Interview with Author – Robin Murphy

About Robin Murphy:
Robin Murphy was born in the small coal mining town of Windber, Pennsylvania and remembers a wonderful childhood with her parents and two older brothers.

She is a paranormal mystery and travel writer; a speaker on author platforms, self-publishing, and marketing, and recently became the sole-proprietor of Rookie Writers Solutions. She has also worked in the administrative, graphic design, desktop publishing, writing, and self-publishing arena for more than thirty years. Her wide range of skills and abilities place her at the top of her field. She is currently employed as an Administrative Associate at Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.

Robin has four children – two daughters, Jennifer and Sue, and two sons, Michael and Nathan – three granddaughters – Tessa, Anna, and Abigail, – and grandson, Brendan Michael, with twin granddaughters Mady and Elly.

She and her husband, Bob were married in Sharpsburg, MD in 1998 by local historian, Rev. John Schildt. After falling in love with the town, they decided to move to Sharpsburg three years later.

Even though Robin has to squeeze her writing into creative times of the day, it is during those moments she feels exhilarated and renewed. “There is no greater feeling than to have found my passion in writing.” She also finds time to swim and loves to travel.

What inspires you to write?
Writing is a my passion, so the inspiration comes from within when I get ideas in my head and place them onto the page. To be able to tell a story and receive the great response that I get from my readers inspires me to keep on writing.

Tell us about your writing process.
I am a little of both. I do outline the main plot with the beginning, middle and end, but the story changes as I write. I meditate often, which clears my creative side, and then I just let myself go with the flow.

For me, I like to get the story down, and then I can add, embellish, delete when I edit. That’s where the real magic begins.

For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I talk to myself all of the time. I have since I was young, but I had no idea that would contribute to my writing. The dialogue is what takes off in my mind and I will find myself reacting to the emotions of the characters. When I can laugh, cry or react in any way in a certain scene with my characters, I know I’ll convey those emotions with a reader.

What advice would you give other writers?
Go for it! Perseverance is the key. I used to hear that from other people who were doing what they loved, and now I understand what they mean. There are always stumbling blocks and self-doubt, but you need to knock those thoughts out of your head and press on. You will realize once you worked through that hurdle, what lies on the other side proves you can do whatever you set your mind to.

Write from your heart and soul, whether it is fiction or nonfiction. When it comes from somewhere deep inside you, you will always know you are being true to yourself and your story.

How did you decide how to publish your books?
The first book in my series, Sullivan’s Secret, was picked up by a small press. When I discovered that I was marketing better than this publisher, I chose to self-publish the rest of my books.

I was more committed to the success of my books, so it was a natural process. I am able to design my own website and I’m very comfortable with marketing, so it was very easy for me.

The key is perseverance, and from that I was discovered by Creativia, an independent publisher, through Twitter.

The bottom line…you have to have a great product. So whether you publish traditionally or self-publish, make sure your book is as professional as it possible can be, which means edit, edit, edit.

What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I have read countless blogs, newsletters, posts from all social media on this subject. To be honest, I have no idea other than there is room for all of us. I think more and more great writers are self and traditionally published. There used to be a stigma on self-publishing, but that doesn’t hold true anymore. As I said before, turn out a great story, and you will develop a readership.

The one thought that remains constant for me, is that I write for myself first and foremost. Then if others enjoy my stories, fantastic, but I will always stay true to myself and not let others discourage me. You need to keep your head up, develop a thick skin and…keep on writing!

What do you use?: Professional Editor, Professional Cover Designer

What genres do you write?: fiction, paranormal mystery, nonfiction

What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print

Website(s)
Robin Murphy Home Page Link
Link To Robin Murphy Page On Amazon

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