Welcome, Jillian Robi, author of FANGIRL, a chicklit book available thru Smashwords.

Here’s a blurb:

A young woman discovers the world of sci-fi and fantasy at conventions and meets the man of her dreams. The only trouble is, he’s a well-known actor and inaccessible. With him on a platform and her amongst the crowd, will she be able to find love?  

What a treat to interview you, Jill, and read FANGIRL! What jumped out at me about this book are these quotes:

“Can he see the real me?” “I believe in making your own luck as opposed to sitting back and waiting for things to happen…” “Your mind, ever so logical, knows it’s wrong to continue to feel that love for the person who did you wrong, but your dumbass heart is blind and keeps getting stabbed for it.” “You have to love yourself more, otherwise you’ll be lost.”

That’s heavy stuff, yet absolutely true. Where did you pick up the wisdom?

“Can he see the real me?” Honestly, I lived it!
“I believe in making your own luck…”  This is also my own personal philosophy, but I think it was ingrained upon me after many marathons of watching I Love Lucy as a child.  She never settled, and never left things to chance.  Lucy always had a card up her sleeve, and I feel as if she taught me well.
“Your mind, ever so logical, knows it’s wrong…” Yeah, I’ve lived this too.  You really can’t change how you feel about a person, even if logically you know they are crap.
“You have to love yourself more…”  Well, someone actually said that to me a few years ago, and it just stuck.  You really do have to learn how to love yourself more.  In the end, it will be your salvation. 

Amen! You have to be your own bestfriend. Now, dish the dirt! I noticed the Sci-fi fan stuff popped up in FANGIRL. How familiar are you with fan conventions? Is this your hobby?

I am a HUGE comic con geek.  I go to typically two cons a year (at minimum), specifically San Diego Comic Con (I’m terribly addicted to this one) and the one that’s in my “backyard”—Wizard World Chicago (though it’s really Rosemont and not Chicago).  I wouldn’t call it a hobby so much as a lifestyle.  A lifestyle that I live hard core.  Going to a comic con is almost like a stressful job, while giving you a sweet fangirl (or fanboy) rush at the same time.  I hope that Fangirl is able to give a glimpse into that world.

From your bio you say you are a self-proclaimed geek, avid comic-con attendee, and professional karaoke singer.  How did you get from Business Development career to writing romance?

Honestly, my “real” job, any I’ve had, have or will have will always be second to writing romance, which I’ve technically been doing since I was a sophomore in high school (I started with Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan fiction).  This was also the time I wrote my first novel.  Anyway, being a writer is an integral part of who I am—I identify as a writer/artist over pretty much anything else.  I’d love to make it my sole career one of these days.  I can’t imagine not writing.

I have to say the ending of FANGIRL shocked me. What is the hardest part of writing–drafting, editing, research, or marketing? Why?

Probably marketing and formal drafting.  I write out of sequence—I write the scenes as they come, and usually, the ending that I have in mind, doesn’t even end up being used.  I am the ship, and the characters are the captain, and they really don’t give a damn about my ideas on where they need to be!  As for marketing, I thought I had a good handle on getting the word out on my work, but apparently I’m really not, which is why I am so thankful to have an interview here!

Maybe you are a “Pantser” like a lot of us non-plotters refer to ourselves. Now, you have another project you are working on–Tigress? Anything else you want to share?

Tigress is a story that has been percolating since I was sixteen/ten-eleven years.  It started with a drawing, and then I wrote a couple of instances when I was twenty, and then a year after that, I adapted it into a screenplay.  I then adapted that into a comic script, and now, taking my Destiny by the balls, I’ve decided to adapt it one more time into a novel.  It’s a sci-fi fantasy/noir/romance hybrid.  I’ve had a couple of guys (as in males) read it, and they dug it, as well as some women, so I hope it has broad appeal.  I plan to have it released by the Fall.

Good luck with Tigress! I have to know: what IS the deal with gladiator sandals? lol

Gladiator sandals are a girl’s best friend!  It’s definitely a summer fashion staple (in my opinion).  They’re flats, and can be dressed up or down, and they accentuate the legs with all the straps, compensating for the loss of heel 😉

Let’s do a speed round:

Favorite color:  Blue!
Favorite drink:  Raspberry Iced Tea, and pineapple Malibu if you’re talking alcoholic 😉
Favorite movie:  “Goodfellas,” “Inglorious Basterds,” “Cinderella” and “Friday.” Yes, all four 😉
Favorite accessory: My multiple and varied, sterling silver bracelets.  My mother gave them to me and I never take them off! 

Thank you, Jill, for being with Coffee Time Romance & More and me.

Connect with Jill online at:
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