1. Have you always wanted to be a writer? How did
you get started writing romance? Until recently I’ve been answering this question with the simple
explanation: fan fiction. For me, it was the first time that I took a story
from conception through fruition, to completion. However, when chatting with my
husband the other day, I mentioned I often get this question and he laughed,
saying, “It started back in school for you ━ when you were editor of the school magazine.” I
suppose I can compromise with him, for, while I may not have written full
stories back then, I did dabble with poetry, and I read voraciously. If nothing
else, it had to be where my roots took hold.
2. Tell us about your writing process. Do you
outline, or are you more of a seat of your pants type of a writer? Definitely a ‘by the seat of my pants’ type of
a writer. Outlines are horrid! Its such a slap to your pysche if you don’t
stick to them and end up veering off track. Declaring up front that the
characters are in charge and that I’m just along to dot the i’s and cross the
t’s, is much more rewarding ━ and accurate. The most planning I do for a
story is choosing my setting and creating my characters (usually with the help
of Pinterest . . . I love storyboards), but after that, I’m just the vessel to
carry the words to the paper.
3. Are there any romance novel cliché that make you
cringe when you read them? Oh,
good question! Is it going too far to say that they always have ‘the perfect
body?’ Give me a heroine with a fixation for Nutella or Pixie Sticks, or a hero
that doesn’t run ten miles every morning. You can take care of yourself without
being an Adonis or Aphrodite, most of us aren’t.
4. What is the hardest scene you’ve had to write,
and what made it so difficult? Without a doubt, the hardest scene I’ve ever written is in my
newest release, A Divine Life. Originally this story was To Serve is
Divine in the fanfic world (before I pulled to overhaul and expand into a
three book series), and it was hard to write it the first time, but even harder
to revisit it for the rewrite because at this point, these characters have been
part of my life since 2010 and are a part of me. Catherine, my female lead in
The Divine Trilogy, has a tragic past with an abusive Dominate who hid behind
the title of Dom. While I hint, through journal entries and general story
progression in book one, at how horrific her past with Spencer was, I don’t go
into much detail until this book. There is a very graphic flash back that takes
place, and required several breaks to get through its creation. Some might
wonder at the necessity of the passage to the advancement of the story, or if I
added it simply for the ‘shock value.’ For me, its like hitting rock bottom;
sometimes that’s what is needed before you can go up again. The passage is
relevant to the story for it shows just how much Catherine has overcome and
grown; its proof of what a strong, independent woman she really is, despite her
need to be a submissive.
5. Which of your heroines would you say is most
like you, and why? This would be a toss up
between Raine Morrissey (from Haunted
Raine) and Catherine O’Chancey
from the Divine Trilogy. Raine is older, likes to quilt, and holds family dear.
Catherine is true to her heritage, but with a feisty, kinky side that can be
quite surprising.
6. What are you working on
now? Loaded
question! Obviously, first and foremost on my open project list is Surreal,
book three of The Divine Trilogy which is slated for a March 2014 release. If I
don’t get it written, there will be no release . . . lol. In addition, I have a
handful of original fiction stories started which range from male/male romance,
to erotic thriller, to a vampire mystery, along with a couple of fanfictions
that I’m still trying to wrap up for my faithful readers.
R.E. Hargrave lives on the
outskirts of Dallas, TX where she prides herself on being a domestic engineer.
Married to her high school sweetheart, together they are raising three children
from elementary age to college age. She is an avid reader, a sometimes quilter
and now, a writer for Renaissance Romance Publishing.
Author Links:
Over the past year of
being Jayden Masterson’s collared submissive, Catherine O’Chancey has worked
through the mental terrors left behind by her old Dom — she thinks. To
celebrate their collar-ing anniversary, Jayden organizes a special day, during
which her final limits and fantasies will be realized. Will it prove to be more
than she can handle? Can she endure the erotic onslaught her mind and body will
experience and survive unscathed?
While Catherine faces
dark shadows and pleasurable highs, Jayden finds his own inner strength being
tested. He has come to realize that, somewhere along the way, Catherine has
taken possession of his heart, mind, and body. Now he faces his biggest
challenge ever; he must let go of all his submissives but one: his jewel, Catherine.
Can he leave his philandering ways behind? Has he made the ultimate mistake by
putting his jewel into the hands of others?
Excerpt:
“So, how does that
work? I mean, how does one draw the line between Master and husband?” Was such
a complicated relationship possible? Could Jayden
see her that way? Just thinking his name caused a funny feeling in Catherine’s
chest. Her thoughts continued, now on overdrive . . .
No. Master didn’t do
personal relationships. He’d said as much when they’d first signed their
con-tract together. They’d both agreed to the understanding that this was
nothing more than a sexual relationship. Hell, he was fucking two other people
besides her that she knew of. If there were a chance that he wanted something
more with her, he wouldn’t have handed her over to complete strangers today. Would he? Oh, God. Sir Jonathan’s offer
to take Catherine on repeated itself in her memory, along with the knowledge
that she had more sessions today with an unknown number of Doms. Was that what
today was? Had the ‘inspection’ Sir Jonathan performed not been part of the
scene? Was Sir Jonathan looking her over as a potential acquisition? What about
Miss K offering to take her on back in February? Catherine’s stomach soured
again.
“No. No, please, no. I
— I can’t,” Catherine mumbled and began to shake.
“Erin?”
Her world began
crumbling around her, and panic took root. Catherine gasped for air, wrapping
her arms around her mid-section.
“Erin! What’s wrong?”
Paige’s shriek snapped
Catherine to attention, and she raised her watery eyes to meet her new
friend’s.
“Paige,” Catherine
started to cry. “He figured it out. I tried to be so good, so careful. He
knows, and he’s going to get rid of me!” She thought she’d done so well at
hiding her secret over the months, protecting her heart.
Paige had wrapped her
arm around Catherine and was rubbing slow circles on her back. With a wince,
Catherine became quite aware of every lash mark from Sir Jonathan’s whip. They
now burned to her core when Paige’s soft hands brushed over them. Catherine
flinched away from her.
“Shh, Erin,” she said
in a calming voice. “Who knows what, sweetie? What are you talking about?”
Turning wide eyes on
her, Catherine choked out, “Jay . . . Master. He knows I’ve fallen in — in love
with him. I wasn’t supposed to. He found out, and now he’s interviewing me with
strange Doms to get rid of me. I broke the rules and he —” she swallowed a sob,
“he doesn’t want me anymore!”
Thank you for joining the tour & hosting me! It was a fun interview to do. :)
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