An Interview with Renee Bell

Renee Bell grew up among the trees and mountains of the Pacific Northwest and has never really lost the habit of paying more attention to the edges of a map than the middle of it. She writes fantasy, YA and adult both, usually about people figuring out who they are once nobody’s telling them anymore. Her first series is set in the world of Vireth.

Vireth began with a single question: Who are you when you’re no longer who the world has told you that you must be? That question grew into a girl, then an academy, then a fully mapped world with its own history, its own magic system, and its own uncomfortable truths.

When she’s not writing, she’s probably reading, taking pictures, halfway through a sewing project, or trying a recipe that hasn’t earned her trust yet. She works in marketing by day, has three teenagers and a cat named Princess Zelda who runs the house, and there’s usually a trip coming up on the calendar.

---

What inspired you to start writing this book?

This book has been living in my head for a long time. When I was a teenager, I bought into the lie that becoming an author was an unrealistic goal for me. I went through a major life change a few years ago, and recently I started listening to a podcast, “Eragon and Back Again,” that does a chapter-by-chapter deep dive/analysis of the Eragon series. The hosts are writers themselves, and they spent part of each podcast talking about their own works in progress and giving writing tips. Over time, the dream of being an author didn’t seem quite so far-fetched. I started dedicating thirty minutes of each day to writing, no matter how busy or tired I was. The story flew out of me, and now I’m working on the second book.

Tell us the story of your book’s current title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?

Honestly, it was one of those eureka moments! I was thinking about the trilogy, and I knew I wanted it to center around “The Name,” since so much of this story has to do with names and identity. The Name She Was Given came to me in conjunction with the names of the other two books—so it wasn’t just the name of THIS story, but the two others that come with it.

Describe your dream book cover.

I’d like a forest-green center that has a gradient into an almost-black at the edges. I’d love gold foil letters, a realistic-looking hourglass, and vines that surround the hourglass and even break through in places.

If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?

I have a whole playlist—it’s about sixteen hours long. “Bastora” by Jay Ragsdale, “Atlas of the Storms” by Andreas Muller, “Winter’s Edge” by Bardic Fae, and “This Bitter Earth/On the Nature of Daylight” by Clyde Otis, Max Richter, and Dinah Washington are a few of the ones that I’ve really connected to while writing.

What books are you reading (for research or comfort) as you continue the writing process?

I’ve been trying to read a lot of books in my genre (YA fantasy). I’ve recently completed A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid and Powerless by Lauren Roberts.

What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?

I have been a dance teacher, a photographer, a financial advisor … and now I’m in marketing, working for a financial advisor AND for a logistics company.

Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?

I wanted to do something that made me happy—but I also wanted to show my kids that there’s no age limit on chasing your dreams.

Where is your favorite place to write?

I have a comfy chair and a lap desk in the living room, and a formal desk in my room. The location is decided by where feels “right” that day.

What advice would you give your past self at the start of your writing journey?

If it seems insurmountable, do it anyway. Don’t wait to start.

What’s one thing you hope sticks with readers after they finish your book?

Your identity is more than what you’ve been told that it is.

---

Are you a writer, too? Submit your manuscript to Atmosphere Press.