Meet Renee

Renee’s Instagram handle is @reneeknightauthor . She has been my beta reader, on my cover reveal and ARC team for The Aerowyn Tales. She has always been a positive and consistent encouragement. It’s amazing how you make friends living so far apart. Renee’s a fantastic author besides a huge supporter of my creative ventures. I’m a slow reader due to life circumstances, but I’m gradually reading through her first book. I’m enjoying it and will give a full review once I finish it.

Find Renee here: https://www.instagram.com/reneeknightauthor/

If Renee and I lived in the same city, we’d go to a local coffee shop and talk about books and writing. I think I could easily start a writing group with her if time wasn’t an issue. We both are super busy outside of the book world. She’d order an iced coffee if it’s hot out. It would be either a Spanish latte, a dirty chai, or something cozy that’s flavored with raspberry and lavender. Those seem a bit exotic for me. I don’t even know what a Spanish latte is (LOL🙂). I definitely want an iced coffee in the summer rather than a hot one. 

Grab your own favorite beverage and enjoy getting to know Renee

(In parenthesis I wrote my reactions to some of Renee’s answers.)

Interview

Ideal Reader

Carla: Why do you think you’re my ideal reader?

Renee: Well, I’ve been following you for a while on IG, and I always love your content. You keep it fun, fresh, and unique. Through Instagram, I was introduced to your books, and now I’ve read most of them. I sometimes take a break from weightier books to read a middle grade book. I also have daughters I read out loud to every night. Since you’ve written some middle grade books about a girl named Elle, that is where I started. Then I read your series, the Aerowyn Tales, and those were just my type too. I LOVE fairytale retellings, wholesome romance, references to other books/literature, The Princess Bride, and, of course, magical libraries – and I found all of those things in The Aerowyn Tales!

Personal questions

Carla: What brings a smile to your face?

Renee: I’d love to be the kind of person who notices the small joys in life and smiles at simple things. I’m not always good at that, but there are times when a whiff of coffee or the light hitting the table just right really brings me joy. And, I mean, I’m pretty happy when my dresses are pretty, my pajamas are soft, the sun is shining (or rain is falling. I like both), and art supplies are on sale.

Books always bring a smile to my face. I take a huge inhale every time I walk past a bookstore in the mall! Pages smell so good! I love when an author comes up with a beautiful name or a new and unusual metaphor. And pretty book covers always make my heart beat faster.

I also love chocolate, and baking, and cozy evenings with time to read. My husband and my two girls make me smile many times a day.

(So many things in this answer makes me smile! The best way to live life is to be content and grateful. Renee, you’ve captured this perfectly!)

Carla: What are your favorite activities? If money or time was no object, what activities would you do?

Renee: I’ve always loved reading and writing. If money were no object, I’d probably just do the same, only more of it. 🙂 I’ve always thought I’d like to get better at drawing and painting too, so maybe I’d take some classes? And probably dancing lessons. And definitely travel more!

(Yes! Me too! Of course the part about the reading and writing, but dancing lessons would be so fun. Travel is something Hubby and I cherish!)

 

Book Questions

Carla: What are your favorite books, and what did you love about them?

Renee: I have always loved reading for the fact that it helps me understand others better and also gives me a sense of identity when I come across a relatable character, so my favorite books are more character-driven and have strong character arcs. I love seeing the bad become good, and the hopeless grow hope. Basically redemption in all of its forms. Oh, and a healthy dose of romance. I love sweet endings.

Some of my favorite classics are: The Count of Monte Cristo and A Tale of Two Cities

Favorite historical fiction: The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Where the Lost Wander

Favorite fantasy: So many authors and series, probably too many to name. As long as there is charm, romance, coziness, and strong world-building, I love it.

Carla: What attracted you first to my books?

Renee: I was looking for books to read to my daughters, and The Magical Things series sounded fun and enchanting, but safe for young minds. Then I found out you had written other books too, and I think just hearing that they were fairytale mashups, based mostly on Beauty and the Beast intrigued me. The fact that you had both female and male main characters and wrote from both POVs was a big selling point for me too.

(All of this makes me happy to know! Now I need to get The Magical Things Collection updated and available again for more young readers!)

Carla: What do you like most about my writing?

Renee: I like how intertwined the fairytales are and the fun easter egg references to other well-known stories. It was a lot of fun tracing all those threads in the story. I love that your FMC is sweet and lovable, not annoying. I love that you gave some villains a storyline. And I love how you tackled some tough subjects or situations (like piracy and lewdness) and made it believable, but without making it inappropriate.

(I don’t know if other readers try to trace the easter eggs, but I want to get a free guide to these some day.)

Carla: What genres do you typically read?

Renee: I used to read almost exclusively historical fiction, which is still a genre I love. I’ve also read a lot of classics, but none too recently. A few years ago, I finally found fantasy, and that’s now my favorite/most read genre. Specifically fairytale retellings or cozy fantasy.

Carla: Where do you get your book recommendations?

Renee: Kindle suggests a lot of good ones based on my reading history, and I have found some books like that, but since I joined “Bookstagram”, the reader side of Instagram, I’ve mostly built my reading list from books I discover there. I especially enjoy when someone posts a review, which can really help me decide if I want to read a book or not.

Carla: What topics, genres, or tropes are you currently looking for?

Renee: I started reading fantasy through some dark fantasy books and some spicy ones, but I quickly found that I like much cozier, milder stories than that. I’m currently most attracted to retellings of my favorite fairytales and stories with a cottage-core feel, like enchanted forests and tea shops. I love a good sea-faring adventure and castles as well.

Carla: What makes a book worth recommending to a friend?

Renee: My parameter for a good book is one that I don’t forget easily. If I find myself thinking about it often, or a long time later, or I can still remember a lot about it, I know it was good. And I love recommending anything I enjoyed to my reader friends.

Carla: What frustrates you about books? What do you feel is missing?

Renee: I love common tropes just as much as the next person, but I hate when they feel added in for no other reason than to have them in the story. If the “one horse” or “forced proximity” seems organic, it’s great. If it’s just to push it in there, it feels forced.

I also like knowing up front what kind of content is in the book. Not all authors are good at making sure their readers know what they are getting into in their stories. No one wants to be disappointed, hoping to find content that wasn’t there or surprised the other way around.

(Until recent years, content warnings for readers wasn’t even on my radar. I have posted them on my website now, but not inside my books. It would increase the page count and covers would have to be redone. Going forward, I will included them.)

Carla: What kind of story do you feel you need right now?

Renee: Stories that make me feel good, that are calming for my mind. Not boring, because I do want adventure and surprises, but stories that overall have a sweet ending and characters who have changed and become better by the end.

(Definitely describes my books🙂 )

Carla: What type of content makes you stop reading a book and put it down?

Renee: Poor or nonexistent editing is my biggest pet peeve. I totally tolerate errors, but when it’s consistently hard to decipher, I feel like the author didn’t care enough to make sure her readers got a quality story, and I feel cheated. It’s also annoying to read.

I also don’t like characters (particularly female characters) who are perfect, know everything, and can do anything. Some characters are so sassy, it’s annoying. I want things to be mostly realistic, especially in personalities and relationships.

Carla: What kind of “extra” content would you love from an author?

Renee: I always read acknowledgements and author’s notes. I love to get to know a little more about the author and what went into writing the story. So I guess I’d love more behind-the-scenes about the book. I currently think including recipes for the time period or for a meal mentioned in the story is really awesome too.

(I have some behind-the-scenes info on my website. I wonder if anyone ever reads it?)

Carla: What makes you buy a book? Is it the cover, the blurb, or reviews?

Renee: I hate to do that thing we’re not supposed to do, which is judging a book by its cover, but, honestly, it’s usually the cover that will first make me pick up a book to check it out. To be honest, I usually just skim blurbs. Reviews from others are what actually help me decide most of the time.

(It’s so hard not to be attracted to the cover first. We’re human after all)

Thank you Renee!

I want to thank Renee for volunteering to be interviewed. She’s always been so helpful with my author related questions. We share the same hurdles as authors, but I feel she gives way more than she takes. I wish I could do more to help her writing journey, and perhaps in the future I will be able to.

If any of Renee’s answers sound like you, then perhaps you’re my IRA too! Now would be a good time to get my books and find out.