12 September, 2015

#Interview with Robin Raven, #Author of Next Stop:Nina

About the Author:
Robin Raven is the human who once belonged to the greatest dog that ever lived. "Next Stop: Nina" is Robin's debut novel. She has several other works of fiction that she hopes to share in the near future.
Born in Mobile, Alabama, Robin grew up in a nearby town called Saraland, and her hometown is a lovely place that still inspires her. As an adult, Ms. Raven has mostly lived in Los Angeles and New York City, so she also considers those cities to be home.
Robin blogs at RobinRaven.com and often has her nose in a book. If she's not reading or writing, you can probably find Robin daydreaming about adopting a rescue donkey. Delicious vegan food rocks her world. So does effective altruism. In addition to being an author, Robin has worked as a professional actress. She loves to connect with fellow writers and readers, so feel free to say hi to her on social media.


Interview with the Author:

What inspires you to write?
I am inspired by many different things. I’m a dreamer, and I always have ideas running through my head as well as stories I want to write. I find that it’s exciting to write in a journal with pen in hand as well as typing straight into an open document on my laptop. Sometimes music inspires me to write, but there is no one particular thing. I often make a complete idiot out of myself, and sometimes I get inspired to write about that.

How did you come up with the idea for your current story?
Well, the idea came from something very personal from my childhood. My father committed suicide when I was ten years old. I always wondered, if I could go back in time, whether there was something I might could have done to save him.  So I was remembering the way I used to long for time travel, and the idea for this novel wouldn’t leave me. I had to write it.

Are there some stories tucked away in some drawer that was written before and never saw the light of the day?
Oh, yes, I have quite a few of those. I hope to eventually get to all of the good ideas, flesh them out, work on them to my satisfaction, and share them. 

What is your favorite scene in the book? Why?
My two favorite scenes are the opening and the ending of Next Stop: Nina. They are connected in some obvious and not-so-obvious ways. 

Did any of your characters inherit some of your own quirks?
Absolutely! Nina definitely inherited some of my quirks. 

Do you read? Who are your favourite authors and how have they influenced your writing style?
Yes, I read all the time. My favorite writers include Quinn Cummings, Jeffrey Eugenides, Alice Hoffman, and Michelle Richmond.

Can you share with us something off your bucket list?
Yes, I want to learn how to swim! I don’t know how, but I am determined to learn.

Tell us three fun facts about yourself.
Hm, I’m not sure if these are fun, but here are a few facts: 
1- I love to sing really, really loudly when I’m driving.
2- I won the grand prize in the Swiftstakes from the 1989 album, and I get to meet Taylor Swift during her 1989 tour with my dear friend.
3- Pizza is my favorite food. My favorite kind is a tie between a veggie one by Amy’s Kitchen and the one with vegan cheese from Mellow Mushroom.

What do you have in store next for your readers?
A short story that I wrote is being published in a Halloween anthology next month. I have a children’s book that’s in progress with an amazing publisher. I am also finishing up my next novel with beta readers ready to read it! 

Is there anything else you’d like to share with your readers?
I would like to say thank you. I am so very grateful that my debut novel has been well-received so far. I always love chatting with readers on Facebook and Twitter, so feel free to say hi any time! 



About the Book:

Nina is pushed to the edge, then falls over that edge into a whole new world. 
There's something different about Nina; she never felt comfortable in this world. As she struggles to cope with the pain of her present and past, the young girl's life is changed through the beauty of art. 
When Nina grows up and winds up in over her head in a dark place, she finds herself somehow transported to another time when nothing is quite what it seems. She must fight the horrors of her past all over again. Along the way, she faces greater challenges than she imagined and enjoys sweet surprises when she discovers true love. This is a character-driven novel with a heroine who faces suicidal depression on her own terms, and that's just the beginning. 



Amazon I Barnes and Nobles I Books-A-Million I Anderson's Bookshop I IndieBound

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