A huge thank you to Ryenne Renner for taking the time to speak with me and answer some questions. Make sure to check out her interview, you made find a few shocking facts you didn't know, and lots of fun!
When did you first start writing?
Ryenne: I started writing in highschool, but stopped after I graduated. I didn’t really do much of it until I’d given birth to my third kid. By then, it was obvious that my first was going to need me to stay home full time because of his disabilities and I wasn’t going to be going back to work.
Why did you start writing?
Ryenne: I started writing again as a way to pass the time and as an outlet for things happening in my life.
What or who inspires your writing?
Ryenne Everyone and everything. People I know, books I’ve read, tv shows I’ve seen, things I’ve done… anything can spark an idea.
Is writing a therapeutic process for you? How does your writing help you?
Ryenne: I do tend to channel my current feeling into the scene I’m writing, so sometimes, I need to switch scenes, but I don’t write for the purpose of therapy. My writing started out as a part time hobby to stay busy and somehow has turned into an actual paying job, which helps me feel pretty great. lol
What is the most difficult part of your writing process?
Ryenne: Writing small talk. I suck at it in real life and trying to write scenes where there’s conversation that is not ‘plot changing’ s painful.
Are you a plotter or a pantser?
Ryenne: I’m a little of both. I’ll start with an idea and just write, but if I start getting ideas for later in the book, I’ll plot them down. Sometimes I use them, sometimes I don’t. I never write a book from start to finish. I bounce around all over the place. I had one book I actually wrote backwards. lol
What comes first for you – the plot of the characters – and why?
Ryenne: It’s random. Sometimes I think up a character and decide they need a story. Sometimes I think up a scene and go from there. Sometimes it’s a place.
How do you develop your plot and characters?
Ryenne: I honestly just let the story do that. I put my characters in situations and watch them grow from there. The plot and characters sort of just grow and evolve together.
How do you use social media as an author?
Ryenne: Horribly. lol! I have Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tiktok… I try to do my best to join in conversations and take part in release parties. Some people become different people on social media. I’m just as introverted on there as I am in real life. I try to post regularly, but most of the stuff I post is funny memes that have nothing to do with books.
How do you handle writer’s block?
Ryenne: If I get stuck on one story, I move on to another one. I have a ridiculous amount of books started, so I always have something to work on. I find if I stop thinking about the one I’m stuck on, I’ll suddenly know what’s supposed to happen next.
How do you process and deal with a negative book review?
Ryenne: I don’t look at my reviews very often. When I do, it’s usually to see what the once star ones say. Most of them give me a giggle… ‘the zombies weren’t realistic’, ‘real adults don’t talk that way’ (um, I talk that way). I’ve been lucky enough not to have too many that try to bash me as a person, though I have been told I’m going to hell a few times. Lol. With all the other authors I know who have been told the same, there should be one hell of a party when I get down there. 😀
What advice would you give to a writer working on their first book?
Ryenne: Write what you want to write and don’t worry about what others might want. The instant you start doing that, you’ll start to hate writing. Write for you. And get an editor. lol
What is your favorite part of publishing? What is your least favorite part?
Ryenne: I guess my favorite part of publishing is holding the first paperback in my hand. That never gets old. I also love it when someone tells me they fell in love with one of my stories. That’s a pretty amazing feeling. My least favorite part is the marketing. That just gives me anxiety and headaches. lol
What do you think is the most important part of publishing after you finish writing your manuscript?
Ryenne: Editing. I learned that the hard way with my first book. Editing will make or break your book. You can have the most amazing story out there, but if readers can’t get past too many spelling errors and sentences that don’t make sense, they won’t finish reading it.
Did you choose to write romance or did it choose you?
Ryenne: It chose me. My first book was supposed to be a fantasy and it quickly became a fantasy romance. Any time I try to write something that’s not a romance, it turns into a romance. lol
Which book is your favorite that you have published so far?
Ryenne: That’s not a fair question. lol I love them all. Um, I guess if I had to pick one, I’d go with Angered Seasons (written as Mireille Chester) because it’s the zombie apocalypse with a twist in my hometown… I had fun destroying my city.
Are any of your books part of a series or are they all standalones?
Ryenne: As Mireille Chester, I have The Chosen One Trilogy (series), then the Sageden Pack series which are standalones, Angered Season is a standalone, I have four books in the Crimson Moon Hideaway series which are standalones. Then, as Ryenne Renner, I have the Yours Always series. They are standalones as well.
Do you base your characters on real people?
Ryenne: I did for my very first book, but not so much anymore.
Which of your characters do you relate to the most and why?
Ryenne: I’d have to say I relate the most to Aveh from the book Fire’s Kiss which will release May 4 because, well, she is me. The Palbert City Underground series is set in my neighborhood and city (a fictional version). Basically, she’s the kickass vigilante version of me. Lol!
How much research do you need for your books?
Ryenne: Not much. I tend to write things I know, or I write about magical worlds where the rules are my own.
What was the hardest scene to write, and why?
Ryenne: I have a few. In Destiny, the third book in The Chosen One Trilogy (as Mireille Chester), a character dies and I had a very hard time writing the MMC’s reaction to it. In Angered Seasons (as Mireille Chester), the MMC has a breakdown because of the stress of trying to keep everyone alive…. I mean, let’s face it, any time a guy cries, it’s heartbreaking. lol And as Ryenne Renner, I’d have to say the moment Kit explains to Taylor why he only does random hookups and not relationships with other guys. That one broke me.
If you could meet your characters, what would you say to them?
Ryenne: Thank you. I would thank them for the hours of entertainment, the laughter, the love, and every other emotion they’ve shared with me.
What is your favorite quote from one of your books?
Ryenne: My brain was telling me I was being an idiot for believing he wouldn’t break my heart again. My heart was trying to remind me it hadn’t been his fault he’d left. And my body? My body was starting to melt into his touch, wondering if after all this time he’d still do that thing with his tongue… ~ Ronnie from Yours Always, Mason
What tropes are in each book?
Ryenne: Oh, wow. lol I write a whole lot. Most of my books are insta love. I’ve got friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, age gap, grumpy/sunshine, second chance, my MMCs are strong protectors, my FMCs are strong and capable. I write some mf, mfm, mmf, mm, ff…
What is your favorite trope to write?
Ryenne: I love grumpy/sunshine because it makes for some funny scenes.
How long did it take you to write each book? If one book took longer to write, why?
Ryenne: On average, I’d say it takes me from 2 to 4 months to write a story. I wrote Chael’s Luck in one month (thanks Nanowrimo). Displaced and Feathers Afire took me a couple of years (thanks writer’s block). Both of those I started, got halfway done, but didn’t really know where the story was going. The best thing in the world is getting that ‘holy shit, I know what happens next!’ feeling after setting a story aside for a while.
How would you describe your book’s ideal reader?
Ryenne: I guess my ideal reader is someone who doesn’t mind some angst and loves HEAs. They should also be alright with relationship diversity. Love is love. I’m a pan woman married to a straight man with a bi child, a trans nephew, and a lesbian niece. My characters, main and secondary, reflect all of that.
Are your books wide or only in Amazon?
Ryenne: Right now, they are only available on Amazon. Maybe if I get popular enough, I’ll be able to start selling them wide.
Tell us a little about each book?
Ryenne: For my Mireille Chester boo
ks, I’ll keep it short. The Chosen One Trilogy, Sageden Pack, and Holidays in Quelondain are all fantasy romance with shifters set in a fantasy world connected to this one. The trilogy is first. It follows the savior of that world after she crosses over, meets her mate, and has to keep the world alive. Sageden Pack follows some of the pack members after the final battle as they get their lives back together. Holidays in Quelondain follows a family of cheetah shifters in that world.
I have four books set in the Crimson Moon Hideaway series as Mireille Chester. Winning Paradise, F
eathers Afire, Ocean’s Blood, and Sweet as Huney. All of them are fated mates, UF/PNR. All of these characters come back in my newest series Palbert City Underground written as Ryenne Renner.
My Yours Always series follows two security companies made up of ex special ops soldiers after they move to the small town of Granger Springs.
Mason is a second chance romance after he disappears without a trace for ten years.
Lukas is an insta love about a man who can’t talk and a woman with a daughter who is being stalked.
Logan is about a man who has always wanted a family and who needs to convince a widow and her two kids they’re who he’s been waiting for.
Nyssa is an enemies to lovers where she gets paired with the man she can’t stand on an undercover op posing as newlyweds.
Ray is an age gap romance that includes a cult.
Jack is about to give up on finding someone who will love him as is until he’s held up at gunpoint in the middle of a storm.
Kit has grown up knowing he can’t be loved but starts to hope he might be wrong when he meets a man who’s determined to convince him otherwise.
Dean fell for
the criminal’s daughter and then she disappeared. When she calls him for help, he’ll do everything in his power to punish those responsible for her disappearance.
And finally,
Morgan lost the love of his life five years ago in a tragic accident. Can he let go of his grief and let another into his heart and his life?
Fire’s Kiss is up for preorder. In that one, Aveh finds out there are such things as monsters, she’s a fire faerie, and there’s an underground war between hunters and paranormals. Can she get control of her magic long enough to save the men she loves and the city she calls home?
What do you need in your writing space to help you stay focused?
Ryenne: Music, my water bottle, coffee in the morning, and a beer in the evening.
What is your favorite writing snack or drink?
Ryenne: Artichokes and beer.
If you could spend a day with another author, whom would you choose and why?
Ryenne: Just one? lol Ah, Gracen Miller. I love her and have worked with her on the Crimson Moon Hideaway series. She’s amazing.
How do you celebrate when you finish your book?
Ryenne: I don’t usually celebrate until I’m holding the first paperback in my hand. Then, I take a picture and share it on social media. If my husband is home (he’s a truck driver so that’s not often) he’ll send me to have a bath then make me snacks. lol
What risks have you taken with your writing that have paid off?
Ryenne: After 10 years of publishing and having 19 books published, I changed my name. My reasons were personal. I had family members and friends who insisted on letting me know they didn’t approve of what I was writing, that they would refuse to spread the word (I never asked anyone to share anything they weren’t comfortable with). I also realized that when it came to interacting on social media, I held back and wasn’t myself for fear of being attacked by those in my real life…. So I became someone else. And holy shit, it has been amazing. lol
What has helped or hindered you the most when writing a book?
Ryenne: What has helped the most is my husband. He’s amazing and supportive and when I told him why I was changing my name I had to stop him from beheading some of our family members. (Yes, he’s a big inspiration for my protective heroes. lol) There isn’t much that’s hindered me. Money, I guess. Starting out before you make money on the books. Editing costs. Covers. I taught myself to make covers, so that helped. (never cheap out on the editing!)
What advice would you give to help others create plotlines?
Ryenne: Read a lot. Watch tv. Talk to people about adventures they’ve gone on. Fill your brain with stories and your ideas will flourish.
How many hours a day do you write?
Ryenne: Well, I sit at the computer for at least 6 hours. Whether I’m writing or not… Lol! I try to make sure I get at least two hours in. On average, I’d say I write for three.
What are your favorite or most helpful author resources?
Ryenne: Facebook and Twitter. Just talking with other authors, editors, and marketers has made a world of difference.
Thank you again to the wonderful Ryenne Renner! Make sure to follow Ryenne on all the platforms and check out her upcoming books as well!!!
Twitter: www.twitter.com/ryennerenner
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/ryennerenner
Newsletter: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/jfqivnv90e (free book)
Amazon for Mireille Chester: https://www.amazon.com/author/mireillechester
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