THE THREE with Shauna Robinson

An interview, a photo story, and Pop-Up Questions

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Editor’s note: Shauna Robinson has a way with words- she puts them together in a way that makes me feel lighter, that puts life in a lighter perspective. This comes through in her interview, and I loved The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks because it made me feel good, and because I loved the whole story- the settings, the protagonist, the plot. It’s such a good book to read and drift on into sleep, like a Gilmore Girls vibe, it’s a small town with meaningful relationships and firey, smart women finding their way.

Shauna Robinson writes contemporary fiction with humor and heart. Originally from San Diego, she now lives in Virginia with her husband and their sleepy greyhound. She spends most of her time reading, baking, and figuring out the politest way to avoid social interaction. She is the author of Must Love Books and The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks.

POP UP QUESTIONS

The writer picks five out of ten pop-up questions and answers them.

What book do you wish you could read again for the first time and why?

Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman is one of those books I couldn’t put down as soon as I started reading it. I don’t often read books with fantasy elements—not because I have anything against the genre, but because I’m a very lazy reader, and even just starting a new book and having to learn about new characters takes some effort for me; having to learn about a new world on top of that can feel overwhelming. But Good Omens felt approachable, and it quickly sucked me in. Reading Good Omens reminded me how magical it can feel to explore outside the genres I tend to read in.   

What writer romanticized being a writer for you as a young person? 

I think the first piece of media I watched that depicted a writer was Alex & Emma, a rom-com about a writer (played by Luke Wilson) who hires a stenographer (played by Kate Hudson) he can dictate his novel to in 30 days so he can fulfill his book deal and pay off a gambling debt. It didn’t paint a glamorous view of being a writer, exactly, what with the gambling debt and all. But at the very least, Luke Wilson’s character was a full-time author and I remember thinking that sounded like a wonderful job, if I could avoid the whole gambling thing.

Now, of course, I realize that being a full-time author is not practical for most people, myself included, because the steady money and health insurance that day jobs provide are sort of important. But I guess it’s less fun to make a movie about a writer with steady money and health insurance.

How has technology been a part of your writing? 

I’ve been writing stories on a computer since I was about 12. I’ll write on pen and paper if I don’t have a computer around, but typing feels the most natural to me. I don’t use any writerly gadgets aside from my laptop and Microsoft Word. I know there are some excellent programs and tools out there, but for me, it always comes back to the laptop and a Word document.

And Excel. It’s very motivating to track my word count in Excel. I realize I’m starting to sound like a shill for Microsoft.

What occupies your mind most often on being a woman in America? 

I spend a lot of time thinking about the lack of pockets in women’s clothing. But, more seriously, it would be great if people let women have a say in deciding what’s best for our bodies. Wouldn’t that be swell?

What is your favorite bit of writer lore or (not harmful) gossip? 

James Joyce’s dirty letters to his wife were so much fun to read about, especially after slogging my way through Ulysses in college. That English class would have been much more interesting if we’d gotten to study those letters.

PHOTO ROLL STORY

The writer picks a photo from her phone and tells us about it.

I love baking and I love eating, so most of the photos on my phone are of food. So here is a cake I bought. Now let me add some context.One of the joys of adulthood is that there are no rules. I mean, there are laws. Laws are generally good things to follow (generally). But as far as social norms go, nothing’s really stopping us from doing what we feel like. Take cake, for instance. Norms dictate that cakes are for special occasions: birthdays, celebrations, holidays, and so forth. But what’s stopping us from ordering a Coffeehouse Crunch cake from Coldstone on a Wednesday night?

Nothing. Nothing is stopping us. So earlier this week, I ordered a Coffeehouse Crunch cake from Coldstone on a Wednesday night. I had the option to add a custom message, so why not add one poking fun at my failed endeavors trying to buy a house? I had the option to add a free chocolate graduation hat topper, so why not?

And that’s my cake. It’s delicious. It’s chocolate-y. It celebrates absolutely nothing. But in the absence of something to celebrate, why not celebrate nothing? It’s so much more fun this way.

THE INTERVIEW

The writer answers questions about her life and work.

How or why did a story about a girl starting a banned bookstore come to you? And I'm biased but I love that her name is Maggie- any story behind that?

I love books set in bookstores, and I thought it would be fun to explore a bookstore that breaks all sorts of rules to get by. My primary goal when writing a book is to write a book that I really want to read. And if anyone else happens to read and like it, that's great! But my initial motivation is purely selfish.

As for our girl Maggie, I actually wrote the first draft without giving her a name at all. I'm terribly indecisive when it comes to naming characters, and it was faster to just start writing--and throw in a placeholder word that may or may not be profane as a stand-in for Maggie's name--than to spend ages trying to figure out the perfect name. Eventually, when I finished the book and had to, you know, show it to people, I gave her an actual name. But it still wasn't Maggie! That didn't come until further into the process, when my publisher had decided on the book title but said the main character's name needed to be snappy in order to fit well into the title. So I played around with combinations of names that would work in the title, and thus Maggie was born! My mother also likes it, but she's just as biased as you are.

Maggie is a bit lost in life and feels like she's 'behind' all the 'real grownups', something a lot of people can relate to. Despite her feelings of incompetence, she sets about almost immediately making good things happen, growing money, and creating relationships both business and personal. She can't see her own success because it doesn't fit into the financial structure she was taught culturally to aspire to: college degree, high-powered, 'passion' job, own a business. Did you experience any of this? How do you see Maggie's story fitting in with people in their 20's right now?

Maggie's line of thinking is more evolved than mine when I was in my twenties and trying to figure out job stuff. I'd found a job that aligned with my passion (shoutout to the publishing industry), but when I realized it wasn't the right fit for me, I felt utterly lost because I'd tied my entire identity to my job and wasn't sure what to do when my dream job wasn't my dream anymore. But Maggie doesn't understand why a job has to involve her passions at all--which has her feeling just as lost, since she feels like something in her must be broken if everyone else in her life can chase their passions and find meaningful careers.

But what we all know is that there's nothing wrong with Maggie at all. I think the pandemic has made a lot of people reconsider and redefine their relationships to their jobs. Which may be why terms like "quiet quitting" have been popping up, as if there's something wrong with doing the job you were hired to do. Jobs are a thing we have to do to earn the money we need to buy food and put a roof over our head and (in the United States) have health insurance. If your job also happens to align with your passion, that's wonderful! But if it doesn't, it doesn't mean you're a failure. There's nothing wrong with your job being the thing that funds your ability to explore your passions outside of work.

Speaking of banned bookstores: What is your opinion on the banning of books in the US school systems or libraries?

The most challenged books in the last year are by or about LGBTQIA+ folks and/or people of color. Banning these books--or any books--limits the diversity of perspectives that readers can access, which in turn limits their ability to learn about experiences and identities that are different from their own. Limiting access to the types of books readers "should" read is silly and harmful. 

Did you know Maggie's 'fate' as you began The Banned Bookstore? How does plotting work for you?

I normally try to outline a book before I start writing, but I also tend to need to write the book before I can understand the characters, so my outlines are often vague and half-hearted (until my publisher required me to submit an outline for my next book, at which point I had to...try? Rude). In Maggie's case, some parts of the ending always stayed the same throughout the revisions (like Maggie's overall trajectory, including the last few lines of the book). Other parts--mostly concerning the town of Bell River and those in charge--changed from the first draft, because those aspects were deemed too depressing. So, cheery ending for everyone it was!

When you say "Other parts--mostly concerning the town of Bell River and those in charge--changed from the first draft, because those aspects were deemed too depressing. So, cheery ending for everyone it was!" I am immediately extremely curious to know what your 'depressing' ending was versus the one you went with! Can you share with us?

Okay, spoilers ahead for anyone who hasn't read the book, because I'm going to be talking about all the ways the original ending was different! The book was a very different book initially. In the first draft, Maggie discovers that some townsfolk with power were corrupt, which is harming the bookstore and other small businesses to the point where the bookstore is unfairly shut down and Maggie has to take a stand. At the end, Maggie brings the corruption to light and the corrupt folks are fired--but the town leadership remains staunchly committed to keeping all the rules around Edward Bell (who in this version was the town's founder). So while Maggie's happy that she eradicated the corruption and can hand the bookstore back to Rochelle reopened and unharmed, she also realizes that this historic, set-in-its-ways town was never going to be the right fit for her, and it's the push she needs to set her sights on a new adventure, a new job, a new city (with Malcolm by her side--his ending never changed!).

But that ending left early readers a little bummed that the town would always be so stuck in the past--and wanting more for the townsfolk who lived there. So, over the course of a few drafts, Bell River became more of a charming town that Maggie could start to find her place in. As I mentioned earlier, I'm selfishly motivated when it comes to the books I write, and I start out by writing the perfect book for me. I just happen to love an ending that's a little bit of a downer. But ultimately, this book is for and about so much more than me and my weird inclinations! The final book is significantly better than that first draft and I'm proud of what it came to be.

What does your writing schedule look like- do you have a specific desk, place, time, or is it anywhere with a laptop or a notebook?

My writing takes place in the evenings after work. The location tends to be the living room couch, which is where I plop myself after work. I do most of my writing there, on my laptop, but occasionally (usually when I'm on a deadline), I've written in other places: on a plane or at the airport, in a notebook on the metro, and--if I need a change of location--at my desk. But writing at a desk feels weird to me. It's too formal and proper. I am very improper, and my writing spot needs to reflect that.

What is your favorite banned book?

Well, that's not fair. There are so many that it's basically like asking me what my favorite book is--an impossible question! I invite anyone who hasn't already to check out the American Library Association's lists of the top 100 banned books by decade. The 1990s and 2000s lists have so many of my childhood favorites!