A chat with Penny Crane
Today we welcome Nef House Publishing author Penny Crane for an interview!
To start, tell us a little about yourself and your journey as an author. When did you get started, what pushed you to write, and who are some inspirational authors that you admire?
I’ve enjoyed writing since high school. We had to put together a senior portfolio of all our writing projects since freshman year. English class was my favorite course. I loved it so much that I majored in English and creative writing in college. My English professor was very inspirational. Our final in his novel writing course was to write the first ~15,000 words of a novel we wanted to publish and he would ‘red line’ where he would stop reading and decline the piece if he was our publisher. That was so helpful for me! What pushed me to continue writing after college (and after I gave up on writing YA under a different name) was COVID and a conversation with a horror author at a private bourbon tasting. I had just been laid off from a job I gave nine years of my life to, and I didn’t want to keep ‘working for the man.’ So at the bourbon tasting, I was chatting up a fellow author and told him I kind of wanted to get into writing erotica since I enjoyed reading it. He looked me in the eyes and said, “What’s stopping you?” I didn’t have an answer!
Some authors I admire and have always enjoyed are Kate Stewart, Penelope Douglas, Katie Cotugno, Shantel Tessier, and Harley Laroux.
The romance world is full of tropes and trends. What are your favorites, and which tropes do you typically not connect with?
Love this question! I’m obsessed with why choose, age gap, billionaire, and enemies to lovers! However, I really hate slow burn, bully, and miscommunication. I just read a miscommunication trope and even though I liked the book, I was screaming at the characters the whole time!
How important are setting and atmosphere for you as a romance reader and writer?
Very important. I try not to write about places I’ve never been. I find it less enjoyable and less honest for the reader. I’ve never been to Chicago, but I have a whole series (Chicago Mafia) and a standalone (Theirs) that take place there, and I kind of struggled writing in that setting. Struggled so much that I’ve actually moved the characters of Theirs in a bonus epilogue that I’m currently writing. From here on out, I plan to only write about places I’ve been.
How often do you draw on real life experiences or people to help craft your novels?
I get this question a lot. I draw a lot on my life experiences. Later this year or next I’m going to be writing about the brain aneurysm I had and the recovery period, but make it spicy! I don’t draw inspiration from exes, but more so people I’ve met and how their behavior has hurt or helped me out as a human. One of my all-time favorite reviews was about a reader connecting with Lavender (Theirs) because she had a similar relationship with a family member, and that was a genuine experience that I’ve had. There are scenes here and there where they’re very similar to things I’ve experienced in real life.
Many romance novels these days come with playlists in the beginning. Theirs is no different. Tell us about how you picked the songs and what they mean to you and the novel.
The only thing I enjoy more than reading and writing is music. I’ve been obsessed with lyrics and the stories they tell since I was in ninth grade. Songs are mini novels, if you think about it. The playlist of Theirs is a compilation of songs that I either listened to while writing or songs that made me think about Lavender and her feelings for the men she was falling in love with.
What kind of advice can give to aspiring romance writers?
My answer to this is a little controversial, and I’ve probably upset some aspiring writers, but it’s honest. Write your first novel, write 60,000 plus words. Then delete it all. Throw it away and start over. My first couple of manuscripts are GONE. I don’t even like to carry my first novel (under a different name) to book signings because I don’t think it’s good. I’m proud of it, don’t get me wrong, but it could have been better! And read all sorts of romance genres! Write what you would want to read!
What are some of the biggest challenges facing romance writers today?
Cancel culture. Gatekeeping.
People are out here trying to ruin lives over something FICTIONAL. It’s happened to many authors and narrators that I adore—good people who don’t deserve a drop of hate. Be nice. If you don’t like something, put it down and step away. If trigger warnings bother you, don’t read dark romance. If you like something, tell someone else! Let’s stop gatekeeping genres and celebrate love!
[Thanks for reading this interview! As an additional thank you, please enjoy 10% off the Nef House Webstore with code: PennyTime]
Romance has come a long way from pink Harlequin paperbacks featuring Italian heartthrob Fabio and his luscious hair. Today’s romance covers are much more subdued and atmospheric rather than outright sexually provocative. What are some of your favorite modern romance covers, and where do you see romance covers headed in the future?
I love that authors are starting to break away from just having a shirtless male on the cover. That’s why I chose to put a female on Theirs. It’s also nice to have copies of books with mountain scenery instead of abs, just in case my parents decide to come over and start pulling books off my shelves! I’m a sucker for any cover with mountains on it (Credence, Flock) or covers like BB Reid’s Lilac. I’m not really into the cartoon romance covers. I’m not sure if I know where romance covers are headed, but I do know I probably won’t be having abs for days on my covers too often from here on!
How has the knowledge that your books will be narrated for audio changed your writing style?
I’m so excited to finally have something coming out in duet style! It’s the only way I can listen to audiobooks, so I’m hoping the listeners love it just as much. I was so excited to hear that I was getting my dream narrators on this upcoming audiobook, and I’m hoping to use them again in the future. The next book that I have coming out was written in duel POV, and the one after that will be too. I did this with the intention of having more male narrator time, and I can’t wait!
Finally, what’s next for Penny Crane? Tell us about your upcoming projects and where fans can go to learn more!
I just finished my first MMF novel, and I’m hoping to have it released early next year along with a duet narration. Once things slow down with my audiobook release, I plan to hunker down this winter and start writing an MMFM. I’ve got a little bit of that one plotted out, and tried to start working on it, but this one is a bit emotional since it’s about the medical trauma I’ve been working through since my stroke in 2023. I’m hoping I can help someone out who has medical PTSD and the depression that comes with it.
I’m on Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram. You can find all my writing updates, daily life shenanigans, and adventures on my Instagram: @authorpennycrane
I try to be as responsive as possible. If you have any questions or just want to chat you can email me at: authorpennycrane@gmail.com
Thanks!