Success Story Interview - Robyn Ritchie

An Interview with Robyn Ritchie (flyblown on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Barbara Collins Rosenberg of The Rosenberg Group.

10/23/2018

QT: Can you tell us a little bit about the book for which you've found representation? What inspired you to write it?

Robyn Ritchie:
My book, RED ALL OVER, is a young adult novel about a small Southern town beset by a serial rapist and the teens who try to catch him. I was inspired by the Antoine Dodson/Lincoln Park Rapist incident years ago. Remember "hide your kids, hide your wife"? Yeah.

QT: How long have you been working on this book?

Robyn Ritchie:
I started writing this for my thesis in grad school but then it took a big revision this summer past. So, in total, a year and a half. But the idea came a long time ago.

QT: Was there ever a time you felt like giving up, and what helped you to stay on course?

Robyn Ritchie:
I felt like giving up every day over the past half year. The agent search is not easy, and no matter what kind of writing community you're part of, these feelings of loneliness and doubt never leave. What helped me stay on course towards the end was raw spite, an 'I'll show them all!' attitude. Doesn't sound heroic but it got me through.

QT: Do you have any formal writing training?

Robyn Ritchie:
Tons. English/writing concentration BA and an MFA in fiction.

QT: Did you outline your book, or do you write from the hip?

Robyn Ritchie:
I outline, but not the whole thing. I tend to have bullet points I hit each chapter. As long as I hit my points, I let the rest go natural.

QT: What advice would you give other writers seeking agents?

Robyn Ritchie:
Just don't give up. Most of this success comes from dogged determination. Someone says 'no'? So what? You eat 'no' for breakfast.