Author Interview ~ Ronie Kendig

Ronie Kendig grew up an Army brat and married a veteran. Together, she and her husband have four children, a Golden Retriever, and a Maltese Menace. She has a BS in Psychology, speaks to various groups, volunteers with the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), and mentors new writers. Rapid-Fire Fiction, her brand, is exemplified through her novels Dead Reckoning, a spy thriller, and the military thriller series, The Discarded Heroes, which includes Nightshade (Retailer’s Choice Award Finalist), Digitalis, Wolfsbane, and Firethorn (January 2012). Ronie can be found at http://www.roniekendig.com/ or http://www.discardedheroes.com/

Did you see yourself becoming a writer as a child? If not, what did you dream of being?

No, for me my dreams were to be a secretary, a teacher, and a mom. I’m happy to say I’ve accomplished all of this, so being an author on top is the whipped cream of life.

How long did you write before you sold your first book?

I’d been writing all through high school and after I first married, but I didn’t really “get serious” about writing until 2000, when my husband encouraged me to write for publication. I have my first rejection letter dated November 2002. Dead Reckoning, my debut novel, sold in 2008.

Many of the people who follow our blog are aspiring writers themselves. Can you share your favorite writing tip with them?

Remember Who is in control. It’s so easy in this industry to become blinded by our desire to succeed, to get that first book published, then we want to win awards and sell the next book. It’s a never-ending cycle that really pulls at you as a writer. The only constant and unflappable source is God. Rest in Him. Do your best in honing your craft and telling your story, then yield the rest to Him.

Now for the readers…many times, it’s easy for them to connect with the characters in a book, but not so much the authors themselves. Share something about your day-to-day life that might help a reader to feel as though they know you a little better.

I am a homeschooling mom of four children, so my days are pretty much spent with them. We homeschool in the morning the and sometimes past lunch time. I have friends who don’t have children at home and they take nights off to talk and watch TV. Unfortunately, I can’t do that because my evenings are when I write.

Now that you are published, do you still experience rejections? If so, how are these rejections different or similar to the ones you received before becoming published?

Oh goodness yes. Rejections are part and parcel of the writer’s life. There’s not getting around it or away from it.

Tell us a little about your latest release:

Wolfsbane is a story that I actually wrote about six or seven years ago called, Signal of Hope. It’s been totally re-crafted and re-drafted though to fit within the context of the Nightshade team, but the main principles (Dani & Canyon) are still the same.

Here is the official blurb for this book:

A female demolitions who unwittingly holds a lethal secret. . .

A former Green Beret grappling with terrifying memories of a mission gone bad. . .

And the jungle that threatens to swallow them whole.

In Venezuela, Danielle Roark and her Army Corps of Engineers team is captured. After six months of captivity, Dani escapes, only to end up charged with espionage and forced to return to the jungle to prove that a nuclear facility exists. On the mission, she is abandoned by God and country. Will she live long enough to make those responsible pay? Haunted by memories of a mission gone bad, former Green Beret Canyon Metcalfe wrestles with his developing feelings for the feisty senator’s daughter. Setting aside his misgivings, he and Nightshade take the mission to help Dani unravel her lethal secrets. Separated from the team leaves Dani and Canyon vulnerable—and captured. After he is rescued, Canyon discovers Dani has been left behind. Livid, he sacrifices everything—including his role with Nightshade—to find Dani. Can Dani and Canyon fight the nightmare armed with only forgiveness and raw courage? Or will they lose their lives, minds, and each other?

If you could only share one line from Wolfsbane, which one would you choose and why?

This line: “If you only know one thing, know this—whatever happens down there, I’m not coming back without you.”

The reason I chose that line is it embodies not only Canyon “Midas” Metcalfe, the main character, but also foreshadows what’s going to happen in the story.

Writers often put things in their books that are very personal—like a funny story that happened to them, a spiritual truth they learned through difficulty, or even just a character trait that is uniquely theirs. Is there something in Wolfsbane that only people close to you know is about you or someone you know?

Ya know, I haven’t really thought about this much. I’m definitely not like Dani because she’s much more a tough chick than I am, and I’m not like Canyon (um, hello? If you need help figuring that one out…). I haven’t been addicted to painkillers either, but I have had family drama that resulted in certain family members not speaking.

Readers often talk a lot about the hero and heroine of a story, but today I’d like to know something about your villain. Does he or she have a redeeming quality? Why or why not?

In my series, I rarely have true, personified villain. My heroes are usually battling time against some catastrophic event. In Wolfsbane, there is a villain named General Bruzon. Probably his only quality that stands out, but I wouldn’t necessarily call redeeming, is that he is passionate about his country, Venezuela.

What kind of research did you have to do for this book? Can you share some articles or website links you found particularly helpful?

Since this is book 3 in the Discarded Heroes series, a good portion of research has been ongoing and plentiful. Probably the best resource for all things military are the actually .mil sites. There are endless books on Special Forces and Special Operations, so pointing to just one wouldn’t work. For Wolfsbane, I had to do some research on addictions to painkillers and I mostly used the Mayo Clinic’s website, which proved very helpful and informative.

Tell us what new projects you’re working on.

I’ve just finished a contemporary novella for a collection that will release next April from Barbour Books, and now I’m heading into my military war dog series, which I’m so very excited about! The first book, Trinity, will release August 2012 and features a Belgian Malinois and her handler, Heath Daniels.

The most common thing I hear when people learned I’ve published a book is, “I’ve always wanted to do that.” Faced with this statement, what advice would you give to someone just starting out in this business?

My agent once told me the only writers who fail are the ones who quit. With that in mind, remember that writing is not as easy as it looks and that sometimes, the road is long, hard, and lonely. But if you believe you’re supposed to write, then do it with all your heart, and “never give up, never surrender.”

What is the one question you were afraid I would ask…and how would you answer?

Which character is my favorite? I don’t have a favorite because they’re ALL favorites! :-D

Ronie is giving away a copy of her book, Wolfsbane. Be sure to stop by The Borrowed Book on Friday for your chance to win!