An Interview with Robin Montgomery-Smith

A storyteller and lover of language with one foot in fiction and the other in real life, Robin writes short tales and is currently wrangling a historical fiction novel into submission. She’s been published in online magazines, trade journals, and once self-published a book inspired by her own life events. Armed with a first-class honours degree in English literature and creative writing, she lives in Scotland, with her husband and half of her wonderful family.

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What inspired you to start writing this book?

I was studying for my degree and met the other six writers in this anthology. We were giving each other feedback on our assignments (allowed in creative writing courses) and realized we wanted to work together. In April 2025, we started coordinating our short stories and vignettes into an anthology. I contributed five stories: The Glistening Man, I Waited For You, Josie’s Secret, The Dance, and Sneezing in the Clouds (that last one was the inspiration for the book’s title). I have loved every step of this journey.

Tell us the story of your book’s current title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?

The title was more difficult than I imagined it would be. We discussed several titles until one day I said to one of the writers, “If I could, I’d lift you so high that you’d be sneezing in the clouds’ – it was something my grandmother said to me when I was small that has stuck with me all these years. One of the other writers said that Cloud Sneezing would be a great title, because it mirrors what we were doing: lifting each other up. Finally, it came to a vote and we were split down the middle on a title. We left it up to the editor to decide and she chose Cloud Sneezing and asked me to write a short story explaining how it came to be in my vocabulary. That’s how Sneezing in the Clouds came to be included in the anthology, as well. It is the final story.

Describe your dream book cover.

For this book, it is exactly as it is. We asked another fellow student who was about to start her master’s in graphic design to help us with the cover. She created a lovely patchwork of ‘fabrics’ which are symbolic of our stories and a strong, heavy pinky-red background with a hint of clouds. It’s perfect.

If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?

A few that come to mind: This is Me by Keala Set from The Greatest Showman because it is about owning who we are, flaws and all; She Used to Be Mine by Sara Bareilles as it is about a woman who is remembering who she was and who she is becoming; and Woman by Neneh Cherry because it is about a woman’s strength which rises inside her despite others trying to hold her back.

What books are you reading (for research or comfort) as you continue the writing process?

I read a lot for research and to help my writing be the best it can be. I find inspiration from all sorts of books. I’m on a canal history kick at the moment, researching for a novel I’m writing (on my own). Narrowboat by L.T.C. Rolt kickstarted it and others like The Boat Girls by Margaret Mayhew, and The Narrowboat Girls by Rosie Archer, as well as a bit more modern Too Narrow to Swing a Cat by Steve Haywood. The new book is based on the English canals, so that’s why these titles are so niche – and not related to my short stories in Cloud Sneezing. The thing I love about reading whilst writing something is that the phrases which catch my eye inspire me to find phrases that will catch my own readers’ eyes when they read my work. I always find I write more when I’m reading a wonderful book.

What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?

I’ve worked in a range of different professions over my time. I’ve been in admin, worked at a school, and at hotels. I’m about to start a new job working in admin and human resources. Writing will always be my passion and someday, I’d like to do just that so I can write on all my works-in-progress at once!

Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?

I have always loved words and how they can change someone’s mood by the way they’re put together. When I was in high school, my English teacher, Mrs Draper, told me to never stop writing. She must have seen something in me that I didn’t recognise at my young age. Since then, whenever I’m writing anything, I think of her.

Where is your favorite place to write?

I have small writer’s notebooks everywhere – in the car, in the living room, in the bedroom next to the bed, and at work. I’ll jot down phrases which come to me, snippets of an overheard conversation, the description of a beautiful or interesting scene. But when I’m writing properly, I’m usually tucked up inside my home office. I’ve found myself scribbling down a paragraph or two whilst at work or on the sofa after walking the dog. I prefer peace when I’m writing, although sometimes I’ll put on some ambient sounds like a rainy day or soft thunder to help me focus.

What advice would you give your past self at the start of your writing journey?

Enter the competitions, learn everything you can about writing, and when you think you know everything, keep learning, and if you get bored writing on one project, let that one rest and work on another. Whatever happens, don’t stop writing. Whether it’s a terrible poem (I think I must be allergic to poetry), a short story, or a novel – keep writing.

What’s one thing you hope sticks with readers after they finish your book?

After reading Cloud Sneezing, my hope is that people who read it recognise that no one is perfect and that no matter what, there’s someone strong inside battling to emerge. Lift up others as often as possible – and MEAN it – and don’t forget to allow others to lift you up, too!

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Are you a writer, too? Submit your manuscript to Atmosphere Press.