paranormal mystery | Helle Gade

Please give a warm welcome to author Renee George

Tell us a bit about yourself?

I’m a USA Today Bestselling authors of paranormal mysteries and romances. I live in the Midwest with my husband of 31 years, and I have a grown son who is 27. I am an animal lover, and I’m happily owned by my pit bull/ lab mix Kona the princess, and two cats, Simon and Ash. I served in the Army from 1986 – 1994, I became a nurse in 1991, and did that until my first book was published in 2005 by a small press, and that was the first time that I thought, “Hey, I can really do this.” I have never looked back.

Have you always wanted to become an author?

Yes, but when I was growing up, I never thought it was a possibility. I was always writing stories. My mother still has a few that I wrote for her, but we were poor, and my parents had five children. Writing for a living seemed like a pipedream. That’s why I joined the military and went to nursing school. When I was 30 and my son was getting ready to go to kindergarten, I went back to college and worked for a degree in Creative Writing. I was doing the mom and wife thing, working full-time as a nurse, and going to school part-time. The same year my first book was published, was the year I graduated with my second degree.

What was your inspiration for your current book/series?

My Nora Black Midlife Psychic Books was inspired by my own life. I love writing a heroine who is older, but still has a lot of adventure left in her.

What are you working on now?

I just finished Spice and Prejudice (A Nora Black Midlife Psychic Mystery Book 5), so I am in the “in between.” I won’t be starting my next book for a week or so. That will be Pits and Pieces of Murder (A Barkside of the Moon Cozy Mystery Book 7) coming at the end of 2022.

Do you have any quirks while writing?

Is coffee a quirk? LOL. I drink lots of coffee, but otherwise, I have no habits when it comes to writing. I hate routine. I write at various times throughout the day and night, and I move around to many locations including my desk, in my easy chair, out on the deck, in the car, the guest bedrooms, my bedroom, the living room, on vacation…Okay, I can see how that might be a quirk.

What are your hopes for the future?

To write a lot more books, and that more readers find my books. LOL. Isn’t that always the goal.

Do you have any advice for new authors about the publishing world?

Write your books. Get your friends and family to read it before you do anything else. Do a lot of research. Google is a great place to start. Be professional. Hire an editor and cover artist. Properly format your books. Take advice but trust yourself when it comes to the stories. There is no magic bullet for success in this business. What works for one person may not work for you. Be prepared for that. Writing books, publishing, marketing, basically running your won business, is a lot of work, but if you have the stamina to carry on even when things look dire, it is also really rewarding.