Robin Mahle's Blog, page 2

How I Choose a Story Setting

As a child who lived a fairly nomadic existence while growing up, I’ve had the opportunity to experience life in a variety of locations within the United States. As an adult, I’ve stayed put for the most part in the place where I was born, the desert southwest.Don’t get me wrong, I am blessed to be married to a full-blooded Englishman and he has shown me life outside of America during our fifteen years together. I’ve lived in England and traveled throughout much of Western Europe. Given my humble beginnings in life, it was an adventure I never thought possible.So when I began to pen my first novel, Redwood Violet, I knew right away where the story would take place. It was, of course, my favorite place, San Diego. There are other places I’ve visited that are probably more scenic, more secluded and have better food, but San Diego, for me, is like my second home.The people of San Diego and Phoenix, where I call home, have a love-hate relationship. We Phoenicians love them and they hate us! We go there to get out of the heat, swim in their warm ocean waters and spend our hard-earned cash on their seaside wares. They, in return, get to deal with our slow driving, meandering about and general annoyance that we consider it our home too.But I digress. I prefer to write about locations that I could see myself living in one day. My husband and I often kick around the idea of moving to California, but money and jobs and that sort of thing tend to hold us back. So for now, I choose to live there through my characters.And that brings me to another of my novels, Landslide. For those who have already read my other stories, you know that I don’t always write about San Diego. Beyond the Clearing was set in Sedona and Landslide takes place in Seattle. And most recently, Law of Five takes place in a variety of locations, my most adventurous attempt to date. But I think you’ll notice a prevalent theme and that is that my stories occur in and around the western part of the United States. I’m most familiar with these locals and I find it easier not only to write about places with which I am familiar, but also places that I could see myself calling home.So when readers take a look at my latest release, Law of Five, book three in the Redwood Violet series, they might be surprised to find that I have ventured into places where I have never been. It was exciting and nerve-wracking ensuring that what I was writing was true to form, but I think I’ll always return home to the cities that I know best.If there are any people reading this from San Diego, I apologize for the food remark. I really do love your food!

A New Year, An Old Debate - Should I Write What I Know, or What I Wish to Know?

As I enter into a new year, creating new stories, I find myself going back to an old question. Should I write what I know, or what I wish to know? This is a question that I suspect plagues a great many writers. We’re so often told to write what we know. But if we did that, would there ever have been such a thing as Middle Earth or Hogwarts? Okay, so those are fantasy novels and maybe they don’t apply. After all, they require an incredible imagination and if one is lucky enough to be blessed

A New Year, An Old Debate - Should I Write What I Know, or What I Wish to Know?

As I enter into a new year, creating new stories, I find myself going back to an old question. Should I write what I know, or what I wish to know?This is a question that I suspect plagues a great many writers. We’re so often told to write what we know. But if we did that, would there ever have been such a thing as Middle Earth or Hogwarts? Okay, so those are fantasy novels and maybe they don’t apply. After all, they require an incredible imagination and if one is lucky enough to be blessed with that, then one is writing what they know, correct?For me, well, let’s just say that when I started writing, I knew I wanted to write crime novels. Am I criminal? No. Am I in law enforcement? No. I am, however, very intrigued by those worlds. So, I did what every good writer does, I studied them. In fact, even in my spare time I studied them, whether I was working on a novel or not. It fascinates me. Perhaps I should have taken a career in criminal justice or something like that. I don’t know.I have learned over the past few years and continue to learn, so many facets of both sides. I’ve studied the FBI; their vernacular, procedures, cold cases. Not to mention, the really cool technology they get to use! I’ve also put a great deal of time into studying the minds of killers, thieves and the like. I’ve often found that part rather disturbing, as I think most people would, but it was essential for me to understand them, to an extent of course. I read lots of true crime books, talked to former law officials. All of the things that I felt I needed for my work to be authentic. That brings to mind something my husband said to me once. “Why can’t you write about rainbows and unicorns?” I replied, “because then I would be an author of children’s books.” So, while I didn’t really answer his question, I understood it. But, I am who I am and I am drawn to the darker side of humanity, but I am also drawn to those who fight against it.While most of my novels revolve around murderous crimes, my book, Landslide, focuses on those elements in addition to the primary theme of white collar crime. It was a world in which I knew very little when the idea came to me. But never let it be said that I walk away from a challenge! Instead, I threw myself into that world. I read everything from the fall of Enron to the subprime mortgage crises all the way to Ponzi schemes. Boy, let me tell you, those people responsible were just as bad and did almost as much damage as murderers!So I’ll wrap it up by saying this. It helps to know what you write about, most definitely, but what you don’t know, you can always learn. Never let it stop you. It hasn’t stopped me from writing with great passion and it never will. Here's to an adventerous New Year!

How I Fell in Love with Writing Mystery and Suspense

To answer this question, I need to take you back to the beginning. And when I say beginning, I mean when I was about nine years old and my older sister and I watched the movie, The Omen, when we weren’t supposed to. It was on regular television, but I can tell you that it still scared the bejeebers out of me! To this day, I can’t listen to the theme music!

Fast forward to my teenage years and there was my mom, who read a book every two days or so, horror mostly, and with me asking if I could try one out. Up until that point, I’d read a lot VC Andrews and was growing fond of the darker stories. She gave me a copy of Stephen King’s Christine. Holy cow! For my young mind, that book was awesome and creepy and terrifying. I loved it!

After that, I consumed just about every King book I could get my hands on. Then I turned to Dean Koontz and Thomas Harris a little later on in life.

So with those influences, one would think I would write horror, but the thing is, I just don’t have the right combination of brilliant yet gruesome prose. I kind of wish I did. Instead I opted to write stories that held the best elements of those stories; suspense tossed in with mystery and just a hint of fear to top it off. Sometimes, those can be just a terrifying as reading books filled with blood and guts and things.

With my latest novel, Landslide, I think I’ve managed to write a story with an appropriate blend of suspense and mystery and thriller. I hope readers will want to follow the lead character, Claire McKenna, through the difficult and frightening situations in which she finds herself entangled. It is, I believe, a page-turning and suspenseful story!

How I Fell in Love with Writing Mystery and Suspense

To answer this question, I need to take you back to the beginning. And when I say beginning, I mean when I was about nine years old and my older sister and I watched the movie, The Omen, when we weren’t supposed to. It was on regular television, but I can tell you that it still scared the bejeebers out of me! To this day, I can’t listen to the theme music. Fast forward to my teenage years and there was my mom, who read a book every two days or so, horror mostly, and with me asking if I could

How I Fell in Love with Writing Mystery and Suspense

To answer this question, I need to take you back to the beginning. And when I say beginning, I mean when I was about nine years old and my older sister and I watched the movie, The Omen, when we weren’t supposed to. It was on regular television, but I can tell you that it still scared the bejeebers out of me! To this day, I can’t listen to the theme music.Fast forward to my teenage years and there was my mom, who read a book every two days or so, horror mostly, and with me asking if I could try one out. Up until that point, I’d read a lot VC Andrews and was growing fond of the darker stories. She gave me a copy of Stephen King’s Christine. Holy cow! For my young mind, that book was awesome and creepy and terrifying. I loved it!After that, I consumed just about every King book I could get my hands on. Then I turned to Dean Koontz and Thomas Harris a little later on in life.So with those influences, one would think I would write horror, but the thing is, I just don’t have the right combination of brilliant yet gruesome prose. I kind of wish I did. Instead I opted to write stories that held the best parts of those books; suspense tossed in with mystery, and just a hint of horror to top it off. Sometimes, those can be just as terrifying as reading books filled with blood and guts and things.With my latest novel, Landslide, I think I’ve managed to write a story with an appropriate blend of suspense and mystery and thriller. I hope readers will want to follow the lead character, Claire McKenna, through the difficult and frightening situations in which she finds herself entangled. It is, I believe, a page-turning and suspenseful story!

Redwood Violet Revisited - A Reminder of Why I Love Katie Reid

This was a guest blog post that I wrote some time ago, but I thought it fitting to post on my own blog this time around. I have begun writing the third book in the series and, after almost a year having passed since book two, I needed to reacquaint myself with Katie’s world; her ideals and her strengths. It also serves as a reminder of why I created Katie Reid. In an age where many young girls consider the pop stars and reality TV stars of today to be role models, I find it increasingly

Redwood Violet Revisited - A Reminder of Why I Love Katie Reid

This was a guest blog post that I wrote some time ago, but I thought it fitting to post on my own blog this time around. I have begun writing the third book in the series and, after almost a year having passed since book two, I needed to reacquaint myself with Katie’s world; her ideals and her strengths. It also serves as a reminder of why I created Katie Reid.In an age where many young girls consider the pop stars and reality TV stars of today to be role models, I find it increasingly important to bring to light female characters that are far from being shrinking violets and who know that they are more than just their physical selves. Women who are not only capable of standing on their own two feet, but often take the lead in situations that even some men would fear.Katie Reid, the heroine my Redwood Violet series, is just such a character. However, when we first meet her, she is still naïve to the ways of the world. But, she is young and idealistic and never had a strong female influence while growing up. At least, that’s what we are led to believe. It’s much later that we find out differently.It can be difficult to create a female character who is strong, yet vulnerable; who is powerful, yet fearful and one who can maintain the idealism of love and family.We see some of each of these qualities in Katie. Some characteristics are prevalent early on and others develop as we watch her struggle with a difficult reality from which most people would run.My inspiration for Katie came from an assortment of influences. Of course, my mother was perhaps my biggest influence. She overcame a painful past and raised her daughters to be confident and independent. I have also grown up with an amazing group of female friends who are just about the strongest women I have ever met. It is primarily with their support that I am here today talking about my novels.But when we watch Katie evolve; transform as a result of her discovery, we see the woman inside the girl emerge. Her strength grows beyond what even I could have imagined. I guess you could say that I have a very idealistic view of how women should be. I believe we all should stand tall and confident; never fear what others think of us and always be true to ourselves. I’m not sure that I always behave that way, but when I start to second-guess my actions, I look to my characters for inspiration. They keep me strong and I, in turn, pass that strength along to my own daughter. I try to teach her that she does not need to conform to societal expectations. She can be happy with a partner in an equitable relationship, maintain a career of her choosing and pass along these same traits to her own children one day.I believe this is how Katie Reid would live her life. The as of yet untitled, book three in the series is due out later this fall.

The Inspiration for Katie Reid (Redwood Violet Series)

This was a guest blog post that I wrote some time ago, but I thought it fitting to post on my own blog this time around. I have begun writing the third book in the series and, after almost a year having passed since book two, I needed to reacquaint myself with Katie’s world; her ideals and her strengths. It also serves as a reminder of why I created Katie Reid.

In an age where many young girls consider the pop stars and reality TV stars of today to be role models, I find it increasingly important to bring to light female characters that are far from being shrinking violets and who know that they are more than just their physical selves. Women who are not only capable of standing on their own two feet, but often take the lead in situations that even some men would fear.

Katie Reid, the heroine my Redwood Violet series, is just such a character. However, when we first meet her, she is still naïve to the ways of the world. But, she is young and idealistic and never had a strong female influence while growing up. At least, that’s what we are led to believe. It’s much later that we find out differently.

It can be difficult to create a female character who is strong, yet vulnerable; who is powerful, yet fearful and one who can maintain the idealism of love and family.

We see some of each of these qualities in Katie. Some characteristics are prevalent early on and others develop as we watch her struggle with a difficult reality from which most people would run.

My inspiration for Katie came from an assortment of influences. Of course, my mother was perhaps my biggest influence. She overcame a painful past and raised her daughters to be confident and independent. I have also grown up with an amazing group of female friends who are just about the strongest women I have ever met. It is primarily with their support that I am here today talking about my novels.

But when we watch Katie evolve; transform as a result of her discovery, we see the woman inside the girl emerge. Her strength grows beyond what even I could have imagined.

I guess you could say that I have a very idealistic view of how women should be. I believe we all should stand tall and confident; never fear what others think of us and always be true to ourselves. I’m not sure that I always behave that way, but when I start to second-guess my actions, I look to my characters for inspiration. They keep me strong and I, in turn, pass that strength along to my own daughter. I try to teach her that she does not need to conform to societal expectations. She can be happy with a partner in an equitable relationship, maintain a career of her choosing and pass along these same traits to her own children one day.

I believe this is how Katie Reid would live her life.

The First One Falls - The Landslide is Coming July 23rd!

Here's a little something to whet your appetite! An excerpt from my soon-to-be released corporate thriller, Landslide. Claire wondered if she’d just turned an already mildly adversarial relationship into something more contentious. Well, if he wanted it that way, then she could do nothing about it. Guilt aside, this was her moment; she’d earned it and wouldn’t let him to take that from her. Charlie appeared in her doorway now. It was a wonder that anything actually got done in this office. “I