Robin Shope Interview

Q: Let me start with asking you to tell us a little bit about yourself.

A.: For the past 30 years I’ve been a teacher. Presently my job is at the Juvenile Justice System. I am a mother of two and a Mimi to two wee little boys who own my heart. I live near Dallas, Texas. Blue Bell Chocolate Chip Ice Cream is my downfall.

Q: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

A: I decided I wanted to be a writer in 5^th grade when my composition teacher didn’t like my stories and refused to read them before my classmates. I was determined to win them all over. (Still working on it).

Q: Could you give us the highlights of your professional writing career including how you got your first writing break?

A:  I began writing for magazines and short stories for book collections. My first books are a mystery trilogy: The Chase (soon to be a motion picture), The Replacement, The Candidate. My next trilogy is a sweet romance series: The Christmas Edition Journey to Paradise, The Valentine Edition, The Easter Edition. My stand alone books are Wildcard, Ruby Red (for middle school readers), Passages, and now Wynn in the Willows (book 1 of a series).  I have dozens of short stories in Sunday school weeklies and in the Chicken Soup for the Soul books.

Q: Would you tell us about your current book release Wynn in the Willows?

A: Wynn Baxter returns to Willow Island to study rare plant life and welcomes the opportunity to investigate the mysterious circumstances of her father’s death. But the truth gets complicated as twenty year-old memories begin to surface. What Wynn learns will shake her emotional foundation. Hoping to glean information only leads her down a shadowy path implicating her own flesh and blood. A haunting story of forgiveness, science, murder, and other matters of living.

To date, Wynn in the Willows is one of my favorite books. Writing this, I felt myself growing into a new level of character development. I hope you fall in love with the women of Willow Island. Not only is it a mystery but it’s also a matchless love story.

Q: Where did you get your inspiration for Wynn in the Willows?

A: Having grown up on the lake in Delavan, Wisconsin, I have always loved the sea. Once you have that connection, it never releases you. Islands seem to hold mysteries of their own. The people who live there year round are a quirky lot and believe in folklore. It seemed the perfect mix for the story I wanted to tell.

Q: What is the main thing you hope readers remember from this story?

A:  First I want my readers to be entertained. Secondly I want them to understand that forgiveness has power to free us from our past to open a new future

Q: What is your favorite scene/chapter from the book?

A: Wynn weeps over a shoebox filled with items from a lost time. Leading man, Doug Reed sits beside her under the oak. Up to this point Wynn is uncertain about the type of person he is. However, as Doug listens to her words, thoughts, emotions, not only does he suddenly develop a new understanding of this passionate woman, but becomes set on helping her uncover the past. For the first time, Wynn feels vindicated. This mutual awareness creates feelings that carry them through the end of the story and to the second one I am presently writing.

Q: What inspires you to write?

A: I always have a story inside of me that screams to be told. Aren’t we all storytellers of one kind or another. Even if one of my readers isn’t a writer, I hope they are an oral storyteller of their family heritage. So much can be lost. I cannot lose a scene from my own life, or a person I know or once knew. There is a story there. I want to tell it.

Q: How has being a published novelist differed from your expectations of the profession?

A: I thought I could make a living at being a writer. But alas, my last name isn’t Steele or Patterson. It’s Jansen, so I work with my students during the day and write my stories at night.

Q: What advice or tips do you have for writers who are just getting started?

A: Read. Read. Read. Join a book club. Take writing classes. Join a critique group. But make sure they are good ones. Study the market. All of these are most important. It doesn’t happen overnight.

Q: Would you share with us what you are working on now?

A:  I am reworking two of my books, both mysteries with romance. (I like to layer my stories). One takes place in Denton, Texas, where I now live. The other takes place in Lincoln Park, Chicago Illinois where I lived until I was 13.

Q: When you’re not writing what do you like to do?

A:  I adore home decorating. It expresses who I am. Of course I am a voracious reader. Therapy for me is estate sales, garage sales, and antiquing. When my ‘stuff’ is about to get the best of me, I sell on eBay (mother*of*pearl) and etsy (oldwallpaper). I also read recipes more than I cook. And the one place I must always stay away from is animal shelters. I am at my allowable limit for doggies.

Q: Where can readers find you on the internet?

A: Please visit me on my blog. http://write2robinshope.blogspot.com/

Q: Anything else you’d like to tell or share with us? Live your passion.

Biography

Born in Wisconsin, I was raised in Chicago, attending the prestigious Latin School of Chicago. Summers were always spent on the lake in Delavan, Wisconsin until we moved there when I turned thirteen. I graduated from UW Whitewater, majoring in Special Ed and Creative Writing, minoring in Theater. For several years I travelled overseas as a missionary and then assisted in pastoring a small country church. Later, I moved to Texas where I teach near Dallas, Texas.