Robin Farmer
Author Interview - Robin Farmer
Author of Malcolm and Me: A Novel
“After clashing with her Catholic school teacher over Thomas Jefferson's enslavement of people, Roberta Forest, a thirteen-year-old, questions religion and hypocrisy at school, home, and nationwide as the Watergate scandal unfolds.”
Author Interview - Robin Farmer
Author I draw inspiration from: Heidi Durrow's debut novel "The Girl Who Fell from the Sky" changed everything for me as a writer. After I read it, about 10 years ago, I threw away my manuscript and vowed to dig deeper. I went on Facebook and sent her a message. To my surprise she friended me. In 2015, I attended a workshop she led on how to write a debut novel without a MFA. Heidi taught us a ton about topics ranging from revising and marketing to how to read our work and which residencies to seek. She also taught us how to critique work without crushing a writer's soul, which was invaluable. Three months after that wonderful workshop, we had a house fire and pretty much lost everything. I recall sending Heidi a note in December saying I hoped 2016 would be a better year. Two months later I learned I had a month long residency at Djerassi. I suspect Heidi made that happen. Because of Heidi, I consider myself an artist. And because of her example, I try my best to be generous with critiques and resources with other writers.
Author Interview - Robin Farmer
Favorite place to read a book: Anywhere with the sun on my shoulders.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with: Eva from Sula by Toni Morrison. A woman willing to lose her leg to feed her family has a lot to say about living and I'd soak it up.
Author Interview - Robin Farmer
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author: I was a bit confused when at at age 7 I learned how to write cursive, which meant I now knew how to write like adults who didn't print. The first word I wrote was "ice." I showed Mom my handwriting in my copybook and said, "Mommy, I'm a writer." By age 8, I knew exactly what being a "writer" meant after reading and admiring the work of Chuck Stone, a black columnist in the Philadelphia Daily News. How I admired his usage of obscure words, especially when he aimed them at the critics who wrote in letters complaining about him. In third grade then, I told my Mom I would be a reporter one day. And then I read to" Kill A Mockingbird." I can't recall how old I was, but I was still in elementary school. On the spot I said I wanted to write a book one day. The meaning of "writer" took on a different meaning and morphed into "author." This a convoluted but true answer.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook: This is hard. I'll say hardback because that cover just make it feels a bit more important. A hardback means the story was deemed extra special. That's why I won't mark one up. I'll make notes only in a paperback. Sigh, I just realized how silly I must sound. (Shrugs).
The last book I read: "Til the Well Runs Dry" by Lauren Francis-Sharma. I can't stop thinking about this book and its unexpected twist/journey. I can usually see what's coming regarding plot, but this story took me somewhere by surprise. I can't say what it is because it may ruin it for those who haven't read it. I'm currently reading her latest, "Book of the Little Axe" and all I can say is she's a writer's writer. Lauren is an exquisite talent.
Author Interview - Robin Farmer
Pen & paper or computer: Can I weasel out and say both? It really depends on my mood and since I am a trapeze artist in the mood department... Some days I prefer to write with pen and paper because it feels warn and safe. I guess that's probably because using them reminds me of my childhood. I didn't get my first typewriter until I was 15 and I won it in a contest. During a residency at the Djerassi Resident Arts Program I hand wrote 22,000 words. Some of them were even good! However, some days the computer rules because I often can't read my handwriting! And it's so much quicker. Overall, it's a tie.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with: Janie in Their Eyes Were Watching God. She was a woman ahead of her time and I imagine we would laugh all night about how our antics and long hair offend the other women. We're both independent thinkers and I suspect we'd try to work with the young teen girls to convince them not to let men cheat and hit them.
Author Interview - Robin Farmer
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a: Screenwriter. That was my minor in college, but I lacked the guts to go for the glory in Hollywood. Actually, I knew I could get a job as a reporter easier than as a screenwriter. All I know is this: I had to make a living using words. And I have! Freelance writing rocks and I adore my boss!
Favorite decade in fashion history: The 1950s. Loved the tailored tight dresses cinched at the waist. They covered everything, but were so sexy.
Place I’d most like to travel: Maldives! Need an over the water bungalow ASAP. That is number one on my bucket list. I saw a photo of a swing set in the teal ocean. I can't wait to try it out with hubby while sipping champagne.
My signature drink: Champagne (it's Keto friendly!). My weight loss doctor said if you have to drink, Champagne has the lowest amount of sugar and carbs. Why quibble with the doc? (Sometimes I cheat and drink Prosecco). Shh.
Favorite artist: Michael Jackson. I loved him as a girl, admired him as a young woman, found myself bewildered by him as a middle-aged woman, and now I'm wiser about his shortcomings as a mature woman.
Number one on my bucket list: Maldives! There is a swing set in the ocean waiting for me and hubby.
Anything else you'd like to add: As the pandemic stretches, remember this: Any day above ground is a great one!
Find more from the author:
IG, @robinfarmerwrites
Twiiter, sonewsy,
FB, Robin Farmer
Author Bio: Robin Farmer is the author of Malcolm and Me, hr debut novel. She is a national award-winning journalist and 2019 She Writes and SparkPress Toward Equality in Publishing (STEP) winner. At eight she told her mother she would write for a living, and she is grateful that her younger self knew what she was talking about (many young folks do). Her other interests include writing screenplays and supporting her local literacy community. The transplanted Philadelphian lives near Richmond, Va.
