The Kari AnnAlysis

I recently read, reviewed and loved Dead Politician Society by Robin Spano. Spano contacted me and asked me to read her book and be part of her virtual book tour. It was such an awesome opportunity, I jumped right on it. And in just a few short emails, Robin and I hit it off (or at least I thought so lol). Anywho, one of my goals for the next year is to start doing author interviews. And I am starting with Robing Spano.

Before I share the questions, lets put a face with the name and answers:

And here’s a little about our author du jour: Robin Spano grew up in Toronto, studied physics in New Brunswick, and dropped out to explore North America on her motorcycle. She met her husband while working as a waitress and helped him run his Toronto pool room until they moved to Vancouver. She writes full time, plotting murder and living vicariously through her undercover protagonist

Kari: The idea for the book I am working on, no lie, came to me in a dream. Where did you get your idea? Did it just hit you or did it ease its way into your life?

Robin: That’s cool! I’d love to hear your book idea. Mine came from a more earthly realm: I was angry at some politicians. I’d been grinding away at a different project, but once this idea hit, nothing could keep me from my computer. Writing changed from laborious to really fun.

Kari: What is your writing process? Computer? Pen and paper? Notes? Outline?

Robin: Computer. Pen and paper the odd time, if I get an idea in the middle of the night, or we’re out on the boat and I can’t get to a computer. But I feel freest at my computer. Maybe because I know I can press delete anytime, my ideas can wander a bit further before I’ll cut them off. That lack of self-judgment is especially important in the 1st draft, when the story is writing itself.

I don’t use an outline until the very end, when it’s time to corral the clues and the plot into logical order.

Kari:  How much of Clare is based on yourself? I see on your website you’re a motorcycle ridin’ mama

Robin: Ha ha. My friends and family seem to think Clare and I are one and the same. Which is funny, because to me, we’re completely different. Clare is good at all the things I’m not. Yeah, we both ride a bike, but when mine breaks down I call my husband. (Seriously – I called him one time to tell him my bike was broken. He drove to my rescue and explained that the tank was out of gas.) Clare, by contrast, can grab a tool  and fix her own.
 
We do have similar philosophies. Clare, like me, hates feeling trapped or roadblocked from achieving her goals. She wants to explore the world, and she hates limits – whether it’s other people’s limited mindsets, things she can’t do because her job description won’t allow it, or limitations to her own abilities. She’s kind, but not falsely so – she’ll help a friend in need, but she won’t throw them an insincere compliment. And she has – or she’s discovering – a primal need to leave the world better than she found it.
 
But she’s 13 years younger than me and living a completely different life. She’s taking off and becoming her own person. What I’m interested to see – and yeah, I guess technically I can control it, but I prefer to watch it happen organically through these stories – is who Clare grows up to become. I can already feel her changing as I work on the series going forward. I like who she’s becoming.

Kari:  Is there a sequel in the works?

Robin: Yup. In Clare’s 2nd adventure, she’s undercover as a poker player at a major televised tournament. Her cover role is a trust fund princess named Tiffany who has decided to try her hand at poker. Clare hates her new wardrobe – most of which is pink, and all of which is designer. But she loves the poker scene, and her romantic life grows intense.
 
In her 3rd adventure…but that’s another story. (I’ve just broken ground on writing it.)

Kari:   If your book got picked up for a movie, who would you have play the main characters?

Robin: Ha ha. Because of course that will happen.
 
For Clare, I like Jessica Stroup. She plays Silver on 90210, and I think she has the right look and the right range of emotions. She can be bitchy, but she’s sensitive, and ultimately kind. My husband, on the other hand, thinks Katy Perry would be perfect. (Or maybe he just thinks Katy Perry is perfect.)
 
The rest I’d leave up to this magical director. I’d love to hear who readers would cast in the various roles!

Hope you guys enjoyed the Q&A. When it comes to the movie role, I love Stroup as Clare. I completely forgot about her. I could also see Zooey Deschanel in that role.

Check out Robin’s websiteand virtual tour. Robin is also on Twitter. You can find her book on NetGalley! Check her and her book out!

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