About DC Renee:
I’m a lover of reading and writing, naturally. I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember, from cheesy poems in elementary school to short stories and even fan fictions. I have a very supportive family, from my parents, to my husband, even my in-laws, and especially my sister. She approves or rejects literally every chapter I write. It’s because of them and my amazing fans that I keep doing what I do.
What inspires you to write?
My readers. Plain and simple. When I have someone that isn’t obligated to love my work (like my family and friends) come to me and tell me that they really enjoyed my story, it pushes me to keep writing.
Tell us about your writing process.
I usually get a vague idea in my head and write the first chapter. I send it to my sister to see what she says. if she approves, I start thinking about major plot points and I go over them with her to see what she thinks works. I tend to write them down so I don’t miss something later on. As I write, I cross them off. It makes me feel like I’m accomplishing something.
As far as actual writing goes. I tend to write a chapter at a time and send it to my sister. She either tells me it’s good and to keep going or tells me what didn’t work and I re-write and re-send.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I don’t know that I interact with my characters so much as I notice I have a hard time with some chapters as opposed to others. I end up blaming my characters for being finicky when that happens, but that’s about as far as it goes.
What advice would you give other writers?
Marketing and editing are very important. No one wants to purchase a book and count the number of errors they find. If you haven’t noticed already, some reviews specifically point out spelling and grammatical errors and that actual turns people off. Marketing is what gets your name and your books out there, but it’s hard work. You end up spending almost as much if not more time marketing than you do writing. It’s just the nature of the game, so don’t get discouraged.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I honestly just kind of said, “Hey, why not?” I self-published and it didn’t cost a ton of money to do so. I figured if I did well, great! If not, then it was just the price of a hobby. I got lucky with promoting at the time. The market wasn’t as saturated and facebook posts reached a ton more people. It’s a lot harder now, but it’s definitely worth it.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I think it’ll be easier to publish (not that it isn’t now), but will be harder to market. There are just so many great authors and books out there, but that makes it more difficult for readers to pick and choose.
What do you use?: Professional Editor, Professional Cover Designer, Beta Readers
What genres do you write?: Contemporary Romance Fiction
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Link To DC Renee Page On Amazon
Link to Author Page on Smashwords
