Interview with mystery novelist Renee Pawlish

Mystery author Renee Pawlish joins Reviews and Interviews today as she tours her first book in the Reed Ferguson mystery series with Goddess Fish Promotions, This Doesn’t Happen In The Movies.

Renee has a couple of giveaways to a randomly drawn lucky commentor during her tour. Details are below.

Bio:
Renée Pawlish was born in California, but has lived most of her life in Colorado. When she's not hiking, cycling, or chasing ballplayers for autographs, she is writing mysteries and thrillers. She is the author of Nephilim Genesis of Evil, the first in the Nephilim trilogy; the Reed Ferguson Mystery series; Take Five, a short story collection; and The Sallie House: Exposing the Beast Within, a non-fiction account of a haunted house investigation.

Renée loves to travel and has visited numerous countries around the world. She has also spent many summer days at her parents' cabin in the hills outside of Boulder, which was the inspiration for the setting of Taylor Crossing in her novel Nephilim Genesis of Evil.

Welcome to Reviews and Interviews, Renée. Please tell us about your current release, This Doesn’t Happen In The Movies.
A wannabe private eye with a love of film noir and detective fiction.
A rich, attractive femme fatale.
A missing husband.
A rollicking ride to a dark and daring ending.

What inspired you to write this book?
I had the first line, I want you to find my dead husband, rolling around in my head, and I finally sat down and started the novel. I thought it would be fun to write a story with a private eye on his very first case, so the reader got to see the detective struggle to learn his vocation. I’ve had fun with that aspect of writing This Doesn’t Happen In The Movies, and in the second novel in the series, Reel Estate Rip-off.

What exciting story are you working on next?
I’m working on the third Reed Ferguson mystery, and I’m putting Reed in more precarious situations in this novel. I’ve also just started the second book in the Nephilim trilogy.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I wrote my first book right after I received my master's degree. I had a story in my head all through the summer, and the fall after I graduated, a friend encouraged me to pen the novel. I did (it took nine months), and when I wrote “The End”, that’s when I felt I could say I was a writer…not a paid writer, but a writer nonetheless.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I wish I could say I write full-time, but that’s not the case. I am currently between jobs so I spend a lot of time marketing my books, and some time every day writing the new ones as well. I also wrote my first flash fiction piece in October that won a blog contest, and that was cool.

Most of my novels have been written while I was working, and it’s a challenge to find the time to write. When I’m in the midst of a novel, I try to write every evening and on the weekends so that I never lose touch with the characters or story. That can be hard to do, but it comes down to just sitting down at the computer and doing it.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I’ve found that I need to take a walk or hike, or listen to music, and then I can picture a scene in my mind, and at that point I can write it. Sometimes the scenes will come to me as I’m sitting at the computer, but I usually got for a hike and then I can figure things out.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I always wanted to be a teacher. I love to teach and train newbie authors now…it’s just fun to work with others and encourage them.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
Reviews really help authors out, so if you get a chance, post a review. We are very grateful for that. I myself don’t care if the review is good or bad, I just enjoy hearing what readers think. It’s a chance for me to see what people are enjoying, and to find out things that I might need to work on.

Ways to connect with me include my website, on Twitter, on Facebook, through my blog, or on Goodreads.

Thank you for being here today, Renee.

Readers, you have a chance to win a print or eBook copy of Renee's book Nephilim and a $25 Amazon gift certificate. They will be given to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Check out the tour dates and blog stops. The more you comment, the better your chances of winning.