Episode 57: Robyn Singer Interview
Rasta
Hello cinnabar moth or any kind of moth you’d like to be. Welcome to the writers triangle, Cinnabar Moth’s podcast about all things publishing and books. Today we are here with Robyn Singer, author of the novel The Sunrisers. Robyn, how’re you doing today?
Robyn
I’m doing very well. Thank you. How are you?
Rasta
I’m doing great. Thanks for asking. Are you feeling excited about the release of the Sunrisers coming out this upcoming Tuesday?
Robyn
I am beyond excited for the release of the Sunrisers. And I cannot wait for it to get into people’s hands.
Rasta
That’s wonderful. How long ago did you start writing? Or how long do you finish writing the Sunrisers?
Robyn
I wrote the entirety of the Sunrisers in November of 2020, Fernando Rebo. Oh, wow.
Rasta
So over the course of the month, you wrote the initial version or has it most? Because the brain? Okay. And there have been some changes, but the core story has mostly been kept intact. Okay. And so you first wrote in 2020. And then it’s gone through the process. Since then, with some evolutions. What was that process like for you of writing the Sunrisers
Robyn
with just speaking about that initial draft, it was very fast paced experience are very enjoyable, too, though. I knew almost exactly what I wanted to do with it from the start. And I just let my brain go on autopilot.
Rasta
Okay, so you said that was a fairly comfortable experience for you even though it’s a bit fast? Or how was it for you.
Robyn
It was a mostly painless process, save for the now humorous to talk about our where my file got corrupted, and I lost 10,000 words. So to stay on. So to stay on schedule for NaNoWriMo, I had to rewrite all of that from memory in a day.
Rasta
While it sounds like a quite the challenge,
Robyn
ever since I’ve only ever used Google Docs to write I no longer use word processors.
Rasta
It makes sense, the cloud makes things a lot safer. So you wrote the Sunrisers. And you’ve gone through the process of finding publisher with us. How did you discover cinnabar moth publishing.
Robyn
Um, I’d actually mostly given up on querying the Sunrisers. I’ve been sending out queries to agents for a while, but no one was taking the taking, taking the bite. And that was when I was referred to cinnabar. Moth by a good friend of mine, she actually got them to look at the book while they weren’t even accepting submissions. And they loved it. loved it so much. It was just when the first three chapters it was picked up immediately.
Rasta
Okay, so you had gone through kind of a long process of queering, it didn’t pan out, and then you found us and what made you ultimately decide to publish with us.
Robyn
I think most writers would take the chance to get published if it was offered to them. Even further, though, cinnabar moth I feel truly appreciates my writing sees my vision, and what I really bring to the table as a writer.
Rasta
Yeah, we do appreciate your writing. And we have enjoyed it. For the process of actually going through the publication process, what would you say has been the most surprising thing about publishing with us?
Robyn
I honestly can’t say there have been any surprises from the start up until now, it’s been a very nice straightforward experience.
Rasta
So you found it fairly transparent, and you feel comfortable with the entire process? Absolutely. That’s wonderful to hear. When it comes to publishing in general, would you say there’s been any surprises with the publishing process as a whole? Or did you have a fairly good idea of what what happened going into? Um, I definitely did
Robyn
not know all the intricacies involved of what goes into even just a small press publishing. So that’s been really interesting to say.
Rasta
Yeah, it’s now you’ve gone through the entire process with publishing it’s around the corner now. How do you plan on celebrating the release of the Sunrisers? I am going to go
Robyn
to my favorite sushi place and eat whatever I want, before coming home and talking to my amazing girlfriend all night long.
Rasta
That sounds like a wonderful evening. Would you say that your family is excited about the release of the Sunrisers?
Robyn
I just mentioned her but my girlfriend is and frankly, that’s all that matters to me. She is my everything.
Rasta
I think it’s great that you have some most supportive your girlfriend to this process. And so with the Sunrisers it’s not only being published for people to purchase, but it’s also going to be available in libraries. How does it feel to know that your book will be listed in the US Library of Congress?
Robyn
It’s pretty incredible and honestly hard to conceptualize. It really is a huge accomplishment. A lot of people look down on small presses. But just getting even just getting here is a huge deal for me.
Rasta
Do you have any personal experiences with libraries that make it particularly close to your heart?
Robyn
Um, yeah, I’ve been going to libraries my entire life, but a lot of time in them, especially recently. I don’t know, it just feels good that other people like me will find my book, find my story and hopefully take from it what I’m hoping they do, they will
Rasta
do some very nice to have a similar bonding experience with your book that you’ve had with books during your time growing up and during your time visiting libraries. You use now with it being about to be published. What do you hope happens next after the publication of the Sunrisers I’m just hoping it
Robyn
sells well. And that everyone who reads it gets something emotionally out of it. I think that’s what every writer wants from their work. Obviously, there are those who dream big, but at the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about.
Rasta
Okay, so you don’t have any particular set goal in your mind. Other people connect you with your book and having that experience?
Robyn
Yes, for me, stories are all about reaching and connecting with the reader. And changing something about them inspiring them. Making them feel it’s what it’s all about.
Rasta
I do agree. Books matter. At the end of the day, we’re always trying to evoke something from our readers, even if it’s just a positive feeling or something enlightening. It’s all about that little bit of spark in their day. So, for you, do you want writing to be your career? Or is this something that you’d prefer to do on the side?
Robyn
At this point, no, I love writing. It’s my passion. But at this time, I see it as more of a side thing. My primary focus right now is on starting my company, Lloyd Samuel, the first luxury fashion brand made specifically for trans women.
Rasta
Oh, wow. So you have an entire project that you’re very passionate about. And then writing is another passion that something that if it if it ends up being successful is nice, but not your main focus. Exactly. Okay. So, if the Sunrisers were to become a best seller, and to have this great success, do you think you’d be changing your opinions or anything that you’d be doing? Or do you stay mostly the same?
Robyn
Oh, I was gonna say, first off, I consider my last dancer. For real, though, I’d be taking my girlfriend to Galaxy’s edge to celebrate, because that would make her happy, which would make me happy, because that would be the hugest news in the world. And we need to celebrate.
Rasta
So if we imagine now that it has the success, you’ve done the celebration afterwards. And then it continues along this path of more and more people are connecting with the book and buying it. And eventually we’re to become a movie or TV series. Do you have an imagination of anyone you want to cast for the characters in the book?
Robyn
I don’t have anyone specific in mind, but I’d make sure all of the main casts were accurately represented. That means autistic actresses for the two leads at an Arabic actor and black actress for the main supporting characters respectively.
Rasta
Okay, so you just want it to be accurate represented, but past that you don’t really have any particular people in mind.
Robyn
Right? The representation is the most important one of the most important things in storytelling to me, and I would not let an adaptation of my work that removes that happen.
Rasta
Yeah, I understand that completely. It’s very important that we have the characters be represented properly. For the Sunrisers Do you imagine if you had a choice between movie or TV show which one you would prefer to become?
Robyn
I absolutely think a movie would be the way to go. Screenwriting is actually my degree is in so I wouldn’t mind writing it myself.
Rasta
Oh, wow. So you have quite a bit of history with the art form them?
Robyn
Yes, I went to school for playwriting and screenwriting with a minor in film.
Rasta
house that’s right up your alley them. Yeah. Now would, if you’re writing it yourself, how much? I imagine then you’d prefer to have as much creative control as you could with the process or or what would be your kind of lane that you’d be looking to have with the production process for the movie of the Sunrisers.
Robyn
I would want a decent amount of creative control. But I’d also allow people who know more than me about the industry to take the lead. I freely admit, I went to school for it, I am not a great director, I am much better behind I am much better on the page than I am on SAT. So I definitely need a solid partner to work with the very least.
Rasta
Okay, so you, you’d want to make sure that everything follows your vision, but for the actual execution and management, you’d prefer to leave it to somebody who has more expertise? Yes. Okay. That makes sense. People have very much experience with these types of things. And I know when I imagine it, that I don’t understand what goes on with screenwriting. If I imagined the book going to process, I’d be like, Okay, I need to leave this to you. I trust you. For the for having a partner with this process. Do you think you’d be particularly choosy about who you’d want to be the director?
Robyn
I would, very much like I understand, it might not be feasible, I would want an artistic director, I feel like they’re the only one who’ll be able to truly capture the nuances of my to Leeds,
Rasta
you’d want someone with lived experience to be able to make sure that it’s representative and not generalizing, or misrepresenting anything in ways that people might miss.
Robyn
Exactly, because I’d like to give a little more detail about spoilers. The two leads of the Sunrisers are both logistic women. And I designed them as such to be the kinds of heroes autistic little girls with myself, when I was little, will be able to look up to and be inspired by.
Rasta
Okay, so you wrote this as a story that you could, for example, someone like you, as a kid would be able to read and experience and have a set of heroes that closely represents who they were.
Robyn
And I was inspired for this because if you put cute point to me and economically autistic heroes and sci fi, I’d love to see.
Rasta
Yeah, do you think it’s very uncommon? And even when it does happen, it’s not necessarily accurate representation. Exactly. So let’s imagine now that it’s gone through this entire creative process, the productions happen and everything. And now the Sunrisers the movie is going to actually premiere would you want to go to the premiere? And if you did, I imagine you take your your girlfriend with you.
Robyn
Yes, I would absolutely attend the premiere and accompanying me would be the greatest woman on earth who yes, I’ve already mentioned a few times. The amazing and beautiful Maggie Adams I cannot serenade her enough I know I’ve got
Rasta
no I think it’s wonderful to have somebody that you love and that you connect with and bond with very closely. And having someone who’s been there for you and supported you through your writing process and through your life is wonderful. Now let’s, let’s imagine with all the success and you know, with the sunrise becoming a movie or TV show, that will naturally come with at least a decent amount of fame. When you think about fame, would you like to be as famous and well known as for example, Stephen King, where you lost your anonymity.
Robyn
Stephen King is worth approximately $500 million. Frankly, anyone who wouldn’t take that money in exchange for their anonymity is a fool
Rasta
so your answer is a resounding yes. You take it now for for fame on a lower level for example, would you feel more comfortable with with keep your anonymity if you could? Or is it something where after a certain point you don’t care?
Robyn
Now I want to connect with my audience. I want to be a public figure for them.
Rasta
Okay, so you’ve actually prefer if possible to be as well known and as visible as possible. Yes. Okay, that makes a lot of sense. You want to be able to represent and be able to connect with your audience, especially with things like the sunrise is where you’re representing a group of people that in your writing that is honestly criminally underrated. I am
Robyn
just I’m and separating myself, Mike. characters, I have an autistic trans woman. And if you can find me there, or on the page, many people like that. That’s yeah, it’s bad. It’s really
Rasta
I do think that that is very important as having public figures who represent all walks of life and all types of people. And, yeah, I totally understand and appreciate the desire to be a public figure and to be able to reach out to other people like you and to give them a positive image to look out. So when you’re writing the Sunrisers, I want to ask you a little bit about that process with Nana remote everything you mentioned that you had a strong image of what you want to do, at the very beginning of the writing process. Would you say that you took a lot from your own lived experiences with writing it? What do you mean?
Robyn
I’m sorry, I mispoke a lot. Oh, you’re asking if I put a lot of things that I’ve been through personally into the story?
Rasta
Yes.
Robyn
Yes, 100% A lot. Um, the way I describe the main character, Gail path neck. She has a lot of myself. And she’s been through a lot of the kinds of things I’ve been through. But she is also much smarter and much more wild than I will ever be.
Rasta
Okay, so there’s some some things from your own lived experiences that you’ve taken from, but the character is still of course, themself.
Robyn
It’s mostly little stuff put in like, she stems. She can’t keep her train of thought very well. It’s little stuff like that. Okay.
Rasta
That makes a lot of sense with, you know, we’re writing you write the characters as themselves. And there may be some things you take from our lives, but the characters are still their own entities. So, Robin, I’d like to thank you for talking to me today and being on the writers triangle. And thank you to all our beautiful moms for listening. Be sure to buy the sunrise coming out this upcoming Tuesday. And Robin, can you tell us where to find you on social media?
Robyn
You can find me on both Twitter and Instagram at Robin l singer. That’s our r o b y n l s i n g e r.
R
And for everybody listening Be sure to visit cinnabar moth.com where you can find the transcripts and we’ll also have links to all of Robyns social media pages. Roby, thank you for talking with me today. Take care and bye bye.
Robyn
Take care