Interview with author Robin Renee Ray

Hello everyone and thanks for stopping by! Today I have the distinct pleasure of being able to once again interview the very talented Robin Renee Ray. So please give her a warm welcome! (virtual applause please!) 

Savannah: Hello Robin and welcome back! It’s been a while since the last time we sat down together! How ya doing today? 

Robin: I am absolutely rockin’, babe. How are you, and all out in internet land?

Savannah: I’d like to thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to stop by and chat with us. Before we get too far ahead, let’s refresh our readers memories a little shall we? Can you tell us a little about yourself?

Robin: That could take all month…LOL In short: I’m a long haired hippie, grandmother of two beautiful little girls, mother of one amazing daughter…that just happened to sort of fall into the world of writing after the birth of my first grand baby. And oh yeah, I am a bit warped and very reclusive. ;)

Savannah: Can you tell us what genre(s) you write?

Robin: Well, after writing in my first two genres, I thought “Why not go for them all?” So, that’s kind of what I’ve done, right down to children’s books I co-wrote with my grand-daughter, to westerns, to even a contemporary that I would have never written had my mommy said I couldn’t…due to my love of the gory stuff...LOL Now, I have one for her called: Seven Heart’s for Mary, a Christian novel special for her church friends. And it is a heartfelt love story for all romance lovers. Not my norm in any fashion…But, I want to write in every genre! Not to mention, make my mommy proud~  

Savannah: Do you find one genre more difficult to write in than others?

Robin: UGH! Without a doubt…Romance and the kind that is all romance and happy-ever-after. It just gags me…LOL Even in my one and only contemporary, you find suspense, and I am more than sure that I will find my way of bringing at least some form of suspense into my next. Like I’ve told others, "You will find romantic nature in my horror/paranormal thrillers and crime novels, as well as finding a little horror in my romantic novels. Horror or a tad bit of suspense".

Savannah: Who designs your book covers?

Robin: Rebel Angel Designs and I cannot say enough wonderful things about the young woman behind that title. Her talent is beyond amazing. She works with your words, your passion, your wants and she doesn’t stop until your heart of what you have worked on with all the love you have is well matched…..and she does it so well! I cannot put in words how much I owe this young woman and I know she will go very far~

Savannah: I know you have written quite a few books, having 12 titles published already, super congrats! Let’s talk about the series that I LOVE—Bloodbreeders! Tell us what’s new in the world of your “fanged babies”.

Robin: Many thanks…once I got hooked, I did go a bit prolific…LOL I’ve been working and almost finished with what I’m calling the first “swing” book off of the series called: The Book of Martin….and for those who don’t know, you pronounce his name ( Marteen ) It explains all in this book, from the time he first laid eyes on his query in book one— which is the end of the book— to where it all began. And by that, I mean where the first blood sucker really came from. *Big Wink*

Savannah: Can you tell us where the idea for the Bloodbreeders series came from?

Robin: I guess you could say the whole story, up to the end of book five, all hit me at one time. Like getting hit with a brick in the head! A gift if you will~ And before the first book, I didn’t even know how to open a laptop…so, I wrote my first book on paper tablets...LOL And the idea all started in the little, one horse, town where my mother was born in the early 30’s: Burkett, Texas. And where I too had a blast as a child, ending up in the cemetery most nights.

Savannah: Are parts of your book based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

Robin: Almost every main character in my Bloodbreeders series are people from my life, some living, some who have passed. And the beginning has more fact-based truths than most will ever know. To this day they can venture through and see the very things they will read about in the beginning of book one. I love that!  

Savannah: Do you do research for this series of books?

Robin: For the most part, no. But, when they’re on the move…or when I need to know the land, then I absolutely get into my maps. ; ) I don’t travel the world and they do…so, yeah, I guess I do research when it comes to certain things.

Savannah: If Bloodbreeders were to be made into a movie, who would you like to see play the roles of Renee and Martin, as well as the other characters?

Robin: I watch more movies than anyone I know, yet couldn’t tell you the names of 1/3 of the peeps out there..LOL And if that were to ever happen, I would be in so much shock, I would have to have my BFF to help call those shots. ; p All I do know is, one of my fav peeps in the series would have to be huge and that is, Cates...I guess they would have to hire a wrestler to play his part? LOL

Savannah: Well, I would happily volunteer to help with any actor screen tests in regards to Cates! LOL I mean I can take time out of my schedule—days if needed— to watch very large men flex their arms, touch them to make sure they’re good and strong… ; ) Oh and I would do it at no charge, lol.

Savannah: A little birdie told me there are a couple of swing-books from this series in the works, is this true?

Robin: Oh Yeah, Like I mentioned earlier, I’m almost finished with the first. Bloodbreeders: The Book of Martin, which I will release before spring in eBook. Soon after the release of book five, Bloodbreeders: The Elders, I will release the second swing book: Jacob. He is one of the best in my series and for sure, the top when it comes to kicking that ass. He looks 15, but he is no child, being he was changed around 400 years prior.

Savannah: What was the hardest part of writing this series?

Robin: Getting the private time to write it! Life at times just gets into a writers way, as you well know. So, when it comes to writing in this series, I like to drive down to my brother’s place in that very same little one horse, town: Burkett, Texas. So I can write. There is no internet, cell reception and only about 40 people? It is so small, there isn’t even a blinking light..LOL 

Savannah: What have you learned in the process of writing that you can share with others?

Robin: To never give up…even when others may laugh at the idea of you wanting to write. Life is way too short to worry about what others think. Believe in yourself and write your heart out…that’s what I’ve learned. 

Savannah: What other project(s), if any, are you working on?

Robin: I am always working on some project. I just sent a book in to my editor, that I’ve been sitting on for about three years, with the rest of its series waiting to follow. And I am finishing up what is now a short novel…the swing book was meant to be a novella, but as you can see, I am a bit long winded..LOL

Savannah: What else can we expect to see from you this year?

Robin: Hopefully a release every, to every other, month until I have all in my dust pile cleaned out! A great deal of my novels in print….and many book signings be set up. 

Savannah: Do you have any advice and/or tips for other writers?

Robin: Yeah….Make sure you put time in for yourself. As in, make sure you can at least write for one hour a day. More if you can. Don’t look at writing as a chore, but as a time to relax and step out of the norm. And NEVER stress over what you’ve already written….just keep going, or you may never get past that first chapter? You will have plenty of time for editing after you complete your manuscript. 

Savannah: Is there anything else you would like to say to your readers?

Robin: Just if you want to try something different, something other than what you’ve read to date….then maybe give something of mine a try. I always say my Bloodbreeders series, because I love them dearly. But,  Uncertain Meanings is one of my reads that has 9-5star reviews and it is my only contemporary. So, I do have work for the faint of heart. ; ) However, I have had many who were horrified to read paranormal anything…that are now die-hard fans of my Bloodbreeder babies…go figure?

Savannah: What do you like to do in your spare time?

Robin: Get my grands at all cost..LOL And when I can’t, I love to watch horror movies!

Savannah: Would you share with us one secret about yourself that most people don’t know?

Robin: OH MY LANTA! Okay, I love to write my name on a jar of peanut butter, hide it in my room. I also hide at least two little boxes of Andes thin mints. Then when I get my cravings, I dip the thin mints right down into the creamy peanut butter and go to town on about ten pieces..LOL And it is soooooooo good!!!!

Savannah: Thank you again Robin for taking time to chat with me! 

Robin: You are most welcome. I thank you for inviting me back~ Have a rockin’ day all and as always…Big Hugs~

You can find Robin Renee Ray at the following sites:

www.facebook.com/robinreneeray

www.twitter.com/RobinReneeRay

www.robinrray63.blogspot.com

And be sure to check out all her amazing books on Amazon.com

FREE ~ Bloodbreeders: Living in Darkness 

Not once in her life did farm girl Renee Crocker, imagine she would encounter a world found only in the minds of myth-seeking men. Although what they sought were not always unheard of in other parts of the world, those very things they found would all be a complete mystery to the town folk of Burkett, Texas.

Renee’s life changed late one evening during supper, when a handsome stranger came knocking on the door of the Crocker family farm house… and was invited inside. It didn’t take long for Renee to discover a great number of things that people in her neck of the woods couldn’t even begin to contemplate. The dark of night took on a whole new meaning and the once vulnerable, young country woman finds herself struggling to survive in a world that demand she live forever in darkness.