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I was lucky enough to get an interview with Robin Kaye so soon after her debut. What follows is our transcript! Enjoy and happy reading!
LRP: I just finished reading Romeo, Romeo and it was in two words: simply phenomenal. No wonder you won the Golden Heart in your category. Can you tell me about the process you went through for RWA? How did you feel?
Robin: The process you go through to enter the Golden Heart is pretty easy--the hardest part is making the decision to enter. It was definitely the best $50 I ever spent.
My goal was to score in the top 50%. I never thought I’d final. I sent my entry off and promptly forgot about it. I didn’t pay attention to the date they were to announce the finalist because in my mind, finaling wasn’t a possibility. I thought I’d get my scores when they hit my mailbox. When I got the call telling me I had finaled, I was shocked.
After I arrived at Nationals, Deb Werksman from Sourcebooks, one of the final judges, emailed me and asked if I would meet with her to talk about Romeo, Romeo. Four days before the awards ceremony, she told me an offer would be forthcoming. After I sold Romeo, Romeo, I thought the conference couldn’t get any better. Boy was I wrong. I was just as shocked to win as I’d been to final. It was an amazing conference for me, and it’s going to be a hard one to beat.
LRP: When did the idea for Romeo, Romeo first come to you? How did you get started?
Robin: I was taking an on-line writing class on point of view and the first assignment was to write a scene in first person.
I had just made a 20-quart pot of spaghetti sauce, dumped my meatballs in, and had ten minutes until I could stir the pot. I hate waiting those ten minutes. They always seem to last an eternity, so wearing my “The trouble with eating Italian food is 3 days later, you’re hungry again” apron, I ran into my office and wrote a scene with an Italian family around the Sunday dinner table. It was the scene in which my heroine, Rosalie Ronaldi, realized that there was an expiration date on uncommitted relationships. The scene was cut from the final manuscript, but I fell in love with Rosalie and her family, and I knew I had to write her story. It almost killed me to cut that scene, because it was so funny, but it wasn’t wasted. I used it in my blog. That made me feel much better.
LRP: Were you ever afraid or stuck in the writing process?
Robin: I don’t remember getting stuck with Romeo, Romeo. I believe writing books is like giving birth. We tend to forget the pain shortly after it’s over. If we didn’t, we’d probably never go through it again.
I do remember getting stuck when I wrote the second of the Domestic Gods books, Too Hot To Handle, and I remember very vividly being scared to death that I’d never be able to finish it. I was also afraid that Romeo, Romeo was a fluke and everyone would discover I can’t write. Hold on, I’m still afraid of that!
LRP: How did you decide on the characters’ names? Did they come to you at the same time as the novel idea did or did that take some effort?
Robin: I’m terrible with names. I named Aunt Rose first, after my great Aunt, who was one of the strongest women I ever knew. She was loved and feared by all. Then I thought, in the Italian tradition, I’d name the eldest niece after Rose, but not the same name. So I came up with Rosalie. Annabelle was easy—she was tall and beautiful. In Italian, Annabelle means beautiful Anna. It fit. I spent a little more time naming Nick. I knew I wanted him to have a name that could be shortened, so I picked Dominick. In the first chapter or two, I was calling him Dom, but Judi Fennel, my good friend and chapter mate, insisted I change it to Nick. Then I got the idea about a mistaken identity storyline, so the Dominick/Nick name worked well. Thank you, Judi.
I have a hard time remembering names, so when I needed a doctor, I named him after my doctor, Mike (just the first name). I had no idea that Mike would be so much fun to write, that he’d end up being the hero of Too Hot To Handle. Now, when I go into my doctor’s office, all the nurses ask if I really wrote the book with Dr. Mike as the hero. The answer to that is NO! That would be way too icky! Although I do think he gets a kick out of telling his wife he’s a hero in one of my books. LOL He’s a great sport and my go-to guy whenever I need to cure one of my characters. He doesn’t even get too mad at me when I forget to tell him the person I need to cure is fictional.
LRP: I just love your writing style – do you plan to use the same witty style and narrative in future books or do you expect to have to curb or tailor your writing to fit new characters and situations?
Robin: Wow, thanks for the compliment! I don’t think my writing style has changed, but in Too Hot To Handle I dealt with some deeper emotional issues. One of the funniest scenes I ever wrote is in Too Hot To Handle, but it also has a more serious side to it. I still have a snarky best friend, Becca, who I absolutely adore. Ben, my heroine’s boss, was a blast to write, and the family members and Dave the dog are there to lighten things up too.
LRP: What are some challenges you’ve faced while writing romance?
Robin: Other than the blank page? Juggling a busy family along with deadlines is a huge challenge. Too Hot To Handle was the first book I wrote on contract, and I found that to cause a lot of stress. Also, my kids are getting older and more active. One of the three is a pre-professional dancer who is home schooled and dances 25 to 30 hours a week at a school and hour and a half away. There’s never a free minute. However, I get a lot of help from my husband, who’s a true domestic god, and my children are amazing. We’re a team and we all support each other. I’m really proud of my family. It’s not always pretty, but it’s working, for the most part.
LRP: Here’s an easy question: what do you like most about writing romance?
Robin: I love escaping into my characters’ lives and playing God. I love that I get paid to do what I would always do for free. I love the industry and the amazing people I’ve met since I joined RWA. I love that I found people who actually ‘get’ me. All my life I was always in trouble for daydreaming. It was on every report card growing up. I love that with the help of RWA and the fabulous writers in it, I turned my bad habit into a career. When you’re unpublished, people call it daydreaming; when you’re published, people call it plotting. I love that my teachers were wrong. I wasn’t a daydreamer, I was a plotter.
LRP: Okay now comes a tough question: in your own words, what is love?
Robin: Love is a decision. It’s a verb. It’s what you do. Love isn’t a feeling – that’s lust. Love means loving someone even when you don’t feel like it, because believe me, there are times in every relationship when you’re not going to be ‘feeling’ the love.
LRP: And another toughie: what do you think makes a great bedroom scene?
Robin: Chemistry between the hero and heroine, a build-up of sexual tension, humor, and I really believe a love scene has to move the plot forward. The characters have to change or be changed by it in order for it to work.
LRP: Could you provide a picture of your workspace? I would love to see how and where you work!
Robin: First of all, I have to say how much I love my office. My husband and I are remodeling our 100 year-old Victorian and my office was the first room we finished. My husband actually raised the roof on this part of the house (don’t ask me how, since he did it all himself) so I have a vaulted ceiling that goes up 13 feet at its peak. He even ragged the walls so it has the look of parchment that I love. The rest of the house might be falling apart, but my office and both bathrooms are beautiful. Here are a few pics:
LRP: Fill in the blank. If you aren’t writing you’re ________.
Robin: Driving, cooking, eating, or sleeping.
LRP: Is there anything else you’d like to share with the readers of Love Romance Passion?
Robin: I’d like to thank you all for having me here. I hope you enjoy Romeo, Romeo. I’m always amazed at how generous readers are. My book has been out less than a week and I’ve already gotten several lovely notes from people telling me how much they enjoyed my book. You can’t imagine how much that means to me. Writing is such a solitary activity. Having someone tell me they like what I’ve written is a wonderful and humbling experience. So I thank you all.
LRP: Thanks for joining us Robin!
If you have a question for Robin, drop us a comment and we'll forward them to Robin.
Robin is also part of a collective blog for Casablanca Sourcebooks Authors.
Originally posted 2008-11-04 14:57:29. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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