Interview with Andrea Renae

Author of There Bleeds the Light

It seems like just yesterday I was on the street team for Andrea Renae’s debut novel, Where Darkness Dwells. Now, There Bleeds the Light (Song of the Solas book two) is just days away from being published! Andrea has become a good friend to me in the Instagram writing community, and I’m thrilled she agreed to answer a few questions for us about her author journey and her wonderful books.

• Tell us a little about yourself and how long you’ve been writing stories.

I’m a Christian, saved by grace, living on the vast prairies of Saskatchewan, homeschooling three wacky and wonderful human beings. Growing up an only child, I’ve always been very introspective and introverted, which probably fed a great deal into my love of stories. I have been writing ever since I knew how to hold a pencil! When I was seven, I wrote a story about a cat raised by foxes who was desperate to fit in until he realized (quite painfully, it turns out) that it was wrong to want to change who he was. I also wrote many (terrible) dramas that I roped my schoolmates into performing. Even then, it wasn’t until I discovered Frank Peretti’s books that I knew I would someday be an author.

• What first sparked the idea for the Song of the Solas series?

A single verse, actually, from Isaiah 5:20, inspired it all: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” I started thinking about how horrible and twisted it would be to live in a world where people insisted darkness was good and light was evil, yet how even in those circumstances, God would be faithfully redeeming his own and using what was meant for evil to bring about good.

• How was writing There Bleeds the Light a different experience than writing Where Darkness Dwells? How was it similar?

Where Darkness Dwells was my secret hobby for so long. No one beyond my immediate family knew I was working on it. Sometimes, I miss those quiet days where it was all a sparkly-eyed dream. As I wrote and realized that it was quickly becoming A Real Book, the excitement bubbling up within was amazing and terrifying. But writing as a published author is quite different. Now, it’s like I’ve invited the whole world in to share my secret—a very strange, almost invasive feeling. I’ve had to battle a lot of insecurities and pressure to write the book I think people are expecting. It was a lot harder to have to continually shift my focus to Christ, and sometimes I felt completely broken. But in that brokenness, God was faithful, just as he had been through book one.

• In book one, we followed the POV of four characters. Does book two also have multiple points of view?

Absolutely—and a couple more. It’s definitely difficult to write so many unique characters and voices, but I really loved the challenge the second time around. It was exciting to get to know each individual even more.

• What’s some advice you have to offer someone interested in self-publishing?

There is not a certain formula you have to follow to find success, just as there is not a single right way to publish a book. Find what feels comfortable, authentic, and manageable for you and pour all you have into it. I promise the love you have for your project will shine through, and you’ll find your readership. Find authors who inspire you, whose methods and marketing impacts you personally, and take notes. And don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for help, advice, or support when you need it. The indie author community can be an amazingly encouraging place.

• What are you up to when you’re not writing?

I have a wide array of hobbies and never can seem to settle on one for long. Reading, baking, knitting, painting, illustrating, and playing piano are all my go-to activities. But, most of all, I just love being with my family.

• What encouragement do you hope readers find through your books?

I hope my readers know that there is grace for the failing, hope for the brokenhearted, peace for the tormented, strength for the weak, and light that outshines any darkness.

• What has God taught you through the process of writing these books?

Too many things to recount, really. Most of all, that if God has called you to a task, He will give you the strength to complete it in His own way, His own time. And that He is GOOD.

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Coming Wednesday, November 20

(Paperback will be available on Amazon publication day.)

You can find Andrea on Instagram, Substack, or her website.

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