An Interview with Author Candace Robinson

Today’s post is an interview with the lovely and talented author, Candace Robinson. Two of her novels, Quinsey Wolfe’s Glass Vault and The Bride of Glass, have recently been picked up by a publishing house and are set to release this year. I am incredibly honored to have had not only the chance to get to know her, but also to read and review her work, and help her to promote her amazing stories as well! Please make sure to check out Candace on her website, Twitter, and Goodreads.

Quinsey Wolfe’s Glass Vault | The Bride of Glass | Hearts Are Like Balloons

Clouded by Envy | Bacon Pie

Tell us a bit about yourself!

This one is always such a toughie! I pretty much read and write during the day, mostly YA stuff. I love old horror movies, those are the best kind! I’m also a huge fan of the eighties and nineties!

How did you get into writing, and when did you decide to pursue it as a career?

I started staying at home because I get really bad migraines, hemiplegic sometimes. When my daughter started school and my dad passed away, I decided to finally start writing. I would put it off because I always found myself busy with something else and said I would do it another time. When my dad passed, I knew I needed to do it now because you never know what’s going to happen.

What is your writing process usually like?

So I don’t outline. I’ll tell you that right now lol. I have a general idea of my story, write down some scenes, and get cracking. Even if I were to outline, the story usually changes for me as I get to know my characters and their journey. Plus, I develop writer’s block if I try to do a complete outline!

Where do you usually go to write, and is there anything in particular you do to get yourself in the right mindset?

I have a small office connected to my bedroom. It has to be pretty quiet in order for me to get the job done. I can’t go to coffee shops or the park or anywhere because I need the silence!

What do you find to be the most challenging part of the writing process?

Getting the first draft done. When I do something I want it done then and there. That’s the problem with draft number one, because there is no finishing it in one day. It takes time and patience, so I give myself a pat on the back each day and tell myself I can do it!

How do you typically approach the task of creating the personalities of your characters and bringing them to life within a setting and narrative?

So the character aspect is always the easiest for me because almost everything I write is character driven. I try to give my characters particular qualities and run with it, hoping it works!

While reading Quinsey Wolfe’s Glass Vault, I was struck by how inventive and unique every aspect of each of the worlds within the Vault felt. How did you come up with the ideas for the exhibits and the stories within them?

To list a few: Sleepy Hollow, I’ve always been a fan of the Headless Horseman character. Jack the Ripper because I really did do a research paper on his whole story back in high school. Three Billy Goat’s Gruff is my favorite nursery rhyme. Snow White because that story has always been awesome.

On the topic of the Vault, which exhibit and story was your favorite to create?

Snow White, only because that is a pretty important chapter for the MC, Perrie. But I also really like the Sleepy Hollow one!

How does it feel to know your stories are published and out in the world for people to read, and what has been your favorite part of the experience so far?

It’s actually more scary to me, but that’s the closest to being inside my head that people are going to get. And my head may not always be the nicest part to be in, but I try to make it entertaining.

What books and/or authors have inspired you the most?

I wish I could say Shakespeare or someone classic. But I actually mainly read newer YA. I love Sarah J. Maas, Tahereh Mafi, and A.G. Howard.

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

Writing is the easy part, everything after that is hard. But you have to stay with it, no matter how many rejections or rewrites you have to do. Also, not everyone is going to love your book. There will be hate and love, but always remember there’s a reason you wrote your story. Stick with your guns and cherish what you write and always believe in it.

Thank you so much for talking with us, Candace! If you guys would like to check out my review for the original version of Quinsey Wolfe’s Glass Vault, click the teacup below! I will also have reviews of the re-released versions of both novels in the series, as well as Hearts Are Like Balloons, very soon. And for all of you out there who haven’t yet, please do yourselves a favor and check out her novels! 😀

Review: Quinsey Wolfe’s Glass Vault by Candace Robinson

Quinsey Wolfe’s Glass Vault by Candace Robinson

My Rating: 3.5/5 TARDISes

Series: Glass Vault #1

Date Published: May 16^th, 2017

Publisher: CreateSpace

Pages: 242 pages

Source: Publisher

Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Synopsis: Some see it… Some don’t…

 People in the town of Deer Park, Texas are vanishing. There is a strange museum, known as Quinsey Wolfe’s Glass Vault, that appears overnight. Perrie Madeline’s best friend and ex-boyfriend are among the missing. Perrie, along with her friend August, go on a pursuit to search for them in the mysterious museum. Could the elusive Quinsey Wolfe’s Glass Vault have anything to do with their disappearances? 

A book that intertwines horror elements and retellings, with humor and darkness.

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*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

This is a spoiler-free review.

I tend to frequently gravitate towards retellings or reimaginings of well-known stories that have a bit of a twist into horror and darkness—and this is definitely one of those novels. Just as the museum itself proclaims, this story is not for the faint of heart. We follow characters who are falling into the gruesome and gritty parts of dreadful worlds, based in both reality and fiction. Though, as I said, this book may not be for those on the squeamish side, it takes those who are not “faint of heart” on a macabre adventure through multiple retellings.

In this novel, we follow a young woman named Perrie Madeline as she is thrown into a dark realm of nightmares come to life, in her efforts to rescue those she cares about. The town of Deer Park, Texas is being plagued by a string of inexplicable disappearances that leave absolutely no traces of the victims or potential leads to follow. These mysterious occurrences seem to center around a museum that appears overnight—in fact, it appears and disappears at the most random, and sometimes inopportune, moments.

It came out of nowhere, this giant stone structure claiming to be a museum named “Quinsey Wolfe’s Glass Vault”. Though it comes as quite a shock when she first sees it, Perrie doesn’t think much of this strange place until her ex-boyfriend disappears after mentioning it, followed rapidly by her best friend’s disappearance after the first night she should have spent working at the Glass Vault. Soon, Perrie puts two and two together, and journeys with her friend August into the bizarre and twisted world of Quinsey Wolfe in a desperate attempt to save Neven and Maisie.

I thoroughly enjoyed how unique this story turned out to be—it was a fun and highly imaginative experience. Robinson definitely breaks away from many of the commonalities of the genre, creating her own surprising and highly effective twists and turns to what could have been a typical retelling. There is very little predictability in this complex and atmospheric plot that she weaves. This not only pulls her readers in, but keeps them hanging on every moment, over every turn of the page.

There were only a few elements of this novel that were a bit problematic for me. This narrative is sort of split up into two halves—it begins in the natural world and moves into many fantastical alternate realities. Though I enjoyed being in both settings, I felt that the transition between the two was really rough. The way it came across was less fluid and more like being plucked out of the first story and dropped into a completely new one.

Though Perrie and August were equally confused at their new surroundings, they both seemed to handle this sudden change a bit too well at times. It didn’t take them as long as it probably should have to come to terms with the fact that something extraordinary and magical was taking place—though they were pretty freaked out, they also appeared as if they knew and understood almost exactly what was going on in a matter of minutes. One would expect them to have to take far more time to process their situation, and therefore, this made the transition into the fantasy side of the novel seem very rushed.

The characters were a very strong part of this novel—in fact, this is a very character-driven novel overall. Each one was very well-portrayed and likeable, and Robinson did a good job building up their personalities. She took the time to make each character very three-dimensional and distinctive—highly relatable and memorable. Perrie was a fairly strong narrative voice, and I really loved how her relationships with the other main characters, particularly Maisie, were portrayed. I fully connected with, felt for, and rooted for all of them throughout the trials they experienced, and that really drew me further in to the novel as a whole.

Though Candace Robinson’s writing did not flow with me quite as well as I would have liked, I could definitely see a huge amount of talent and strength in her words. She built up the worlds and the atmospheres with ease, and her depictions of the various settings were very vivid and not at all difficult to place oneself in.

One of the only negatives I came across in the writing itself was the tendency to rely on brief and concentrated info dumps, which simultaneously bogged down and rushed the plot. Robinson did a considerable amount of telling rather than showing, which did not serve a story as intense as this one could be well. This is a narrative that needed to feel fast-paced, not rushed, and while it was a mesmerizing story, too much of it dragged on with explanations.

I would have liked to have seen and experienced more of what the characters were going through rather than read paragraphs of them flat-out explaining where they were and what was happening. Because everything about this plot was so unique, I really wish that this novel could have been a bit longer, allowing Robinson time to flesh out each individual setting and its accompanying retelling, as well as Perrie’s and August’s experiences handling the hurdles of each one. In the end, it felt like there was a bit too much information crammed into too short a space and timeframe.

Though I had some mixed feelings on certain aspects of this novel, I overall really enjoyed reading it. With unique and vivid world-building, Robinson creates a very gripping reading experience. Though it is not devoid of some minor issues and the pacing does not quite hit the mark, it is still an intriguing, humorous and, at times, chilling read. If you are a fan of dark retellings or horror stories, I would highly recommend giving Robinson’s book a try. This novel ends on a massive cliffhanger, so I am definitely looking forward to picking up the next installment once it’s released.