asked her why she'd turned it down.

"She told me the company had gone from 60,000 words to 80,000 words [format]," he said. "They were also focusing more on horror. So, I told her I'd add 20,000 words and a monster."

He laughed.

"If I ever write a how-to-book, that's my title. '20,000 Words and a Monster.'"

Making a living writing genre fiction isn't easy. The advances paid by publishers often aren't vast fortunes, and Walker says royalty checks sometimes only trickle in.

"I love writing, but I wouldn't wish this kind of life on anybody," he said. "The hardest part isn't the writing. The hardest part is keeping a steady income."

Author Rob Walker talks in a slow, circling pattern. He answers a question or begins a story and it spirals inward until it reaches the point he's trying to make. He doesn't rush. He is mindful that a story takes time to be told.

Walker is the author of 40 books, most of them paperback thrillers like "Shadows in the White City," "Fatal Instinct" and "Cold Edge." He settled in Charleston more than three years ago. It wasn't the place he expected live.

The 59-year-old was born in Mississippi, but grew up on the streets of Chicago. He was one of five children. His father, a World War II vet, was a hard-drinking, hard-smoking truck driver.

"I was one of those guys yelling into a bar, asking if my father was in there," Walker said.

The Chicago of the 1950s and 1960s was famously tough. Gangs like the Vice Lords and the Latin Kings prowled the streets, while the Chicago Outfit, led by crime boss Sam Giancana, ruled crime in the West from the Windy City, controlled unions and influenced elections. Stories of violence and murder were in the morning paper every day.

But it also was a period of change.

"Growing up in Chicago was a good experience for a writer," he said. "The city was a melting pot. Before the Vietnam War, we had Vietnamese in the school. I went to school with black kids. Being around different people, I think, gives you a broader perspective."

Walker got started in writing after a junior high teacher raved about one of his assignments. He says the reaction was invigorating. It was powerful.

"And as a kid from a family of five, it was a cool way to be heard."

He published his first book, "Sub-Zero," in 1979. It was a science fiction story about Chicago caught in the grips of a sudden ice age. From there, he's published in a variety of genres, including horror, science fiction, mystery and even books for young adults.

He's built a substantial body of work, but his success has been modest. Becoming a paperback writer has never provided the kind of income to allow him to support himself and a family.

In the 1980s, he sent a letter to 10 best-selling authors. He asked them how they did what they did? How could he get books on the best-seller list?

"Dick Francis called me from an airport," he laughed. "I didn't learn anything from him, but it was great to talk to him."

Horror novelist Dean R. Koontz sent him a six-page letter, gave him advice on what to read for pointers and told him to move back toward

reality-based horror fiction. It was advice he followed, but he also learned to pay attention to trends.

Once, Walker wrote a 60,000-word mystery novel and pitched the book to a publisher he'd worked with before. She declined it. He called and asked her why she'd turned it down.

"She told me the company had gone from 60,000 words to 80,000 words [format]," he said. "They were also focusing more on horror. So, I told her I'd add 20,000 words and a monster."

He laughed.

"If I ever write a how-to-book, that's my title. '20,000 Words and a Monster.'"

Making a living writing genre fiction isn't easy. The advances paid by publishers often aren't vast fortunes, and Walker says royalty checks sometimes only trickle in.

"I love writing, but I wouldn't wish this kind of life on anybody," he said. "The hardest part isn't the writing. The hardest part is keeping a steady income."

He's managed with a full career of odd teaching jobs. Walker has a master's in English education from Northwestern University. He's taught as a substitute in public schools. He's

offered creative writing seminars and taught at several small and community colleges in New York, Florida and West Virginia. Currently, he's an adjunct English instructor at Mountain State University in Beckley and also teaches at West Virginia Junior College.

"I got into teaching to support the habit."

His sister, Sybil Cutlip, moved to the Charleston area in 1992. Several years ago, their mother became ill while staying with Cutlip, and was hospitalized at St. Francis Hospital. Walker went to visit. 

"I came here to see my mom," he said, "and ended up flirting with the red-headed nurse at the hospital."

He grinned. Her name is Miranda.

"It turned out she wanted to write a book and, at my age in life, I figured I could use a nurse."

Walker didn't plan on staying or getting married again, but after months of dating, visits back and forth between Charleston and Chicago, the two married. Walker, it was decided, would move to Charleston.

It was a big adjustment. He had a family to support again. His new wife has four children.  Until he could get a teaching job, he worked at Big Lots, carrying boxes and furniture.

"You're always doing something to support yourself and support your writing."

Soon, he found teaching work, he collected a few royalty checks and sold another book. He's always hopeful his next project will be the one that launches him into the top-ten list.

"I've thought I've arrived so many times," he said. "But it's not always about getting rich or getting famous. Writing, for me, has always been a desire to leave something of substance."

The teaching is rewarding, too. After 30 years of struggling to get published, he's learned a lot about the process, what it takes to get something considered for national print. He offers a variety of services and resources for aspiring writers through his Web site www

.robertwalkerbooks.com. 

"It's both easier and harder to get something published," he said. "It's all a matter of what you want to do. Self-publishing, for instance, has become a very legitimate way to do that."

Dealing with large publishing houses is complicated and requires patience, persistence and a sense of humor. Walker sent off a book proposal for a historical novel set during the events leading up to John Brown's raid at Harper's Ferry in 1859. The editor he sent the proposal to was young, and clearly didn't understand what she was looking at.

He got back a rejection letter addressed to John Brown.

Walker laughs. It isn't over. He'll try again.

"Oh, I never give up on a book."

To contact staff writer Bill Lynch, use e-mail or call 348-5195.