Today’s been another lovely summer’s day. We’ve had brilliant weather all July, and the roses in my garden have great, heady blooms. Their scent is gorgeous, too, and it’s the perfect place to sit with my guest and have a chat.

Welcome to Yorkshire, Renee Charles. Lovely to meet you!

Where do you live, Renee? Washington State, USA where we have lots of rain, lots of green and lots of coffee.

That sounds almost the same as here in northern England – lots of rain, lots of green…but lots of tea!

Where is your favourite place in the world? My backyard next to the fire pit with hubby, good friends and a cocktail in my hand.

That sounds fabulous. Wish I could join you!

Being a writer is a great job.  What’s the worst job you’ve ever had? Hands down winner, the psychiatric hospital where I was a nurse’s aide. I had to clean up some pretty disgusting messes there. I once fell running through a puddle of pee and broke my elbow. I soon realized it was not my calling. ;)

Oh no, what a terrible way to break an arm! My brother once broke his arm playing chess (!!) but I think running through pee beats that.

What book do you wish you’d written? Outlander. Pure genius, not to mention my introduction to time-travel and the paranormal genre.

I’m looking forward to the TV series!

What’s your favourite song? I don’t have a fav song. I like everything from the deep intensity of ‘Sail’, to the perky upbeat sound of Dean Martin. If anyone ever stole my MP3 player they would think I was nuts.

I listen to Dean Martin every Christmas whilst I’m decorating the tree. It’s tradition :)

If you could meet anyone in the world, dead or alive, who would it be and what would you say to them? My Great-Grandma, She was full of P&V and I could listen to stories about her all day long. I’d ask what my Great-Grandpa said when she cut off all her hair in 1914. I’ve seen the picture, I would love to have been a fly on the wall when she did it.

She sounds a great character!

What’s your happiest childhood memory? I was an only child growing up so Christmas Eve or Easter at Grandma’s house with all my aunts and uncles, cousins and a big dinner was a huge deal. All the ladies in the kitchen, all the kids whining about opening presents and the men planning the next hunting trip.

If you had to marry a fictional character, from film, television, or books, who would it be? Hummm, that is a hard question. Honestly, I’ve been married 20 years and cannot envision being married to anyone else. I love my hubby deeply and he absolutely is the Hero in my own story. Now, if we are just talking sex…Dean Winchester all day long. The hubby knows if Mr. Winchester (or Jensen Ackles, I’m not picky) walked in the room and threw me to the bed to have his way with me, I would have to take the opportunity to teach him a thing or two. The hubby understands.

I had another guest who chose Dean Winchester! I really must check out this show. We don’t have it in the UK (I don’t think) so I’ll have to see if I can stream it. I’m missing something!

What’s the most important lesson life has taught you? Self-doubt is a poison that will ruin anything you let it, relationships, careers and dreams. If you aren’t your own fan, how can you look others in the eye and ask them to be. I am a plump woman and I don’t let it stop me from being sexy. I am clumsy as all hell, but I don’t let it stop me from dancing. I can’t spell worth a damn and I don’t let it stop me from being a writer. This is where happiness is found.

What a great lesson. Women especially are often lacking in confidence, so good for you!

And finally, please tell us about your latest book, where we can find it, and where we can find your blog/website

My latest book is Only Love Survives, a romance novel set during a Zombie Apocalypse. It was released last Halloween and has had excellent reviews on both Amazon and GoodReads.

Here is the blurb…

Amidst an epidemic ravaging the world, all Megan Fletcher’s hopes for the future lie in getting to Las Vegas where newscasts reported scientists were gathering to search for a cure for the modern plague. After rescuing her from a rooftop surrounded by Zombies, Sam Woods appoints himself her escort. While he knows she is determined to get to Vegas no matter the cost, he doesn’t know her secret. And with his hatred of all things Zombie, she doesn’t dare tell him the truth. The more he kisses her, the harder it is for Megan to hide her growing feelings…and the bite-shaped scar.

But Vegas is not the haven it was promised to be, and when Megan’s immunity to the disease is discovered, she realizes her future and her heart belong to Sam, if he will trust her. An idealistic school teacher and ex-corporate mogul manage to find love despite a looming worldwide catastrophe. Can their love survive while everything around them is dying? Will they learn that when facing the end of the world, Only Love Survives.

EXCERPT:

A storm that spelled danger flashed across Sam’s face. He advanced on Megan so fast, she backed up against the side of the Suburban. Planting a hand firmly on each side of her, he pinned her with his arms as well as his gaze.

“What I want? Are you so hard headed you can’t tell what I want?” He covered her mouth with his lips and crushed her clever comeback with an assault on her senses.

Megan pushed him, but he didn’t budge. Instead, he continued to kiss her until her heart raced and cheeks flushed with need. All resistance melted and she succumbed to the warmth of his embrace. Her arms wound around his neck of their own accord pulling him closer while her tongue sought his in a passionate dance, completely ignoring what her heart wanted.

When he finally broke away leaving Megan breathless and wanting so much more, Sam put his forehead to hers and watched her mouth like a drunk watches amber liquid poured into a glass. “You,” he rasped. “I’ve wanted you since I found you hanging from that damn roof, and all our little encounter in the river did was add fuel to the fire.”

Thank you for having me Helena.

Here are my links should anyone like to find me:

reneecharles.net

http://www.reneecharles.net/romance-and-other-hot-topics-blog.html

http://www.facebook.com/ReneeCharlesAuthor

https://twitter.com/RCharlesWriter

Find my Books at Wild Rose Publishing and Amazon

***

Thanks so much for coming, Renee. It’s been lovely to meet you, and I loved the extract from your novel. It sounds a gripping read.

If you have any questions or comments for Renee, please let us know. We’d love to hear from you!