Debut Author Courtney Rene and ShadowDancer

I know I always say this, but seriously....I'm super excited for this debut author and her book! You know why? She is one of the first writers I met through an online writing forum and I've always adored her. When I heard the good news that she would be published soon, I think I squealed for her!! So, let's start, shall we?!! Introducing Courtney Rene!!

Courtney has literally just found out the news, so we have no blurb for the book that is approved by her fabulous editors/publishing company. She is not agented, but shopped this MG fantasy on her own and found a home at Rogue Phoenix Press.

Tell me about Rogue Phoenix Press!
They are a small, relatively new publisher. They take on all genres and publicize mainly in e-publishing but they also have a POD to some authors-including ME! 


Where did you get the inspiration?
I think all of us wish sometimes that there were something different, exciting and special about us.  That we really are a lost princess or hero from some far away land that is just waiting for us to return to it.  Plus, I always wished I could be invisible. To me, that would be the greatest “gift” to have.  To be able to just melt away into the shadows when you wanted or needed.  So I put the two together and came up with Shadow Dancer.   


How long did this project take you?

Writing this novel, only took me maybe six months.  I just suddenly had this story running screaming through my brain and I couldn’t get it down on paper fast enough.  Editing and formatting, took me a while, several more months in fact.  Then, it took me thirteen months to find it a home.  All in all, not that long.  As I have heard of authors taking years and years to get a first novel out, I’ll take my two years and be quite content.

Did you have in mind this would be a series or did that evolve as you wrote?

I didn’t start off making Shadow Dancer into a series.  The more I got to know the characters, and the story, the more I realized I couldn’t fit it all in one book.  Well, I could have, but that would have been one HUGE book.   

 

Do you have a favorite writing spot?

I don’t have any real favorite writing spot.  If I can fit a tablet of paper somewhere, or hook up my computer, I am just as happy and able to flit off into fantasy than if I was set up nicely in the perfect writing nook. 

Let's say you acquire mad fame and fortune from this series....What do you do with it?

Fame scares me.  I don’t want to be famous. I always say, you can have the fame, but the fortune, now that’s a different story.  There are so many places on this Earth that I want to see.  That is what I would do if I had money.  Travel to Ireland, Rome, Greece, Australia, and many, many other places I have always wished to go.  I would set up a scholarship fund for would-be writers.  I don’t think people realize how hard the business of writing is.  If I could lighten the load of just one struggling writer, I would be happy.  The rest, well I would probably just stay the same as I am now.  I don’t need much to be content.  Not the fancy cars, or the big fancy house.  I certainly don’t need a huge house, since after all I would be the one to have to clean it.

(Yeah, that's my problem with a big house, too!)

What is the best advice you've received as a writer?

The best advice I received as a writer was:  Not to get lost in the technical side of writing.  Write the story, then go back and worry about the grammar, the spelling, the format.  The story is what people want to see, and if you write a good enough story, your readers won’t even notice the rest.  They shouldn’t notice the work that went into it.   

Courtney, thank you so much for taking the time out to do this interview when everything is still so crazy and busy! 

Readers, please feel free to leave questions in the comments. Courtney will be in and out and will probably have no problem answering questions in the Comment Section! You Cool Kids have a great Tuesday and stay tuned for tomorrow's WIP Wednesday!