Today I’d like to welcome author Robin Reardon. We’ve reviewed a number of her books here at Love Bytes and Robin is going to answering some questions for us, so we are going to know a little more about her.
Robin also brougt a fabulous giveaway for our readers, so don’t forget to check that out at the bottom 🙂
Love Bytes Interview: Author Robin Reardon
Who are you as a writer, Robin?
Robin Reardon: Thanks! It’s an honor to be featured here on Love Bytes. Now, about me…. I guess I’d have to say that I’m an inveterate observer of human nature. And I’m a writer. Put those two together, and how could I not write fiction?
You write stories about queer characters. But you’re het cis. What’s that about?
Robin: It’s true. I write stories about all kinds of people, some of whom happen to be gay or transgender or bisexual or intersex—people whose destinies are not determined solely by their sexual orientation or gender identity.
I didn’t start there, though. When I was 13, I hand-wrote several short stories about a teenage girl in nineteenth-century Canada: “Oh, That Taylor Girl!” Jessica Taylor was always getting into scrapes. Once she was kidnapped by fur traders. Sometimes her boyfriend helped her get out of these scrapes, but more often she managed to save herself. My classmates would line up (figuratively), waiting for the next installment. I kept a log of whose turn was next. Since then I’ve lost track of those scrawled pages, and it’s probably just as well.
I lived in New York City for a while. One day I was sitting across a sidewalk café table from my gay friend Jodi Thomas when he told me in hushed tones about what was then called “the gay plague.” I’d never heard of it. Neither of us knew then that within ten years, it would claim him.
After that, I watched in horror as so many people died, and other than a few brave souls, no one in the health industry, and no one in government, seemed to care. After all (sarcasm alert) it was “just the gays.” The profound injustice was… well, like I said, it was horrifying.
Then I began to hear about the high numbers of teens who committed or at least attempted suicide because they were gay, or were accused of being gay. Finally I had to sit myself down and start writing about it. My first several books are about gay teens. More recently, I’ve written stories about young gay men.
It sounds like you’re on a mission. Do you think that makes your writing unique?
Robin: Oh, I wouldn’t say it’s unique. But I will say it doesn’t fit well into a category like romance, or erotica. My stories are about people you might meet. I write endings that are realistically hopeful rather than sugary and/or “happy ever after.” I’m told my writing makes people think.
The true value of art is in its subjectiveness, and I think fiction has a particular role to play. As I see it, fiction allows us to examine a person’s innermost thoughts, feelings, even their mental health without jeopardizing any real person’s privacy or peace of mind. And it often shows us an image of ourselves, even if we might not want to see it.
Some authors suffer from writer’s block. Is that ever an issue for you?
Robin: I’m fortunate in that I have no trouble finishing a book or a story, though a novel might take me a whole year. I’m also fortunate that I don’t suffer very much—as many excellent writers do—with something impostor syndrome, in which the author struggles to trust that they have something of value to offer through writing. This doesn’t mean I have no doubts; it just means it doesn’t stop me.
Where I get bogged down (and this is very typical of writers in general) is in the process of getting my work in front of readers. You might have heard about Myers-Briggs, a kind of personality test. It turns out that my personality type is “INTJ:” Introvert, Intuitive, Thinker, Judge. On this scale, the introvert isn’t necessarily shy; rather, it means that they find inspiration from internal rather than external sources. So things like marketing and sales strategies make my hair hurt. But in the current marketplace, I must do them if I want to sell books.
Many authors find that it’s really hard to get noticed.
Robin: Yes, that’s one problem. And I’m so grateful to Love Bytes for the huge part you all play in helping authors with this issue. Another problem is financial. I appreciate people who buy my books from Amazon, or iBooks, or wherever, but my remuneration is pennies on the dollar. So there’s not a lot coming in. And there are expenses like setting up and maintaining a website, and for anyone in the indie publishing world there are other costs. Like paying for book cover art, cover design, internal formatting, and any advertising. So I’ve decided to augment my standard retail outlets with a website where I can sell ebooks directly to readers. I’m hoping people will like the direct connection. I know I will! I love to connect with readers.
How will that work?
Robin: I’m hoping that by February, maybe a little earlier, my website will be ready for direct sales. So, someone goes to my site, sees an ebook—or maybe a whole series, or maybe a bundle of a few standalone books—they want to buy. Instead of clicking a link that takes them to a different retail site, they select “Buy” and the book goes right into a shopping cart. They’ll have the option to pay in a few different ways, they select the device they want to read on, and they’ll receive a download link that makes the book available to them immediately. From time to time, the site will feature special offers. You know, like a three-book series for the price of two books, something like that. I can’t wait to see how this will work!
How many books have you published?
Robin: I have five novels published through Kensington Publishing. I published the next eight novels, and a short story, myself.
Why did you leave Kensington?
Robin: Like all traditional publishers, Kensington works through established marketing channels. As I wrote more books, my work became richer both in plot and in character development, and they no longer fit any of the marketing channels. So it was too challenging for Kensington to market them. We split amicably, because I understood their challenge. It’s one I face, myself; my work is LGBTQ+, but as I said it isn’t truly romance, or erotica, or sci fi, or paranormal. I guess it’s just a little too realistic. These subgenres all have their place; it’s just not what I want to write.
Do you have another book coming out soon?
Robin: The third book in my Blessed Be trilogy, entitled For Love, will drop in 2024, though I don’t have a target date yet. The first two books were For Love of God and For Love of Self. The third story will wrap up the main character’s relationships with several people and set the stage for my next series.
Where can people see your work?
Robin: In addition to the Love Bytes reviews, my website shows not only a synopsis of each book but also links to sample chapters.
Dani: Do you have any advice for someone who wants to be a published author?
Robin: As far as the publishing part goes, it seems to me that people tend to find their own way into that stream. When I started out, I had one novel finished and a second one started. It took me nearly a year to find an agent and less than two months for him to get me a two-book deal. If I hadn’t had that second book already underway, I doubt the publisher would have made that offer. No publisher wants to go to the huge effort and expense of launching a new author if there will be only one book.
Indie publishing is easier in some ways and harder in others. You’ll have to do for yourself everything the publisher would have done. And these days, even with a publisher, authors are expected to do quite a bit of their own marketing and advertising, unless you’re—you know, Stephen King, or Margaret Atwood.
I guess the bottom line is this: If you’re a writer, you write. If you can get your stuff into the public arena, that’s probably when you can say you’re author. But the essence is writing. I love readers. I love selling books. But I would write, with or without acknowledgement. I think the compulsion to write is either there, or it isn’t.
https://robinreardonwrites.substack.com
https://www.facebook.com/robin.reardon
Robin is offering an ecopy of book one For the Love of God to 3 different winners!
check out the book here:
Leave a comment on this post to be entered, Good Luck!
I like the covers. thanks for the chance.
Thank you for the chance!
Thank you for chance!
I love seeing new books from Robin out in the world and hearing more of her writing respective. I have a couple favorites that are her books, and I’m excited for the chance to buy direct. I want authors to get as much money as possible for all they do! Thank you for the giveaway chance!