An Interview with Robin Yaklin
Former journalist for a short time before I married. Studied journalism (dah) and international politics. Taiji player. Bridge bum. Genealogist focusing on family stories. Cat lover. Destroyer of almost any houseplant. Hockey fan. Bite at poetry but I have written a novel that’s in the drawer and am halfway through with another. Student of Don Maass and Lorin Oberweger and graduate of their Breakout Novel Intensives, which is my version of getting an MFA.
What inspired you to start writing this book?
A story about a bowl of green Jell-O and how that would cure polio.
Tell us the story of your book’s current title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?
The title struck me like a bolt of lightning. I was researching the series of hurricanes that struck the Texas coast just after WWII, and it hit me that STORMS was a metaphor for not only the literal thing, but for the physical and emotional chaos that comes with tragedy.
Describe your dream book cover.
I’d like it to be simple. Maybe a blue background with a large, bold title and a strong image representative of the story. In the book, a woman news photographer documents a tragedy in her own family. When you ask me this, I have flashes of a shroud on a stretcher and the photographer shooting its exit from a house. Or, maybe a helicopter lowering a basket for the body. Certainly, the last is more dramatic. I’m thinking about that for a scene, so maybe that.
If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?
WWII songs. “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” “White Cliff of Dover,” “Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree,” “We’ll Meet Again.” Some Texas Swing, too. “Waltz Across Texas,” “Yellow Rose of Texas.” More titles escape me right now, but for sure Bob Wills.
What books are you reading (for research or comfort) as you continue the writing process?
Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout. Moonglow by Michael Chabon. Ann Patchett’s Tom Lake. Don Maass’ The Emotional Craft of Fiction.
What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?
I was a reporter for a small town newspaper and, for thirty-five years, a realtor.
Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?
Remember the moment well. I was in 5th grade when Kennedy died and a Dallasite, born here. I sat at the coffee table doing homework (not really focused on that) and glued to the funeral procession with the boots turned backward in the stirrups. Right then, I knew I wanted to tell what has happened on this earth. After that, my friend and I had sleepovers and, together, we wrote stories. Never quit. Once writing is in your blood, it never leaves. I believe I’ll do it until I die and, even then, I may dictate from heaven, assuming that’s where I end up.
Where is your favorite place to write?
An oversized chair in our living room that’s large enough for me and my muse, Ginny the cat, who will not let me begin until she has been brushed.
What advice would you give your past self at the start of your writing journey?
Keep going. Many paths exist and your job is to find the one that makes your heart sing.
What’s one thing you hope sticks with readers after they finish your book?
Relationships are messy but forgiveness can help make them whole.
Are you a writer, too? Submit your manuscript to Atmosphere Press.
Atmosphere Press is a selective hybrid publisher founded in 2015 on the principles of Honesty, Transparency, Professionalism, Kindness, and Making Your Book Awesome. Our books have won dozens of awards and sold tens of thousands of copies. If you’re interested in learning more, or seeking publication for your own work, please explore the links below.
