Bob Romano is an author inspired by the connection between the fly angler and the natural world. Bob and his wife, Trish, have owned a cabin in the Rangeley Lakes Region of western Maine for more than thirty years, a place that has inspired many of his short stories, essays and books. Trish, and daugher Emily Rose, often provide artwork and illustrations for Bob’s work.
Bob is passionate about fly fishing, the connection to the places he is at, and is purely inspired by it all. He takes pride in his work, and hopes that you can smell the balsam, hear the river, and feel the melancholy of the deep birch-and-pine forest. Bob’s one regret in writing is that he didn’t begin sooner.
Why did you begin writing? What inspired you to begin? / How long have you been writing or when did you start?
I was hoping to be a writer out of college, but quickly discovered that I had little life experience. For this reason, I put my plans on hold, deciding to become an attorney since a lawyer’s stock and trade are words. About the time I began practicing law, I met my wife. While dating, we spent a week at a traditional Maine sporting lodge. Not long after, we married, and soon after that purchased our cabin in the Rangeley Lakes Region of western Maine, a part of northern New England where native brook trout measured in pounds rather than inches can be found in rivers with iconic names such as the Magalloway, Kennebago, Cupsuptic, and Rapid. That was nearly forty years ago.
Although anglers have been traveling to the Rangeley Lakes Region since the 1800s for the thrill of hooking a trophy, there is also an infinity of smaller trout to be found in the headwater streams.
The region has a rich sporting history dating back to the 1800s, and not much has changed since Carrie Stevens tied her Gray Ghost streamer, Shang Wheeler came up with the legend of White Nose Pete, and Louise Dickinson Rich wrote her books about life along the carry road below Middle Dam.
After fishing with flies in the Pennsylvania streams around Villanova, and later, in the Poconos and Catskills that were not far from my home, I discovered that the rivers and lakes, ponds and streams of western Maine were the perfect literary canvas to write stories using fly fishing as a way of exploring the human condition. Many outdoor writers concentrate on the “how-to” aspects of fly-fishing while I prefer to examine the connection between the angler and the natural world.
How many books have you written and which one is your favorite?
Shadows in the Stream, contains my reflections on the Magalloway, Rapid, and Kennebago Rivers as well as Upper Dam, Parmachenee Lake, and the people who made these places so special—sporting legends such as Carrie Stevens, Joseph Bates, and Herb Welch. Since its release in 2005, this little book of essays has gone through four printings, and I’m told many anglers use it as a travel guide while fishing the waters of the Rangeley Region.
Since then, I’ve written a series of three novels— North of Easie, West of Rangeley, and Brook Trout Blues, also set in the region. North of Easie was awarded second place in the 2010 New England Outdoor Writer’s Best Book Contest.The River King was released in 2017. It’s my latest novel and is set in and around Rangeley, Maine. I’m very excited about the release, on December 15th, 2021, of River Flowers, a collection of short stories about wild fish, the places they’re found, and the people who seek them out.
It’s really not fair to ask a writer which is his or her favorite book. Each is like a child. There is always a favorite, but a parent will never tell!
My essays and short stories have appeared in various anthologies, including Christmas in the Wild, Fresh Fiction for Fresh Water Fishing, and Wildbranch: An Anthology of Nature, Environmental, and Place-Based Writing.
I’m a frequent contributor to Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors Magazine and MidCurrent, the online fly-fishing magazine. I also write a column for Northwoods Sporting Journal and Skylands Magazine while doing my best to keep up with my blog: forgottentrout.wordpress.com.
My wife, Trish Romano, often adds artwork and photographs to illustrate my writing. An accomplished artist, our daughter, Emily Rose Romano, has contributed a number of watercolors to my latest book.
Have all of your books been about fishing?
Fishing is a theme that certainly runs through much of my writing.
Why did you choose to write in the outdoor / fishing genre specifically?
Elmore Leonard is probably best known for writing novels, including Get Shorty that was made into a movie starring John Travolta. But he began by writing short stories set in the southwest that have been compared to those made famous by Louis L’Amour. Reading one of his stories, you can taste the grit in the air, hear the tumbleweed blowing down the street, smell the sage, and feel the heat of the desert sun in midafternoon, the cold at night. He wrote about a time gone by in the American west, his books populated by cowboys, cavalry officers, Native Americans, Mexicans, lawmen and outlaws, drunks and desperados.
What is one thing you wish you knew before beginning outdoor/fish writing?
There’s so much I still don’t know, it’s hard to pick just one thing.
Is your being an author a full-time job, or do you have a daily gig too?
I have my own law office, but because of the hard work of my staff, I’ve been able to devote a substantial amount of my time writing. More importantly, I have time to do “research” for my books which is code for spending as much time as possible on the water.
How do you manage a work-life balance as an author?
It ain’t easy!
What is your writing process like?
Stephen King wrote a book on writing wherein he explains that the mind is a muscle, which must be exercised. Like any muscle, it can be conditioned. He writes, and I agree, that by falling into a routine, the mind learns it’s time to write. I used to downhill ski, and was pretty good at it. Sometime in my fifties, I realized my legs were not what they once were. Even so, muscle memory took over, and for years I was able to fake it!
When people learn I have a cabin on a wilderness lake, they often say, “what a great place to write” when actually I never write when at our camp. I spend my time in Maine observing, listening, taking in all the sights and sounds, and of course playing tag with the brook trout.
I do my writing at home, each Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning after I wake, shower, and brew a mug of tea, sitting at the laptop from 7 AM to noon. I write in a small room filled with books and fishing memorabilia. Same place, same time, same mug of tea. It’s the routine that counts. It could be writing at night or during the early-morning hours. It could be writing in a library or at the kitchen table. It could be using a computer, pencil and paper, or typewriter if you can still find one. Hemmingway wrote standing up.I’ll work on a project, perhaps a novel or a short story. I may work on something new or edit something old. If nothing comes to me, I’ll work on an article for a magazine or my monthly column. If that doesn’t work, I’ll answer my mail, but no matter what, I’ll write, or else I’ll stare at that fricking screen, but will not leave until noon. If words are flowing, I’ll keep going past noon, but never leave before. My mind has learned that this is the time to write. It’s that same muscle memory that kept me on the slopes even after I lost a step. Okay, maybe two!
What draws you to fly fishing, both personally and professionally?
I’d be lying if I didn’t admit the tug is certainly a drug, but truly, for me it’s the chance to spend time in wild places. I’ve always been socially awkward, and feel safest when treading some forest trail ending in a small stream populated with wild brook trout that have rarely seen a fly or for that matter a person.
Have you ever gotten “writer’s block”? If so, how did you cure it? / What has helped or hindered you most when writing a book?
Sure. I suppose all writers have at one time or another. I fall back on my routine. Also, getting out on the stream, reading, and listening to music helps.
Who is your biggest inspiration or mentor?
Other writers as diverse as Thoreau and Hemingway, Basho and McGuane, those authors writing about Maine in the ‘30s and ‘40s like Arthur MacDougall, Jr. and Edmund Ware Smith, as well the many contemporary writers who focus their talents on fly fishing.
My father-in-law became my best friend. He often accompanied me on my fishing adventures in Maine. Charlie was a union man, who devoted his life to helping others. Enlisting in the Sea Bees during the Second World War, he did not attend college. Nevertheless, he was widely read and knowledgeable on a broad range of subjects including philosophy, history, politics, and engineering.
In all the time we spent together, I never heard Charlie raise his voice in anger. By the time Shadows in the Stream was published, macular degeneration had stolen his eyesight, and so I read the book into a tape recorder for him to play back.
A few days before he passed at the age of ninety-two, my wife and I visited him. By then, Charlie was confined to a wheelchair, completely blind, dependent upon others for his care. He rarely spoke, on occasion still letting out a chuckle if something struck his fancy. On that afternoon, while we chatted, he began to undo the buttons on his shirt, starting with the lower button and slowly working his way up. As he did, my wife’s mother pushed his fingers away. After a while, Charlie once again began unbuttoning the shirt, his wife again pushing his hands away. This went on for at least an hour until my mother-in-law lost interest while her husband laboriously continued to work his way up the shirt, releasing one button and then another. With the shirt now open, an impish smile slowly spread across my father-in-law’s lips as he whispered, “Another victory for the common man.”
When did you begin fly fishing?
My dad grew up in the Bronx. When he moved his family to suburban New Jersey, we fished with dough balls, cornmeal, and corn kernels for six-pound carp in a semi-polluted river. When I went away to college, I fell for the aesthetic of fly fishing.
Do you remember your first published piece? How long did it take you to get there?
I wrote a book entitled Fishing with Faeries, which was a diary account over one year of fishing in a small stream. It did well, but I cringe when someone brings it up as the writing left a lot to be desired. I like to think I learned a few things about the craft since then.
With so many publications moving virtual, how does this play a role in your publishing process?
I continue to write for print magazines and newspapers, but provide frequent content for various online magazines including MidCurrent.
What, to you, are the most important elements of good outdoor and fishing writing?
Authenticity. Knowledge of the places and people that you are writing about. I took to heart the following words found in Practice of the Wild, the thought-provoking book written by Gary Snyder: “The wild requires that we learn the terrain, nod to all the plants and animals and birds, ford the streams and cross the ridges, and tell a good story when we get back.”
What’s your favorite writing snack or drink?
Mug of tea and a slice of toast with butter and peach jam. (Blueberry jam will do if peach is unavailable.)
Do you listen to anything while you write? If so, what is your favorite?
All sorts of music. Gonna miss John Prine, but thankfully, we still have Iris Dement.
Did you grow up around fishing and writing? Please share any thoughts about your family or upbringing that may have led you to become an author.
My parents came from blue collar families living in the Bronx. They moved to suburban New Jersey when I was six. After returning from the war, my father went to night school on the G.I. Bill. Both my parents valued an education and encouraged me to read. I remember my mother driving me to the library where I’d spend entire afternoons touring the shelves of books.
Any tips for other aspiring outdoor / fishing authors?
In her book, Wild Words, Nicole Gulotta observes that “self-doubt is attracted to writers.” To quote the Nike slogan – Just do it! Sit down at the laptop and write, write, write! Don’t be upset at rejection. Keep at it. And when you’re not writing, read, read, read, but don’t forget to take time to get out on the water.
Who do you trust for objective and constructive criticism of your work?
My wife and daughter.
My wife, Trish, proofreads everything I write, on many occasions saving me from embarrassment. She also illustrates many of my articles and books with her photography and artwork.
My daughter, Emily, is brutal! She’s also honest, and I value her insights. She’s an accomplished artist and art director for a major advertising firm. Emily did the artwork for the covers of The River King and River Flowers as well as contributing a number of watercolors to River Flowers. Her artwork helps bring to life the stories found there.
How do you use social media as an author?
I try, but it’s tough teaching an old dog new tricks.
Where can people find your work? (Retail store, online store, social media handles, etc)
Amazon, of course. Theanglingbookstore.com as well as many of the independent bookstores in Maine, including the chain of Sherman bookstores. Autographed copies are available by emailing me at magalloway@mac.com
Webpage: www.forgottentrout.com
Facebook: @ForgottenTrout
Any parting thoughts you’d like us to add?
I guess I’ll end with a quote from Testament of a Fisherman written by one of my favorite authors, John Voelker AKA Robert Traver: “I fish because I love to: because I love the environs where trout are found, and hate the environs where crowds of people are found…”
