There’s a line Robert Roche heard in high school that he’s never forgotten: You’ll always miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.
For years, he wrote for an audience of one — himself — then slowly for a few close friends, then for the world. Episode 48 of The Padernacht Podcast: Brick by Brick traces that arc: from Jurassic Park fanfiction emails in 2018 to a published WWII trilogy available on Amazon, recorded on the 82nd anniversary of D-Day.
It Started as a Challenge
Robert had been writing fanfiction for years — his own takes on Jurassic Park and the anime Naruto, exploring themes the originals left untouched. Post-traumatic stress in the survivors. The butterfly effect of small decisions on large narratives. What if this character went right instead of left?
He kept most of it close, sharing with only a small circle of friends. Then a friend named Mike Arnon read his work and asked a question that changed everything: Why are you writing other people’s stories? Why not write your own?
That challenge sent Robert searching for a subject he actually knew. The answer was sitting in his childhood.
Two Grandfathers, One War
Both of Robert’s grandfathers served in World War II. One in the Navy, a self-described foodie who once ate a dozen scrambled eggs on a dare. The other part of a construction battalion — modest about it, saying he “dug ditches,” though the reality was considerably more. Neither talked much about combat, but both left Robert with a deep familiarity with the era, the culture, and the lighter moments that survive between the dark ones.
When Mike challenged him to write original fiction, the answer was WWII.
A War on Two Fronts
His debut novel follows William Man — an American mercenary in the summer of 1944, just months before the Battle of the Bulge. Not a soldier. A man just trying to survive the Depression, pulled into something much larger than himself.
The research was meticulous. Robert wanted the culture right, not just the history. What did the era feel like? What were soldiers eating, talking about, laughing at? His grandfather’s stories — the strangers who became brothers, the meals shared across enemy lines — made it into the book, transformed but present.
The title carries a double meaning: the literal war in Europe, and William Man’s psychological war — the internal battle that runs alongside the historical one. Robert started the book in 2018, picked it up and put it down, and finally finished it during COVID. He self-published through Amazon in 2021.
When he held the finished book in his hands with his name on the cover, the feeling was immediate. “I earned that,” he said.
The Trilogy
A War on Two Fronts is the first entry in a trilogy that shares a universe. Breaking Point — a psychological thriller — follows a character pushed by the mob into vigilantism, asking the moral questions most stories avoid. Who is the hero? Who is the villain? Where is the line, and can you come back once you cross it? The Awakened Commuter collects eight short stories set on the morning commute, built around a simple observation: everyone is the main character of their own story.
Each book is written to stand alone. But read together, they reward the reader — Easter eggs, cross-references, characters whose actions in one book ripple through the others in ways you don’t see coming.
On Fear, Rejection, and Taking the Shot
Robert submitted his manuscript to traditional publishers. He was turned down. COVID made it harder. He self-published instead, and the third book was eventually picked up by Page Publishing.
He talks about fear the way most successful people do — not as something to eliminate, but as something to embrace.
“Comfort is the most toxic relationship you can have with yourself,” he told Steven. “When you’re comfortable, you stop trying. Everything’s good. I don’t need to learn more, I don’t need to try more. These are all great ways to stunt your growth.”
Advice for Aspiring Authors
For anyone with a story inside them who hasn’t started, Robert keeps it simple: write one sentence about what your story is. Write one character. Put that character in a scene. Give it a time, a place, an action. Don’t try to write the next Star Wars — write the next scene.
“You’re going to get a lot of doors slammed in your face,” he said. “But failure isn’t falling down. It’s what you do after. Do you stay down, or do you pick yourself up and keep walking?”
Watch or Listen to the Full Episode
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Building It Brick by Brick
At the close of the conversation, Steven connected Robert’s story to the theme of the podcast.
“Building a story brick by brick, building a property brick by brick, building your life brick by brick,” Steven said. “All of those things can play a huge part in the success of whatever you’re building.”
Robert’s books are available on Amazon. Find him on Instagram at @BreakingPointBook.
Steven Padernacht is a third-generation Bronx realtor with nearly 20 years of experience serving buyers, sellers, investors, and landlords across the Bronx, Riverdale, Westchester, and greater NYC.