D. Renee Bagby and Shiloh Walker
Interview: May 23, 2008
Wildfire would like to welcome authors D. Renee Bagby and Shiloh Walker.
D. Reneé Bagby
Julie: Tell us a little bit about your latest release.
Renee: My latest release is with Samhain Publishing and it's a mainstream fantasy romance with interracial and multicultural themes called Serenity. (I have a habit of naming my books after the heroine.) Serenity is the princess of Cheslav, the largest human kingdom on Gezane, which is an alternate Earth. To put an end to the war that has raged between humans and bhresyas (whom the humans call demons) for centuries, Serenity is promised to Melchior, the king of Nexeu and all bhresyas. She's happy to be his bride and is eager to be with him since she feels they are destined to be with one another, but Melchior doesn't feel the same. He's with Serenity out of obligation and doesn't want to make theirs a true marriage, despite his growing feelings for her.
Melchior's denials of an intimate emotional and physical relationship with Serenity lead to her capture by those who want the peace between humans and bhresyas to end. The only way for Melchior to save her is to admit what he truly feels before it is too late.
Julie: When a new book comes out, are you nervous about how readers will react to it?
Renee: Most definitely. I want my readers to like my books and keep coming back when I release new ones. Since I've spent however long pouring over the story and tweaking it, I get desensitized to it after a while and start to wonder if the story is as emotionally charged as I originally thought it was. Then the story is released and, like in the case of Serenity, I get emails from people who say they cried (or got a little teary-eyed) when they got to the climax of the story. For me, that's a good reaction. It means I did what I set out to accomplish.
Julie: What makes your characters so vulnerable yet strong? Can you describe them to us? What do you do when characters stop talking to you when writing?
Renee: The vulnerability I write into most my characters is being a "fish out of water". Most of the time I take my heroine out of her comfort zone (put her on an alternate Earth as is the case in Adrienne or a different country as is the case in Serenity) and write about how she deals. As a military brat, I traveled a lot and was always the new kid, so these types of stories come easily to me. Though, I didn't realize that was the theme of the majority of my stories until someone pointed it out to me.
When my characters stop talking to me, I edit—or try to. I continually read over what I've written and make changes to make it better. If the characters of one story stay silent for too long, I'll open another story I've already started and read that instead. Usually the drive to find out what happens next is enough to get me back into the mood of writing.
Julie: What is the most rewarding thing about being an author?
Renee: I'd say the most rewarding part about being a writer is hearing from people who have read my books and liked them. After Serenity released, I got emails almost everyday for the first two weeks from people who absolutely loved it and couldn't wait for the next book in the Gezane Universe. While it's still a little ways off, their enthusiasm gave me a lot of motivation to get my other stories finished so I can get to the next Gezane story.
Julie: What is your writing process? Do you outline, fly by the seat of your pants or a combination of both?
Renee: I do a combination of the two. Usually, I meet the main characters while they're in the middle of an argument. I write out the scene then work from there to figure out who they are, why they're arguing, and where their relationship is headed. As I brainstorm, I jot notes in a text file about plot progression, character development, and so on so I can refer back to it later when I return to the story. I say "return" because I always seem to come up with new stories while working on others.
Once I start writing, it's mostly a seat-of-my-pants situation. I know the major points I have to include but that's about it. Most of the time, I'm as surprised as my readers about how some things turn out.
Julie: What genre do you want to try your hand at but haven't?
Renee: I'm still trying to figure out horror romance. I think I have a story lined up that may just work out, but it's hard to keep up the pacing and tension of a horror story while making sure the relationship development is still there. My current hang up is that the horror part gets solved but the hero and heroine haven't reached their HEA yet. I'd like for both aspects of the story to end at about the same time with maybe a chapter (at max two) left to wrap things up between the main characters. I'm still working on it and hope to have it ready before the new year.
Julie: Most people envision an author's life as being really glamorous. What's the most unglamorous thing that you've done in the past week?
Renee: Okay, this is easy. I work at Wal-Mart to pay my bills—both everyday bills and bills accrued from writing (advertising, promotion, etc). How's that for unglamorous? J I'm an overnight stocker. People always ask me why I work there and not an office. It's an easy job, there are no customers, the managers don't bother me with petty stuff, and it allows me to brainstorm. It's also great exercise since the store I work at is HUGE—one of the biggest non-supercenters on the East coast.
Julie: Do you remember the first romance novel that you read?
Renee: Vaguely, I'm sad to say. I do believe it was a Stella Cameron book, but I read it so long ago, I barely remember anything about it. I still have it though. It's tucked away amongst my books. Up until that book, I'd only ready YA romance where the most risqué thing was a kiss. *gasp* Then, one summer, my dad hands me this book that was mixed with a bunch his friend had given him. I couldn't believe how thick it was but decided to give it a try. I was hooked on "adult" romance from that moment forward and my local library and used bookstores became my best friends.
Julie: Do you prefer writing series books over non series or does it matter?
Renee: My muse seems to prefer series. I write under two names D. Reneé Bagby and Zenobia Renquist. I originally invented Zen-Ren so I could keep my Multiverse novels (the alternate Earth stories) separate from the stand-alones and head off reader confusion. I never intended to do any series under Zen-Ren, but my muse decided differently. I have three series planned for Zen-Ren now. Unlike the Multiverse novels, they will be true series romance with interlinked plots and characters.
I don't consider the Multiverse true series since most of the characters don't meet and there are no interconnecting plots. There are times when a past, or even future character, will make a cameo appearance in another's book but I only have a handful of stories planned that have a plot that carries over into a second book. The only thing that will connect most of the stories is that they take place on the same Earth.
Julie: What's next for you?
Renee: Writing, writing and more writing. I'm trying to get a category length manuscript (35,000-60,000 words) finished so I can get it submitted. It'll be a Zen-Ren title. It's almost done and I want it finished before I head out to the Lori Foster Reader-Author Get Together in early June. I'm also working on a novel that is about 85% finished. But, as my muse tends to do, the category distracted her and I had to work on it instead of finishing my novel.
Renee is a military brat turned military wife. She loves to "Discover Different and Unique Romance" while she is "Building New Realms of Passion" with her fantasy/sci-fi MC/IR stories. Whether as D. Reneé Bagby or Zenobia Renquist, Renee loves introducing people to her brand of relationships and romance.
Backlist:
Serenity, Samhain Publishing (D. Reneé Bagby)
Adrienne, Samhain Publishing (D. Reneé Bagby)
Acknowledging Meirion, Red Rose Publishing (Zenobia Renquist)
A Valentine's Gift for Tori, Red Rose Publishing (Zenobia Renquist)
Coming soon:
Serenity (print), Samhain Publishing
Links:
Website
Zenobia Renquist Website
MySpace
Zenobia Renquist MySpace
Yahoo Group
Blog
Shiloh Walker
Julie: How long have you been writing? What inspired you to pick the pen up one day and create characters that capture the imagination?
Shiloh: The answer to that is going to change depending on who you ask-I remember first writing in sixth grade. My mom will tell you that I've been doing it even longer.
It's not so much inspiration that made me pick up a pen-but a need for peace & quiet. Characters talk too loud and writing them down shuts them up. J
Julie: What is your writing process? Do you outline, fly by the seat of your pants or a combination of both?
Shiloh: Definitely a combination of both. I tend to see the story as it unfolds in my head and remember points, but I don't often do it before I start writing. I plan as I go and I'm trying to get better about plotting things out-but I'll never be organized enough to plot a book out before I even get started.
Julie: How do you choose the setting for your next book?
Shiloh: Sometimes something about a setting will jump out at me, but usually I try to pick an area I've been to before, or one I can visit & research.
Julie: How long does it take you to finish a book from start to submission?
Shiloh: That depends on the book. I've written short stories (i.e.: Whipped Cream & Handcuffs) that only took six hours. Other more in-depth stories take longer. I'd guess I average about 4-6 weeks for the books I submit to my epubs and 7-10 weeks on the ones I write for Berkley.
Julie: How much does reader reaction mean to you as an author?
Shiloh: A lot. If the readers don't enjoy my books, they may not buy another, which means I might not continue to sell. However, when I write the story, I'm writing it more for me-if I try to focus on anything other than how the story plays out in my head, I lose sight of it and the characters don't talk to me. I've been lucky enough that readers seem to want to read what I write, even when I get really weird with my books.
Julie: When you write, is atmosphere important? For example, do you use mood music or candles? Do you need complete quiet to concentrate?
Shiloh: The only thing I need is my computer and the lack of little hands tugging on my arms, Mama, I'm hungry….milk…play…. etc…etc… I don't need complete quiet but it's much easier to write when the kids are at their sitter's. I can write under most circumstances, though. I've very good at tuning things out. ;)
Julie: Most people envision an author's life as being really glamorous. What's the most unglamorous thing that you've done in the past week?
Shiloh: That would depend. Are you wanting to know about the dirty diapers that I change on the 23 month old, the argument I had with the 9 year old about her school work being more important than video games or how my husband and I spent Saturday moving my mom's bedroom furniture? The glamour, it never stops. J
Julie: There are so many publishers out there, how do you decide who to submit your work to?
Shiloh: Story length. *G* Contractual obligations have all books over a certain word count going to Berkley Publishing, my publisher in New York. The shorter stories, I split up between my two epublishers.
Julie: Describe the space where you write.
Shiloh: My office-where I'm supposed to write-has this lovely roll-top desk, several bookshelves, a big window that I keep shut because I get distracted, a curio cabinet and lots of pictures of my kids and husband.
However, I tend to do more writing if I sit on the couch with my laptop. The desktop has internet access…and I love to play.
Julie: What do you do when you aren't writing? Any hobbies or special interests that you can tell us about?
Shiloh: I pretend to be an amateur photographer-my kids and my husband are my fave subject. My world revolves around them, horseback riding lessons, going to the Y for Taekwondo, helping out at their school, whatever I can.
Aside from my family, I'm on a quest to lose weight and 'change how I eat' so I spend a decent amount of time at the local YMCA. I've got a dark blue belt in Taekwondo. I like to read, I like to procrastinate, I do whatever I can to avoid cleaning…
Julie: Do you ever experience writer's block? If you do, how do you cope with it?
Shiloh: Generally when the story isn't flowing, it's because something is wrong somewhere within the story. So I backtrack. Fix it. Keep going.
Julie: Are there any absolutely-must-have characteristics for your heroes or heroines?
Shiloh: I think most of them are a bit sarcastic or a little bit of a smart-ass. And stubborn. I tend to relate to stubborn people very well and they show up a lot in my books.
Julie: Dealing with writing deadlines can be a challenge. What do you do to cope with the stress?
Shiloh: I focus on the story, not the deadline. If I spazz about a deadline, it intrudes on the book, and that doesn't get it written.
Julie: Do you remember the first romance novel that you read?
Shiloh: I think it was Rosemary Rodgers The Wanton.
Julie: What's next for you?
Shiloh: I'm working on an erotic romance single author anthology titled Chains. After that, I'm starting on my next Hunters book.
Shiloh Walker has been writing since she was a kid. She fell in love with vampires with the book Bunnicula and has worked her way up to the more...ah...serious vampire stories. She loves reading and writing anything paranormal, anything fantasy, and nearly every kind of romance. Once upon a time she worked as a nurse, but now she writes full time and lives with her family in the Midwest.
Backlist:
Her Best Friend's Lover, Ellora's Cave
Whipped Cream and Handcuffs, Ellora's Cave
Voyeur, Ellora's Cave
The Dragon's Warrior, Ellora's Cave
Once Upon A Midnight Blue, Ellora's Cave
The Hunters - Declan and Tori (Book 1), Ellora's Cave
The Hunters - Eli And Sarel (Book 2), Ellora's Cave
The Hunters: Byron & Kit (Book 3), Ellora's Cave
The Hunters: Jonathan & Lorie (Book 5), Ellora's Cave
The Hunters: Ben and Shadoe (Book 5), Ellora's Cave
The Hunters: Rafe & Sheila (Book 6), Ellora's Cave
I'll Be Hunting You, Ellora's Cave
The Huntress, Samhain Publishing
Hunter's Pride, Samhain Publishing
Malachi, Samhain Publishing
Make Me Believe, Ellora's Cave
Her Wildest Dreams, Ellora's Cave
Coming In Last, Ellora's Cave
Touch of Gypsy Fire, Ellora's Cave
His Every Desire, Ellora's Cave
Always Yours, Samhain Publishing
For the Love of Jazz, Samhain Publishing
Beautiful Girl, Samhain Publishing
Hearts and Wishes, Ellora's Cave
Firewalkers: Dreamer, Ellora's Cave
Firewalkers: Sage, Ellora's Cave
Under Your Spell: Hot Spell, Ellora's Cave
Silk Scarves and Seduction, Ellora's Cave
Mythe & Magick, Ellora's Cave
Mythe: Vampire, Ellora's Cave
His Christmas Cara, Ellora's Cave
Every Last Fantasy, Ellora's Cave
Ghost of A Chance: Tales from the Temple IV, Ellora's Cave
Djinn's Wish: A Wish, A Kiss, A Dream, Ellora's Cave
Telling Tales, Ellora's Cave
Back From Hell, Ellora's Cave
Freak of Nature: Legendary Tails II, Ellora's Cave
Nebulous: Myth-Behavin' Anthology, Ellora's Cave
The Dragon's Woman, Ellora's Cave
Good Girls Don't, Ellora's Cave
Talking with The Dead, Samhain Publishing
One Night With You, Ellora's Cave
One of the Guys, Ellora's Cave
Hot Spell Anthology, Berkley Trade
Hunting the Hunter, Berkley Sensation
Hunters: Heart & Soul, Berkley Heat
Hunter's Salvation, Berkley Sensation
Coming soon:
Through the Veil, Berkley Sensation
Private Places Anthology, Berkley Trade
Guilty Needs, Ellora's Cave
Vicious Vixen, Samhain Publishing
The Missing, Berkley Trade
Links:
Website
Blog
If you would like to request an interview, please send a query to info@allromanceebooks.com
Until next time!
Julie Cummings
Wildfire Interview Coordinator
All Romance eBooks
