WILLIAMSBURG — Williamsburg author James E. Tobin will be Neal Steele’s Nov. 14 guest on its monthly Chesapeake Bay Writers show and podcast.
The interview will discuss Tobin’s debut book “When We Were Wolves” (published under J.E. Tobin) which came out earlier this year.
The new work centers on Tom Wingfield, a small-town Virginia resident who finds out the town hero and college football coach has been accused of horrific crimes by a boy. Tom must decide between risking the life he’s built for himself or bringing a horrible man to justice.
Tobin grew up in Union City, New Jersey. After earning a degree in journalism, he moved across the Hudson to New York City with dreams of becoming a writer. He taught school while writing plays, two of which were presented by the famed off-Broadway Circle Repertory Company — “Celebrations off River Street” and “Cabaret Theater: New York Times.”
He also wrote children’s fiction for major publishers, including MacMillan & Company, Harcourt Brace, Scott Foresman, and Scholastic. His writing had shifted to scholarly works as he pursued a career as a college educator and consulting psychologist, but revisited his dream of writing fiction at the urging of his son.
James now resides with his wife, Jean, in Williamsburg, the
fictionalized setting for his novel. Royalties from the book go to the Prevent Child Abuse America charity, which aims to help prevent child abuse before it happens. Promoted by science, it is designed to help children, families, and communities thrive.
“It’s part of my giving back,” Tobin says about that choice. “In my life, I’ve been very lucky to have had help along the way. In terms of my career, in terms of my life, and other kinds of things. And so this was my way to give back.”
Learn more about the interview on the CBW podcast page.
