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Allison Larkin

Internationally Best-Selling Author

You are here: Home / 3Ws / 3Ws – Renee Swindle

3Ws – Renee Swindle

November 4, 2014 Filed Under: 3Ws, author interviews, books are awesome, food, writing

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What do you create?

I create novels.  So far I’ve written Please Please Please, Shake Down The Stars, and  A Pinch Of Ooh La La, which came out in August.

I create quirky and humorous characters–characters with foibles, who usually get in the way of their own best interests. Sometimes my novels lean more on the humorous, like with A Pinch of Ooh La la and other times they’re closer to dramadies. Shake Down The Stars, for instance, dealt with a woman overcoming a major loss and alcoholism, but there was also humor throughout because I can’t seem to help myself.  It was nice to hear that people laughed and cried when reading it.

A Pinch of Ooh La La involves a large multiracial family headed by legendary jazz pianist. The narrator, Abbey, owns her own bakery and is known for her wedding cakes. Her siblings are also artists and musicians, which allowed me to write about music and fine art. And of course there’s also all the baking.

Speaking of… I also create baked goodies. I bake everything from bread to cakes to…you name it. I had a fear about baking for years and years but I’m so glad I forced myself to get over it!

 

Why do you create?

I love the process of writing.  I love waking up early and playing around with my scenes. I love becoming all my different characters and getting to know their world.

I also create in hopes of one day having one or all of my novels adapted to the big screen.  I’d love to play a part in seeing more diverse storylines on the silver screen. Where are the quirky people of color? The oddballs?  I like the idea of a multiracial Juno or The Silver Linings Playbook.

 

 

What do you consume?

Jazz.  I’m a jazz whore!  I love a wide variety of music but there’s something special about the improvisational aspect of jazz and all the sheer talent of the muscians.  And the lyrics to most of the standards are gorgeous.

I’m also a consumer of fine tea–total tea snob here.  And I consume popcorn and movies.  And TV shows like True Detective and The Wire.  I also love art and watching documentaries on artists.

And I consume silence. I meditate every morning. It’s made me a much happier person.

Oh, and books!  Books books books, and more books, please.

Links

Website: http://www.reneeswindlebooks.com

Twitter: @renee_swindle

Facebook: reneeswindlebooks

Pinterest: reneswindle

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/276659.Renee_Swindle

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

IndieBound 

 

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1 Comment

Comments

  1. Eric Wilder says

    November 4, 2014 at 9:32 pm

    Renee, I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. ‘Pinch’ makes me want to know what good jazz is. What would you recommend in a playlist for beginners?

    Reply

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Okay, fine. Her jacket is reversible and we kinda Okay, fine. Her jacket is reversible and we kinda match. I admit it. Alright? We all knew this was coming. None of this should be a surprise to any of us. #dailyroxydog #huskychihuahua #dogjacket #peoplewhomatchtheirdogs
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We are in the habit of starting and ending our day We are in the habit of starting and ending our days side by side in our lawn chairs, while the light rises or dims. It’s still chilly at the outer edges of the day. Sometimes Roxy shivers. I bought her a sweater, but she won’t wear it. Sometimes I try to wrap her in my jacket, but she’s not having that either, so I throw her ball and try to get her run and then she comes back to her chair, warm for a little longer. #dailyroxydog #huskychihuahua #dogssittinginchairs
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Happy as a dog in a freshly dug nap hole. #dailyro Happy as a dog in a freshly dug nap hole. #dailyroxydog #huskymixesofinstagram
I saw this little dresser at my favorite magic ant I saw this little dresser at my favorite magic antique store sometime in November and didn’t buy it. But then, of course, I kept thinking about her. She’s the perfect size for my office, and I found those drawer pulls hilarious. When I finally went back in December, I told myself I was shopping for wall art, because I assumed she would be gone. But she was right where I’d seen her last: balanced on another dresser with boxes of old picture frames and tchotchkes piled on top (the true mark of a magic antique store). I didn’t even realize she had a towel rack — that she was a wash stand, not a dresser — until I asked about the price, said I’d take her, and my favorite magic antique store person asked if we needed to unscrew the towel rack to fit her in my car. I suspect this little sweetie is not from the days of necessary wash stands so much as from a country kitchen in the 80s. She was in rough shape, and not made from wood worth stripping and re-staining, but her price reflected that. I had to disassemble that door and put it back together, but I’d been in the market for some experience working with old furniture, and she made me feel brave about trying. I thought about painting her something more neutral, but I’m so glad I didn’t. She deserves to be pink. She’s not perfectly painted and needs a few touch ups. I learned some things about chalk paint and finishes. The drawers stick a bit. Eventually, I’d like to line them with fabric and when I do, I might plane the edges to smooth things out. But goodness, I love her in a way that I wouldn’t if I hadn’t spent time cleaning away her cobwebs and scrubbing the grime from her hilarious drawer pulls. She’s also become a little shrine for the book I’m working on, which makes me love her even more. I’ve always been a person who sees some soul in certain things, and I’m learning to cherish that idiosyncrasy, because there’s so much joy to be found in a brave little toaster or an underdog wash stand. We’re not here in the world for all that long. We may as well love some bright little things. #furnituremakeover
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