CURRENT RELEASE THE PROMISE

Previous Rising Stars

Gone from romance for a few years, Robin Allen has returned with an all new novel.  Her latest book, THE PROMISE, is set to be released this month from BET/Arabesque.

I am impressed by this author’s drive to succeed.  It is clear from my conversation with her, that she cares about what she writes and how she crafts it.  For this reason alone, I feel that she is not an author to be missed.  Get to know her a little better in the interview below. 

Robin Allen at a Glance:

Name: Robin Allen

Pen Name: 

No pen name, though she did write under the name Robin Hampton Allen when she was first published. She found however, her full name to be too cumbersome.

Occupation:  Writer (Corporate-Contract writer)

Dream Job:  Not a nine to five. 

Where is home: Atlanta, GA

The most romantic song ever sang:

Breathe Again by Toni Braxton.  “The lyrics are beautiful and it also captures the essence of what we wish love could be.  When you fall in love that person can take your breath.”

Advice for Aspiring Writers: 

Be Persistent

Have a never give-up attitude

Move on to the next project early—don’t get so hung up on a project that you don’t write anything else.

We are always evolving, that will allow you to grow, and that will improve your writing.

Robin Allen on Robin Allen:

Robin Allen is a writer through and through.  She writes for a living, and she writes for pleasure.  “My interest in writing has evolved over the years,” she says.  Robin began writing in high school, and continued to cultivate her craft in college as a journalism major, “I chose journalism because I thought that I could apply it to a profession.  I didn’t think that fiction was a career.”  Though hard to believe three novels later, Allen’s practical mentality remained focused on a traditional career, until some years later, when she discovered the world of fiction writing. 

We call this divine intervention

Allen’s interest in pursuing a career in fiction came rather unexpectedly.  While walking through town one day, she happened to spy a picture of Toni Morrison on the cover of a magazine.  “It was inspirational.  It opened the door to the idea that you can get a book published. Before that it never occurred to me to write a book,” Allen confessed, “If I didn’t do any writing that was not business writing, then it was going to be play writing.”  The door to the possibility of writing her own fiction novel further opened when she became frustrated with the reading selection that she found at local bookstores; they no longer peaked her interest.  “I have always been a voracious reader.  At the time I went to the bookstore and there wasn’t anything I wanted to read.  I wanted a Sidney Sheldon type of book with black characters.”  She couldn’t find it, so she wrote it.

The First book

Robin Allen began writing Hidden Memories in the mid-nineties. “I started writing it before BREEZE [her first published title].”  A work of women’s fiction, Allen ran into difficulties while trying to publish it, “I sold BREEZE to  Romance in Black, but they went out of business before it could be published.”  Meeting difficulty in selling her work of, her agent suggested that she put together a romance novel. Though Allen had an interest in romance as a reader, she had never thought of writing one herself. 

BREEZE, Allen’s first published novel (Genesis Press, 1996), was her first attempt at the romance genre.  “I did a lot to promote the book,” she says, recounting how she managed, as an unknown author, to negotiate featured excerpts of her first published novel in Today’s Black Woman, Black Elegance, and YSB.  Her second title, HIDDEN MEMORIES published in 1997 also benefited from her vigorous self-promotion, winning the opportunity for featured excerpts in both Black Elegance and Upscale magazines. 

A Step Away

Though winning praise for both titles, Allen went on a brief sabbatical from writing novels to explore other avenues of writing.  Interestingly, she took a step away from novels completely, and successfully tried her hand at playwriting.  To her delight, her first play, The Bridal Shower was produced and well-received in her hometown of Atlanta last year.  Elated with its success, Robin says, “It was exciting to see the characters come to life,” adding that the University of Pittsburgh, Allen’s alma mater, is considering staging it next year. 

Allen’s time away from novel writing, however, was never intended to be permanent. Her third novel,  THE PROMISE,  was released this month, and by all rights, appears to have all the makings of a success. 

The Premise

THE PROMISE is the story of two people whose lives change dramatically when they make a promise to the ones that they love.  Romare, the romantic male lead, made a promise to his mother some years ago. If anything were to happen to her, he would take care of his younger brother and sister.  Never expecting to honor it, Romare promises his mother to be the guardian of his siblings, and puts it out of his mind. As fate would have it, Romare unexpectedly receives custody of his younger siblings, and is forced into fatherhood.  Some years later Romare’s sister, the youngest, is about to graduate from high school.  He is almost done honoring his promise to his mother, and is released from his surrogate parenting. Well, that’s when fate steps in again and throws the lovely Jillian Dubois into his path.  Similar to Romare, Jillian Dubois promises her sister that if anything ever happens to her then she will take care of her niece.  As fate would have it, Jillian, a woman who never wanted children, ends up having to honor her promise to her sister, and takes custody of her young niece. Fate can be fickle, but it also can be kind.  Fate brings these two people together, and as the story unwinds, we watch this couple work out their love for one another despite their unexpected circumstances and responsibilities.

Love is a beautiful Thing

Allen hopes that all who read this book see the richness and beauty of Romare and Jillian’s love, “I hope that they get caught up in the beauty and the love that Romare and Jillian discover.”  But more than that, she wants readers to see what Jillian and Romare learn as a result of meeting each other.  What has changed in their lives as a result of being together.  What has changed in their lives as a result of keeping their promises.

Though her new novel is a work of fiction, Robin’s focus on what we do for love and loyalty has extended beyond this story, and become the main driver behind her website contest.  The question is:  To what extent have you gone to, to keep a promise?  Fans are encouraged to write about how far they would go or have gone to keep a promise, and post their stories on Robin’s website.  The winning entry will appear both on her official website, as well as, in the magazine, Women Looking Ahead.  If you are interested, you can enter the contest at www.RobinAllen.net. 

What’s Next

Well if you are as fast of a reader as I am, and are already looking for the next book, you are in luck.  Allen’s next novel, INEVITABLE will be available in October 2002 from BET/Arabesque.  In the meantime, she says that she is looking into writing children’s books and maybe even another play.  I, for one, am looking forward to sitting down with her latest, and will be entering my story on her site.  If you would like to contact her in the meantime however, you can reach her at rob2allen@aol.com. 

RIC welcomes Robin back to romance.  And looks forward to reading all of her new titles, and maybe even seeing one of her plays. 

Welcome Back Robin!

1st October 2001