|
URL:
dreneebagby.com
Contact:
dreneebagby@gmail.com
ABOUT D. RENEÉ
D. Reneé Bagby is an Air Force brat turned Air Force wife.
The last born of three Capricorns and the only daughter, Renee
was exposed to many countries and cultures as her family
traveled around the world due to military relocations. She is
used to being a fish-out-of-water and subjects her characters to
the same with the worlds she creates as backdrops for her
stories.
When not caught up in her fantasy worlds, Reneé can be found
residing in Maryland with her husband and two cats. She splits
her non-writing time between reading comics and manga, watching
anime, knitting chain maille and hanging out with family and
friends.
INTERVIEW
Q: What motivated you to start writing?
A: Two things. First, I needed to keep track of the stories
in my head. I come up with stories to entertain myself whenever
I get bored. I did that a lot when I was younger, but after a
while, I started to forget. The best way to remember was to
write them down. The second reason was because I couldn't find
interracial romances featuring a black heroine in a fantasy
setting. Necessity being the mother of invention, I decided to
write my own.
Q: What’s your writing schedule like?
A: I have no schedule. I write whenever I can find a spare
moment--before bed, two seconds after I wake up, before work,
during my breaks at work, after work, when I get home, etc. I
bought a smartphone so I could have ready access to my current
works-in-progress and so I wouldn't have to transcribe my
written notes to my computer. For all of my major writing I have
my netbook and it travels all around my house with me as well as
out and about in my purse. If I get stuck in a waiting room for
too long, I just whip out the mini and start writing.
Q: What comes first--the plot or the characters?
A: Definitely the characters. Actually, most of the time the
argument comes first. I'll be standing (or sitting) some place
and out of the blue some irate woman will yell something at a
man or vice versa. All of this is in my head, of course. From
there, it's a domino effect. I just have to know what they are
arguing about and then who they are and how they met and how
they will end up together. Answering all of those questions
generally leads to a plot.
Q: What has been the highlight of your career to this
point?
A: The chance to meet like-minded individuals is the biggest
highlight for me. Up until I met other writers, I thought I was
the odd one out. The way I think is weird for most mundanes, and
people don’t always get where I’m coming from. I’ve met several
people with whom I can have the most off-the-wall conversations,
and no one gets lost or needs explanations. We actually bounce
off of each other and come up with even weirder off-the-wall
topics.
Q: What is your favorite animal, real or mythical, and
why?
A: My favorites of all time, real or mythical, are dragons.
More specifically, Asian dragons. I love serpentine dragons. I
think they are gorgeous and majestic. I love the implied power
and wisdom.
Q: Did you always want to be a writer?
A: Unlike most writers, I didn’t know I wanted to be a writer
as a kid. My passion was television and movies. I actually hated
to read until the fourth grade, when a reading contest changed
my mind. The rules were simple--everyone who read a certain
number of books or over would receive a gold medal. I wanted
that gold medal more than anything, and so I started reading.
Well, I got my gold medal and a love of YA romances. A few years
down the road, I graduated to mainstream romances, and then I
spent my last few years of college trying to write my own.
Q: What do you think is romantic? What does the word
romance mean to you?
A: Being romantic is being thoughtful. It’s not about the
money spent, or the elaborateness of the present, or what you’ll
get in return. Being romantic, to me, means a person, man or
woman, does something with the intention of seeing their
significant other happy and nothing else--no reward.
Romance is a contradiction. It’s spontaneous and planned all
at once. From a genre standpoint, it’s knowing that after all of
the crap and hard times, there’s a happy ending waiting for you.
In life, romance is being content with the one you love.
Q: Your book is about to be sent into the reader world.
What is one word that describes how you feel?
A: Anxious. I thought the feeling would go away after the
first book, but no such luck. If anything, it’s a little worse
with each new release. My constant worry is that this will be
the book that disappoints my readers and leads them to drop me
forever. I love my stories and I want others to love them as
well. I know not every story I write will be beloved by those
who like my work. Every author has that one book a fan read
because it was by that author, but they weren’t impressed. Heck,
even I have those with my favorite authors. It’s to be expected
and I know that. I’m just hoping I don’t lose a reader because
of it.
Q: What is the most rewarding thing about being an
author?
A: Besides seeing my name on the cover of a book that I
wrote, I’d say the most rewarding part about being a writer is
hearing from people who have read my books and liked them. I
love fan mail. It's great motivation and wonderful pick-me-up
when reality rears its ugly head, and I get writer's block.
|
