Meet Jeanne Renee

Indie Author Spotlight

Mar 14, 2025

Welcome to Indie Author Spotlight where I interview talented writers who have valuable insights to share on their writing process, publication, and what it means to be an indie author.

Jeanne Renee can't remember a time when she wasn't in love with stories. After earning a BA in English Literature and Creative Writing from the University of Arizona, Jeanne worked as a bookseller, assistant magazine editor, and an elementary school reading tutor. An eclectic reader, mediocre yogi, and admirer of sunsets and dairy-free lattes, Jeanne lives outside Tucson with her husband, daughters, and the best bad dog ever, Patrick the Fierce.

What made you decide to become a writer? How did you get started?

I'm not sure anyone really decides to become a writer, but they do decide to start writing one day and that feels like an important if vague distinction. I always loved stories and started writing poetry in elementary school for an assignment. It was objectively bad, but I kept at it through college because writing whole stories felt too overwhelming. In fact, I didn't write any fiction at all until college and didn't even consider attempting a novel until I was in my mid-20s. I was a young mom at home with our eldest daughter and voraciously reading popular fiction for the first time as an adult, when I had this epiphany of sorts that I was going to write a book. Or try to anyway. So I started free writing scenes and brainstorming ideas and character sketches. Those eventually became the first draft of The Wisp and the Wolf.

Who are your main influences? Favorite books?

I'm a sucker for beautiful prose and vivid, lucious details, so I look back to writers like Zora Neale Hurston in Their Eyes Were Watching God or to contemporary writers like Tracy Chevalier or Diana Gabaldon for inspiration. And I'll never be mad at the interpersonal melodrama of classics like Jane Eyre or The Age of Innocence.

Tell us about your book The Wisp and the Wolf.

The Wisp and the Wolf is the first in a series of time slip novels set primarily in 15th century Wales/Cymru. It's about a young American woman named Meg who travels to North Wales at her late mother's request to reconcile with her estranged identical twin. But before she can get to her sister, a series of uncanny events lead Meg to a medieval saint's shrine where she accidentally travels back in time to the eve of the last Welsh/Cymry uprising against their English oppressors. As you can imagine, chaos ensues. It's full of Medieval history, Welsh/Cymry folklore, and a steamy romance. If you like the Outlander series or books by Paula Brackston like The Winter Witch, I hope you'll consider mine.

What drew you to writing historical fantasy?

While I enjoy both genres independently, I think something magical happens when you can create a world that feels deeply grounded in reality, only to twist it ever so slightly into something new. As a reader, the genre gives me the feeling that perhaps something extraordinary is waiting just around the corner. I think the genre beautifully acknowledges that whimsy and danger already exist in our everyday lives and then runs with those ideas creatively. I'm really drawn to that.

What message (or feeling) would you like your readers to get from this book?

Hmmm. There's no particular message or feeling I hope for other than that readers come away invested in the characters and world of the novel. And maybe just a little excited for Book Two since the first ends on somewhat of a cliffhanger. But really, I hope the book becomes whatever the reader needs it to be. That's my hope.

What is your writing process? Do you have any creative rituals or a favorite place to write?

I would love to say I meticulously outline and then wake up early every morning and fast-draft in elegant notebooks by candlelight. I do none of those things. I'm a chaotic pantser if there ever was one. Which I don't recommend, actually, but it's how my brain works thus far. I outline, but very minimally. I write exclusively on my laptop, almost exclusively at home after my family is in bed, and I'm still working on sticking to a routine because I'm naturally a feast or famine writer. And I don't write in chronological order, but as scenes or bits of dialogue come to me. Then I stitch it all together and revise heavily. For me, writing a first draft feels more like putting together a puzzle than telling an orderly story. First I have to find the edges of the thing. Then I build inward as sections of the story present themselves.

Why did you decide to self-publish instead of going the traditional route?

Well, I'd love to say self-publishing was my first choice, because it's an excellent choice particularly now, but in truth it wasn't. Originally, I queried an earlier draft of The Wisp and the Wolf pretty extensively back in 2017-2018. While I wracked up dozens of rejections, I also got several full manuscript requests and went through a full revise and resubmit with a dream agent. But ultimately enough agents passed on the project during those two years that I decided to shelve the manuscript and work on something else. It was heartbreaking. Then I went through a similar process with the second project, a historical fantasy retelling of the ballet Giselle. Again, had several full requests and a R&R but ultimately wasn't offered representation. So after letting The Wisp and the Wolf sit for several years, I reread it with fresh eyes in 2022. And you know what? I still loved the book. So I decided to give it one more hefty revision and figure out how to self-publish it. I had no idea what I was doing and relied heavily on indie authors I'd met online for guidance. I'm incredibly grateful to them. It's really a beautiful community. I'm still learning the ropes in many ways, but am so glad I finally decided to self-publish and highly recommend it.

What have you learned about the self-publishing process? Will you do anything different with your second book?

I've learned a tremendous amount, so it would be difficult to list it all, but I would say it's worth it to invest in a good cover artist and a copy editor. Which can be expensive. But, for me, it was worth the investment and there are a lot of great options out there in what I would consider a mid-range price point. Also, so much of self-publishing depends on timing! One thing I will be doing differently with the next book is contracting a cover artist sooner in the process for marketing purposes.

Have you ever received criticism that has helped you become a better writer?

Of course! I don't think you can really hone any craft if you don't listen to feedback and consider critique. But it's a skill you have to develop by separating yourself from your work, which can be difficult. One of the best critiques I ever received was about character agency. I tended to put characters in sticky situations already knowing how they were going to get out of them and it felt contrived. I'm still learning how to give characters more agency by exploring their wounding and motivations better before I dive into drafting.

What marketing strategies seem to be working for you?

Gosh I feel like I'm constantly asking other indie authors this question myself because it's my weak point. What I have done is try to create an author presence online over several different platforms, experiment with different types of posts, post pretty consistently, do several in person book signings and events, and hire several Bookstagramers to feature The Wisp and the Wolf on their platforms. And I feel fairly good about the outcomes, though I still have a lot to learn.

What are you working on now?

One of the great things about being self-published is more creative freedom, so while I'm always researching the next installment for The Wisp and the Wolf series, I'm currently drafting a contemporary romance. It's another genre I love and I can't wait to share this book with people. It's a second chance romance about a ballerina who's forced into early retirement after being diagnosed with the same autoimmune disease I have. After reluctantly moving back to her hometown, she spends the summer living across the street from her ex-everything, who is now a single dad to a young dancer. The story is told through dual timelines similarly to Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren and is full of childhood friendship, first love, and the things that pull people apart. I love it.

How can readers find you?