Rene Gutteridge

Q: Let me start with asking you to tell us a little bit about yourself.  

A.   I’m married to Sean, a worship pastor and I have two kids—John is 14 and Cate is 10.  I live in Oklahoma City where I occupy my time pretending I have everything pulled together.

Q: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

A.   I’ve always written stories, for as long as I can remember.  But it wasn’t until college, thanks to a professor, that I even considered doing it for a living.  I didn’t realize, I guess, that it was an option.  For most of my life, it was an outlet.  Then, suddenly, it was a career possibility.  It was thrilling for me.  For my parents, it was as frightening as if I’d announced I had belly dancing ambitions.  They wanted me to have a secure future and they knew writing had the possibility of giving me the exact opposite.  Eventually they realized there was really nothing else that fit me well.  And it did help that I finally got published.  Now I have bragging rights.

Q: Could you give us the highlights of your professional writing career including how you got your first writing break?  

A.   My first writing break in fiction was at a writer’s conference.  I had a fifteen minute pitch session with an editor. I came completely prepared.  I think I had around eight ideas, each with their own pitch sheet.  He went through them one by one and dismissed them for various reasons—too similar to such-and-such story, too predictable, etc.  He got through all of them and said, “Is that it?”  It was, until I remembered I’d come up with a snippet of an idea on the airplane coming to the conference.  So I pitched the idea—it was one sentence.  That’s all I had.  And his face lit up and he said, “That’s the one I want to see.”  And that became my first published novel, Ghost Writer.  

Highlights?  So, so many!  I remember the first badge I got that said Rene Gutteridge, author.  Blew me away.  I still have it hanging on my desk.  Once I got a clipping of one of my reviews in the mail from an author who’d seen it, took the time to clip it out and send it to me.  The review was great, but what was special to me was the person who sent it to me.  I really admired her as a writer and for her to take the time to do that amazed me.  The review still hangs on my wall in my office, but you can’t read it because I kept the sticky note she placed on the top congratulating me and signing her name.  Really, all of it has been one big highlight. I always determined never to take any of it for granted, even the grunt work, and it’s always helped me keep a good, healthy perspective. At least most of the time.

Q: Would you tell us about your current book release MISERY LOVES COMPANY?  

A:  MISERY LOVES COMPANY is the story of a fan who is kidnapped by her favorite author, only to discover the complex and twisted story he is weaving might be her own.

Q: Where did you get your inspiration for Misery Loves Company?

A: I got the inspiration for MISERY LOVES COMPANY from Stephen King’s MISERY.  From the time my parents allowed me to read Stephen King, I was enthralled with his writing.  When I read MISERY as a young adult, I thought it was one of the best and most suspenseful stories I’d ever read.   It still remains one of my favorite books.  But I knew this: writers are far more likely to be crazier than fans, so that’s the perspective from which I wrote the story.

Q: What is the main thing you hope readers remember from this story?

A:   I always want the reader to keep from the story what has changed them or moved them or caused them to stir. I can’t ever define for them what that is.  For each reader, it’s their own keepsake.  That’s the beauty of story.

Q: What is your favorite scene/chapter from the book?

A:  I wrote the prologue for the book without knowing what the character would ultimately do.  The reader is left with a cliffhanger there but so was I.  I didn’t know what he did until I got to the place in the book where I needed to finish the scene.  The way that scene haunted me through the writing of the book was a great device that I probably couldn’t recreate if I tried.

Q: What inspires you to write?  

A. More than anything, curiosity.  I always tell writers that curiosity will serve them far better than creativity.  Creativity is definitely a plus and much needed, but in my opinion curiosity is the best asset.

Q: How has being a published novelist differed from your expectations of the profession?  

A:  I never in my wildest dreams would’ve imagined all the social media pressure writers would face.  When I first got published, the internet was really getting going and it was kind of a big deal to have a website. You sort of kept that up-to-date and that was it.  Then there is this explosion of social media and authors are expected to jump into any and all platforms. I get pretty overwhelmed by it.  If it tells you anything about me, I’ve had the exact same website for almost 15 years.  It’s the only one I’ve ever had, the same design and everything.  A writing buddy of mine was recently appalled that I wasn’t promoting my books on Pinterest and I told her that I just wanted a place where I could pin a lasagna recipe. But yeah, I recognize I need to get my books up there too.

Also, I would’ve never imagined how much I would love my editors.  You think before you’re published that you’re going to fight with them and then you realize they’re geniuses who make you look good for no credit. I’m so grateful for them. They’re my secret weapon.

Q: What advice or tips do you have for writers who are just getting started?

A:  BIC.  Butt In Chair.  And put down all those craft books. Read a couple and then write.  And read.  Keep reading.  And not just the good novels.  Read the bad ones too.  You can learn just as much from a bad novel as you can from a good one. 

Q: Would you share with us what you are working on now?  

A. I’m putting the final touches on two story ideas that I’m super excited about. They’ve both been with me for a couple of years. I just recently felt I had enough to start putting the ideas to paper, and now I’ve got the final components to make them feel like they’re ideas that are ready to be spun into stories. 

Q: When you’re not writing what do you like to do?  

A. I’m not very good at relaxing, so you’ll most likely find me doing something productive.  But I try to step away from writing frequently and live life well and be present in all parts of my life.  If it’s after 10:00 p.m. you’ll find me playing Scrabble on my phone or pinning myself silly on Pinterest.

Q: Where can readers find you on the internet? 

A. My website is www.renegutteridge.com.  I have a fan page on Facebook, where I run contests and giveaways, and I’m on Twitter @renegutteridge

Q: Anything else you’d like to tell or share with us?  

A. Thank you so much for the interview!