Spend a few moments on D. Renee Bagby’s website and you realize she’s as unique and interesting as her books. Her romances about magic, other dimensions and most importantly love, have gotten rave reviews. And, she’s graciously offered to give away two of her books!
Join me in welcoming D. Renee Bagby to the blog!
My parents had just gotten divorced and I was living with my mom and we were moving around every year so I didnāt have many friends. I stayed in my own head a lot, making up stories about being whisked away by some handsome prince from an alien culture who needed me to bring about their glorious golden era (hey, if youāre going to dreamādream big).
It got hard to remember the stories I made up and my homework at the same time (homework always lost) so I started writing them down. I have several notebooks from school (still) with lots of stories I had started. My teachers thought I was taking notes, so they left me alone.
My senior year of high school, I heard about a writing competition and decided Iād enter. I asked my past English teacher to beta-read/edit the story for me. She said sheād found it interesting and would love to read more. That was all the encouragement I needed. I didnāt make the contest deadline but I decided then and there to get something finished and published.
How long did it take for you to get published once you had the first book done?
I started researching NY publishers and found out I needed an agent, so I started looking for agents while doing revisions to my story. I ended up scraping pretty much all of the story and starting over. I finished it the second time after weād moved to Maryland. A lady at my then day job did a beta read
for me and she suggested, since I was having the usual trouble with agents, that I try ebooks, specifically Samhain Publishing.
As I said, I donāt remember exactly, but I think it was a year.
Can you tell us about āthe call,ā when you found out youād sold your first book?
I can give actual dates on this one because I still have the emails (theyāre memorabilia. No way Iām deleting them):
– 19 April 2006, I submitted to Samhain Publishing
– 27 May 2006, (my hubbyās bday) I heard back from the submissions editor. She couldnāt offer a contract at that time because I had too much passive voice. BUT, she was willing to give it another looksie if I revised it.
– 22 July 2006, Resubmission after eliminating as much passive voice as I could, though I was a little lost on that at the time because I still didnāt quite understand passive voice and the internet didnāt help.
– 25 Sept 2006, Dancing on the ceiling commenced because I had gotten my welcome letter to Samhain Publishing.
Up until Iād heard back from the submissions editor, I wasnāt even sure someone other than me would like my story. My beta reader did, but she was only one person. And then I got that contract and I thought, āGee, maybe other people will like it tooā.
– 10 July 2007 ā ADRIENNE was born into the publishing world.
Whatās your writing schedule like?
I have no schedule. I write whenever I can find a spare momentābefore 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. It travels all around the house with me just in case I need to write something really quick while waiting for my food to cook. I want a mini (netbook) now just because the keys on my phone are too small when I start typing really fast. Not to mention, I donāt have to do as much just to type a simple single quote.
The length of time it takes me to write a book varies. Most of my stories are already started. As they tend to intertwine, I have bits of them written so I know how the stories come together. I donāt write from point A to point Z. Iāll start with point Z and then jump to point R, maybe visit a little at point B and then go on to point F. Also, I donāt always stick with one story until itās finished, so I canāt really say how long one book takes. Factor in real life and measuring goes out the window.
You write under two names. Can you explain the differences?
But, my muse didnāt like the confines as much as I did. I came up with plots that didnāt fit the Multiverse. I didnāt want to scrap them but I didnāt want to make them conform either. So, Zenobia Renquist was born. Under that name are the random stories that donāt belong to the Multiverse. Some are series and some are stand alone.
Splitting my stories between two names also saves on confusion. Iāll never have to deal with people asking me if a particular book is part of the Multiverse or not. š
What has surprised you most about being an author?
Iāve managed to dodge the marketing plan, but I will have to write one eventually. It would be nice if I actually follow it as well. Iāve gotten better with synopsis writing (I think). I guess I still need a little more work with my query letters. And promotion is hit-or-miss no matter whatāsome things work for some and not others.
A forum I participated in at the beginning of my career imparted one truth that I always quote and pass onāāwriting the book is the easy partā. Given the amount of tumor and self-guessing and long hours that goes into actually writing a book, that statement is scary as hell and now I truly understand it.
What advice can you give aspiring writers?
āWhyā is the one question word that will flesh out your book faster than anything else. Even if you donāt write out the reason in your story, knowing the answer helps you to understand your characters and makes writing them easier.
Question your plot, as well. Why did she do this instead of that? Why didnāt she just tell him? Making yourself explain and rationalize your plot will help you see it better. And if you canāt question yourself, find a helper that will. A sounding board or critique partner/beta reader is worth their weight in gold-pressed latinum.
What are you working on now? Can you give us a favorite line or blurb from your current work in progress?
ft, and the heroine is very human. Iām having fun with the dynamics of their relationship.
I have no blurb and Iām still at that phase where everything is my favorite line. But I hope to have it finished soon and then I can start excerpting parts of it.
Out of all of your books, do you have a favorite or a favorite character? Or…Which of your characters do you think is most like you and why?
Unfortunately, my favorite is always the current. I love all of my stories and would sit around reading the finished ones all day, every day if I hadnāt banned myself from doing it just because I would spend all day, every day reading them.
Likewise, my favorite character is always the hero of my current work-in-progress. I let myself get emotionally involved with all my books just so the emotions are more real. It makes my husbandās life interesting when he catches hell because Iām ticked off with my current hero because of something he did to the heroineā¦ or didnāt do.
All my heroines carry a piece of me. I canāt help but give them some personality trait that I can relate to thus making it easier for me to write them. Itās up to the reader to figure out what actually belongs to me though.
Where can we find you on the web?
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/dreneebagby
Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/dreneebagby
Blog – http://dreneebagby.blogspot.com/
What do you do when youāre not writing? Any Hobbies?
Congratulations on your success! Interesting about traveling around with your smartphone. I have notes all over the house with a few lines or more scribbled on them. I bought a mini recorder to use when I walk the dog — that’s when I get most of my ideas. But I keep forgetting to use it.
Hi Hi Edie, thanks for stopping by.
I had to stop with the notes. They turned into Easter eggs. I’d start cleaning and find another one and then try and remember where I was going with that particular plot. š
Someone suggested the mini-recorder but I don’t like the sound of my own voice (does anyone?) so I never used it. It’s still in the original packaging.
I originally had a PDA and a cell phone but that was one gadget too many to be carrying around in a purse that is already too heavy. When I upgraded, I combined them. I love my MotoQ9.
Hi Renee and Lori š
Great interview, and congrats on the books. Anime and manga, interesting, I do like those too. But I have looked at and read way too few.
There are so many so which ones to choose, and I do prefer the fantasy ones
blodeuedd1 at gmail dot com
Hi D. Renee,
My sister first read Adrienne and she raved about. She said I had to read it. It was one of the best books she had read this year. She was right. I have re-read it a couple of times.
Hi Renee! Great interview. Love how something extraordinary came out of your teenaged angst! All I got were pimples and a bad attitude!
Congrats on your books. They look amazing!
I like how all the stories fall in the same universe but different worlds so it has an overall theme. I would like to read the dragon book. Will be interesting to find out how they make it work.
linze_e@hotmail.com
reading and writing is such a great way to deal with angst! Your books sound great! congrats on your sales.
ali
aliburge at yahoo dot com
Glad you were able to channel that teen angst into a career! Sounds like a blast.
Fascinating interview! Ugh, the “passive voice.” That reminds me of all of my college critiques!
Very good interview! I look forward to picking up Adrienne and the others soon after. Thanks Lori for introducing me to this type of lit.
great interview~!