Readers, thank you for stopping in to visit with our author this week. We're on location in Ireland and if you'll follow us up the stairway, we're going to meet in the castle courtyard. Deanna met Renee online over a year ago and they've become good friends, chatting online, helping to promote each others books. I'm sure you'll agree with us by the end of the interview that Renee is a sweetheart! She's here to promote her third book in the Emerald Isle Trilogy set in her beloved Ireland and I think our home here suits her well with our green decor!
Renee, thank you so much for being with us this week. We both enjoy historical romances and yours are a wonderful set!
Reader’s Haven: What made you want to become a writer?
Renee: I suppose it
all started when my parents had given me a personalized book during my
preschool years. I was the protagonist of the book in a detective story and had
to solve the mystery. Of course, I cracked the case and was the hero of my
neighborhood. From that moment on, I always thought it would be so neat to see
my full name printed in a real book, as an author and not a character. And
so…began my dream.
Reader’s Haven: Please share a bit about your new release, The
Fall of Rain, without giving away any spoilers.
Renee: The hero, Leif
Dæganssen, is a Norwegian archeologist who lives in Ireland and has dug up a
very specific artifact (one that was very important in the first book of the
trilogy, Ræliksen, which took place in 10th Century Ireland.)
The heroine, Lorraine O’Connor, takes a much needed vacation
to Ireland to get away from her cheating fiancé. If you’ve read the first two
books of the trilogy, you know that the heroine’s name was Mara. Lorraine
realizes, through the course of spending time with Leif and the many déjà vu
moments she has, that she is the reincarnated version of Mara and Leif is her
reincarnated husband, Dægan Ræliksen. While she may have tragically lost Dægan
when he gave his life for her more than a thousand years ago, Lorraine comes to
understand that they have been given a second chance at love.
If only it were that easy to convince Leif…
Here is the blurb:
Leif Dæganssen, an archeologist from Norway, is determined
to trace back his Scandinavian roots as far as the Dark Ages and find proof of
their existence on the Emerald Isle. After several years of living off the west
coast of Ireland, he finally uncovers an ancient artifact—an intricately
decorated chest with pagan carvings—buried beneath the very porch of his
coastal cottage. Knowing it only confirms the presence of a glorified
Norse-influenced settlement on Inis Mór, he’s determined to establish a link
between himself and those who once inhabited the rugged isle.
For as long as she can remember, Lorraine O’Connor has had dreams of a Norse warrior kissing her. And even though she’s never fully understood the reason for her vivid subconscious imagination, she welcomes the meaningless and wanton pleasure of being in a Viking’s protective embrace—until the day she meets that brazen Northman on an impulsive vacation trip to Ireland.
Though blindsided by the relevance of her dreams and the strange familiarity of the man within them, Lorraine can’t help but feel a deep-seated intimacy toward Leif. And the more she gets to know him, the more she’s convinced they’ve shared a life together in a time long forgotten.
Are the clues to their ancestral past hidden within the contents of the chest or buried deep within their hearts?
For as long as she can remember, Lorraine O’Connor has had dreams of a Norse warrior kissing her. And even though she’s never fully understood the reason for her vivid subconscious imagination, she welcomes the meaningless and wanton pleasure of being in a Viking’s protective embrace—until the day she meets that brazen Northman on an impulsive vacation trip to Ireland.
Though blindsided by the relevance of her dreams and the strange familiarity of the man within them, Lorraine can’t help but feel a deep-seated intimacy toward Leif. And the more she gets to know him, the more she’s convinced they’ve shared a life together in a time long forgotten.
Are the clues to their ancestral past hidden within the contents of the chest or buried deep within their hearts?
Read the excerpt HERE
Reader’s Haven: Wow! We're already pulled into the story, looking forward to the emotional struggles these two will endure trying to figure out their past. What types of hero or heroine do you like best?
Renee: I love Alpha males.
There is nothing better than a sexy, domineering man with a rockin’ body and a
charming soul. I love heroes who know how to get what they want, who don’t stop
until they do, and always do so with honor and chivalry. I also enjoy humor in
a man, but I usually save that for the side characters in my story. As for
heroines, I like women who have a level head on their shoulders. I don’t need
the heroine to be Einstein, but she can’t be too stupid to live.
Reader’s Haven: Tell us about a typical day in your life as
a writer.
Renee: I’m a
full-time writer, who’s also a mother and a wife. My morning consists of
getting my two children off to school. They are always my priority. Upon
returning, I have a cup of coffee to get the juices flowing, I answer emails
first and do some promoting for my fellow authors on the Deep In The Heart
Romance site, as well as my own stuff on my blog, then I sit down to write. I’d
like to have more time in my day to write, but sometimes it doesn’t always work
out that way. After two o’clock, I’m back to being the mother. I wouldn’t
change a thing.
Reader’s Haven: Do your books have a common theme or are
they all different?
Renee: I write
historical and contemporary, but they all seem to have a twist in the end. I
love surprises and I can’t help but add them to my stories.
Reader’s Haven: Your books certainly grab the reader's attention from the first page. How long does it take you to write and
then edit a story?
The
Emerald Isle
Trilogy
Renee: That’s a funny
question. I’d like to say I can write a full novel in less than six months
(research and editing included) but with being that mother and wife I told you
about, life gets in the way and sometimes writing has to take a back seat. But
I’ve never missed a deadline. I’ll work long hours into the night if I have to.
Reader’s Haven: And we can work those kinds of hours because we love what we do so we can bring our stories to our readers. Do you have to be alone to write?
Reader’s Haven: And we can work those kinds of hours because we love what we do so we can bring our stories to our readers. Do you have to be alone to write?
Renee: Oh gosh, yes!
With kids around it’s virtually impossible to write a scene. I like to be
completely absorbed in it so I can write as though I am smack dab in the middle
of it and I want my readers to feel as if they are as well. I write how things
smell, sound, and feel when creating that perfect scenario and too many
distractions get in the way. The last thing I’d ever want to do is disappoint
my readers with a poorly written romance.
Reader’s Haven: How do you go about naming characters?
Reader’s Haven: How do you go about naming characters?
Renee: With my
contemporaries, I usually find names that are “fitting” for the character. I’ve
even asked my husband to help me name a few. But with my historicals, a lot
more goes into it. I still choose names that fit the character’s personality,
but they also have to originate from the country in which they were born during
that time period. I’m pretty particular about that.
Reader’s Haven: Is it easier to write about the characters
if you find pictures of them before you write or do you write then find
character pictures?
Renee: Hands down, I
find the picture first. Not so much with my side characters, but with the H/H I
must find a picture of a person that suits my description. I have an idea of
what I want them to look like in my head before I write about them, but finding
that perfect photo (usually a famous actor) helps me to really pick them apart
and describe their physical features, from the color of their eyes down to
their laugh lines and bone structure.
Reader’s Haven: We do love our details but it makes for better writing. How do you pick locations for your stories?
Reader’s Haven: We do love our details but it makes for better writing. How do you pick locations for your stories?
Renee: In my Emerald
Isle Trilogy, the location picked me. Ireland is a country that is very special
to my heart and the Vikings are a crazy passion of mine. So, in researching
this period in the Middle Ages, there was no better place to have my hero and
heroine meet than the isle with forty shades of green.
Please be sure to hop over to Renee's sites, follower her blog and on Twitter and don't forget to sign up for her newsletter!
Readers, Renee is giving away a signed copy of any one of the books in the trilogy or and E-book of one, winners choice. One lucky commenter will be picked by Renee on Saturday Feb 18th - you must leave your email in your comment so Renee can contact the winner.
