First Monday of the month always brings good romance. This Monday I’m interviewing a fabulous romance author, Renee Grace Thompson. I met Renee in an online writing site, and we fell in together well. She writes good romance, she has a hella great sense of humor, and she is a cool person.
A prolific writer, she has several stories coming out this year and early next year. Personally, I can’t wait to read them.
I’d like to introduce, Renee Grace Thompson.
Tell us about your writing process and the way you brainstorm ideas for your romance stories.
RGT: Oh, my. If only I had a process. I seem to fly by the seat of my pants. If I sit there and think about it, nothing happens. If I put my fingers to the keyboard, that’s when the magic kicks in. I have several stories clamoring in my mind at once, and I just can’t calm it all down until I sit down and start to write. I don’t plot or outline. My brain just won’t go there, no matter how hard I try.
I’m a total pantster myself. I don’t have time to waste on an outline I’m not going to follow anyway. What would you say are the main advantages and disadvantages of self-publishing against being published or the other way around?
RGT: I plan to self-publish. I like working with the graphic designers and editors and critiquers and formatters. I like taking charge of the whole marketing aspect and business end of it. And I like having control of pricing and promotions. Traditional publishing would take care of some of that stuff, and that would be nice, but for me, I want to see the project through from beginning to end.
You still have to do many of those things even if you were traditionally published, but the publisher would take a large part of the revenue.
Did you make any marketing mistakes or is there anything you would avoid in the future?
RGT: So far, no big mistakes. Setting up all the social media sites can be a pain when trying to separate them from personal stuff. I’ve made a few mistakes there, but hopefully that’s taken care of now. I’ve made a few blunders on my website, but that’s not really a big deal either.
That’s the beauty of starting out when no one knows you. You can post things, but no one sees it yet and you have time to fix it.
What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
RGT: Do it! There’s no reason not to in today’s world. All the resources and help you could ever need are available right at your fingertips! And people are so eager to help.
Just start writing. Get the story out. Get it started.
Once you do that, then you must read blogs and books on craft and marketing and how to create covers and format. As you figure things out, you’ll go back and revise your first draft, and it will all come together.
Also, the main thing that has helped me is to find a critique group. I learned so incredibly much about my own writing when I started analyzing other people’s writing. Plus, I built some great friendships. You can find critique groups locally, or online.
Just get started! The rest will fall into place.
I agree 100 percent! There is a big wide world of writing groups out there. Join one. They are so much fun when you find the one that fits you. Let me ask you a personal question. Which famous person, living or dead, would you like to meet and why?
RGT: Mother Teresa! Such an amazing and inspirational person. Her knowledge and understanding of all things, her humility, her service, her energy. She’s absolutely unbelievable. She’s larger than life to me, and to know I lived at the same time she was alive is amazing. She seems like someone you would only read about.
Great choice! Thank you so much for your time. This was fun!
Bio
Renee lives in the Midwest with her husband and four kids. She worked as a Nuclear Medicine Technologist for many years, but now manages her family-owned business. Her spare time is spent hovering over her laptop, trying to transcribe the romance novels playing out in her head. There are several going on at once though, so keeping up with them is hard.
Renee just published her first romantic comedy, Luck o’ the (non)Irish, and the first novella in the New Haven Police Romance Series. The next novellas will be released soon, April Showers Bring May Flowers in early May, and Hank E. Pankie in the Donut Shop in June.
Her real passion though, the stories she’s been working on for nearly three years, will finally be published late this summer or early fall. The Assumptions Series will consist of at least five separate standalone novels, all featuring the same group of family and friends, but each with its own main characters.
Renee can’t wait to share her books with you.
You can find out more about Renee and follow her on Twitter, friend her on Facebook, and she has a great blog.
Click on the cover for a link
Very Sherry Terry 