Meet Alison Robinson

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Alison Robinson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alison, thank you so much for making time for us today. We can’t wait to dive into your story and the lessons you’ve learned along the way, but maybe we can start with something foundational to your success. How have you gone about developing your ability to communicate effectively?

In February 2025, I will debut my first-ever novel, Shadowless. It’s the first in a three-book young adult fantasy series called the Shadowless Saga. I sat down to write this story six years ago. I was 32, having just given birth to my first and only child. A character had been bouncing around my head for over a year and in an effort to get it to shut up, I put my first chapter to pen. That had the opposite effect. Instead of quieting, the character got louder and invited friends. It didn’t take long to realize that I had a potential book series rattling around my head. So, I began the tricky task of balancing early motherhood and writing. It wasn’t easy. Not only because I had an infant in the house but also because I had exactly zero training in writing. With a bachelor’s degree in theatre arts and a master’s degree in counseling, my education never prepared me for writing fiction, and certainly not fantasy. Sure, two advanced degrees had required ample writing. But it was mostly just term papers, class notes, and stage directions in the margins of scripts. There was that poetry elective I took my sophomore year of college, wherein I embarrassed myself reading my own bad attempts at poetry, winning my eternal respect for poets everywhere. There was that AP English class in high school where my teacher returned my papers to me bloody with red ink as if her grading pen were a sword punishing my poor attempts of translating my thoughts to paper. But no education could have prepared me for writing fantasy. There is only one way, I think, to become a good fantasy writer, and that is to be a great reader of the genre. And in this regard, I have been training to be a fantasy author my whole life. I love the fantasy genre and the possibilities it holds. Tolkien, McKinley, Sanderson, and Lewis, have been my teachers; Marillier and Shinn, Hobb and Caroll my tutors. I’ve been studying fantasy since I was young, training as I read. Though it never felt like that. I was just having fun going on adventures in magical worlds. But all of those late nights reading in bed, I was preparing for my future work of writing, I just didn’t know it. When the time came in my 30’s to start, I was ready. Not with skill, but with an eye for what good fantasy reads like. Hence, the five drafts. The first was abysmal. The second was relatively poor, the third okay, and so on, until I finally had the real thing: a book worthy of readers.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

My love of story started onstage: acting and playwriting. After gaining my bachelor’s degree in theatre arts, I apprenticed at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey (where, in between scenes of Henry VI, I sat backstage with a flashlight devouring the final book of the Harry Potter series). Eventually, I left the stage for something equally dramatic yet far more personal: a master’s degree in counseling. It was always my hope to write, and a few years into counseling, I turned my sights to novel writing. Throughout the process I have found within myself a well of experience, not in writing (that’s taken years of practice!), but in people. From dissecting a character in a script to accompanying a client as they plumb the depths of their own heart, I have spent my life entrenched in human stories.

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As a Christian, my faith infuses my work with themes of hope, redemption, and the deeply felt complexities of the human soul. With a lifelong love for the fantasy genre, my debut fantasy, Shadowless, explores the nature of the human soul with equal parts theatrical and psychological…and, of course, plenty of magic throughout. Shadowless is set to debut February 25, 2025!

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

I have often thought of the mind like a stone interacting with water. Some people have minds like skipping stones. The smooth flat kind that, when thrown against still water, hops across the surface far into the distance. This type of mind can skip from task to task, having wide reach and accomplishing many things in a short period. On the other hand, some minds are like heavy, round rocks. When you throw them in water, they sink straight down to the bottom. My mind is like the second rock.

I used to resent this, wishing I were like my friends who could juggle tasks, ticking off their list, flitting from task to task. Skip-skip-skip. But as I’ve honed my writing, I’ve come to appreciate my mind’s propensity to sink deeply. Give me four hours uninterrupted and my mind can dive deep. I have little need for breaks. I can sit for hours, long after I’ve drained my teapot empty. Give me six or eight hours, and oh, the depths I can go! Writing a novel like mine has required such a mind. In writing fantasy, I’ve created a whole world with a government, religion, and magic system. The story is told through the eyes of four different characters. All of this has taken a great deal of time and concentration and long, deep thinking. I sink to the depths to examine the story and magic system from every angle imaginable. So, while I may not be a multitasker, I’m pretty happy with the singular tasks I’ve been able to accomplish.

In addition to this, I don’t mind being alone, and I love silence. Writing requires a lot of solitude and silence. I grieve to think of the countless lost authors our iPhone generation would have had if only they’d walked away from the world’s distractions and sat in silence for a few hours each day to think. The stories they might have written! I feel my own devices pulling my attention. News, social media, and email scream at me. A million distractions plucking at my sleeve, demanding attention. My response has often been to run into the silence, to crave solitude. Because it’s not on Instagram my imagination thrives. My inbox is not a trove of inspiration. No. It’s the books I read in silence. The swath of time I cut out to sit and stare at the wall and imagine. The creative mind needs space, and I’ve cultivated a life to give it plenty.

Whenever I tell someone I’ve written a novel, I get one of several automatic responses. Most people offer polite interest or enthusiastic congratulations. But there is one response that always takes me aback. It’s the wistful sigh when the person tells me with a trace of regret in their voice, “You know, I once had an idea for a book…” This confession is always followed with a swollen “…but…”

I encourage anyone interested in creative work: don’t put it off! Don’t believe the voice in your head that tells you, “There’s time later.” No, there isn’t. Do it now. Make the time. You have it; you’re just spending your time on something else. Put the distractions away. I’ve lost count of the people who’ve told me they can’t focus. Well, if you’re out of practice, that’s to be expected. But the brain is wonderfully elastic. Give it an hour of silence once a day for 30 days, and you’ll find that your brain can focus far better than you previously thought. It just needs a bit of training.

I personally have a “time-out” spot in my house where my phone goes for misbehavior. It gets in trouble a lot, so it’s usually in timeout. The more time I spend away from it, the more I enjoy not having my phone with me. It’s not allowed in the writing room. Ever. The silence which follows the overwhelming yell of media is like a balm.

If you want to write, silence and solitude are a must. It’s okay if it’s uncomfortable at first. Eventually, your imagination will kick in and fill the silence with your own creativity.

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?

My parents were monumental in my development as an author. They provided me with countless opportunities to explore and expand my imagination. Family trips took us to places like the Grand Canyon, Yosemite National Park, San Francisco, camping in the cold mountains in northern Arizona, cliff jumping in Sedona, and more. My mom encouraged me to read and provided tons of books by all my favorite fantasy authors. She took me to the theatre every chance she had and enjoyed all my favorite movies and stories. Looking back, they fueled my imagination with as much as they could. I’m still reaping the rewards today.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://alisonrobinsonwrites.com
• Instagram: @alisonrobinsonwrites

Image Credits

Photos by Rebecca Long https://rebeccalongphotography.com/

Cover Art by J. Caleb Designs https://www.jcalebdesign.com/

Editing and publishing services by Village Editorial https://www.villageeditorial.com/