Les Roberts

“Lots of people are good story-tellers; not all of them are writers.” Truer words were never spoken by Les Roberts, Cleveland-based novelist, or anyone else for that matter. Creator of the 13 Milan Jacovich mystery novels that are an homage to Cleveland, he’s responsible for nine other published books as well. And of course, there are always more to come. The newest one “We’ll Always Have Cleveland” debuted in late March from local publisher Gray and Company. Simultaneously, the final four Milan books will also be released by Gray, matching up with the nine published last year.

For some years now, David Gray, founder of Gray and Company, which specializes in books about or of interest to those in Cleveland, had been pestering Les to do a ‘Milan Guidebook’. Gray wanted to provide answers to those folks who were perpetually asking, “Where does Milan live? or work? or play? etc.”

“But,” says Les, “Half or more of the places I wrote about are now closed or gone. I thought it would be boring to do that.” Gray was persistent, however, and it finally paid off. He asked Les to write about how Cleveland affected him and his writing, in general. That idea was a winner.

The new book is “all true,” says the author. “It’s just not the whole truth. I’m still a very private person, and some things I’ll never tell.” A faint smile removes any hint of a scold to an inquiring reporter.

He continues, “I’ll always write about mysteries, crime, or whatever excites me. A book allows me to comment about anything. I stopped writing about Milan because I still have lots of stories to tell and they couldn’t be shoe-horned into the Milan series. Milan was good to me, but . . .”

Things change. Times change. He’s a little older now than when he first came to Cleveland almost twenty years ago. Then, he was almost a Hollywood-type swinger, a huge fan of jazz as both listener and performer. He’d sit in at bars tinkling the ivories. For a while he reviewed Cleveland-area theater. Now, he does neither. Now, he listens to classical music most of the time, and seldom goes out in the evenings.

Even his reading tastes have changed. “The excitement of reading P. I. novels has diminished, although I still like a good mystery, but they’ve changed, too, like everything else. All of us at a certain age suck it up and go on or sit around whining. I’ve just changed directions, some.”

A little over eight years ago, Les had a bout with colon cancer, It knocked him silly for a few months, but he refused to knuckle under, even though the chemo made him feel as though “they’d removed every bone from my body.”

But then, a rainbow appeared, in the person of a lady named Holly Albin. They’ve been together seven years now. Of course, they do go out now and then, but they’re happy in each other’s company—and that of a cat. Between the two of them (and Holly’s Mom) they’d lost five cats—all elderly—in the last three years. But then, Holly’s Mom, who lives in Cuyahoga Falls, acquired a Maine Coon—Figaro--who soon had all the adults wrapped around his little paw, so Les and Holly have just acquired one, too. She’s eleven months old, and her name is Isabel.)

So how does he occupy his time? He’s busier than ever. He writes, of course. The current book, untitled, is a mystery set in a German WWII concentration camp outside Berlin. A recently finished book is ‘Wet Work’ a chase/suspense thriller that takes place in ten US cities and Iraq. “It barely mentions politics, but it’s fueled by the politics in the United States now.”

And he does a radio show, that’s now a podcast. Along with Lakewood native Ann Elder, they see (independent of each other) one or two movies a week, and then discuss them. The show was aired once a week on WHK, but a recent format change shoved them into the newer technology, which can be accessed by computer as well. (Go to: http://www.lakeeffectmovies.blogspot.com It’s audio only.) And what does he think of the current crop of movies? “Oh, ‘Brokeback Mountain’ is a gorgeous movie, and Heath Ledger is so good. He hardly speaks at all. In fact, one of his lines is, “I haven’t talked that much in a couple of years.’ Ang Lee should get the best director award. But Phillip Seymour Hoffman really has to get the Oscar for best actor as ’Capote’’ Other movies he’s liked lately are The White Countess, Crash and Pride and Prejudice. Of course, one of the nicest parts of all this is that “I get in for nothing!”

He teaches, too. He appears at local writer’s conferences, as well as the Poet’s and Writer’s Center, and has also taught prisoners at Grafton. He laughs. “I told them I write about things that piss me off. They were inspired.” About what? “Writers have boring lives, but every once in a while we get into unboring and exciting. Gore Vidal once said ‘writing comes out of having lived a life or living a life, intensely.’ Eventually, we have to get out and be involved.”

The ‘word’ game has changed terrifically in the last few years. “The publishing biz changed, and not for the better. Almost all of us mid-list authors lost our contracts. In 1999, I went to my last Bouchercon (mystery writers convention) in Milwaukee. There were exactly four old friends there—plus Mike Connolly. 90% of the authors there were first-timers. You can tell them by the deer-in-the-headlights look they all wear.”

And movies? Hah. “Most of the movies I saw in 2005 were crap. There were at least 8 remakes of old movies, and most of them were not as good as the originals. I go see them, because that’s my job.” He grimaces. “But, I really look forward to the small, indie films. The ones not in general release. An Unfinished Life was a lovely movie. Not a lot of action, no sex, just a guy coming to grips with how rotten his life is. His son dies, his best friend is clawed by a bear...”

“We try very hard to include the little films as well as the big ones. You know, like that saying, “Sith happens!’ From the movie Revenge of the Sith.”

The quieter life has had another benefit. By being “careful of what I eat” Les proudly adds that he’s lost 50 pounds in the last year. No easy thing, believe me!” He takes another sip of his tea. “I have an elliptical at home and spend time on it several days of the week.” He holds up his cup. “Drink lots of tea.” And less alcohol. “I used to have ten drinks a week, and now maybe—maybe—its three a month.”

He still has his piano—and enjoys playing it occasionally, but doesn’t ‘sit in’ anywhere, anymore. “I’m doing other things now. We stay in. We laugh. We love. Life is quieter. We seldom watch TV—for some reason it bores me. Maybe that’s because I’m no longer a seventeen-year-old adolescent. Sometimes if I’m not home, I’ll tape Law & Order or SVU, but that’s about it.”

Earlier this month, he started another weekly series of teaching fiction writing for the Poets' & Writers' League. Another such session may be on film. “I’ll speak or teach where anybody asks me, as long as they pay me. It’s time someone gave me a break, too. Writing makes me excited. Irritatingly, the older I get, the less time there is available for writing.”

“Some days I write a paragraph, or a sentence, or even just one word, and I read it and say ‘Yes!’ it’s just so great. And that’s why I get up in the morning. I started reading The Sea Wolf again this week. I’ve not read it for 40 years. Jack London is so good.” He smiles broadly, just thinking about it. In another sentence he adds that while The Great Gatsby is his favorite novel, John Steinbeck is his favorite author.

One day last year, Holly gave him a present. It’s a turtle, carved out of wood, accompanied by the pages from Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath. It’s about keeping on. . .

“The best fifteen years of my life have been since I moved here, to Cleveland, in December, 1990. I’m mellowing out. Aging—dealing with your own physical frailties teaches you a lot. Especially not to be desperate or driven except for your own particular demons.” For a while, he kept in touch with just two of his best friends from the Hollywood days. But now—it’s just different. Maybe not better. Maybe not worse. Just different. It takes wisdom to know that.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Kelly Ferjutz artswriterATadelphia.net (:divend:)