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Today sit down for a cozy chat with Renée Hand, author of the first book in the children’s series, The Crypto-Capers Series, The Case of The Missing Sock.

Who is Renée Hand?

Renee Hand is a woman who loves a diversity of things to keep her challenged. I love to write and being an author. I enjoy coaching and playing tennis, and I love to teach. And though my life at time seems to be constantly on a roller coaster that seems to take me in and out of crazy town, the one thing that I must have is stability in my home. So I am also a devoted wife and dedicated mother. My life is constantly full of responsibilities, but my family always comes first and is of the highest priority to me. 

How did your writing career begin and how did it evolve into writing for children?

I have been writing for over twenty years. At a young age my writing became an outlet for my feelings. I was able to express them. After a while, my creativity flowed rapidly and my thoughts soon developed into making great stories. When I was in high school I read a lot of romance novels. But after reading literally hundreds of them, I began to get really picky about the books and storylines I was reading. It was at that moment that I decided to write a romance novel the way that I wanted to read it. I wanted the story to have lots of action, characters that were believable, and the story to have meaning to it. I didn’t want the intimate relationship of the characters to dominate the story because that was not what I wanted my readers to focus on. What I wanted my readers to focus on was the characters and the journey they went through. I wanted to make a connection with my readers, that was and is most important to me. It took me years to accomplish that goal, but I finally did it, and it was worth the time I had spent. Both of my romance novels have won awards, my second one winning a National Literary Award for best romance.

I started getting the ideas for writing for children when I started having my own. My children love books and we spend a fair amount of time reading them and writing our own. The ideas that I started to get were going to allow me to have fun with my writing. Now, don’t get me wrong, I enjoy writing romance, but writing for children allows me to feel young and free. Most of all, I am creating a story that children will benefit from. They will have fun and be entertained while unknowingly working on their reading comprehension skills. Now my writing is all about having fun and being creative.   

Tell us about The Crypto-Capers.

Book one of The Crypto-Capers Series, The Case of The Missing Sock, leads the Crypto-Capers to Florida where they are hired by a man named Mr. Delacomb. In this story siblings Max and Mia Holmes, along with their good friend Morris, and their flamboyant Granny Holmes, are known as The Crypto-Capers. They are a group of detectives who unravel crimes by solving cryptograms that criminals leave behind. Mia is an expert puzzle solver. Max is great at deduction and reasoning. Morris is a computer genius, while Granny…well Granny is the muscle of the group. Don’t let her size or age fool you….she is quite handy. The mystery leads the team to different locations. Clues flourish throughout the mystery. Suspects by the handful seem to pop up at every turn, but who really committed the crime? The reader must help the detectives solve the case by solving the cryptograms and puzzles.

What compelled you to write these books?

There were two reasons why I wrote this series. One, I love reading mysteries. I also love to figure out cryptograms, I am a cryptogram junky. So I thought what a great idea it would be to combine the two things I love to do and make it into a story where kids could interact with it. Two, I wanted children to be involved with what they were reading. This series is fun and entertaining, always keeping the reader’s attention. Not only does the series challenge the avid reader, but also keeps the reluctant readers attention. As soon as the reader picks up the book, they have instantly joined the team as a detective. The reader will be asked to look up different things and to participate in the story on different occasions. My goal was to have kids remember what they were reading because they were learning information with value, yet having fun at the same time. I am all about having fun in my stories and the activities I create for it.

How did you develop each character’s strengths and make them helpful to the team?

The one thing I know is that each child is different. Each one of my characters has talents that well suit the team. Max is great at detail. He misses nothing. When he sees someone he can tell everything about them without them even saying a word. He is also a perfectionist, failure is never an option, and no problem is unsolvable.

Mia is my cryptogrammer or puzzle solver. She solves all of the puzzles and cryptograms in the story, however, the reader will never see her answers because her job is what the reader must do. She shows them the way.

Morris is the computer genius of the group and though he stays out of the field most of the time because of his many phobias, the reader will see Morris do things that they never would expect. He will evolve and change because he realizes the strength he has in himself. He strives to do more. He is also very clever and uses his talents wisely to help the team. 

Granny is a fun and energetic character. She is also a master of languages. She constantly brushes up on them. She is clever and smart and yet sometimes silly. The great thing about Granny is that you never quite know what she is going to do or say. She is unpredictable.

Each character in my story has a role to play, and they know it well. When you are a part of a team, the team does not function if it is all about one person and what they can do. The Crypto-Capers respect each other and are open to listening to each other’s ideas. There is no “I” in team. The characters are not perfect and at times they will make mistakes. But it is not their mistakes that will make them who they are as the series develops; it is how they rise after they fall. And that, my friends, is what my readers will learn from my stories. You never give up, you always stay strong, and you overcome every obstacle no matter how big and life changing it may be.

The back cover of Book 1, The Case of the Missing Sock, says that Granny Holmes is the “muscle of the group”?  What exactly does that mean?  Is she not your typical grandmother?

Granny is definitely not your typical grandmother and yet she is. She is the embodiment of all women. She is kind and caring, nurturing and loving, and yet at times, tough as nails. When I say that Granny is the muscle of the group, she is definitely one of their strengths. She is the only adult of the group, so of course has wisdom, but she also shows respect and understanding. As a grandmother she is very protective of her grandchildren, Max and Mia, and has even fought bad guys to protect them and herself. She is strong and stubborn and yet wants what is best for her family. She was the one who helped The Crypto-Capers get started.

She wanted to nurture the natural talent that her grandchildren had. She travels with them, helps them with their training and yes, she is also a black belt in karate. She has her talents too, like her ability to master any language. Granny is an unpredictable character because you never really know what she is going to do. She is a sixty-year-old woman who plays the age card when she wants to play the age card, otherwise she is as old as she feels, which is not very old. She is energetic and alive. She is confident in who she is and what she is about. She is an oddball in her own right and very proud of it. We can learn a lot from Granny. 

Do you have a favorite character in the book?  Which character is most like you?

Favorite character has got to be Granny. Mia, though, is very much like me. We both love to solve cryptograms.

Who is your greatest champion?

I know this may sound strange, but my husband. He is my pillar of strength. I have learned a lot from him over the years and he has helped make me the person I am proud to be today. He definitely is the champion in my life.

Who inspires you?

My mother! I have seen such giving and strength out of her that she inspires me to be a better person. I base quite a few of my characters off of her. She is giving and kind, courageous and strong. She is smart and knowing, and she is my best friend.

What are you reading?

Books by Gaston Leroux!

Do you have a website and/or blog where readers can find out more?

Yes! I can be reached through my website at http://www.reneeahand.com
It is loaded with tons of information.

Where can readers purchase a copy of Books 1 and 2 in The Crypto-Capers series?

My books are available at various bookstores, as well as online at Amazon, http://www.amazon.com and Barnes and Nobles. Please check out my website at HYPERLINK “http://www.reneeahand.com” http://www.reneeahand.com and e-mail me or visit my blog.

The two books in the series available now are:
The Case of the Missing Sock ISBN# 978-0-87839-304-6
The Case of Red Rock Canyon ISBN# 978-0-87839-309-1

What’s next for you?

I have more books in the series coming out. The Crypto-Capers is a series. Book 3 will be out in the fall with two coming out every year. I should also have a new romance novel out this year. Readers can check out my website for all upcoming books.

Special Note: Make sure you start with book one. Book one sets the stage for what has to be done with the series. It ensures success and confidence with the reader. It is the easiest book of the series so the reader has understanding. Each book of the series becomes harder and more challenging, which also makes it more fun and interesting. Also make sure you keep every book in the series, the reader will have to refer back to them at some point.

Thank you so much for having me. It has been an honor and a pleasure!