Renae Schwemmer is an award-winning author and poet who loves a good cozy mystery! She writes supernatural suspense, psychological thrillers, cozy mysteries, and modern domestic thrillers.
What inspired the plot of He Came Back, and how did you develop the story’s central themes and characters?
He Came Back was my first paranormal romance. I write mainly mysteries so I wanted to have a little mystery in the story but focus on the idea of losing a loved one and what would happen if they came back. I’ve always been interested in stories of people that have had out of body or near-death experiences so developing the main characters was my way of exploring what might happen if someone else’s soul came back instead of a loved one.
Can you share any unique challenges or memorable experiences you encountered while writing He Came Back?
While writing this short story, I was challenged with being able to tell a complete story of the couple’s relationship before the accident happened and how it changed after. Anna was relieved her husband came back, but knew something was wrong when John didn’t behave like her husband did before his car accident. The idea of a person’s soul leaving their body when they die and then coming back to behave like it did before was one of the things I wanted to focus on in this story.
What inspired you to write Old Bones, and how did you develop the story’s unique plot and characters?
Old Bones was a concept and originally a short story from when I was in school. The characters and idea was written then but developed into a much larger concept over the years. The final story is one that I am most proud of–the reality that characters have very raw, human wants and needs. This story explored Simon and Victoria in a vulnerable and dangerous way that adds to the supernatural plot.
Can you share any interesting or challenging experiences you encountered while researching and writing Old Bones?
I spent months researching the location and setting of the story, information on the character’s careers, and wanted to tell a realistic couple’s challenges of marriage and secrets they keep from each other.
What themes or messages did you aim to convey through Her Words to Tell, and how do they reflect your personal experiences or beliefs?
I wanted Her Words to Tell to be a female character driven story of strong women, vulnerable situations and how women rely on each other for help, support, and finding strength. I think more women’s stories need to be told and bringing awareness to sensitive issues that women face with sexism, domestic abuse or sexual abuse is important. I believe that every woman has a voice, a right to be safe, and to tell her story.
How did you approach the development of the main characters in Her Words to Tell, and what do you hope readers will take away from their journeys?
I wanted the main character, Sabrina, to be strong and independent and step out of her comfort zone to offer support to a woman in need. Sabrina isn’t afraid to help be the voice of Elle who only wanted to tell her story of sexual assault and make the man responsible pay for it. This story is strictly told from the woman’s point of view to drive home the reality that women today still have to be scared of men in certain situations. I hope my male readers will appreciate the point I was trying to make with this story.
