Award-winning author Robin Benway has written six young adult novels that have earned much praise and been published in more than 20 countries. Her 2017 novel FAR FROM THE TREE won the 2017 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, the 2018 Pen America Award and was on the best-books-of-the-year lists of the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, NPR, PBS, Entertainment Weekly and the Boston Globe, among others.
Her acclaim is no surprise since she started raking up the awards in college. Robin was the recipient of the Seth Parkas Prize for Creative Writing when she was attending NYU in 1997.
What kind of person creates such amazing stories? We asked…
Booking Biz: What does your average day look like?
Robin: It always begins with coffee, and then I catch up on emails before walking the dog. Sometimes we have a lovely walk and sometimes we…do not. I tend to work best in the afternoon hours, no more than a couple of hours or so, and then I either go for a long walk or a Pilates class. When I’m really into a project, I try to get my daily routine as streamlined as possible so I don’t have to think about anything else other than the book, but that doesn’t always happen. When it does, I’m thrilled.
Booking Biz: When you’re not writing, what do you like to do best?
Robin: I love to refinish furniture and am always shopping on Craigslist and Facebook Markeplace for older pieces. I wrote a piece for Bustle about it, but for me, it lets me turn off my writing brain and do something tangible. I’ve worked out many a plot point while sanding down a desk or painting a dresser.
Booking Biz: Where do you get the inspiration for your books?
Robin: I honestly wish I knew! Ideas tend to pop up all of a sudden, and I’m never quite prepared for them to appear. I got the idea for FAR FROM THE TREE while sitting in a Costco parking lot, listening to the radio. A Florence + the Machine song called “Cosmic Love” came on, and I immediately thought of Maya, Grace, and Joaquin. It was such a lightning bolt moment, and I’m not sure it’ll ever happen again.
Booking Biz: Did you always want to write books for children, or was there another career you wished for as a child?
Robin: When I was very little, I wanted to be an archaeologist because I knew how to spell it, but then I discovered that I have a terrifying fear of dinosaurs, so that plan went out the window. (I still have never been to the Natural History Museum in NYC because of this fear!) I also thought I’d be a child psychologist, but luckily for all of the children, that didn’t happen either.
Booking Biz: If you ruled the world, what would it look like?
Robin: More empathy, less social media. Except for all of the Instagram dog accounts! And the hedgehog accounts! Those can stay in my world. 🙂
Booking Biz: We love all the animals on Instagrams! A world filled with them is fine with us.
Read more about Robin Benway and her books on her speaker page.