I first met Robin Stevenson online, via Absolute Write. We later had the chance to meet in person at the launch party for her debut YA novel, Out of Order. It was set in Victoria, BC, and in a neighbourhood I was familiar with, so reading it was like a treasure hunt! Since then, three more of her books have come out, and she's far from done. Her website is fun to peruse, but I hope you'll take a few minutes first to check out her tips on launch parties, writing from life, and other goodies in this interview!

You had not one, not two, but three books come out this spring! With a young family and a job other than writing, how do you juggle everything and still meet your deadlines?

Well, at my last launch my editor introduced me as “the Writer Who Does Not Sleep.” And that is probably part of the answer: I get up early and write before my son wakes up. But the truth is just that I love writing. Love it. Some people say that they want to write but find that their other commitments and responsibilities get in the way. I prefer to use writing as an excuse for avoiding those other responsibilities, like laundry and cooking and going to the gym. And also, given how short time is, I have become quite good at writing whenever the opportunity presents itself. I always keep a pen on me and will jot down random ideas while in line at the grocery store, or while waiting at red lights (um, just to be clear, I’m not actually recommending writing while driving!). If I’m meeting someone for dinner, or for work, or going to a dentist appointment I’ll bring a pen and paper in case they’re late. I’ve written whole chapters that way. And finally, I have a fabulously supportive family—none of these books would have been possible without them.

I've heard that you encountered some difficulties with setting OUT OF ORDER in a real city: what were they? And why Victoria?

That’s an interesting question. I can’t actually remember having difficulties with it. I think I have a selective memory though: Mostly what I remember is that I found it enormously helpful.

Out of Order actually began as a short story about two teenage girls hanging out downtown and getting into various kinds of trouble, and initially the city was not named— it was just a generic downtown. But the two main characters, Sophie and Zelia, stayed in my mind and I kept going back to them, exploring their relationship and writing out new scenes and bits of conversation.

At the same time, my son was 18 months old and we were spending a lot of time walking around Fernwood, which is this fabulous, funky, diverse Victoria neighbourhood with a strong sense of community. It’s centred around a little cobblestone square with a beautiful old theatre; and a not-for-profit, community run coffee shop; and a pub; and several art galleries and other small businesses. And all of this is within a block of Vic High, which is the oldest high school in Western Canada. I’d moved here three years earlier and fallen in love with the neighbourhood. So as I’d walk around, I started to imagine Sophie and Zelia right here, living in this community and going Vic High.

I didn’t realize how much Fernwood would become a part of the story but even though it is unnamed, it is woven into so many scenes. The characters have conversations in the school hallways, on the theatre steps, over pizza at the café in Fernwood Square… all those places are within blocks of my own house.

At times, the setting gave me ideas and actually influenced the direction of the story. I remember at one point, writing the first draft, I was stuck in the middle of a chapter. Sophie and Zelia had decided to skip class and I wasn’t sure what they were going to do. I was walking though the Belfry Square, my son in his stroller, and saw the tattoo and piercing parlour… and that led me to the next scene.

The characters of Sophie and Zelia always felt very real to me and I think part of the reason for that is that the setting was real, and familiar, and so even though I’m not always a very visual person, I was able to imagine every scene vividly.

As a sailor yourself, you drew on real-life experience to write DEAD IN THE WATER. Did any of your own escapades make it into the book?

One of the early reviews for Dead in the Water included a comment on the “uncomfortably convincing description of seasickness” (Quill and Quire). I had to laugh. I can definitely claim first-hand knowledge of sea sickness! But my own experiences have been much tamer that what Simon goes through in this story.

I’ve done some west coast sailing, and also spent a year sailing to the Bahamas on a 30 ft sailboat. So I can claim to be somewhat experienced. But to be honest I’ve always been a fair-weather sailor. I like the part where you arrive somewhere, ideally somewhere warm and sunny, and you drop the anchor and the boat stops moving around so much and hey, it’s happy hour. But Dead In the Water focuses on all the parts of sailing I don’t enjoy so much—bad weather, and scary big waves. Oh, and it has bad guys too. Very bad guys. I didn’t meet any of those in my own sailing adventures.

I have a new young adult novel coming out in the fall, called A Thousand Shades of Blue. It’s about a teenage girl who is travelling with her family on a sailboat in the Bahamas. It isn’t really a book about sailing at all, but they do have a close encounter with some rocks which is closely based on one of my own scariest sailing moments ...

Your launch party for your debut novel, OUT OF ORDER, was fabulous: what advice would you give to someone planning their own?

I had so much fun. But beyond suggesting the Cornerstone Café as the location, I can’t take any of the credit for that event. Orca, my publisher, did all of the planning and the Fernwood Neighbourhood Resource Group, which runs the café, allowed us to use the space and provided great fair trade coffee and yummy snacks. And of course, it was a lot of fun because I have such a wonderfully supportive group of friends and family and fellow writers who all showed up for the party.

Like I said, my publisher did all the work, so I’m not sure that I’m qualified to give advice on planning a launch. But for what it’s worth, here are my thoughts:

The location is important. If you are a new author, the launch is going to be attended primarily by your family and friends, so it makes sense to have it somewhere that is easy for them to get to and at a time of day that fits their schedules. Lots of my friends have little kids, so we chose an early evening time and a space that would be child-friendly. Estimate how many people you think might attend and choose somewhere that can accommodate that number comfortably. And send out your invitations at least a couple of weeks before.

The location could also fit the theme or setting of the book. I was pleased to launch Out of Order in Fernwood as it is the neighbourhood where my book is set. We talked about the possibility of an outdoor launch in Belfry Square, where some scenes actually take place, but thought the chances of rain were a little too high in October! But you can do whatever you want: It’d be fun to launch a book about sailing at a marina, or even on a boat; or to launch a book about ballet at a dance studio.

I think most people want to hear the author speak a little about their work—I know I always like to hear some of the story behind the book. Readings are good too, but I’d suggest keeping them pretty short.

One last thought: As the author, you’ll be pretty busy and possibly too euphoric to be useful during the launch itself, so it’s a good idea to recruit a few friends to help out. You might want to ask a friend to take photographs of the event. If your publisher isn’t taking care of sales, you should bring books and ask a friend or two to sell books for you. And make sure you have a pen to sign them. Oh, and one thing I wish I’d done ahead of time—think of some things to write when you sign them. I kept wishing I had something more profound to say than “Hope you enjoy it,” or “Thanks for coming out tonight.”

Does being a local author help or hinder when it comes to promoting a book in your hometown? How so?

In theory, I’m sure being local probably helps rather than hinders. In all honesty, I haven’t done a great deal of promotion, here or elsewhere. As the mother of a pre-schooler, I just don’t have time. I decided that the best way to promote my book was to write another, so that is where I have put my energy. I guess we’ll have to wait and see how my strategy works ...

What's one thing you have to have, other than pen/keyboard and paper/computer, in order to write?

Nothing. Well, time, I guess. And coffee helps too.

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Thank you, Robin, for being such a great interviewee, and thanks to everyone else for taking the time to stop by! If any of you get a chance to visit Victoria, try and go to the Belfry Theatre (in Fernwood). It's in the most gorgeous building and has fantastic plays.