Buzzworthy Alumni: Robin Alvarez
Isabella Skinner, Editor-In-Chief
November 10, 2022
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Robin Alvarez, known in high school as Robin Pletcher, graduated from Flour Bluff in 2005 and has since gone on to become a successful artist, photographer and author. She has published short stories on her website http://robinalvarez.com for years and recently landed two book deals, one for a stand-alone novel (soon-to-be series) and one for a trilogy, with Creative James Media.
Her standalone novel is titled “When Oceans Rise” and the story relies heavily on Alvarez’s Filipino background and culture.
“When Oceans Rise is the story I wish I had in high school. It’s about a mixed-race Filipina who is struggling in a toxic relationship and willingly trades her voice for a better life. She silences herself because she thinks it will make life better, but soon discovers it won’t. When I look back at those high school years, I wish I’d relied more on my family and friends,” said Alvarez.
Upon landing her book deal, Alvarez said that “It felt like a dream—as in not real at all. I kept having to check the contract to make sure the publisher really had signed it!”
Alvarez’s other book deal is older and for her trilogy, “Paramour”. The book uses banshees and their stories as a key factor in the plot of the story.
“Paramour is a story about death, as the banshees in it warn people of their impending deaths. I wrote this novel in 20 days. I was driven mostly by my grandfather’s death. At that moment in my life, I don’t think I responded to death in appropriate ways. I actually quit my job in news because while I loved the work, the work environment had become toxic. I’m lucky I had friends and family to support me,” said Alvarez.
Flour Bluff High School had a lasting impact on Alvarez and helped her along the way, to the point where “When Oceans Rise” is set in Corpus Christi and talks about Flour Bluff High School, though not by name.
“My English teachers at Flour Bluff were major influences on me. Ms. Johnson always made me feel like my poetry was special. But because she just had that way about her, making every student feel special, I didn’t take it as seriously as I did years later,” stated Alvarez.
Alvarez’s passion for writing “grew gradually, and then occurred to me at the most inconvenient time.” She struggled with reading when she was young and because of that, her mom, FBHS faculty member Beth Pletcher, would take her to libraries constantly. Alvarez realized her passion six months before graduating college with a degree in Media Arts and Animation.
“Words cannot express how proud my husband and I are of Robin. She is a kind-hearted, strong, beautiful, creative, and hardworking individual who always finds a path to success. She excels in everything she does and she deserves to have her stories published so that the world can experience her creativity,” said Pletcher.
When asked if she had any advice for young writers who wanted to go professional, Alvarez stated: “Do not get precious about your work. Many people try to make their first novel perfect. I spent five years writing my first novel, and it will never see the light of day. If you get precious about your work, and you don’t continue to write more novels in the meantime, you won’t get better.”
Alvarez doesn’t have any books for sale right now, but both books are on Goodreads and will be available at all major retailers upon their publication.
Stay tuned for more work by this buzzworthy alumni!
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