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Thank you for allowing an interview with me at THE ROMANCE ROOM blog.
Sarah J. McNeal
What happens
when Cinderella saves Prince Charming?
Dara Khan Androcles was trained from childhood to be a
healer. But as a demon-possessed invader threatens Safehold, and she defends a
wounded warrior on the battlefield, her hidden inner dragon thirsts for
blood.
When she lifts the warrior’s blond, blood-encrusted hair
away from his ear, she discovers he is more than King Hengist’s outlander ally.
He is an immortal. The elven heir to the throne of Cymry.
Loren ta Cedric senses something different about
flame-haired, falcon-eyed woman who saves him. A healer, wreathed in raw, dark
power, who wields knives with deadly skill. A mortal who prays to the Lady, not
the human gods. Now he owes this thoroughly distracting female a Life-Debt.
Which, in the heat of their flight to Loren’s homeland to raise an army,
somehow becomes Life-Mate.
Dragon-human and elf, peasant and prince, logic says they
have no future. Yet the power of their unlikely bond could be the only thing
that saves their world from a demon poised to tear it apart.
Warning: This new twist on Cinderella contains a grouchy dragon,
a sentient war mare with the dry wit of a certain English Dame, and a fiery
heroine who strikes serious sparks with a mercenary elf.
THE INTERVIEW
What is the most adventurous thing
you’ve ever done?
When
I was younger I was really into caving—love being underground & exploring.
What adventure would you like to
have that you haven’t done yet if money and skill were no problem?
I
would love to tag along with Josh Gates on one of his Expedition Unknown
archeological adventures!
Who are some of your favorite
authors? What commonality do you see in
them?
Mercedes
Lackey, Sherrilyn Kenyon and J.R.Ward – their characters are so multi-faceted
and imperfect, like real people.
I believe color says something
about a person’s personality. What’s
your favorite color?
I
love the grayer shades of light blue—very calm & restful.
If you could have a do-over life,
what one thing would you do differently?
What would you do again?
I
never would have taken that job after HS at that rabbit farm…
I
would marry my husband all over again!
What is your writing process from
conception to finished MS?
If
I get an idea or concept I write it down. I have an obsessive brain that keeps
me up at night, often churning bits of dialogue or whole scenes at ungodly
hours. I get by on less sleep these days, but have to take the occasional nap
to “catch up.” I think while working my day job and hit the computer as soon as
I get home. It’s hard to stay on “this” book when my brain’s crowding in “the
next” book (and the next…) I’m a plotter, so if I get stuck on one point, I
just do a different scene and piece it all together later. I always write
secondary characters with an eye/ear to give them their own book later—that’s
how I did seven books in my Guardian of Light series, and now I’m working on
their kids, the Daughters of the Guardians.
Are you a planner, panster or both?
I
am a total plotter, and what’s worse is, I tend to edit as I write so I’m pokey
as all get-out.
How did you research for your book?
Between
kids and a day job, I don’t get out much—and I’m always broke! So I live at my
local library, do tons of online research, and pick my friends’ brains whenever
they get back from somewhere interesting. I love talking to experts in whatever
field/skills I want to incorporate in a book.
What is your all-time favorite
movie? TV show?
Movie
– tie between Rob Roy and The Last of the Mohicans (Mary MacGregor and Cora
Munro are two of the strongest heroines to ever grace the silver screen!)
TV
Show – Fiction – tie between The Librarians and BBC’s The Musketeers
Non-Fiction
– Expedition Unknown with Josh Gates
How important do feel writing
workshops are to a writer?
Writing
workshops and conferences are huge opportunities to both network and learn. As
a romance writer, I highly recommend joining both national & your local
chapter of RWA (Romance Writers of America).
If you could learn one new skill,
fear and money no deterrent, what would it be?
I
would love to sail around the world in one of those big tall-masted ships!
They’re so cool!
If you had a million dollars to
donate to any one charity, what would it be?
I
find it appalling, the dichotomy in this country that makes this charity even
necessary. Kids need nutrition to grow, to fuel their brains to learn. It’s
hard to focus on the future when they’re stuck in a present without basic
necessities. They have to have stability and hope.
What advice would you like to give
to an aspiring writer?
Don’t
write what you know. Write what you love, what interests you and gives
you passion. Your enthusiasm with lead to fuller research and a flair on the
page that will make it easier for readers to catch the fire as well!
Did anyone mentor you or help you
along the way? Please tell us about your
mentor and what you feel he or she contributed to your writing career.
WisRWA
author Jane Toombs was a judge for the Fab 5 contest when I entered Hedda’s
Sword. She loved it and wanted me to let her know who picked it up b/c she said
“You WILL be published.” (It’s Guardians of Light Book 2 – renamed A Guardian’s
Hope, it comes out from Champagne in early May 2018.) She is the one who got me
to Query Champagne after Samhain folded, and I inherited her entire Colonial
American research library several years ago.
What is the best advice anyone ever
gave you?
Don’t
dwell on the past – always more ahead, move forward.
If you could live anywhere in the
world you wanted to, where would it be? (Language is no barrier)
As
much as I HATE the cold, I would love to live in Scotland – so wild and scenic,
with so much history and fascinating people!
Where do you write?
These
days at the dining room table, using my daughter’s boyfriend’s PC, since both
of my laptops recently crashed and the Geek Squad recommended a Viking funeral…
How much time do you devote to
writing each week? Do you have a day
every week that you take off?
I
groom dogs in my EDJ, but I come home and work on something writing-related
every day before/after work. If I’m not writing, I’m usually either editing or
promoting. (Okay, sometimes I have 4-H or school stuff with my daughter—she’s a
graduating senior in HS, has already started college classes, and shows our
Morab mare in 4-H & open horse shows.)
What is a genre that you have not
attempted that you would like to try?
I
have all those Colonial American research books from Jane Toombs, would love to
write a 18th century historical romance someday.
Is there anything you would like
readers to know about you?
I
am a super-history geek – Love History & Travel Channel. You can usually
find me getting distracted by Forged in Fire, Mysteries and the Museum, and…oh
yeah…Josh Gates!
Renee Wildes
Renee Wildes grew up reading fantasy authors
Terry Brooks and Mercedes Lackey and is a huge Joseph Campbell fan, so the
minute she discovered romance novels it became inevitable that she would
combine it all and write fantasy romance. Renee is a history buff and research
junkie, from ancient to medieval times, esp. the Dark Ages. As a Navy brat and
a cop’s kid, she gravitated to protector/guardian heroes and heroines. She’s
had horses her whole life, so became the only vet tech in a family of nurses.
It all comes together in her Guardians of Light series – fantasy, action,
romance, heroics, and lots of critters!
LINKS:
Website: https://
reneewildesromance.com
