Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Robin Strachan. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Robin, appreciate you joining us today. Too often the media represents innovation as something magical that only high-flying tech billionaires and upstarts engage in – but the truth is almost every business owner has to regularly innovate in small and big ways in order for their businesses to survive and thrive. Can you share a story that highlights something innovative you’ve done over the course of your career?

The creative process can be tricky. In genre fiction, it is expected that a book will follow a certain formula. Yet, there is an infinite variety of story ideas out there. There is plenty of room for innovation. So, how do you know if you should write a novel about an idea you have? Fiction, I believe, must feel personal to the author. A passion for the character’s story creates magic. Write and let the ideas keep flowing. By all means, have an outline. But don’t get stuck on it. I will often get story ideas out of the blue. It is almost as if I hear a voice giving me a title or an idea. When people read my novels, they often say they have never read anything like it. Good! I intended it that way. The best stories happen, I think, as a result of experiences to which many people can relate. Emotions are universal. Who hasn’t experienced unrequited love? Who hasn’t experienced a devastating loss of someone they loved? Who hasn’t had a dream and wondered how to make it come true? When I write a novel, I don’t hesitate to tackle subjects that might seem unusual. The true test is if the subject is something I would be interested in reading. For example, DESIGNING HEARTS is about an interior designer who teaches a class on feng shui and ends up helping each of her 12 students with an area of their life that they wish to enhance through intentional thought and feng shui “fixes.”

Robin, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I began my writing career as a reporter and features writer for a newspaper and then a regional magazine in my hometown of Johnstown, Pennsylvania. That stint led to a career writing grant proposals for nonprofit organizations, which resulted in a career in higher education at universities in Kansas City, Missouri and then in Chicago. In 2004, I began writing poetry and was thrilled to be published and to receive several awards. Although I enjoyed writing poems, I had always dreamed of writing a novel. In 2009, I decided to stop thinking and start doing. Manifesting Dreams was published in 2011. In 2012, when I moved to the Chicago area, I met my publisher at a writers’ conference. That led to book two, Designing Hearts; book three, Listening for Drums; and its sequel, Daughter of the Heart. My newest book, The Irish Book Club of Dublin (Ohio), will be released June 14th by Camel Press, an imprint of Epicenter Press in Seattle, Washington.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Creativity flows through every aspect of my life. I always wanted to write. A teacher once gave very bad advice that “Nurses eat, writers starve.” That is not true. Although I began my career writing, I have been nimble in accepting other opportunities, such as fundraising, which still allowed me to write and provided a lucrative income. If you know what makes you happy, and you make certain that it is a part of your daily work life, all sorts of opportunities result. Did I ever think, when I was dreaming of a career as a writer, that I’d be a major gift fundraiser? NO. But that career provided the income for me to be able to write for fun, too.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I have left good jobs because the ethics of the organizations caused heartburn. I have never done anything remotely unethical, and I could see that if I stayed, I would be forced to behave in a manner I considered to be unethical. Fortunately, my father gave me great advice and said, “Always have six months of income in the bank so you can leave a bad situation.” That was great advice. I don’t regret going with my gut instincts. If a situation feels wrong, I’m out.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.robinstrachanauthor.com

Image Credits
Camel Press Tammi Cole