Robin’s Folly received a 4+ star review, making it an IndieReader Approved title.
Following find an interview with author Janice Coy.
What is the name of the book and when was it published?
Robin’s Folly. Published January 2021
What’s the book’s first line?
First rays of morning brightened the sky behind the middle western slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, highlighting the jagged range as if it had been cut from a piece of heavy paper by a childish hand.
What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”.
After more than thirty years of marriage, Robin Larking finds herself unexpectedly and tragically alone. She’s angry at the loss of her husband; she’s upset to be growing old; she’s afraid of bears. And yet, she’s always found peace in the mountains, so she makes an unplanned journey to the Sierra Nevadas. When she heads down a hiking trail by herself, she loses her balance, injuring herself, and becoming lost. Forced to survive on her own in the woods, Robin is irresistibly drawn to a magical glade. What she discovers there will challenge her perspective on life and what she sees the next time she looks in the mirror.
What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event?
I was inspired both by our cultural obsession with putting youth on a priority pedestal, and by a favorite childhood fairy tale. I wondered, what would happen if someone was magically given something they thought they desired most – a youthful appearance? Would it make her content, despite the loss of her beloved husband, and even if she didn’t fully understand how it happened?
What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?
Robin’s Folly is an entertaining look at how we can fall into the trap of prioritizing a youthful appearance above all else, and why we’re so desperate to stay young. It asks the question of whether it’s possible to be content even in the midst of life’s ups and downs, and encourages the reader to think about where they derive contentment.
What’s the most distinctive thing about the main character? Who-real or fictional-would you say the character reminds you of?
Robin Larking is a woman who thrives on being in control, on mastering complete understanding of her life circumstances. I would say many of us can relate to the desire to feel in control or at least to understand why certain things happen.
Is this the first book you’ve written?
Robin’s Folly is my sixth novel.
What’s the best and the hardest part of being an indie?
The best part of being an indie author is getting to decide what I want to write about, and how I go about making it happen. The only deadlines I have are my own. The hardest part is the marketing of my books, but I believe the same is true for traditionally published authors who are not given a lot of marketing help from their publishers.
Which writer, living or dead, do you most admire?
I admire Delia Owens; she owns her age and appears to be very gratefully surprised by her success. Also, we’re both UC Davis alums!
Which book do you wish you could have written?
Where the Crawdads Sing.