Author Interview: Zenobia Renquist

I'm interviewing Zenobia Renquist today. Zenobia writes for a number of publishers: Changeling Press and Ellora’s Cave as Zenobia Renquist and Samhain Publishing as D. Renee Bagby. She’s talking about her latest book from Changeling Press: Love Reversed. Also watch for her new release from Ellora’s Cave: Pet’s Pleasure, coming April 5^th. BTW, I'm a big Vin Diesel/Riddick fan too. :)

-Tell us a little about the book and where did you get the idea to write this story.

Title: LoveReversed

Written As: Zenobia Renquist – http://zenobiarenquist.com

Genre: Erotic Fantasy Romance, Interracial, Suspense

Publisher: Changeling Press

Blurb:

It's only an even swap when both parties are satisfied.

Cinnamon came to the Hawaii celebrity retreat to meet her favorite actress. Calhoun crashed to find answers about his missing uncle. Neither of them signed on for the part of the tour that included body swapping. They have to find a way to switch back without anyone realizing their predicament. Long nights of searching for answers become even longer when curiosity takes over. It's a once in a lifetime chance to see how the other half loves, they don't plan to let it slip away.

Buy Link: http://www.changelingpress.com/product.php?&upt=book&ubid=1749

Full first chapter online:

http://dreneebagbypresentsfirstchapters.blogspot.com/2012/01/love-reversed-by-zenobia-renquist.html

- What’s the best and worst part of being a writer?

The best part about being a writer is the ability to give my imagination an audience who enjoys the fantastical ideas I come up with. My stories entertain me, first and above all others. If I don’t like the story, then there’s no way I’ll subject someone else to it. Having a reader tell me they loved one of my stories as much as I loved it is one of the best things about being a writer.

The worst thing about being a writer would have to be the waiting. Waiting for acknowledgment of a query/submission. Waiting for a request for more. Waiting for a contract or rejection. Waiting for edits. Waiting for final lines. Waiting for a cover. Waiting for a release date. Waiting for reviews. Waiting for the sales figures. Everything about this profession is waiting. While I am a patient person and try to take it all in stride, it starts to wear on me.

- Are you seat of the pants writer or plotter?

I am pantser who plots. I have a general idea of where I want to go, but I have no clue how I’ll get there until after I start writing. The twists and turns my characters take are as much a surprise to me as they are to my readers when they finally get the book.

- If you could turn any of your books into a movie which book or series would it be?

I would love to see the Caveat Emptor series written under my pen name Zenobia Renquist for Changeling Press turned into a movie. I think it would make for an interesting pre-summer movie. Or better yet, a made for TV mini-movie series.

- Which actor screams SEXY to you?

Vin Diesel all the way. I love that man. Seeing him in Pitch Black and Chronicles of Riddick was heaven for me. I even gave him a nod in my book ERIS written under my pen name D. Renee Bagby for Siren Publishing.

- Do you write full time or work outside of the home?

I graduated to writing full time back in November 2010. I quit my day job and have never looked back. I love all the time I have to do everything or nothing, and I’m very pleased with the amount of books I’ve managed to finish since becoming full time.

- Who are your favorite actors/actresses and could you see them playing your characters if your book became a movie?

I used Luke Goss (known for Prince Nuada in Hellboy and Nomak in Blade 2) as the model for Lucien in my book ERIS. If ever that book were made into a movie, I would absolutely love for him to play the part. For actresses, I am partial to Zoe Saldana (known for Neytiri in Avatar and Uhura in Star Trek) and would love for her to play the lead role in SERENITY (written as D. Renee Bagby for Samhain Publishing) if it ever went to movie.

-Do you write a novel straight through? Or revise as you go? Plan a whole series in advance? Or does the series evolve?

I write books a scene at a time. Those scenes aren’t necessarily in order. Rather than rush through from beginning to end to get to the parts I want to write, I write those parts first and fit everything else around them. I read and re-read my work constantly, so I do a lot of revision as I go. I also like to do one final read through once the story is finished to make sure I connected everything properly and that I’ve caught as many of my editing mistakes as I can.

My stories always evolve. Even when I think I have the whole thing planned out, a character will do something unexpected that will change the whole game. Originally ERIS was supposed to be a mainstream m/f romance, however Ranulf demanded equal time, turning the book into a ménage.

- Do your books have a particular theme or premise?

My books are usually fish out of water or beauty and the beast or both. Beauty and the Beast is my absolute favorite fairy tale (and Disney film). A woman having to overcome a man’s gruff exterior to see the love within is a theme that resonates with me, so I always fall back on it even when I don’t mean to. As well, I was grew up a military brat so moving was common place for me. I was always the new kid. As a result (and you’ll find many authors with a military background do the same), my stories tend to have a fish out of water element to them. I thoroughly love tossing my characters into the unknown and making them cope and adapt.