Ranae Rose who has a new human/vampire story out has agreed to chat with Joyfully Reviewed…

Welcome Renae let’s start right in so what is your most current work out?

Eternity and a Year, an erotic urban vampire romance available from Total-E-Bound.

Tell us a little about Eternity and a Year, what inspired you to write Eternity and a Year?
Eternity and a Year tells the story of Carrie and Brendan, a young couple who were engaged to be married until Brendan vanished just three months before the big day. When he returns on the anniversary of his disappearance, he’s no longer human. Carrie is still determined to love him ‘till death do them part, but the evil vampiress who’s hunting him may bring that day about sooner rather than later.

Honestly, I can’t pinpoint a specific incident or thing that inspired this story. The feel and basic premise of the story – lovers being reunited after a disappearance and a year of agony and then struggling with the dynamics of a human/vampire relationship – just came to me, as ideas often do. Once an idea takes root in my mind as this one did, I can’t shake it, and I’ve just got to write it.

When you start writing, do you already have the story plotted out or do you let the characters dictate what will happen?
I often have a sort of skeleton plot, and I flesh the story out as I go along and new ideas and possibilities present themselves to me.

What inspired you to write in your genre? Is this the genre you started writing in or have you morphed to this one?
I started writing as a small child, so obviously I wasn’t writing page-scorching romance from the get go. (LOL) I’ve always been most drawn to the relational aspects of stories, and romance calls to me like tasty, half-priced chocolate. Basically, I just decided to write what I love and not hold back.

Do you have a favorite character you have written?
It’s difficult to say, as I of course love all of my main characters. If I had to choose one couple that I loved the most, it would probably be Isla and Alexander from my (to be published) historical erotic romance Highland Storm. My deep love of highland romance casts a deep bias over my decision, though.

Who was the toughest character for you to “get right” that you have written so far?
Probably Mrs. Gordon, the Lady of Benstrath, also from my historical erotic romance Highland Storm. She had a very tough exterior, and at times it was a challenge to show her softer side beneath without losing that rough veneer altogether.

Do you draw inspiration for your characters from real life? Any fun stories you could share?
Indirectly, yes. I’ve never truly based a character off a real person, but my experiences are bound to color my writing.

In my contemporary erotic novella Taken Hostage, I based Tiffany’s annoying co-workers Alicia and Cindy off of girls that I’ve known. They’re sort of composite characters inspired by all the shallow women I’ve had the misfortune of having to spend any significant amount of time around. LOL

What do you find the hardest part of writing?
Avoiding distractions. Doing so can be difficult when you work from home, especially when you’re a mom and tend to sacrifice time for relaxation in order to devote enough time to work.

Name one thing that your readers would be surprised to know about you.
I think most people would be surprised to know my age. At 22, I often find myself among the youngest of my peers, and writing is no exception. I’m glad I decided to apply myself whole-heartedly to my writing dream this early in my life, and I like to think of all the writing years I’ve got ahead of me (God willing, anyway).

Do you have a guilty pleasure?
I absolutely love watching documentaries on Bigfoot, aliens, the Loch Ness Monster and basically any crypto zoological creature. Nothing is too weird for me, much to my disbelieving husband’s dismay.

What do you need before you start writing? Anything that is just a must have or the creative juice don’t flow?
Nothing really, though a hot cup of tea will never be turned away.

Does music influence your writing? If so, do any of your stories have a theme song?
Not usually. I like it to be quiet when I write, and music is too much of a distraction for me. I do sometimes mentally assign theme songs to characters after I’ve written them though, and sometimes a song resonates with a particular aspect of a story I’ve written.

Where were you when you got your first contract? Who did you tell first?
I found the offer in my inbox while sitting at one of the computers in my house. My husband came up the stairs as I was still reading the message, and he was the first person I told.

How old were you when you read your first romance book?
I read hundreds if not thousands of books as a kid, so chances are I may have read an earlier romance and forgotten it. However, I was really into romance manga (Japanese comic books) as a highschooler, and I remember that it was the Mars series that got me hooked when I was 15 or 16. (And I still love it!)

What author causes you to “go fan girl”/ squeal over/anticipate upcoming books?
Not much. My husband and family members sometimes tease me about the way I show excitement – or rather, don’t show it. Even if I’m really excited about something, it’s often not apparent to those around me. The books I look forward to are usually volumes in a series that I’ve come to love. I remember anticipating the last Harry Potter book, and I’m currently looking forward to the release of the next book in Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series.

If you still have one of those pesky non writing jobs what is it?
I devote most of my time to writing, but I also work outside the home on a part-time contracting basis. I travel around to different cities and towns where I run special marketing and/or sales events for an extremely wide variety of clients. I actually really enjoy doing it.

What are you currently working on, and what else is in the wings?
At the time of writing this, I’m working on a post-apocalyptic erotic romance. I’m nearing the end though, and I expect that by the time this interview goes live, I’ll have finished it. I’ve also got a fantasy-romance brewing in the back of my mind that’s just begging to be written.

If you could co-write with another author who would it be?
I think I’d prefer writing solo for most projects, but I’ve had some fun creating a story together with a good friend of mine – I’ll just call her ‘L’. Dreaming up stuff together and then reading the results was enjoyable, but I suspect that was largely due to the fact that we’re friends. If I had to choose a professional, I guess it’d be my favorite author, Diana Gabaldon (though she certainly doesn’t need another writer’s help to tell a good story).

How do you pick your characters names?
I usually review a selection of names from the time period when they were born and choose one that feels ‘right’.

Do you prefer the love at first sight approach or a steady growth throughout?
I’m not opposed to characters being instantly and strongly attracted to each other if it’s done well. As long as it’s believable, either scenario can be enjoyable to read.

What is your reaction to people who say one of the following…”Oh you write romance,
I thought you were a real writer”, “Romance isn’t a real writing career” or the ever popular “Oh, one of those books”.
I feel sorry for those who won’t allow themselves to enjoy such a good thing. I’m not about to stop, regardless of their opinion. It’s even sort of laughable, as romance outsells other genres by a large margin.

Where can readers find you?
My Website:http://www.ranaerose.com/
Twitter:https://twitter.com/#!/Ranae_Rose
My Blog:http://www.ranaerose.blogspot.com
Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/mobileprotection#!/profile.php?id=100002037020587

And for the silly side – What is your favorite type of chocolate?
I love dark chocolate.