Welcome, Renee Pace, author of Off Limits, Off Leash, (and Off Stroke coming sooooon!)

Please join me in welcoming Renee Pace! Renee has agreed to do a little Q&A and I think there are some golden chestnuts here! So, without further delay, Renee...

What prompted you to launch your career as a writer?

I got fired. Yes, it’s true. It’s a long complicated story but in the end it was one of the best things to happen to me. At the time, I didn’t think so as I was pregnant with baby number three but it spurred me on to give into my passion—writing. I wrote my first book after my third son was born and that book is under the bed (no one will ever see that one) but by the time baby four, our girl, came along I had a REAL book ready for the world to read.

What was the trajectory you took in becoming a writer?

One of the first things I did was to join a local writers group. I had no idea what Romance Writers of America was but I attended a talk with Julianne MacLean and Deborah Hale and was hooked. The group has grown over the years and isn’t specific to romance, but rather focuses on writing as a career. The group is very professional and goal-orientated. Within a year I secured an agent, which later I fired, received a publishing contract for my romance story and was working on my third book. I also attended my first writer’s conference—The New Jersey Romance Conference and learned how to pitch to an editor/agent and met even more wonderful writers.

How do you feel about the current state of publishing? Where do you think it's heading?

Personally, I love the options that have opened up for authors. In the old days an author had to send off a manuscript by mail, wait months if not years to hear back from an agent or editor and start that process all over again if they received a rejection letter. Today, an author can go the Indie route which I have done for my nitty gritty young adult novels under the name of Renee Pace and I love that freedom. I feel, finally there’s a power shift, with more and more authors holding the power in their words rather than the big six publishers. Personally, I love discovering Indie authors.

Do you have any advice for young aspiring writers?

Yes, write, join a professional writing group and get good critique partners. Plus read a lot. I usually have three books of many genres on the go. Also, listen. I’m a mother of four children but because I deal with a lot of teens as manager of a paddling club I’ve learned to listen and watch how the teens interact. I find that helps when writing YA.

Can you describe a typical writing day for you?

OMG I don’t have typical. With four children, and managing a paddling club I write mostly in the evenings in the summer and weekends. I write while my children are doing gymnastics, soccer or paddling. I carry a notebook with pen everywhere – just in case I can’t whip out my notebook.

With regard to your most recent novel(s, was there anything in particular that prompted the topic?

I was in a writing rut and struggling with my own wild teen, which threw me as I didn’t see that coming. Okay, every parent can lol now. Writing YA also opened up my childhood memories, which I  thought I’d buried, but I hadn’t really. At first I wrote a YA story in my usual mode – paranormal, third person point of view. I liked that story but realized it’s wasn’t pushing me hard enough. I then started Off Leash, which is written in a male teen’s POV and a dog’s POV – now that’s a challenge. Off Leash was my first nitty gritty novel and honestly, I wasn’t sure how people would react to it. However, I knew when my hubby read it with tears in his eyes that I got it right. After that, I haven’t looked back. I never thought I’d write in first person POV but now struggle with going back to third person.

Who is your target audience?

My target audience are teens 13+ and adults. My nitty gritty YA series are realistic teen stories. They focus on teens who are faced with every day, real life obstacles that for many teens they can’t overcome. My stories show how teens make mistakes but also how they learn to cope when faced with adult situations.

Upcoming news:

Renee Pace’s third nitty gritty book Off Stroke debuts June, 2012 on Amazon. -

Two teens with little in common tackle prejudice and stereotypes to risk it all to help each other. If you would like an advanced e-ARC of Off Stroke email Renee at renee@reneepace.com.

Renee also has a short story called “Off Balance” in the YA Anthology, Eternal Spring

Eternal Spring – YA Anthology – Kindle: http://amzn.com/B0081FPKME

Off Stroke - debuts Amazon June 2012

Off Limits - Kindle -http://amzn.com/B006JUVE1Y http://amzn.com/B0081FPKMEPrint: http://amzn.com/0986890871

Off Leash –Kindle -http://amzn.com/B005S34JO2/Print - http://amzn.com/146643791X 

Faith and Heavy Sighs

My sixteen year old just got her driver's license. I am fearful when she goes out. I remind her every time she returns to charge her cell phone. We trade the keys back and forth, and just like my own mother still does, when she goes out the door, I call after her, "be careful!" Every time.

Perhaps I've mentioned it before, but we homeschool here on the chicken ranch. Well, clarification - we un-school, which has a totally different connotation, (images of children lounging about until noon and their brains atrophying.)

Unschooling requires a degree of faith. You have to have faith that you are NOT going to screw up your kids for the rest of their lives, that they will be gainfully employed at some point in time, and that they won't be living in your basement into their forties. (Well, they can live here into their forties if they want to. I'm rather fond of my kids and maybe they'll still be fond of me by that time... when I am well into my seventies.)

And oh, what a golden moment, when you see your faith has been rewarded. I spent the day yesterday, helping my older teen paint her shop. Yes, she has, (and has had for a good while,) a booth in the grandparents' antique mini-mall, and I have to admit, her booth is looking pretty snazzy! Slowly, I've been turning it over to her until now, it is completely her space. Half of our garage is full of stock for her booth, and she has spent days preparing, cleaning, pricing, and now, stocking and displaying her wares.

Still, she is having a bit of a crisis at present, but I think it's a good thing. She's struggling with the decision of whether she should continue with college or not. You see, she started her college course work when she was twelve. She is sixteen now, and she has a half-dozen more classes to take before she can get her associate's degree, but lately, she's been wondering about the value of a college degree for the sake of having a college degree.

I take full blame for her quandary. (Maybe I take credit?) I've tried to teach them that school... education... the acquisition of knowledge should be for knowledge's sake. The whole lock-step curriculum that we have all come to accept as "the norm" is precisely that - a step-by-step instructional guide toward the acquisition of... a degree. Not knowledge. Sure, some vocations require a degree. Degrees give a "degree" of certainty to others that the bearer has attained certain benchmarks of proficiency - important in professions like medicine, law (maybe), architecture, (don't want those houses falling down around your head.).

But I guess my belief comes from solid reasoning. I grew up in a family of successful people, none of whom were in possession of advanced degrees and some of whom did not attend school for all twelve of their grade school years. My mother has been an entrepreneur most of her life, beginning with a "pie stand" that she ran as a teen, then her own hair salon, and now, as a "retiree", her own antique mini-mall. My father was a builder... er... mathematician... er.... "set-up the first radio/TV station north of the arctic circle." He worked for 30 years as an estimations analyst for a private government contractor, and he built investment houses as a hobby - five of them - and renovated three of mine, and two businesses for my mother. My great-uncle, Nick, invented the paper dollar changer... which he then sold for $10,000, which funded the purchase of a house and a pink Oldsmobile. (Amazingly creative, he was not a visionary and probably did not foresee the advent of vending machines.) It was life experience and a pursuit of their interests that led them to their avocations.

My daughter wants to be an architect, and therein lies the quandary. During multiple college tours, no less than three professors have advised against it with advice like, "you'll never make a living that will equal the cost of the education," and "have a back-up plan," and from an architect, "yeah, it's great. You stay awake all night working on projects, eat crap food, weep for hours, endure psychotic mood swings, then your project is critiqued into oblivion." And then there are the student loans - how much is too much? And remember, she's not putting a dollar figure on education. She's putting a dollar figure on "the degree." Is there any wonder the child has walked away wide-eyed and fearful? So, I am hopeful that this life experience - her first shop - will give her the insight and the logistical background for making an informed business decision.

In the meantime, I can relax about her little brother. He DOES sleep in until noon... and plays Minecraft for hours... and only socializes through Skype... and he's right on schedule. He makes me laugh like no one else can make me laugh, and he says he's going to live with me forever. I won't hold him to that proclamation, but if he does, that'll be just fine with me. And in the meantime, I'll have faith in him and his ability to pursue his interests - and learn... for the sake of learning!

Join Me in Welcoming, Jo Ramsey!

I am pleased to have as my guest today, Jo Ramsey, author of DOLPHINS IN THE MUD. Join us as Jo talks about, "Someone to Lean On" as it relates to her new release.

Someone to Lean On All of us have situations in our lives that we can’t handle on our own. At those times, it’s important to have someone to lean on so we can get through whatever we’re dealing with. For teenagers, that someone is often a friend or a parent or other family member. Fortunately, most of us have at least one person we can count on when we need to. But what if you can’t find anyone? And what if all around you, others are trying to lean on you? In my novel Dolphins in the Mud, that’s the situation sixteen-year-old Chris Talberman finds himself in. For several years, Chris’s mother has leaned on him to help with his younger sister Cece, who has autism. Although Chris sometimes struggles with the way his sister acts, he feels like he can’t talk to anyone about it. His mother gets upset when Cece’s disability is mentioned, and Chris’s father works so much that he barely seems aware that he has a son. Six months after moving to Wellfleet, Massachusetts, Chris doesn’t have any friends to lean on either, until he meets Noah Silver. In Noah, Chris believes he may have found a friend, and possibly more. And he may finally have someone he can talk to. But things go from bad to worse when Chris’s mother chooses to leave the family. Now Chris’s father leans on him to help with Cece, and Chris finds that not only can he not talk to his father about his own feelings, but he can’t count on Noah either. When you’re a teenager, sometimes you have more responsibility than you’re ready to handle. Instead of being able to rely on your parents, you may find that they now depend on you to help keep the family running. You have responsibilities in school and possibly at work. Sometimes it can be overwhelming, especially if you have a younger sibling with a disability and are put in a position of responsibility with that sibling. Sometimes we aren’t able to find someone to lean on when we really need to, but it’s important to keep trying. Ask for help from a teacher or other school staff member if you can’t find the support you need at home or from friends. Keep in mind that you deserve to have someone to depend on, and that you shouldn’t have to carry everything yourself.

Dolphins in the Mud is coming soon from Featherweight Press, http://www.featherweightpublishing.com.
To find out more about Jo Ramsey and her books, visit her website at http://www.joramsey.com or join her Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/148370091840937/.

Dolphins in the Mud blurb: When Chris Tablerman's family moved to Wellfleet, Massachusetts, Chris left behind his boyfriend and friends. Six months later, Chris still feels alone. When a pod of dolphins strand themselves on the cove outside Chris's house, his autistic younger sister, Cece, runs out to see them. A boy named Noah Silver helps catch Cece before she gets hurt. Noah is even more alone than Chris, and he's just as eager to find a friend. Then everything goes downhill -- Chris's mother leaves, putting Chris's workaholic father in charge. With no one else to talk to, Chris turns to Noah, and their relationship deepens. But Noah has problems he isn't willing to share.

Excerpt:
After a couple minutes, I heard footsteps upstairs. Then Noah came down the staircase. He looked a little confused, but he smiled at me and said, “Hi. Dad told me you were here.
 “You told me to stop by,” I reminded him. “There wasn’t anything going on at my house, so I figured I’d see if you wanted to hang out for a while.”
“Sure.” His smile brightened. “I don’t usually have company. Dad wasn’t quite sure what to think about it, I think. He asked me a bunch of questions about you.”
“I guess parents are like that.” I shifted my feet and stuck my hands in my pockets. “Does he have a problem with me being here?”
“No, not at all,” Noah said quickly. “He just isn’t used to me having friends over. Um, neither am I, really.” He paused and looked around. “How about I show you the house and then we can see what’s in the kitchen?”
“Sounds good.” I wasn’t all that hungry, but I definitely wouldn’t turn down food. Eating would give us something to do, at least. We went through the foyer into a large room that stretched across the width of the house. Windows on both sides looked out onto the water. The chairs and couches—two couches—were covered with a sort of beigey-tan plush fabric. A low black table sat in front of one of the couches, and a few smaller, higher black tables were scattered around.
“The living room,” Noah said. “Not that we really live in here most of the time.”
I decided not to follow up on that comment. “Nice view.”
“Yeah. We don’t look at it much.” He frowned for a second then smiled at me again. “The kitchen’s through here.”
The kitchen was on the opposite side of the foyer wall, and the only way to enter it was through the living room. The stainless steel appliances were big enough to handle a family of eight or ten. An island topped with black granite sat in the middle of the room with two round stools beside it. Through a doorway at the opposite side of the room I saw a rectangular dark wood table and figured that was the dining room.
Noah opened the fridge. “Come pick out what you want to eat. Your choice. We have plenty, and I don’t think my parents will even notice anything’s missing.”
Another weird comment that I decided not to ask about. I walked up beside him and looked into a fridge that contained enough food to feed my family for a month or more. Some of the stuff didn’t even look familiar. I squinted to try to read the labels on the unfamiliar things then realized they weren’t in English and wouldn’t do me any good.

Nice, and thank you, Jo, for sharing a bit of your book and some advice about having someone to lean on!