Photo Content from Robin Roe
Her debut novel A List of Cages was named one of the Best Young Adult Books of the Year by Goodreads, Chapters Indigo, EpicReads, BookPage, Powell’s Books, The Texas Library Association, News & Observer, and Buzzfeed.
Tell us your most rewarding experience since being published.
There have been so many moments, but one that stands out was a book signing I did after my first novel had been out for a few months. As a shy person, I was now meeting so many people who’d read my novel and were telling me how it impacted them. It was incredibly surreal.
What’s the best advice you can give writers to help them develop their own unique voice and style?
There’s a still, small voice inside all of us, but it can be difficult to hear. We’re constantly inundated by so much noise—the outside world and the inner noise of our anxieties. But if we can clear away the chaos, we’ll create a space for our characters to show up. The more we write from this space, the more distinct the writer voice becomes. I create this space by finding silence through meditation and going for a long walks.
What are some of your current and future projects that you can share with us?
At the moment, I’m working on a YA trilogy.
In your newest book, DARK ROOM ETIQUETTE, can you tell my Book Nerd community a little about it.
DARK ROOM ETIQUETTE is a psychological thriller that could be thought of as We Were Liars meets Misery.
Sixteen-year-old Sayers Wayte has everything. Popularity, good looks, perfect grades—there's nothing Sayers' family money can't buy.
Until he's kidnapped by a man who tells him the privileged life he's been living is based on a lie.
Trapped in a windowless room, without knowing why he's been taken or how long the man plans to keep him shut away, Sayers faces a terrifying new reality. To survive, he must forget the world he once knew, and play the part his abductor has created for him.
But as time passes, the line between fact and fiction starts to blur, and Sayers begins to wonder if he can escape . . . before he loses himself.
What do you hope for readers to be thinking when they read your novel?
The bloggers who’ve been reaching out to me have been saying they’re finishing the book in a day, which I think is a great sign. Some of them are also messaging me as they read, and letting me in on the gamut of emotions they’re feeling. The dread, the fear, often initially frustrated with the actions of Sayers, which is entirely the point—and then feeling deeply for him as the book goes on. I’ve also been touched that readers are connecting with the supporting characters in this novel. Dark Room Etiquette is told from Sayers’ POV, but it’s very much an ensemble piece.
There have been so many moments, but one that stands out was a book signing I did after my first novel had been out for a few months. As a shy person, I was now meeting so many people who’d read my novel and were telling me how it impacted them. It was incredibly surreal.
What’s the best advice you can give writers to help them develop their own unique voice and style?
There’s a still, small voice inside all of us, but it can be difficult to hear. We’re constantly inundated by so much noise—the outside world and the inner noise of our anxieties. But if we can clear away the chaos, we’ll create a space for our characters to show up. The more we write from this space, the more distinct the writer voice becomes. I create this space by finding silence through meditation and going for a long walks.
What are some of your current and future projects that you can share with us?
At the moment, I’m working on a YA trilogy.
In your newest book, DARK ROOM ETIQUETTE, can you tell my Book Nerd community a little about it.
DARK ROOM ETIQUETTE is a psychological thriller that could be thought of as We Were Liars meets Misery.
Sixteen-year-old Sayers Wayte has everything. Popularity, good looks, perfect grades—there's nothing Sayers' family money can't buy.
Until he's kidnapped by a man who tells him the privileged life he's been living is based on a lie.
Trapped in a windowless room, without knowing why he's been taken or how long the man plans to keep him shut away, Sayers faces a terrifying new reality. To survive, he must forget the world he once knew, and play the part his abductor has created for him.
But as time passes, the line between fact and fiction starts to blur, and Sayers begins to wonder if he can escape . . . before he loses himself.
What do you hope for readers to be thinking when they read your novel?
The bloggers who’ve been reaching out to me have been saying they’re finishing the book in a day, which I think is a great sign. Some of them are also messaging me as they read, and letting me in on the gamut of emotions they’re feeling. The dread, the fear, often initially frustrated with the actions of Sayers, which is entirely the point—and then feeling deeply for him as the book goes on. I’ve also been touched that readers are connecting with the supporting characters in this novel. Dark Room Etiquette is told from Sayers’ POV, but it’s very much an ensemble piece.
What part of Sayers did you enjoy writing the most?
In my debut novel, A List of Cages, there was straightforward goodness to the two main characters, but in Dark Room Etiquette, I wanted to explore a complicated character like Sayers, who at the outset of the novel is oblivious to the problems of other people and is complicit to bullying. I was bullied a lot growing up, and I wanted to get into the headspace of someone who might sit back instead of standing up for someone else. I asked myself: What is someone like that thinking? Can they change?
I love stories about character transformation, and with my background in counseling, I believe that everyone is capable of growth. I also think it’s important for young readers to see that characters have the capacity to change, regardless of their starting point.
In my debut novel, A List of Cages, there was straightforward goodness to the two main characters, but in Dark Room Etiquette, I wanted to explore a complicated character like Sayers, who at the outset of the novel is oblivious to the problems of other people and is complicit to bullying. I was bullied a lot growing up, and I wanted to get into the headspace of someone who might sit back instead of standing up for someone else. I asked myself: What is someone like that thinking? Can they change?
I love stories about character transformation, and with my background in counseling, I believe that everyone is capable of growth. I also think it’s important for young readers to see that characters have the capacity to change, regardless of their starting point.
What was your unforgettable moment while writing DARK ROOM ETIQUETTE?
I was at a standstill in the early stages of drafting the book and stressed about what I was going to do next, so I went for a drive with my son, and we had this incredible conversation. From there, the whole book fell into place.
If you could introduce one of your characters to any character from another book, who would it be and why?
I’d introduce Adam Blake from A List of Cages to Sayers Wayte from Dark Room Etiquette. I think Adam would be good for Sayers.
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be?
Iceland.
I was at a standstill in the early stages of drafting the book and stressed about what I was going to do next, so I went for a drive with my son, and we had this incredible conversation. From there, the whole book fell into place.
If you could introduce one of your characters to any character from another book, who would it be and why?
I’d introduce Adam Blake from A List of Cages to Sayers Wayte from Dark Room Etiquette. I think Adam would be good for Sayers.
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be?
Iceland.
What is your happiest childhood memory?
This will sound like a writer cliché, but it was visiting the library with my class in pre-school. I have this blurry memory of a skylight and birdcages and so many children’s books. There was scent in that library I wish I could smell again.
If you could go back in time to one point in your life, where would you go?
There are too many moments I’d revisit to count!
What were you doing at midnight last night?
I was going on a walk with my brother and my son. We love late-night walks when it’s cool outside, and we talk about everything.
TEN REASONS TO READ DARK ROOM ETIQUETTE
I’d read Dark Room Etiquette if you like:
16-year-old Sayers (Saye) Wayte is the blonde-haired, green-eyed grandson of one the wealthiest land developers in Texas. At the outset of the novel, this soon-to-be-crowned Homecoming prince is spoiled and oblivious to the plight of others, but when he gets abducted, everything changes.
Sixteen-year-old Sayers Wayte has everything—until he's kidnapped by a man who tells him the privileged life he's been living is based on a lie.
Trapped in a windowless room, without knowing why he's been taken or how long the man plans to keep him shut away, Sayers faces a terrifying new reality. To survive, he must forget the world he once knew, and play the part his abductor has created for him.
But as time passes, the line between fact and fiction starts to blur, and Sayers begins to wonder if he can escape . . . before he loses himself.
This will sound like a writer cliché, but it was visiting the library with my class in pre-school. I have this blurry memory of a skylight and birdcages and so many children’s books. There was scent in that library I wish I could smell again.
If you could go back in time to one point in your life, where would you go?
There are too many moments I’d revisit to count!
What were you doing at midnight last night?
I was going on a walk with my brother and my son. We love late-night walks when it’s cool outside, and we talk about everything.
TEN REASONS TO READ DARK ROOM ETIQUETTE
I’d read Dark Room Etiquette if you like:
- 1. Psychological thrillers
- 2. Stephen King
- 3. Emotional contemporary novels
- 4. Stories about resilience
- 5. Stories about abduction
- 6. Stories about love and friendship
- 7. Stories about sacrifice
- 8. Books that keep you guessing
- 9. Books that scare you
- 10. Books that make you feel
16-year-old Sayers (Saye) Wayte is the blonde-haired, green-eyed grandson of one the wealthiest land developers in Texas. At the outset of the novel, this soon-to-be-crowned Homecoming prince is spoiled and oblivious to the plight of others, but when he gets abducted, everything changes.
Sixteen-year-old Sayers Wayte has everything—until he's kidnapped by a man who tells him the privileged life he's been living is based on a lie.
Trapped in a windowless room, without knowing why he's been taken or how long the man plans to keep him shut away, Sayers faces a terrifying new reality. To survive, he must forget the world he once knew, and play the part his abductor has created for him.
But as time passes, the line between fact and fiction starts to blur, and Sayers begins to wonder if he can escape . . . before he loses himself.
You can purchase Dark Room Etiquette at the following Retailers:
And now, The Giveaways.
Thank you ROBIN ROE for making this giveaway possible.
1 Winner will receive a Copy of Dark Room Etiquette by Robin Roe.
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