Hello Cheryl and welcome to APOOO.

In 140 words or less, tell us a little about you.

I was born and raised in Detroit, but when presented with a spur-of-the-moment opportunity for a lateral corporate relocation that would take me out of Michigan after thirty-one years, I reluctantly accepted. I knew one day I’d probably leave my hometown, but I never thought I’d move to Syracuse, New York, because the weather isn’t any better there, and I was in search of sunshine. I lived in Syracuse for a year before accepting a new position that took me to Overland Park, Kansas where I lived for a year before moving to Dallas, Texas where I completed my first novel in 2002 and lived for four years. Then, I moved to Central Florida where I currently reside. It’s time for me to move again. I grew accustomed to traveling, meeting new people, and seeing so many new sights.

In 140 words or less, tell us why When I Get  Where I’m Going would make a great addition to our personal library.

When I Get Where I’m Going is a contemporary novel set in both the Motor City and Hollywood. It has a heavy dose of self-discovery mixed with a little romance and some comic relief to hopefully satisfy readers who like to feel very connected to the characters. One of several issues addressed in my novel was coined by People Magazine in 1996 and is still a relevant discussion today, which is “Hollywood Blackout” or the lack of quality roles for blacks in Hollywood, told through the experiences of the oldest sister, Alicia Day, a struggling actress, who refuses to use that as an excuse for not breaking into the business. While middle sister, Hope, is trying to find closure after the death of her husband as well as finding a hard time forgiving her youngest sister, Heaven, for her betrayal.

How did you come up the storyline for When I Get  Where I’m Going?

Whenever I’m writing one book, another idea always pops into my head. While I was writing In Love with A Younger Man, Alicia Day was telling me about what she was going through in Hollywood. How much she wanted to succeed and make her dreams come true and how difficult it was. I began to think of how many people have dreams and while many are successful and see their dreams materialize rather quickly there are many others who pursue their passion for years to no avail.  And that’s when the Langston Hughes poem came to mind, “What Happens to a Dream Deferred?” I wrote Alicia’s storyline so that a reader doesn’t have to be an aspiring actress to relate to her struggles. You simply need to have a dream that you’re trying hard to achieve. As I started listening to her, I discovered she had two half sisters living in Detroit that she didn’t have a relationship with and she’d only seen Hope once when she was too young to remember her.  In that I’ve had the experience of being called by someone claiming to be a long-lost sister, I knew firsthand how that felt. In my case, the woman on the other end had the wrong number, but in the case of the sisters in WIGWIG with the aid of Facebook the reunion gets set into motion.  

Would you describe this book as a plot or character driven book?  Why?

Most of my novels are character driven, but in this book I mixed both character and plot by developing the characters and giving each sister a dramatic action plotline. For Hope, in order to get closure she needed to find out the truth behind the boating accident that claimed her husband’s life. For Heaven, she was trying to break free of an abusive relationship. And with Alicia it was maneuvering through Hollywood while a couple of unforeseen forces are working against her.

Describe the development /writing process for When I Get  Where I’m Going–i.e. did you use an outline?  Why or why not?

This was a book of firsts. This was the first book that I’ve written with three female leads.  And these are the youngest female leads I’ve ever had. It was also the first book I’ve written full-time, which in itself is huge. I was able to write whenever and for however long I wanted to and I did. I wrote roughly 80 percent of my novel in a journal. I’ve been doing that for my last three books. In fact, it’s time for me to buy a new journal because I just finished my next book and I’m getting started on another one. I also did a sketch outline just to get me started, but soon abandoned it once my characters took over.

What’s the main message you want readers to take away from When I Get to Where I’m Going?

I actually referenced this a few times in the book, starting in the prologue.  Life is full of experiences. Consequences. Not mistakes. With that said, the main message I’d like readers to take away is the serenity prayer—The serenity to accept the things we cannot change, courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

Q. Are you working on another book and, if so, can you share a brief summary with us?

I recently submitted my fall 2011 book to my editor. Remember Me focuses on two women who went from being best of friends as teens to perfect strangers as adults before a tragic accident brings them back together. Both of the women are successful and married, but the image they project on the outside is not the life they’re truly living.

If When I Get  Where I’m Going were made into a movie, who would you like to play the main characters?

This is the first book that I’ve written that I haven’t really considered a movie cast as wonderful as that thought is. However, in the book, it is mentioned that Alicia Day greatly resembles Halle Berry.

In closing, is there anything else you would like to share with APOOO readers?

As always I’d like to thank all of those who have supported me through the years, which of course includes APOOO. I’d also like to invite your readers to attend my virtual book release party on Tuesday, September 7th from 8-9 pm ET. http://www.blogtalkradio.com/black-author-network.

Also, you can visit me online at www.cherylrobinson.com

Thanks Cheryl for taking time out of your busy schedule to spend with APOOO.

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