Colleen Houck Book Club discussion

Welcome to the group! Renee will be answering questions in August 2016 in this thread only. In the meantime if you have a question for the author or just want to introduce yourself feel free to do so in this thread.

Renee, can you tell us what projects are you working on now? What can we expect from your next book? BTW I loved The Wrath and the Dawn and The Rose and the Dagger!

How long have you been an author?

How much research had to go into these? The series is rich with details. I absolutely love it!

Can you tell us a bit about the covers? I love the idea of looking through a lattice.

What is your next series going to be about? Anymore fairy tale retellings? Love your books ❤️❤️❤️

Renee, how did you think of the twist to the original thousand and nights story, and what inspired you to Base it on a thousand and nights? And was the tale you chose to write in the first book your favourite tale?

When, or how, were you first inspired to write this series?

Can you tell us a bit about the magic book with the key?

I would be terrified to fly on a magic carpet! Would you ever get on one?

Khalid and Tariq are both very swoonworthy guys. Have you any particular actors in mind for either of them?

The Wrath and the Dawn is an amazing retelling of a great well-known story. What are other fairytale retelling/twist books that you could recommend?

Any plans for a third The Wrath & The Dawn book? Maybe A spin off novel?

First of all, I just want to say, thank-you for writing such an amazing series!! The ending of The Rose and the Dagger had me gasping for breath and almost bursting into tears then suddenly I found myself smiling from ear to ear. I was actually disappointed that the series was only two books.
Right, to some questions:
What will be your next book? If you can't tell us, can you let us know when it will be announced?
What is your writing process like?
Is there another famous tale/myth/fairytale that you would love to retell?
Thank-you so much again!!

Did you have any scene in mind before you started writing?

I can't wait to meet Renee at Yallfest..or Decatur book fest...lol. My question is do you want to write something in a totally different genre with your next series or will you explore more myths/folktales?

Which type of mythology do you prefer? Greek or Norse? If you had to choose one to write your next book about which one would you pick?

Who are your favorite authors and what genre of books do you like to read?

SPOILER!

So the carpet. Is it her magic that makes it move or is it magical in and of itself?

Which book did you have a hard time to write--The Wrath and the Dawn or The Rose and the Dagger?

Colleen wrote: "Welcome to the group! Renee will be answering questions in August 2016 in this thread only. In the meantime if you have a question for the author or just want to introduce yourself feel free to do ..."

Hi! Thanks so much to Colleen for setting this up!

Milena wrote: "Renee, can you tell us what projects are you working on now? What can we expect from your next book? BTW I loved The Wrath and the Dawn and The Rose and the Dagger!"

Hi, Milena! I actually have an announcement for my next series in the works as we speak. Hopefully it can be public in the next few weeks :-) I can say that it's another fantasy!

Kylie wrote: "How long have you been an author?"

Hi, Kylie! I've been writing since I was a teenager, but THE WRATH & THE DAWN was my official debut as a traditionally published author.

Colleen wrote: "How much research had to go into these? The series is rich with details. I absolutely love it!"

Thanks so much for this question, Colleen! I'd say I probably researched for two solid months before I wrote anything, but so much of the details were culled from the Persian culture--my husband is Persian, so I was able to turn to our family for help!

Colleen wrote: "Can you tell us a bit about the covers? I love the idea of looking through a lattice."

I love these covers! My cover designer is amazing. I helped with some of the smaller details, but the overall concept for the screens was entirely hers.

Ashley wrote: "What is your next series going to be about? Anymore fairy tale retellings? Love your books ❤️❤️❤️"

Hi, Ashley! I can't wait to tell you all about my next series. The announcement should be public in the next few weeks, but, yes, it's a story based on something well beloved.

Charissa wrote: "The Wrath and the Dawn is an amazing retelling of a great well-known story. What are other fairytale retelling/twist books that you could recommend?"

Thank you so much, Charissa! I love the DOROTHY MUST DIE retelling, as well as Marissa Meyer's work. I also really enjoyed Sarah Maas' Beauty and the Beast retelling, A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES.

Joanne wrote: "Renee, how did you think of the twist to the original thousand and nights story, and what inspired you to Base it on a thousand and nights? And was the tale you chose to write in the first book you..."

Hi, Joanne! I think the inspiration came from my husband's family, as well as my love for the original 1001 NIGHTS story. I just thought it would make amazing source material for a retelling, especially from the character of Scheherazade's perspective.

Daniela wrote: "When, or how, were you first inspired to write this series?"

Without spoiling anything, I knew I wanted to write a book about the power of story. And the idea of a book with magical powers just naturally came about from that.

Joanne wrote: "Renee, how did you think of the twist to the original thousand and nights story, and what inspired you to Base it on a thousand and nights? And was the tale you chose to write in the first book you..."

I think the first inspiration came about because I saw a tapestry made from vignettes taken from 1001 NIGHTS.

Colleen wrote: "Can you tell us a bit about the magic book with the key?"

Absolutely!!

Colleen wrote: "Khalid and Tariq are both very swoonworthy guys. Have you any particular actors in mind for either of them?"

Hahaha! Thank you! No I don't have any actors in mind. But I do think Toni Mahfud is very good looking ;-)

Ashley wrote: "Any plans for a third The Wrath & The Dawn book? Maybe A spin off novel?"

Never say never! :-)

Louise wrote: "This would have to be one of my favourite series. Will there be any more novels in the series. Also, was the names are unique, was it the entire construct of Arabian Nights that inspired them, or j..."

Thank you so much, Louise! It would be great one day to come back to this series! :-) The names were taken from Persian and Arabic stories.

Marguerite wrote: "First of all, I just want to say, thank-you for writing such an amazing series!! The ending of The Rose and the Dagger had me gasping for breath and almost bursting into tears then suddenly I found..."

Hi, Marguerite! I'm hoping to announce my next series very very soon! My writing process is very focused on character development. And I would love to retell some more eastern fairytales in the future!

Daniela wrote: "Did you have any scene in mind before you started writing?"

Hi, Daniela! I very clearly saw the opening scene when Shahrzad first meets Khalid before I started writing.

♔Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Veronica Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♔ wrote: "I can't wait to meet Renee at Yallfest..or Decatur book fest...lol. My question is do you want to write something in a totally different genre with your next series or will you explore more myths/f..."

Hi, Veronica! I'd love to meet you, too! I think I will definitely be writing some more fantasy and exploring more myths.

Ashley wrote: "Which type of mythology do you prefer? Greek or Norse? If you had to choose one to write your next book about which one would you pick?"

Wow, that's a tough one because they're both so terrific and rich with heritage. Offhand I'd say Norse, simply because I feel like there are so many amazing books based on Greek mythology right now.

Ashley wrote: "Who are your favorite authors and what genre of books do you like to read?"

I have so many favorite authors. Many are on my Goodreads page. But for young adult, I love Sabaa Tahir, Marie Rutkoski, Leigh Bardugo, Traci Chee, and many others! I love to read fantasy and romance and anything with a great story and memorable characters.

Colleen wrote: "SPOILER!

So the carpet. Is it her magic that makes it move or is it magical in and of itself?"

Her magic!

Alyssa wrote: "Which book did you have a hard time to write--The Wrath and the Dawn or The Rose and the Dagger?"

Hi, Alyssa! Probably THE ROSE & THE DAGGER simply because sequels tend to be challenging :-)

Renee, who's your favourite male character and favourite female character in the series? And who's your ultimate ship?