1--What is the title of your latest release?
BOOKWORM
2--What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
A darkly funny story about a woman in an unhappy marriage who uses the power of her imagination and love of books to find fulfillment at whatever cost.
3--How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
I knew my book would be set in Montreal because that’s where I was living while I was writing it. Montreal is such a fantastic city, too. It’s beautiful, it’s chic, it’s got that European vibe to it. But it’s also got severe weather, language tensions, and crumbling roads. So it was perfect for a noir style story.
4--Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
I think I would! She might not warm up to me right away, but once we got talking about books, I think we would hit it off. I might not drink a smoothie if she offered it to me, though…
5--What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Secretive, lonely, underestimated.
6--What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I learned that the story will reveal itself to me as I go, and that it’s okay not to know where I’m going all the time. To trust the process.
7--Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I tend to edit as I go, it’s a bit of a compulsion.
8--What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
I love candied/smoked salmon.
9--Describe your writing space/office!
I don’t actually have an office, so my writing space has always been “wherever I can find quiet”. Over the years, that has been a comfortable grandfather chair during the hours of 5-7am, a corner in the library, a table in a café, and even my car on the side of the road.
10--Who is an author you admire?
I’m a huge fan of Patricia Highsmith. She writes psychological suspense like no one else.
11--Is there a book that changed your life?
Yes! It was EILEEN by Ottessa Moshfegh. I had never read anything quite like that before, and it emboldened me to see that a woman was out there, writing exactly as she pleased. She’s fearless. She doesn’t worry about alienating readers or following rules. I love it.
12--Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
The call came through as an email from my agent. I believe the thought that went through my head was “I can die happy now!” Hah!
13--What’s your favorite genre to read?
I primarily read literary fiction, but I’m open to reading excellent books in all genres.
14--What’s your favorite movie?
How can I pick just one? There are so many good films, but I’d say one that is currently at the top of the list for me is Phantom Thread starring Daniel Day Lewis. It’s got a gorgeous, sumptuous aesthetic, dark and complex characters, and of course, superb acting.
15--What is your favorite season?
Fall. It’s got that ideal temperature (cool-but-not-cold), the changing leaves, etc. It also feels like a fresh start, something probably associated with the new school year. It seems like a great time to dive into a new project.
16--How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
Quietly! With my family, some cake, and a song.
17--What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
I don’t watch a lot of tv these days, but Fleabag is a favorite of mine. Just brilliant! More recently, Bad Sisters caught my eye. Who knew Bono’s daughter was such a good actress?
18--What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
I love most food, so this is difficult. I’ll go with Turkish. Give me a kebab or some manti, and I am a happy camper.
19--What do you do when you have free time?
I read, I write, I spend time with my kids and family. Walk my Airedale, Zelda F. Ski local mountains. Daydream.
20--What can readers expect from you next?
I’m working on another book that places readers right in the eye of another stormy relationship. Stay tuned!
A wickedly funny debut novel—a black comedy with a generous heart that explores the power of imagination and reading—about a woman who tries to use fiction to find her way to happiness.
Victoria is unhappily married to an ambitious and controlling lawyer consumed with his career. Burdened with overbearing in-laws, a boring dead-end job she can’t seem to leave, and a best friend who doesn’t seem to understand her, Victoria finds solace from the daily grind in her beloved books and the stories she makes up in her head. One day, in a favorite café, she notices an attractive man reading the same talked-about bestselling novel that she is reading. A woman yearning for her own happy ending, Victoria is sure it’s fate. The handsome book lover must be her soul mate.
There’s only one small problem. Victoria is already married. Frustrated, and desperate to change her life, Victoria retreats to the dark places in her mind and thinks back to all the stories she’s ever read in hopes of finding a solution. She begins to fantasize about nocturnal trysts with café man, and imaginative ways (poisoned pickles were an inspired choice in Jane Smiley’s A Thousand Acres) of getting rid of the dread husband.
It’s all just harmless fantasy born of Victoria’s fevered imagination and her books—until, one night, fiction and reality blur and suddenly it seems Victoria is about to get everything she’s wished for . . . .
Women's Fiction Contemporary | Literature and Fiction Literary [Harper Perennial, On Sale: February 14, 2023, Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9780063273009 / eISBN: 9780063273016]
Not your regular Book Lover
A very hungry bookworm since learning to read at the age of three, Robin Yeatman was born in Calgary, Alberta and raised for the most part in Vancouver, where she attended a French Immersion school. She studied English Literature at the University of British Columbia, where she was an arts critic for The Ubyssey, and finished her degree at Lancaster University in England. After earning her Diploma in Broadcast Journalism from the British Columbia Institute of Technology, she worked in radio as a morning show producer.
Robin Yeatman kept up a writing habit since composing her first novel at the age of twelve. She took early drafts of BOOKWORM to the Iowa Summer Writing Festival, and then finished the novel in regular stints from 5 to 7 a.m., sometimes borrowing extra time later in the day by pulling her car to the side of the road.
She lived for a dozen years in Montreal, until a recent move back to Vancouver.
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