R is for Robyn... Carr

Back when I was just a young wanna-be (okay, a younger wanna-be), I decided to start telling people was going to write a book. I figured the shame of scores of people asking for updates would help motivate me to actually, yanno, write it.

It worked, sort of. Took a few years, but eventually I finished a whole book. Now I get to tell people I'm looking for an agent and writing another book.

But there was one benefit even greater than that: I got to meet my mentor. And she even had a cool name!

One of my colleagues at work mentioned one day that his best friend growing up had a mother who was a writer. My friend had practically grown up in her house. She was reportedly very nice and would likely respond if I emailed her. So I did. (I think I've mentioned how I'm never shy.)

Robyn Carr emailed me back within a few hours. She was delighted I'd contacted her, told me which of her books to read first, and, a few emails later, started asking me about myself. That was in early 2008. Over the next year, we exchanged literally thousands of emails. Slowly, she taught me details about the industry, such as how royalties are calculated and that it's a good idea to put your first advance into growing your career.

Isn't she gorgeous?

After about a year of exchanging emails, Robyn hit the NYT Bestseller list. She'd been writing for thirty years and had finally found her niche writing about a quirky small town in the Northern California mountains populated by sexy ex-military men, strong and gorgeous women, enough eccentrics to shake a stick at, and a worrisome hidden population of marijuana growers. I love her books. When I'm sick, they're the perfect comfort food. When I'm well, they can soothe the worst day. They make me laugh, they make me cry. Love. Them.

Robyn's been awfully busy writing 3-5 books a year and touring and being all famous and everything, but we still exchange the occasional email, and she's always made me feel like a privileged friend. I can't express how much her friendship has meant to me. We've only had one phone conversation (recorded for posterity on Authors' Advisory), but someday I AM going to meet her in person. That will be a good day.

So who are your writing mentors?