By day, Robin is a mild-mannered writer of fantasy and paranormal fiction for young adults.
By night, she is a pediatric nurse. Robin lives on the Gulf Coast with her husband, one soon-to-be teenager, and two slobbery mastiffs. She likes playing video games and watching Jane Austen movies. THE GATHERING STORM is her first novel.
Synopsis:
A royal court steeped in magic.
A dark prince with a hideous plan.
A young girl with a forbidden power.
St. Petersburg, Russia, 1888
As she attends a whirl of glittering balls, royal debutante Katerina Alexandrovna, Duchess of Oldenburg, tries to hide a dark secret: she can raise the dead. But when she uses her special skill to protect a member of the Imperial Family, she finds herself caught in a web of intrigue.
An evil presence is growing within Europe’s royal bloodlines—and those aligned with the darkness threaten to topple the Tsar. Suddenly Katerina’s strength as a necromancer attracts unwanted attention . . . including from two young men.
The time has come for Katerina to embrace her power, but which side will she choose—and to whom will she give her heart?
Tell us 5 random facts about yourself?
- I am deathly afraid of aliens abducting me.
- I am physically addicted to Diet Coke and video games.
- I have a 150 pound lap puppy.
- I collect tarot decks, but unfortunately I’m tarot-illiterate.
- I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was five.
Tell us a little bit about your process and how you became a writer especially because you have a pretty demanding full time job.
I’m a nurse, but have a really great schedule. I work weekend nights, and then I’m off all week. I can write in an empty house all day long while the family is at school or work. If only the dogs could go to school or work, then I’d have a completely quiet house all to myself.
The story takes place in the late 1800’s in Russia with the main characters being part of the aristocracy. How much research did you have to do to understand the time period?
Lots! I’ve been keeping track of all the Russian history books I’ve collected on a LibraryThing account: http://www.librarything.com/catalog/thebarefootcontessa
If you could have lunch with one of your characters who would it be and why?
Katerina, because I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t let anyone cast a spell on my food or poison me. And everyone in Saint Petersburg raves about her mother’s French chef. I think I’d prefer we lunched at her family home and not at the Smolny dining hall.
What is easier to write: The first line or the last line?
The first line! Last lines are always the hardest for me.
Where’s your favorite place to write?
I usually write in my computer nook just off of my living room, but sometimes I like to take a notebook and sit in my car at the beach. It’s a great place for outlining and coming up with evil things to happen to my characters.
What are you working on now?
Edits for the next Katerina book and a new paranormal story set in Regency England!
The Gathering Storm releases on Jan 3rd!
Where to find THE GATHERING STORM:
Where to find Robin:
Facebook page for The Katerina Trilogy
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