Bare Back Magazine author interview with...
Robyn Alezanders...
Robyn is a freelance web content writer who has been writing since the nineth grade. Her stories and
poetry has been featured online and in print. When she is not writing, she enjoys listening to music,
baking vegan recipes, watching bad movies and making the best of everyday with her kids and partner.
Her writing has been featured in several books in print such as Nemonymous 5, The Mammoth Book
of the Kama Sutra, and in two past issues of the online Eternal Haunted Summer.
She is also featured in The Very Best of Bare Back Magazine anthology.
NATASHA: Thank you for the interview. Can you tell our readers about yourself and how
you got
started as a writer?
Robyn: Thank you for this opportunity! I started writing in ninth grade- the defining moment was an assignment where we had to write a two-three page story based solely on a picture of a dark house . Something just clicked in me – and I crafted about ten, fifteen pages about a young guy needing to use the phone and encountering a creepy little girl. That was thirty years ago, and I haven't stopped., it's part of what defines me. I love music, baking (especially tweaking recipes to make them vegan), playing in the rain, watching bad movies, and making the most of every day with my kids and partner.
NATASHA: What genre do you write?
Robyn: Slipstream and erotica.
NATASHA: How would you describe your style of writing? And what can readers expect from your
stories and poems?
Robyn: It's often non-linear, more stream of consciousness, influenced by Poe and Lovecraft. I like to weave in obscure mythological bits – little puzzle bits for readers – and playing with words that dance around your thoughts.
NATASHA: Where do you get your ideas for your stories and poems? And are you like any of the
characters that you write about?
Robyn: Sometimes they're snippets from dreams, sometimes just musings inspired by places, experiences, or “what if?”. I'm fascinated by psychology and what makes people tick, and weaving that around elements that are shadowy, different veils of existence, dabbling with things that may or may not be a good idea. There's always a part of me in everything I write, whether integrated as a character or as some other component. For a long time, the parts of me in what I wrote related to some sort of wanting or desire to really be embracing life. Now, I'm still in everything, but from a much happier place. Even if the story or poem is darker in Nature, I'm coming at it and putting myself in it from a content, relaxed essence, even if in the guise of a shapeshifter or vampire lol
NATASHA: How often do you write? And what is your writing routine to get your creative juices flowing?
Robyn: I'm a freelance web content writer, so I'm at it in that capacity five days a week. When working on stories and poetry, I usually play music to fit that piece's atmosphere, - could be anything from Tori Amos to Marilyn Manson. Depending upon where I am and when I've set aside time, soy tea lattes or red wine also help me set the mood to let the piece come to life.
NATASHA: What advice do you have to anyone wanting to become a writer either full-time or part- time?
Robyn: Follow your heart, and do it! I know it sounds cliched, but whether it's part or full time, or even just snippets in the morning, evening, during a lunch break, pursue it. And never let anyone take that passion away. It's also important to define what you want for you and how you see success, and not compare yourself to others. If you want to reach JK Rowling levels, great, go for it, but if you're happy at a smaller niche, running a blog,
having a column in a community publication, whatever does it for you, that's what you should do. Writing, like everything else that makes us who we are, should come from the heart and the soul. I have to do it – it's such a driving force that that's why it became my career – it's not that I'm otherwise unskilled, but I'm truly me when I write, no matter if it's a sexy poem, a scary story, or a company's web page.
NATASHA: Can you share with us anything you are currently working on, and/or any new releases?
Robyn: I'm currently working on several ideas, as part of this incredible re-awakening I'm experiencing, thanx to my soulmate, Spike (who inspired “Undone”). After several years of being in a terrible situation that had amongst other things, taken away my belief in myself as a writer, he brought me back to life. I'm now re-visiting shelved drafts and creating new things, and hope to have more published work soon, either as standalones or short
collections. I also plan to finally get into some visual art ideas that I've longed hope to do. The writing and the artwork mostly center around shadowy dark themes, some with strong erotic impression, but I never fully know where something is going until it takes shape and sings its own song. Publishers and editors are always welcome to contact me – I have several pieces still looking for homes, and ideas to develop relationships with.
NATASHA: How can our readers learn more about you and your books?
I'm in the print books Nemonymous 5, and The Mammoth Book of the Kama Sutra, and of course in The Very Best of Bare Back Magazine :) I'm also in two past issues of the online Eternal Haunted Summer. Readers can contact me for more information, and find me on Facebook :)
