Did you have a chance to read Renee's three chosen short stories for this month's CSR? No? Well why not? Go, read now! You can do it, but make sure you come back here and leave a thought or two on what you read or Renee's writing in general. First, though, we have an interview to share with our very own site Blog Host, Anthology Coordinator, and Signature Author!

Are you a person who makes their bed in the morning, or do you not see much point?
I usually at least toss the blankets up over it, because my dogs and cats like to jump on the bed, and if I don’t, then I end up with lots of dog hair and dirt between the sheets. It drives me nuts and makes me itch, so I try to prevent it if I can.

If you were an animal, what would you be?
So many choices that it’s hard to choose just one. Based on my love of the outdoors and hunting, I’d have to say maybe something like a wolf or a bear. Natural hunters who get to spend their entire lives enjoying the mountains. (Though sometimes I think it would be cool to be a shark, I mean, all the things you’d see!!!)

What’s something personal about you people might be surprised to know?
I’m actually very shy and really hate confrontation. I’m the type of person that goes to a bbq (or other gathering) and keep to the people I know. It takes time, but if I’m around the same people a few times, then I’ll start to get to know them, but it’s really hard for me to do. And, while I will stand up for my family, there’s very little that I’ll actually confront someone on. I prefer to try and keep the peace.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
That kind of depends. Outside of spending time with my husband, it kind of depends on the season. During the fall, I’m usually hunting on the mountain with my family. During the summer, I love to go camping and fishing. And while I haven’t been doing it as much, throughout the year I also enjoy sewing and designing quilts.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
Coming up with names. Whether it’s the name of a character or a title for a story, it’s always a struggle because I want to find just the right one. Outside of that, I think lately my most challenging thing is focusing enough to actually write. I’ve very easily distracted, so sometimes that makes it hard to actually just sit down and write.

What’s the first thing you do when you start to write a story?
It depends. It’s rare that I plot out a story from start to finish. For me, I basically just sit down and start writing. I rarely even have the entire cast of characters in mind when I start something new. I basically have an idea of where the story starts and where I want it to go. Now, if it’s a sequel, the first thing I do is go back and skim through the first story, because I want to make sure I don’t have any annoying little continuity issues.

Are any of these stories based on a personal experience?
None of these ones, but I do have a couple stories on here that are. I think my most personal story on here is “Take a Ride”, which is based on when I had a dangerous drop in blood sugar and scared the crap out of my hubby.

Is there a particular character or theme in these stories who you most identify with, and how so?
Not really. I guess if I absolutely HAD to choose, I’d say maybe Keith from Friends First, but only because we’ve both been cheated on and found out through friends.

Can you sum up each of these short stories in one sentence?
Eek, that’s a difficult one, but I’ll try.

Friends First: Keith’s life is falling apart around him, thanks to his cheating bastard of a boyfriend, but things start to look up when his best friend reveals some truths that he’s been hiding.

Line of Sight: Brad was devastated when his boyfriend walked out on him, but, thanks to his six year old son and his son’s teacher, he finally starts realizing that the future he envisioned is within his grasp.

More Than a Pact: Paul and Mac made a pact during college about when they both turned 35, but Paul had forgotten about it until Mac shows up on his doorstep on his 35^th birthday, ready to make the pact into reality.

Can you share a little of your current work with us?
I have a lot of projects in the works, but the one that has most of my focus is Studly Ranch Hands. It used to be called Rough Stock Wranglers (love that title!) but thanks to some major plot changes, the title no longer works, so AJ came up with the working title of Studly Ranch Hands.

Here’s an excerpt from close to the beginning: