Well, here you are – at the page where you can find everything you ever wanted to know (or not) about me. This is an FAQ of sorts, with all those little pieces of information that need to go somewhere but may not exactly fit anywhere. So with that, on with the babble.

The Short and Sweet

I was born in Ohio, USA to a family in the Oil & Gas industry. Naturally, we moved where the oil took us, which eventually transplanted us from the Buckeye State to Wild Rose country (not to be confused with the political party) and we soon became residents of Canada. I graduated tech school, started my own family, and obtained my Canadian citizenship. After all of that, we all still work in Oil & Gas—currently, I work for an environmental company who specializes in waste management and oil terminalling.

Is Rissa Renae your real name or a Pen Name?

Rissa is my nickname. I was born Carissa Renae in small-town, middle-of-no-where Ohio, and came home just in time for Halloween. That right there may explain a few things about me. Throughout the years, I’ve had many nicknames, most of which make zero sense. Of the mayhem of teenager-dom, it was a nickname given to me by a friend in college that stuck out to me—Rissa. It’s just as complicated and confusing as my real name, so it’s perfect!

When did you start writing?

Since before I can remember, really. My parents have managed to dig up short stories and poems I had written back in second grade, so that may be my first recordable evidence of creative writing. It wasn’t until around the 2010-mark that I sat down and, through the course of half a year, managed to write almost a complete novel – an epic fantasy split into 3 books. This novel is, of course, not part of the series I will be publishing. Such is the fate of many a new author’s first-time novels. But now more than 5 years later, I have may drafts all waiting to be given wings to become real books.

What genre do you write?

I write for the Young Adult (YA) genre in the sub-genre of paranormal fiction. Let’s be frank, there are no vampires or werewolves in my paranormal world. My novels centre on the other end of the paranormal spectrum – ghosts and demons and how they interact with everyday urban society unknown to many of us. A total list of sub-genres for my upcoming novels is:

  • Paranormal, Fantasy, Horror, Supernatural, Urban Fantasy

When are your novels being published?

The Rose Cross Academy series Book #1, Risers and Dreamers, was published November 2015. The novel and eBook are available on Amazon.

The Rose Cross Academy series Book #2, Grimms and Garms, was published January 2017. The novel and eBook are available on Amazon.

The Rose Cross Academy series Book #3, Bane and Butterflies will be released in the Spring of 2018.

Do you have any teaser chapters available?

If you’d like to read Risers and Dreamers but don’t have the cash for your own copy, you can read it for free on Wattpad. All you need is to create an account, and then start reading!

How can we find you?

Other than this web site, I am still building all the social networks and will not list them until they are sufficiently ready for public viewing. In the meantime, you can check me out on:

Instagram @Rissa_Renae
Wattpad @Rissa_Renae
Twitter @RissaRenaeTsang
Pintrest @Rissa_Renae
Flickr @Riss_Renae
Facebook facebook.com/authorrissarenae
Patreon patreon.com/rissa_renae