Author Interview: Erin & Deek Rhew

I am so pleased to present my interview with authors Deek and Erin Rhew!

In case you missed them, don't forget to check out this week's Get to Know the Authors and May 2019 Book Giveaway posts. We are giving away two books by Erin and Deek!

If you can't wait until the end of the giveaway to check out Erin and Deek's work, I've listed their buy links at the end of the interview! 

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Writing Desk Blog: Hi Erin and Deek, thank you for joining me for an interview here on the Writing Desk Blog!

 

For my readers who don’t know, the three of us met earlier this year at a book fair-type event. I was so excited to meet a couple who are not only both writers, but who have also formed their own publishing company, Tenacious Books Publishing.

What gave you the idea to form this company together? Were either of you published with a different company prior to starting your own and did that influence your decision?

Erin Rhew: Hello! Thank you so much for hosting us on your blog! It was truly a pleasure to meet you at the book event! 

At the time we opened Tenacious, both Deek and I were published through other publishers. Since I’m a professional editor and book designer, we knew I could handle that aspect of publishing, so we decided to try our hand at opening our own publishing house. We’re thrilled with the success of it!

Deek Rhew: Hey hey! It’s fantastic to be here, and it was great to meet you at the book event!

Shortly before my novel 122 Rules debuted at another publishing house, I’d completed Birth of an American Gigolo. Originally, I’d intended to self-pub Birth. But Erin and I got to talking, and we decided that anything we wrote (that we didn’t traditionally pub) would be pubbed under our own house. Just like that, Tenacious Books Publishing was born.

It took a while to get set up. Erin spent a ton of time figuring out the legal, taxes, marketing, and infrastructure. I helped some, but it was really a huge labor of love on Erin’s part.

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WDB: At Tenacious Books, what genres do you publish? Do you typically look for new authors, or do you also publish authors who have moved away from the traditional “big” publishing houses?

Erin: We are open to most genres except children’s, middle grade, horror, and erotica. If you write sci-fi and fantasy, we’d love to talk. That’s our bread and butter.

Regarding how we look for new authors, it’s a mix of both. We look for debut authors, but we’re also interested in those who are looking for something different in publishing. Deek and I are hands-on and interpersonal, but we give our author a lot of freedom and flexibility.

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WDB: Do you think owning your own publishing company, and promoting other writers in the process, has enabled you to reach more readers than you might have if you’d gone with another publishing route?

Erin: Definitely. It always helps to have more contacts and connections in any business, but especially this one.

Deek: I’ve always loved going to cons, but now it’s even more fun because we really stack our table with a wide range of books. When we’re talking to folks, we can find out what they’re interested in, and chances are pretty like that we’ll have something they’re interested in. Having such a huge variety totally opens up the market.

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WDB: Of the books you’ve both written so far, which one(s) would you recommend to first time readers to really show who you are as authors?

Erin: Gah! The story of The Prophecy is near and dear to my heart because it’s my first book baby (I even have a tattoo of the cover). But because it’s my first, it doesn’t showcase who I am as a writer now. I’ve grown so much since writing it. So, I guess I’d have to say my latest novel, The Transhuman Project.

Deek: The Transhuman Project is a fantastic read and really does showcase Erin’s creative talents. The Fulfillment series will make you miss the characters when you’re not spending time with them.

On my side, I’d definitely start with 122 Rules. Erin says it’s a cross between literary and commercial fiction. For me, it’s just a fun ride. The second in the series, 122 Rules – Redemption, will be out this summer, so we finally get to resolve that cliffhanger. Like Stephen King and Marvel, I love crossovers. Two characters from Birth are in 122 and Redemption. Plus, there’s a scene in 122 where we hear one side of a phone call, and in Birth, we get to hear the other. 

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WDB: Plotters or pantsers? Do you work together or independently, or a little bit of both, on your story ideas and outlines?

Erin: I’m definitely more panster than plotter, but sometimes I do have to write up an outline so I stay on task. Deek and I were laughing last night because we think we’ve come up with the name of my memoir, I Live Off-Topic. 

We write independently, but we collaborate on edits and story ideas. Deek and I walk five miles to get coffee every Saturday (we call it Saturdate), and we’re always chatting about randomness. So many times, those chats turn into story ideas.

Deek: Total panster. That being said, it’s gotten me in trouble. Before Erin and my other editor, Anya Kagan of Touchstone Editing, got ahold of 122, it was a timeline disaster. My brain doesn’t work linearly, so my timeline hopped around like a herd of frightened jackrabbits. My latest WIP, a Sci-Fi called The Extractor, had to have 26,000 words cut because they didn’t ultimately fit into the story. Those cut chapters gave me great depth and background to draw from for the rest of the book, but not having a plan means I start with a scene and go.

Appropriately enough, my memoir would be titled: So, I got a Little Lost...

I have a whole folder of story ideas and A LOT of them have sprung up from conversations Erin and I have had. At the very least, if something comes to me—often in a dream—and I think it has story potential, we will talk through it on one of our walks or late in the evening.

It’s so much fun to have a partner that not only gets it but is excited and enthusiastic!

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WDB: These next questions are ones I like to ask in each Writing Desk Blog interview, it’s so interesting to see the range of responses I get!

What is your favorite method for connecting with readers and other writers? Social media, conferences, meet-ups, or a combination?  

Erin: Comic-cons (I honestly don’t know how to spell this word. I’ve seen it so many ways). Deek and I love to go to them anyway because we’re total nerds, but we love the vibe. The people are always so nice, and it’s definitely our best connection and selling platform.

Deek: Totally. Cons rock! We get to connect with readers and meet other authors. Erin’s had fans travel across the country just because they heard she’d be there! Plus, I love meeting the cosplayers. I almost always blog right after a con, and there’s usually tons of selfies I’ve taken with the players.

The energy is like no place else. Best of all, I get to hang with my best friend all day. What could be better than that? 

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WDB: Where do you typically work from? (Home, office, coffee shop, etc.) Is there any place you find you're more productive than others?

Erin: We work wherever we can work, but our two favorite spots are 1) our bed 2) in the car during a thunderstorm.

Deek: Ditto, plus I write at work during my lunch hour. There are two sky bridges inside my building. I can look out the massive glass wall and see a lake. There’s always little murmur of people chatting and sometimes music. It’s a great place to chill from slinging code.

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WDB: If you are able to tell us, what’s next for you? Will we be seeing another installment connected to one of your existing series or something different?

Erin: Recently, I’ve been off on a non-writing related tangent, but now with the situation winding down, I’m headed back to my historical fiction novel. It’s a modern retelling of a very old story...with a complicated twist! This one will be totally different than anything I’ve written thus far because it’s not fantasy or sci-fi, and it’s adult instead of YA.

Deek: The sequel to 122 Rules, 122 Rules – Redemption, is coming out this summer. I’m also shopping around my Sci-Fi about a virtual reality company that inserts into their video games real human emotions, memories, and feelings that they’ve downloaded...from the dead. I’m currently editing its sequel and preparing to start recording the audiobook version of 122 Rules.

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WDB: Best piece(s) of writing advice?

Erin: You know what a professional editor is going to say, right? LOL! Edit, edit, edit. When you think you’re done, edit some more.

Deek: Do a little research on whatever you’re writing and make sure that you know the word count limits for your specific genre.

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WDB: Something about you that people may be surprised to know?

Erin: I’m a Southern girl, born and raised, but I hate sweet tea and fried chicken. Deek is a Portlander, and I moved out there with him for a while. I loved it. It’s *so* different from the South, but I seemed to fit there too. I’m like this bizarre mixture of Southern belle and Portland hippie.

Deek: I wanted to fly fighter planes for the Air Force. Unfortunately, colorblindness kept me from the cockpit, so instead, I started a rock band.

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Buy Links Erin Rhew:

The Prophecy https://amzn.to/2RUEL6q

The Outlanders https://amzn.to/2MBjUiH

The Fulfillment https://amzn.to/2S93Sly

The Transhuman Project https://amzn.to/2My7050

Buy Links Deek Rhew:

122 Rules https://amzn.to/2IaK6l1

Birth of an American Gigolo https://amzn.to/2G4Npsb