Eden
Robins
believes in second chances. She’s been lucky enough to have a few in her life
and knows there’s a magic in seizing the moment to try again. As a mentor and
founder of A
Wholehearted ME, her heart’s purpose is to guide people into living as their
full, innate, creative potential. As a writer, her heart leads her to inspire
joy and hope in her readers through her tales. Creating stories about people
courageously living, loving, and experiencing life true to themselves, no
matter how messy it gets, are the ones Eden wants to write and will keep
writing for you…and for her. Connect with Eden at https://linktr.ee/edenrobins and check out her blog https://awholeheartedme.com/blog
Thank you for interviewing me on The Book Connection!
I’m excited to share more about my writing and myself.
Where did you grow up?
I was born and lived in the Boston area when I was
very young. I also spent some time in Guam when my dad was stationed there
while in the Navy, before heading back to the Boston area again, and then on to
a short stint in Colorado before settling in Arizona. My family moved to
Phoenix when I was eight, and I spent the remainder of my childhood and teenage
years there. I went to college in South Africa for a couple of years, then
returned to Arizona and completed my college education there.
When did you begin writing?
I’ve written informally since I was in grade school. Diaries
and journals, then some articles for my high school newspaper. It was only
after writing my first novel that I realized I wanted to make writing a career.
Do you write during the day, at night or whenever
you can sneak a few moments?
Yes. All of the above. I write whenever I can, for as
long as I can. I’m committed to writing Monday through Friday of each week, but
if I can get more in, I do.
What is this book about?
Gold: Heart of A Warrior
is a story of second chances, and the first book in a series about a modern day
shero’s journey into Greek mythology.
Dora Alexander learns on her twenty-fifth birthday
she’s Pandora reborn, reincarnated from the woman responsible for opening the
Jug of Woes and releasing misery into the world. This time around, The Fates want
her to team up with a cranky, know-it-all ancient warrior to fight demons, or
be sent back to Tartarus, forever, her memory wiped from the mind of any who
knew her. Her goal as an empathic healer is to help people, not hurt them. Creating
The Healing Garden wellness center was her plan to do just that. But as they
say, when woman plans, the Gods laugh. Boy, were they laughing.
What inspired you to write it?
Retelling the myth of Pandora in Gold: Heart of a
Warrior arose from a process I call “relatable remembering” because this
young woman’s story is truly a universal tale. Who doesn’t make mistakes? Who
doesn’t live according to the consequences of those mistakes, including
sometimes being defined by them in a way that’s neither fair nor accurate?
Pandora was destined to open the Jug of Woes. Zeus
wanted to punish mankind and used a woman without much power as his pawn to do just
that. And yet, when he got what wanted; the King of Gods still penalized the
one who helped him get it. So not fair!
I began thinking about the way this myth related to
life, and how its truths spilled into not only the stories of people I knew,
but also my own. How many of us have made mistakes in our lives and had to
endure living bound by the constraints of that mistake because others put us in
a box of their making, and we allowed it to become our reality?
Pandora’s story made me angry. I felt compelled to tear
open the box she’d been forced into and give her a second chance. That led to
me writing Gold: Heart of a Warrior. Instead of forever being known as
the evil, disgraced woman who ruined the world, I decided to write a story
where Pandora was offered redemption, and the chance to create a new life for
herself, on her own terms.
Was the road to publication smooth sailing
or a bumpy ride?
My
writing journey has been a learning experience, both in terms of developing my
craft as a writer, and my own personal evolution. It’s also been a trek of
getting lost for a while and then, eventually, finding my way back.
My first book, a sci-fi futuristic romance
entitled, Never Until Tomorrow, was published in 2000. Writing “The End”
on the last page of that story was the act that made me decide to take writing
seriously. While growing up, creativity had been my close and consistent
companion, but up until finishing that first book, I had only considered
writing a hobby to indulge in when I wasn’t working at my “real job”. I thought
getting a business degree, opening a bakery with my husband, and raising three
children was the real life I was supposed to be living, while writing was just
for fun.
Never Until Tomorrow came about when I lost my paternal
grandfather. After he died, I kept wishing I could go back to a time before he passed
away and spend more time getting to know him. That thought stayed with me for
months and the urge to write about it grew inside me until one night I sat down
at my computer and started typing. Being able to translate what was in my heart
to paper in this way was not just cathartic, it was also an epiphany. I
realized not only how much I loved the writing process, but also that I wanted
to do it for the rest of my life.
Once that decision was made, I found
publishers interested in my work and had the privilege of sharing my stories
with others. Nine novels later, my husband and I separated, then divorced and I
simply stopped writing. I just couldn’t seem to put the words together, except
for sporadic, distracted scribblings that didn’t amount to much. It was like my
creativity had suddenly dried up and disappeared. It was incredibly frightening
to think that the one thing which had been my constant companion and guide since
I was little had suddenly deserted me. A decade later and lots of lessons
learned, my creative spark returned, and I began to write in earnest again. I
realize now that my creativity had never left me, it had just shifted to a
different part of my life that needed my attention. But that’s another story
for another time.
If you knew then, what you know now, is
there anything you would have done differently?
Yes. I would have trusted myself and my creativity
more, letting both be my lifeline and guide in whatever form they needed to
take.
Where can readers purchase a copy of your
book?
You can find Gold: Heart of a Warrior at: Champagne
Book Group, Amazon,
BarnesandNoble,
Kobo
or my website.
What is one piece of advice you would like
to share with aspiring authors everywhere?
Write. Keep writing. In my opinion, when one
is just starting out, it’s so important to focus on putting the words on the
page rather than trying to create a perfect masterpiece. There’s a magic that
comes from simply getting the story out of your head and on paper. And the more
you write, the stronger the magic. Know what that magic produces? Better
writing. Know what else it does? Creates more ideas. Simply put, writing begets
writing, which begets better writing, which begets more creative writing, which
begets better, more creative writing, which leads to the masterpiece one wanted
to write in the first place. It’s definitely important to begin with the end in
mind, but only to the extent that one doesn’t back themselves into a corner.
Knowing what one wants without worrying about how one will get it is key. Focus
on one step at a time and trust that the magic of writing will get you
there.
What is up next for you?
Thank you for asking! Since the release of Gold:
Heart of a Warrior last April, I've completed book two in the Gold
series, entitled, A Warrior’s Peace, and recently started the formal
editing process. I’m excited to share Dora’s continuing shero’s journey with
all of you! And watch for the paperback version of Gold: Heart of A Warrior
heading your way in March 2024!
Because I love the holidays so much, I’ve created a modern-day
fairytale anthology entitled Happily Ever After Holidays that’s now
available on Amazon. Need a little myth to remind you of the magic of the
season? These three retellings will definitely put you in the mood!
Is there anything you would like to add?
As the founder of A Wholehearted ME, a movement
dedicated to deepening self-awareness and creative, authentic living, I
developed a blog called Living the Path. It's about my exploration of
wholehearted living and the many twists and turns I find along the way. My more
than twenty-year journey of creative exploration, self-development and growing
awareness led me to start an effort dedicated to coming home to the creative
self and the powerful possibilities in discovering who and how one can choose
to be in the world.
Through A Wholehearted ME, I now get to not
only write stories about characters courageously living, loving, and
experiencing life true to themselves, no matter how messy it gets, I’m also
lucky enough to have the opportunity to help guide women on their own real life
shero’s journey back to their authentic destiny. You can learn more at A Wholehearted ME .
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