Introducing Robyn “I’ve Got the Music in Me” Herron #3SamFanFollow

Norma D is a world traveler, but I had just returned from Down Under to Interview Roxy for CoH.  My plane just landed in LA when I discovered that the next SamFanFollow, Robyn Herron was from  (you guessed it) Down Under! I was not about to make another 19 hour flight back to Australia, so I asked Robyn to meet me in Tahiti for a chat. 

This is how Tahiti fits into the world. Don’t blink.

I had never interacted with Robyn on Twitter or through CoH (Apparently, she’s not interested in worshipping all that is Sam Heughan).    Since the fandom is about meeting new friends, I decided to make sure she got to know me (and I suppose I had get to know her, too).  Since all they have is coconut in Tahiti, we ordered some coconut based rum drinks. Our conversation flowed after four or five cocktails. 

Coconut glasses, Coconut drinks, Coconut table,Coconut straws and Coconut umbrellas!

Norma D:      So Robyn,  how long have you been on Twitter and when did you become a Sam Heughan Fan?   

Robyn:

I’ve been on Twitter for a few years but mostly for work.   Recently, I’ve noticed that there’s been less work tweets and more Outlander Tweets.  I’ve been following Sam since I saw a trailer for Outlander on IMDB about a month before it started airing.  I didn’t know they were making it (how I missed that I’ll never know).   As a reader of the books,  I promptly lost my s–t and started following everyone.  My life started slowly falling apart from there.

Who tagged me? I still have 3,021 Notifications after two days of Tweeting!

Norma D:   I noticed on your profile that you work in radio, tell me about what you do.       

Robyn:   For the past ten years I’ve been a journalist/newsreader but recently made a slight change and started being a producer, which means I arrange interviews,  research, write the scripts and questions for the announcer, answer phones, manage social media and am generally all kinds of badass awesome most of the day.  My job is basically to make sure the presenter has whatever he needs while he’s on air.

Norma D:   I don’t see a wedding ring, what about your personal life? 

Robyn:   Single and ready to mingle.  No kids, just two puppy dogs who are certifiably mad (I’m trying not take that as a reflection of my mothering skills.)  “Indiana, stop bonking your sister, this isn’t Game of Thrones!” Naturally due to my lack of attachments I was quite convinced wedding bells would soon be a-ringin’ for Sam and myself.

Robyn’s Wedding (Meme courtesy of @HolaasSandy )

Norma D:   So, how did you guess the number of blocks in Roxy’s construction?   

Robyn:  5% skill 90% wild stab in the dark like a highlander’s dirk during a fight with the MacKenzies and Grants in the middle of the night. 

I counted about ten blocks, estimated the space they took up, then sort of divided the entire Lego Munro by that rough area.  It’s kind of like guesstimating the surface area of Sam’s body based on one pec.

Here is an example of the pectoral measurement process.
The scientific researcher is carefully measuring so she can prove the accuracy of Robyn’s theory.

Norma D:   What did you say when you found out you’d won?

Robyn:  Exactly what I said on Twitter…”OH.MY.AND.GOD”  We’d just gotten off air and my presenter looked at me and said “What”?  All I could say was “Sam Heughan…Sam Heughan…Twitter”    I frequently mumble Sam’s name repeatedly under my breath at random times, so he’s quite familiar with this behavior.  He just rolled his eyes at me.

Norma D:  What did you learn to do and not to do from Barb and Roxy’s SamsFanFollow activities? 

Robyn:   Mostly I learned from Roxy.

• People really liked the fairly random nature of her challenge.
• If I delete DM’s from my end, Sam still sees them.  (GOOD ADVICE for rambling lunatics)

And then my dog ate my last pair of socks and I had to wear my walking boots with no socks and I got a blister,,,,,,,

Norma D:    What was your biggest surprise about Sam? 

Robyn:  I was very surprised to realize that he can apparently live without me and unfollowed me!   I just don’t understand given how Twitty (Twitter witty), adorbs and totes amazeballs I am.  Also, that he listened to my heartbroken jams!  Again, how can he not love me with my sexy-as-f–k voice?   I bet he secretly still listens to it at night before he goes to bed…to sleep.  It’s been played over 2000 times, so 1,999 of them were probably him.

You know, when I have trouble sleeping, I just listen to Robyn’s break up music and I’m out like a light in 2 seconds!

Norma D:  What was his biggest surprise about you as a fan? 

Robyn:   Probably that despite starting our first DM with an awkward declaration that I’m not a stalker….that I’m actually not a stalker…well, not much of one (Super-sexy skinny  Housemate chips in “That’s just a flat out lie”).

Here I am not stalking (not Sam) not disguised as Chief Inspector Clousseau.

Norma D:      It sounds like you have a pretty hectic job.  Did SamFanFollow mess with your work?

Robyn:    HELLS YES.  I messed up a major interview, thinking it was another day, and we ended up missing our window to talk that guest…who’s like a household name in Australia.  But my workmates were very understanding that it’s pretty much a once in a lifetime opportunity.  I also had to come in a whole hour early each day to keep up with Twitter fans, follows, notifications.  So I was getting up at 4am and starting work at 5am.   Ugh. 

ZZZZZZ Sam? ZZZZZZ Sam?

Norma D:  What did you like Best and least about your experience? 

Robyn:    Best: Generating a solid foundation for my marriage to my future husband, of course.   Plus new fan friends. 

Least: People who were impatient for details about the next follow, whiners and haters.  Nobody needs that negativity, “‘Ain’t nobody got time for dat”.  Also people getting their back up thinking my breakup tweets were ungrateful.  You couldn’t be further from the truth.  I was extremely grateful for my week with Sam.  I was just being cheeky and trying to make y’all laugh.   I really needed to just cheer myself up, because it was surprisingly sad when it ended.  I’m sure he was devastated too.   Must have been love.

I’m devastated that I had to unfollow Robyn

Norma D:   Tell me how you came up with your contest? 

Robyn:    I stuck with what I know.  We play radio mashups a fair bit in this biz.  I don’t know how, but I was brainstorming with my workmates and someone said the name of a break up song… I think it was the Celine Dion one, and it just rolled on from there.  It was very fun to put together.

There’s another good break up song to add to the mashup! This so much fun!

Norma D:  Any Advice for future SamFanFollow winners?

Robyn:  Have fun, be yourself.  Haters gonna hate so just shake, shake, shake it off.  Also if you feel like doing a contest (which I don’t actually believe is anywhere in the SamFanFollow charter, it’s just something fun), stick to what you know. 

And with that Robyn climbed on her horse and rode away into the sunset. I thought of some good marriage advice for her as I watched her mount her horse:

Marriage tip number one: Always be graceful when your with a prospective match.