Writer Wednesday - Author L. Renee

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I am L. Renee'. I am a novelist of urban fiction signed under Danielle Marcus Presents also known as DMP. I was born and raised in Detroit, MI. The reason I write is for the passion of creating character and story plots that allow you to be in the book. For the readers to be about to see the scene unfold and feel every emotion the character feels brings me utter joy. Currently I only have one novel under my belt but I am in the process of churning out more. I am 26 years of age with two beautiful girls ages 7 and 3. My favorite past time include reading, writing, listening to music and maybe a game or two of Domino's or Spades. I am a simple person that usually stays in the house.There may be a lot of authors but there is only one L.Renee'.

When did you first begin writing?

I first began writing in my tenth grade year of high school. It started with plays and short stories here and there. I didn't start actually thinking of using it as a profession until 2015, when I actually pushed myself.

When did you finish your first book and what’s the title?

I finished my first book September 2015, it's called Ghetto Matrimony.

What genre do you write in and how did you choose that genre?

I write urban fiction and I must say that urban fiction chose me. Before I was an author I was a reader and that's pretty much all I read was urban fiction. It called to my spirit. [slight chuckle] Eventually I want to branch out into sci-fi or children's books but my heart will always belong to urban fiction.

Do you write full-time or do you have another profession?

As of this moment I write full-time and I'm living every moment of it.

How do you market your work? What avenues have you found to work best for your genre?

I market my work through social media such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. I also market by word-of- mouth and through mutual locations such as libraries or book clubs. I can't pick one avenue over the other because they both appeal to different crowds. Social media is used for younger crowds or people that read ebooks. Actual interaction is for the people that can't read unless it’s paperback. I can't pick one set of readers over the other. I love all those that support me.

What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment?

I can't necessarily say I have a tough critique, I mean everybody is not going to love your work as you do. You're going to always have someone saying it could have been better but as always I take everything into consideration so I can grow. I don't want to be at a standstill where the same writing style I came into the industry with is the same. On the other side of the fence, compliments everyone loves those right? There have been a nice little chunk but the one that stands out the most to me is not a compliment per se. It's a reader who have connected with me via social media and is constantly pushing me to finish the next installment. That is more than any compliment, because that means she's actually waiting, it's constantly on her mind. It fuels my fire when I check my inbox and she's there.

Reviews are important for authors. How do you go about requesting reviews?

Being a debut novelist, I still have some things to learn and develop my own structure for things, but as of right now I make sure to do the soft reminder. When the book goes live and I post my link I always request reviews. Or when I notice time is not matching reviews I use social media to send out a reminder to anyone who have read it.

Let everyone know where he or she can find you and your books.

You can find the digital books on Amazon. I have signed paperbacks in my possession and you can interact with me via my personal page or my author's page for those. You can also visit my website www.authoress.lrenee.wix.com/dmppublications. The site is active although it’s still under construction.

Do you have any advice you can give to aspiring writers?

Any advice? Well, it starts within with your drive and ambition. You cannot accept defeat and you always have to keep pushing forward. As an author we are always critical of our own work but if you want to be in this industry, let someone else tell you it’s not good enough. Then if they tell you it's not good enough, that's when you go to someone else and someone else. Never give up if writing is your passion.