Never Kiss a Stranger by Winter Renshaw is driving around Amazon Top 30 for the last few days. The romance built a strong fan base with average 4.3 stars from almost 100 Amazon reviews. Our next guest prefers to remain anonymous. She describes her style as fun, sexy, conflicted, and laced with heart. Let’s say hello to Winter Renshaw.

– Winter, what is your last book Never Kiss a Stranger about?
– Never Kiss a Stranger is about this workaholic real estate agent in Manhattan who uses a dating app on her phone to find a one night stand. They meet in a posh hotel and decide to meet again. And again. And just as they’re starting to develop feelings for each other, they discover that their parents have recently tied the knot and they’re now step siblings.

– How did you decide to write the story?
– The original idea came to me after one of my best friends was telling me about this guy she met on Tinder. He made a comment to her like, “You’re the second hottest thirty year old on all of Tinder”, and she replied, “Who’s the first? You?” To which he said, “Of course.” So I had this picture in my head of these two people who meet on a dating app with fire and ice chemistry and this witty banter. The original version of the story had Wilder and Addison as rival real estate agents who hated each other professionally but couldn’t deny their intense attraction. Somewhere along the line, I changed Wilder to a billionaire and made them step siblings…
– What was the biggest challenge during the write up process?
– Honestly, this was probably the most fun I’ve ever had writing a novel! The story was light and fun and sexy, and it wasn’t deep or draining. The conflict was tight and the words just flowed. It doesn’t always happen that way!
– Tell us something more about your main character Addison? Is she close to someone from your real life?
– Addison is 100% fictional. She’s young and ambitious, a little naive. Extremely Type A – which is why I gave her the initials “AA” for Addison Andrews. In the original version of the story, she had a slight exercise addiction, but I took that out because it just didn’t add to anything.
– How much time did you need to finish the story and to publish it?
– Ten days to write, a week for my betas to read it and a week for my editor to clean it up. If only they could all be that easy.
– Did you expect such a nice positive feedback for the book?
– I hoped people would enjoy it, but I didn’t expect the outpouring of emails and messages from readers telling me they stayed up all night reading it or that they couldn’t put it down. Those are the ones that make me teary-eyed and send me straight to the keyboard to work on the next book.
– Do you have another books or short stories behind you?
– My second book, Never Is a Promise, is coming out in late April. It’ll focus on Addison’s sister, Coco, as she is forced to spend a few days with her estranged first love.
– Who are you (Would you describe yourself with few sentences)?
– I’m an introverted daydreamer and a lover of words. My mind never shuts off. I plan everything to death. And I love to travel.
– How did you select your pen name?
– I like names that start and end with the same letter because they just sound better, and I felt like the name “Winter” had a sort of cool, clean, breezy, fresh air feel to it.
– What are your writing habits?
– I write 4 days a week, and I study the craft of writing every week. I’ve read 20 books on writing in the last six months.
– Are you satisfied by the sales of your books?
– I am beyond thrilled that something I’ve written has found its way into the hands of so many readers. At the risk of sounding corny, it’s been a dream come true and completely unexpected.
– What are you doing to promote your book by the best possible way?
– I haven’t done any hard and fast promotions beyond interacting with my readers. I love hearing from them and talking to them. They’re all incredibly kind, sweet, generous, and supportive.
– When we will see your next novel and would you tell us something about the plot?
– The next book, Never Is a Promise, is about a woman who had her heart broken by her first love who grew up to become a famous country singer. She has to interview him for work, which means flying back home and spending time with him on his ranch. Without giving too much away, I’ll just say that their history is tangled, complicated, and filled with secrets, and there’s a lot of ancient resentment coming from my heroine’s end.
– If you may ask yourself one question in the interview what it will be? (Don’t forget to answer)
– Who are your favorite authors? My favorite authors are Mia Asher, Claire Contreras, Whitney Gracia Williams, Chevy Stevens, Deborah Bladon, Tarryn Fisher, Pepper Winters, and Gillian Flynn.

Learn more about Winter Renshaw at her Facebook page

Take a look at her book
Never Kiss a Stranger