Interview with Renae Kaye
Thanks for joining us today, Renae. We are excited to have you here as you celebrate the upcoming release of your new book. Safe In This Arms sounds fabulous!
RENAE: Hi, Nic! Thanks for inviting me. I’m always glad to drop by and say hello to my favourite friends. People may not realize it, but I think you were one of the first of my Facebook friends. NR Walker introduced us when I timidly set up my account and whispered to the world, “Hello, World. My name is Renae Kaye. I’m going to be a published author.”
Since then, you’ve been a fantastic friend, supporter, cheerer, sympathetic ear and helper. So thank you.
NIC: Aww… it’s my pleasure to count you as a friend <3
This book sounds like a bit of a departure from your usual comedic style. Can you tell us a bit about the mood of the book?
RENAE: Oh, yes. There is an amusing story about that. You see, I had this radical idea to write a series of short stories. They weren’t to be romances – just brief erotic encounters. I even named my working document “Encounters.” I wrote what turned out to be chapter one of the book – a man, showering alone late at night in a public shower, when he meets a younger man and they hook up.
But at the end of the chapter, I sat back and couldn’t contain my curiosity at what I had written. Why was Casey in the shower rooms at that time of night, staring at himself in the mirror? Why was Lon living in a caravan park, despite having a decent paying job?
In my attempt to write erotic, I’d ended up with mysterious, and my writer brain needed to explore that. I just kept telling myself “one more chapter…”
Don’t worry – the humour is there too. This is a Renae Kaye novel, you can’t NOT have humour. It’s just darker than anything I’ve written before.
NIC: The Australian mines sound like a truly unique setting for a m/m romance. What inspired you to venture to the mines?
RENAE: The story isn’t actually set in the mines, it’s set in Perth. I guess the blurb is a little ambiguous about that. Sorry. Lon works as a FIFO miner – which is a Fly In Fly Out worker. He is flown to the mines in Newman for four weeks, working 28 days without a break, then home again for two weeks. He is away for long stretches of time, which plays into the relationship between the guys.
In Perth, FIFO is a way of life. There is an estimation of 60,000 FIFO workers in Western Australian mines. That’s a lot of people to be flying around the state and a lot of people who work away from home.
Since I set all my stories in my hometown, I thought I would be fun to accurately reflect our population. And you know me – I like to write about the guy you meet on the street. In Perth, you would be hard-pressed to find someone who isn’t FIFO, or related to a FIFO worker, or knows a FIFO worker, or works in an industry that supports the FIFO workers.
NIC: Can you share any secrets about Lon and Casey?
Answer: I love Lon. He’s big. He’s hairy. He’s big… **blush** all over. One of my favourite paragraphs from the book? (Remembering Lon lives in a caravan park)
“Knock, knock! Lon? Are you there? I’m announcing my presence with a fifty-piece band.” Casey’s voice brought a smile to his face and Lon stuck his head out the caravan door.
“Are you alone?”
“What? Of course I am. Was I supposed to bring someone?”
“No. But if you had someone with you then I would need to chuck some clothes on before I let you come in.”
There was a pause before Casey almost shrieked, “You’re naked?”
“Yes, and now all my neighbors know that as well. Thank you for telling them all.”
You see, Lon is not enamored with wearing clothes all the time. So Casey has to maintain some control around him.
“Good morning, merry sunshine. How do you like your eggs?”
Casey sat up and scratched at the peach fuzz that tried to come through on his face every night. “You’re cooking me eggs?” No one had ever bothered to do that for him before.
“Yep. And bacon and toast if you want them. Are you a vegetarian?”
Casey smirked at the sight of a naked Lon cooking for him, and stared at his cock resting closer to the caravan stove than he would like. “No. I definitely like my meat.”
NIC: It’s been a big year for you with so many wonderful books released. Congratulations! So what’s next? Do you have any more stories coming up for your readers?
Renae: OMG! Hasn’t it been a big year? Completely beyond my wildest dreams. But thank you. I’ve worked hard and I’m hoping to retire next month…. NO! Joking!
I’m actually working on edits for a new story coming in February 2015. If Safe in His Arms is a darker-than-my-usual, then Shawn’s Law is so light and fluffy it is on its way to the moon. Get ready for comedy in that one people.
NIC: Thanks for joining us and good luck with your release.
Safe In His Arms
Dreamspinner pre-order: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5736
Amazon pre-order: http://www.amazon.com/Safe-His-Arms-Renae-Kaye-ebook/dp/B00PNPOPP8/
The Blurb
In the late-night quiet of the caravan park shower room, Lon Taylor washes away the filth of the Western Australian mines. He’s not looking for anyone, but when Casey offers, Lon doesn’t turn him down.
Welcoming the young man in his big, hairy arms, Lon provides a safety to Casey that he has never known, and Casey wants to stay forever. Still reeling from the breakup of his family years ago, Lon’s not sure he’s ready for the responsibility of the comfort and security Casey craves.
But perhaps Lon can risk opening his heart again and hoping for a brighter future. Casey has some pretty big skeletons in his past to deal with. And Lon wonders what Casey will do when he finds out how badly Lon failed at protecting the ones he loved eight years ago.
How to contact Renae:
Email: renaekaye@iinet.net.au
Website: www.renaekaye.weebly.com
FB: www.facebook.com/renae.kaye.9
Twitter: @renaekkaye