Q: What inspired you to write One More Chance?
Reno R. Mist:
I’ve always been drawn to stories about broken people trying to put the pieces back together. One More Chance was born from the idea of regret, specifically, the kind that haunts you late at night when you wonder if you ruined the best thing you ever had. I pulled from my own life experiences and honestly, what started as a therapy session turned into something so much more than I could have imagined. I started asking myself: What if someone actually got a chance to go back and fix their worst mistake? That emotional what-if turned into Levi’s story. It’s painful, raw, and messy but that’s what love sometimes looks like when it’s real.
Q: Why write an angsty romance with such heavy themes—infidelity, betrayal, guilt?
Reno R. Mist:
Because those are the relationships we feel the most. I didn’t want to write a love story tied up in a bow. I wanted something raw, something that would hit home for both women and men who have lived through emotional landmines in love.
I remember reading a 2017 study that reported marital infidelity rates of 20% for middle-aged men and 13% for middle-aged women. I imagine those numbers have shifted as society becomes more open about relationship structures and sexual needs but what hasn’t changed is how betrayal feels and how taboo conversations around sex, including things like sex toys, still create rifts in intimacy.
That’s something I wanted to explore in this story. Specifically how we demonize tools for pleasure, how shame creeps into the bedroom, and how misunderstandings about desire can snowball into resentment. It’s not just about cheating; it’s about disconnection.
By the end of the story, I wanted readers to scream at Levi, to ache for Sloane, to grieve what they lost and then hold onto the fragile hope of what they could still build. We don’t talk enough about the emotional aftermath of betrayal and what it really takes to earn forgiveness. This book doesn’t look away from that pain.
Q: Levi is described as a “groveling book boyfriend.” What makes his redemption arc different from others in the genre?
Reno R. Mist:
Levi doesn’t just apologize. He bleeds for it. He’s forced to relive every bad decision, this time with the full weight of hindsight. Watching him battle his selfish instincts, try to be a better father, and earn back Sloane’s trust, one painful step at a time… it’s not just about winning her back. It’s about becoming someone worthy of her and accepting that he needs to change to bring the best out of himself and support the woman she could become.
That’s the heart of a true grovel arc. When love demands transformation.
Q: Was it difficult to write from Levi’s point of view, knowing readers might hate him at first?
Reno R. Mist:
Yes and that’s exactly why I did it. Writing from Levi’s perspective meant sitting with his shame, justifying his actions to himself, and then slowly watching his illusions fall apart. It was uncomfortable but I think readers will appreciate how vulnerable and self-aware he becomes. He knows he was the villain in her story and now, he wants to earn a place in her next chapter.
There were moments I honestly considered omitting certain chapters because they felt so raw. But I left them in because I wanted readers to understand the full arc, not just emotional, but mental and physical, of someone trying to rectify a massive mistake. I didn’t want this to feel like fantasy redemption. I’ve read so many real-life stories online about surviving infidelity. Some couples make it, and some don’t but what struck me most was the depth of change in the partner who caused the pain. How far they were willing to go. That’s what I tried to capture with Levi. I hope I did justice to those love stories that found a way to heal.
Q. What genre are your books and what drew you to that genre?
Reno R. Mist:
I love fantasy- always have. There’s something about the "what if" that hooks me every time. My books are grounded in emotional realism and human connection, but there are always fantastical threads just beneath the surface.
In One More Chance, for example, readers will eventually discover that Levi being sent back in time is actually a ripple effect caused by Chronos disrupting the timeline in search of his own lost wife.
The story itself stays focused on the human element: regret, redemption, love, betrayal but in the background, something much bigger is unfolding. That balance between grounded emotion and epic consequence is what I’m drawn to as a writer. And yes, there’s a plot twist waiting at the end that ties it all together... I hope readers will feel the impact of both the intimate and the mythic when they get there.
Q: What do you hope readers take away from this book?
Reno R. Mist:
That healing is messy but possible. It doesn’t happen overnight, and it doesn’t happen alone. It takes communication, therapy (and yes, for both partners), and a radical kind of honesty. That can mean full transparency, uncomfortable conversations, and accountability. These things that aren’t always easy, but are absolutely necessary.
I want people to know that yes, anyone can grow if they’re truly willing to do the hard, sometimes painful work. Love, even after betrayal, can survive but it often comes back in a different shape. And above all, I believe second chances are sacred. If life or love hands you one, you fight like hell not to waste it.
Q: Can we expect more emotionally intense romances from you in the future?
Reno R. Mist:
Absolutely. I live for the ache, the burn, the slow rebuild. My next project is already simmering with more complex emotions, more tortured characters, and another story where love doesn’t come easy, but when it does come, it’s hard-won and unforgettable.
I’ve been building a world in my head for over a decade, and I’m finally ready to bring it to life. It’ll lean more into fantasy and less into the modern setting of One More Chance, but at its core, it’s still about people: flawed, hurting, hopeful people. I hope readers will see themselves in those characters, too, even in a world that looks a little different.
Q. What advice would you give for someone thinking about becoming a writer?
Reno R. Mist:
Don’t give up and just write.
Seriously. The doubt will come. The inner critic will shout. But keep going anyway. There’s a reader out there who needs your story, even if you can’t see them yet.
Write messy. Write honestly. You can revise a bad page but you can’t revise a blank one. Your voice matters, and someone is waiting for it. So show up, even on the hard days. Especially on the hard days.