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This month, The Edge of the Forest interviews debut novelist, Robin Brande, author of
EVolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature. In addition to being a novelist, Robin Brande writes one of
the best blogs around. Make sure you visit to participate in the
Tuesday book club, The Friday List (nice things you did for yourself this week), and just to read her witty, intelligent
posts on writing and life. Oh, and EVolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature is awesome too.
(Read the review here!)
The Edge of the Forest: Hey, Robin! Thanks for taking the time to talk to us here at The Edge of the Forest.
First of all, congratulations on the August 28th release of your first novel, Evolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature.
What are you doing to celebrate?
Robin: Thank you, Kelly! I just got back this afternoon from my book launch party last night up at
Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe, Arizona (Publishers Weekly's Bookseller of the Year!), and now I'm settling in
and trying to understand what it all means. Having a book out feels so unreal after waiting for so long. Even though I've
now seen it in stores, it's still hard to believe. I'm having a hard time not giggling every time I see it.
The Edge of the Forest: What I loved about Evolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature is that it concerns an
issue central to every human being's life—the search for answers to the big religious questions. While this is
something we all go through—often beginning in the teen years—it's not often the focus of a Young Adult novel.
What inspired you to tackle this "great issue" when you first began writing Evolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature?
Robin: I think my secret motivation was that it's the kind of book I wish I'd been able to read when I was a
teenager. I grew up in a fundamentalist church, and they weren't real big on probing questions. They had the party line,
and that was supposed to be good enough. I remember asking one of the church leaders why a good person who lives out in
the jungle and never hears about Jesus would go to hell because he wasn't "saved," but a person who's been baptized and is
still mean and wicked gets to go to heaven. Not a popular question, let me tell you.
I'm also concerned with religious groups feeling more emboldened about injecting themselves into politics and school
policies—especially when it comes to teaching evolution. I don't know where we think our future scientists and
doctors and researchers are coming from if we tell kids they have to choose between believing in God and believing in
evolution and science. Hurray for the separation of church and state.
The Edge of the Forest: Your protagonist—Mena Reece—is ostracized from her fundamentalist Christian
church and from her parents for taking a bold stand on an issue. (No spoilers from me!) Not all teens are as brave as
Mena was. Does she have a real-life model?
Robin: There's a lot of me in Mena—her beliefs, her problems with fitting in—but she's a much braver girl
than I ever was. It took me YEARS to evolve as much as she does in the book. She's much more willing than I generally am
to say what she believes and take steps to right wrongs she's participated in. I'm still a big chicken about telling
people what I think—although lately I've had to get used to answering questions about where I personally stand on some
of the issues in the book. So maybe someday I'll be as comfortable doing that as Mena is.
The Edge of the Forest: The teaching of evolution becomes a hot-button issue in Mena's school. Again, did you study
any similar, real-life situations when writing Evolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature?
Robin: Definitely. I've been fascinated by all the fights going on across the country over whether evolution
should be taught in the schools. I was particularly interested in the trial that took place in Dover, PA at the end of
2005. The lead expert witness for the parents in that case, Dr. Kenneth Miller, is a biology professor at Brown University,
and author of a wonderful book called Finding Darwin's God: A Scientist's Search for Common Ground Between God and
Evolution. I studied the legal report of that trial, and then went up to Brown University to interview Dr. Miller.
He ended up being the inspiration for my science teacher in the novel, Ms. Shepherd.
The Edge of the Forest: Tell me about your blogging. Why did you start and why do you continue to blog?
Robin: I started my blog the day after I got my book deal. I'd read all those articles in writing magazines
about how authors should have websites, so I was ready.
Originally I thought the blog would be a fun way to connect with other writers and readers, but it's grown into this
whole other organism that I can't seem to live without. Even when I'm incredibly busy, I still love to take the time to
throw an idea out there for all my blog friends, and then sit back and watch them discuss. It's so completely
entertaining for me—and, at times, enlightening. I bring my issues to the Hive Mind—important things like what
would you do if aliens landed right where you were camping? Would you stay and watch, or run away? And what would you
do to keep the dog quiet?—and always feel like I've been rewarded for whatever time I spend.
Okay, I'll say it: I love you guys. You make me laugh, you make me think, you make me want to throw a party so I can
hang out with you face to face. Which is why I've somehow ended up hosting the 1st Annual Kidlitosphere Conference in
Chicago this October 6th. It's like being tricked into having a baby.
The Edge of the Forest: What about blogging has been surprising to you as a writer?
Do you find that blogging adds to or subtracts from your work as a writer?
Robin: Aarg, that's such a controversial topic in this house. Some people (husband) think I devote too much time
to the blog, and that it's severely cutting into my writing time (which is true). Others (me) think if I'd just be more
organized about all the other things that fill my day, I could have the happy life of both daily blogger and prolific
novelist. So it's on me to get this right. I just need to manage my time better.
In some ways I think the blog makes me a better writer, because I've had to get used to writing these short, hopefully
entertaining, essays for public consumption every day. But let's face it: the main reason I keep doing it is because I
enjoy the community. Isn't it okay to do something just because you like it?
The Edge of the Forest: Do you have any advice for writers thinking about taking up blogging?
Robin: Blogging is like any other addiction—once you get used to a certain dosage, you'll have an awfully hard
time scaling back. It's like trying to give up that midmorning Starbucks. So do it, but do it the way Meg Cabot
does—only one or two posts a week. That's why she can still write a new book every two or three months. And come to
think of it, J.K. Rowling blogs only once every few months. Hmmm...
The Edge of the Forest: Speed round:
Beer, wine, or a soft drink?
How boring is this? None of the above. Coffee and water, please.
Who is your favorite writer? What is your all-time favorite book? (And, yes, you must choose one. It's the rules.)
So close: Charles Dickens and J.K. Rowling. Great Expectations and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Beach, city, or forest?
Forest! Always!
Why did you decide to write Young Adult fiction and not, say, mystery, chick lit, or "literary fiction"?
Because
I am a 15-year-old girl at heart. It made it very hard to be a tough trial attorney, let me tell you...
Coffee, tea, or a triple skinny latte?
Coffee so harsh it puts hair on your tongue.
Evolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature is your first novel. How long did it take you to write? And I mean
from the very beginning—from the spark in your eye to the lovely product I just received?
(Thanks for the compliment!) Two months of research, five weeks of writing the first draft.
That's pretty typical for me these days.
Movie, Theater, or a Concert?
Movie. LOVE movies.
If you had an entire week and unlimited resources to do whatever you'd like, what would you do and why?
What a wonderful concept! I'd rent out a mansion in the forest (if there is such a thing), so I could go hiking with my
husband and dog in the morning, then come back and take a bath in the sunken tub, sit in a plush chair wearing a plush
robe and write in my journal, watch a movie in the private theater in the afternoon, eat a fabulous gourmet dinner cooked
by the personal chef that comes with the place, and finally read a fabulous novel until bedtime. Rinse, repeat each day
for a week. HEAVEN.
Halloween, New Year's, or Valentine's Day?
New Year's all the way. I love to begin again.
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