Robin Carroll is Serving Us Lesbian Representation in Literature

Everyone loves a good book, especially one with mystery, intrigue, and all the makings of a juicy story. But all-too-often, these stories are very straight. Robin Carroll’s new book, Two Faced, is bringing lesbian authenticity to the world of the mystery novel. We chatted with her about her influences and what prompted her to take this direction with her novel.

How did you get started as a writer, and what do you normally focus on?
I’ve been writing since I was a little girl, and it came from me being an avid reader. I would get so lost in books, and it kind of took me away from the everyday things that kids go through. I thought that I would like to give people that same feeling, and I would like to write books that help other girls deal with those same issues. I wanted to write the kind of stories that provide that escape.

Who are some of your biggest influences as a writer?
My favorite writer is actually Stephen King. When I was a little girl, my mom had all of these horror books that I wasn’st allowed to read. I would come home from school, do my homework, and then grab one of those Stephen King books I wasn’t allowed to read. He would keep me on the edge of my seat, and I remember thinking I want to give people that same type of feeling.

Tell me about the lesbian inclusion in your stories. How do you come up with your characters? What’s funny is that initially for these characters, that wasn’t the direction they took when I thought up the premise; that’s not necessarily where I wanted to take the characters or how I developed them, but as I started writing, it just really made sense to me. 

At first it was like these characters have a connection; at first it was the connection of friendship. I came up with the initial idea, but I don’t write notes; I don’t do an outline; I just let the characters flow, and as I let those characters flow, the conversations flow; it just made sense. I’ve been heterosexual my entire life, never had a feelings for a woman,, so for me it was, how do I handle that? But it flowed with the nature of the book, and as I was writing it, you’ll see that it’s not going to be a surprise to the characters, either. 

How do you think writing lesbian characters can change how your books are perceived?
You know, what’s interesting is, there is a love triangle in the book and the people I thought were definitely going to go for the female character going for the male character didn’t. Initially I was just going to put them together as a couple and just have Missy and Danny be friends, but as a I started writing and it became clear the girls were going to be together, I wondered how my straight friends were going to take it.

But in the end, when people read the story, they ended up rooting for the two women to be together. Their connection is stronger than anything that Josh brings to the table, which is interesting. That really surprised me.

How do you think your book can make an impact in this political climate?
So many people have so many ideas about gay people as a whole, like they must have been forced to have those feelings, or it’s something they can control, they have a choice, and I think the way I brought these characters together in my book, I think people will relate.

Anyone can be in that situation; anyone can fall in love with someone of the same sex; there is no force’ it’s just a chemistry, a spark that you slowly see begin to build into this fire that none of them can help, and I think that’s going to change how people perceive a same-sex couple. I think it’s the way I wrote the story to show anyone can be in these characters’ positions.

Do you have any new books or projects you want to announce?
I am working on the sequel, because that’s what everyone wants to know after they finish the book. The sequel is called Dream Killer, and I hope I’m going to finish it before the year is out and release it in early 2020. It’s a follow up to what all the characters are going through in this book. 

Where do you want to be in five years?
I want to have both Two Face and Dream Killer be movies; that’s my ultimate goal, to bring something I’ve written and published to the big screen. I would love to not only write the screenplay, but I’d love to direct it. I have a few more books I would love to write, and my next book is going to be a horror book. Then I want my fourth book to actually be sci-fi, so I’m kind of dabbling in all the genres. I really want to show that diversity. 

Look out for Carroll in Colorado at events and book signings, and buy her book here!