Listen to Renee's theme music!
Today the Sheep bring you our latest interview victim, er I mean subject. Wait that sounds bad too. Ok, today the Sheep bring you our latest interview with mystery author Renee Pawlish. Author of spooky stories sure to entertain Nephilim Genesis of Evil and This Doesn't Happen In The Movies. Stay tuned till the very end for your chance to walk away with a copy of Nephilim and other fun prizes! We hope you enjoy.
Colorado. Lone Cabin. 2 Sheep and 1 Spirit meet.
Katie: Thanks for taking the time to sit down and chat with us today Renee, and in this very old VERY creepy cabin no less. *shivers* Can you start by telling folks all about your books?
Renee: Thanks for having me! I’ve written Nephilim Genesis of Evil, a supernatural thriller that is a spooky tale about the Nephilim, who are half man, half fallen angels that are mentioned in Genesis Six. It’s funny that we’re here in this creepy cabin because Nephilim takes place in a small Colorado mountain tourist town that’s full of old cabins.
Another creepy tale is The Sallie House: Exposing the Beast Within, which is a non-fiction account of a haunted house investigation in Kansas. But to lighten things up, I have two Reed Ferguson mysteries (This Doesn’t Happen In The Movies and Reel Estate Rip-off). Reed Ferguson is a wannabe private eye who loves old detective fiction and film noir movies, and he decides he can be a detective in the fashion of his hero, Humphrey Bogart. You’ll have to read the books to find out how successful Reed is. And I have a short story collection called Take Five that also includes a Reed Ferguson mystery.
Sharon: We are always trying to improve our blog for readers and authors. Got any likes/dislikes about review sites in general?
Renee: My only suggestion from an author’s standpoint is that sites with more followers are what we look for because it means we’re reaching more readers who might buy our books. I love your site (giving out a big shout-out, I mean baa-out) to you all. You’ve got great reviews and author interviews and they are a blast to read.
Katie: Nephilim is one spooktastic story! How much fun was that for you as the author to write?
Renee: It was great fun, but also a challenge trying to bring a variety of characters together. This was my first venture outside of a straight mystery, so I was flexing different writing muscles. But I learned more about the horror genre and I’ve discovered some great stories that I hadn’t read before.
Sharon: Where did the idea for this story come from? Can you tell us a little about the journey from idea to publication?
Renee: I was rereading ’Salem’s Lot by Stephen King and I had a dream that became the genesis (punny) of my story. Originally I had a vampire theme in the story, in that the characters think they are dealing with vampires, but that all ended up on the cutting room floor. But it was a great thing because the story is much better. The Nephilim as a bad guy came out of my study of Genesis – they seemed like just a great bad buy for a story.
Sharon: What is your favorite Thanksgiving dinner menu?
Renee: I’m a traditionalist – there has to be turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, stuffing and pumpkin pie. Our family always has a creamed peas and water chestnuts recipe as well. And we have cranberry dressing, but I hate it, so I skip that.
Katie: The book takes places in the Rockies, did you travel there to do any research for the book?
Renee: Yes. I live in Denver and my parents have a cabin outside of Boulder (Boulder is north of Denver), and the setting in Nephilim is based on the cabin property and a ghost town that’s in the mountains nearby. It’s absolutely beautiful up there and a great place for stories.
Sharon: Why this setting?
Renee: The dream I had took place on a lake with a cabin. My parent’s cabin is on a little lake. I’m not sure if my subconscious was using the cabin in that dream, but once I started developing the story, it was natural to use the cabin as the backdrop.
Sharon: You seem to be an Elvis fan. What is it you like about him other than his smexy good looks and voice that can melt butter?
Renee: I fell in love with Elvis when I was in high school. I saw some of his appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show, and I was hooked. I love the sound of his voice, even the cheesy songs from his movies. And he sure was sexy when he was young.
Katie: There needs to be more? Hahaha
Renee: You said it, girl!
Sharon: If you could have theme music play whenever you entered the room, what would it be?
Renee: For Those About to Rock by AC/DC – I hope my books rock my reader’ world.
Katie: What's the funniest thing you've heard back from someone who's read one of your stories? Don't be shy!
Renee: Hmm, that’s a tough question. One person said he finished Nephilim and he wondered what was happening next, since everything is not resolved (I don’t want to give away the ending so this is hard to describe), and then he said to himself, “Wait, this is fiction. I’m going to bed.”
Sharon: You have mentioned children’s books in past interviews. Can you tell us anything about that yet, what age group?
Renee: I have a book called The Emerald Quest that is with my editor right now. It’s a middle-grade novel along the same lines of the Alex Rider spy novels. But my main character, Noah Winter, is a young sea explorer who gets tangled up in an amazing adventure to find a rare gem. I also have another middle-grade story that takes place during World War II that is based on stories my dad and uncle tell about their childhood in Southeast Colorado. I’m not sure when that will be released.
Katie: We like to do a fun Rapid Fire round of questions, so if you're game just sit back relax and answer with the first thing that pops up. Ready? Set…..GO!
Katie: Ghostbusters or Myth Busters
Renee: Ghostbusters
Sharon: Love Me Tender or Jail House Rock
Renee: Jailhouse Rock
Katie: Candy Cane or Cadbury Egg
Renee: Cadbury Egg
Sharon: Bean bag chair or Recliner
Renee: Recliner
Katie: Turkey leg or Beef rib
Renee: Beef rib
Sharon: Mountain trail or Beach stretch
Renee: Mountain trail
Katie: Baskin Robbins or Cold Stone
Renee: Cold Stone
Sharon: Monopoly or Sorry
Renee: Monopoly
Katie: Scary face or Scary hands
Renee: Scary face
Sharon: Evil laugh or Giggles
Renee: Giggles
Katie: No top or No pants
Renne: No pants
Katie: Now we're cookin with gas!
Sharon: Cake or Pie
Renee: Pie
Katie: Criminal or Lawyer
Renee: Criminal
Sharon: Pepsi or Coke
Renee: Coke
Katie: YES! Suck it Sharon and Amber!!! lol
Katie: Dr Who or Star Trek
Renee: Star Trek
Katie: Wicked Witch of the West or Cruella DeVille
Renee: Cruella DeVille
Katie: Thanks again for taking the time to sit down and chat with us Renee, again in this very old very creepy cabin, would you like to add anything before we finish up?
Renee: This was great fun, thanks for having me! I really liked the rapid fire questions, but I wonder who will analyze me now. Oh, I hope everyone reading this will buy one of my books and let me know what you think of it. I love to hear from readers.
Want to win a Kindle for Christmas? Yeah, who doesn't! Check out Renee's website HERE to find out how easy it is!
***GIVEAWAY***
Renee's offering up two chances to win. US followers get a winners choice of Nephilim in either ebook or paperback format (if the winner picks ebook Renee will throw in a copy of This Doesn't Happen In The Movies) PLUS the Sheep are adding some fun swag items just to sweeten the pot!
International followers: get an ebook copy of Nephilim!
Remember DOUBLE entries for followers and if you Tweet or Facebook about the giveaway make sure to leave that in your comments as well. Extra entry for either of those. In the comments below answer these:
1. Your Email Address.
2. Have you ever experienced any ghost/supernatural encounters? If so where and what happened?
3. Mention if you follow us and if you spread the word online.
4. Are you US or International?
Contest ends December 4th at midnight!
Good Luck!