Interview

Hi Rayna, and welcome to RomanceJunkies.  First, can you let us know what projects you are currently working on?

 

At the moment, I’m working on a vampire romance. This particular book is a m/m love story.

 

Who/What inspired you to write? Who is your biggest supporter?

 

As a child I used to write all the time. But, I can’t actually claim that I always wanted to be a writer. Truth be told, it was a combination of things that finally spurred me to write. First was taking a number of writing classes in college. But the other, and probably most important, inspiration was getting together with friends who also had a love of romance novels. We’d talk about storylines that we’d loved and ones we’d like to see our favorite authors write. After countless hours of these discussions, I decided that I wanted to see what I could create instead of waiting for another author to bring my ideas to life.

 

My Mom is without a doubt my biggest supporter. Selling my first book gave her a huge I-told-you-so moment. She’d been saying for ages that I should write and I just didn’t want to hear it. But, as a teen/young adult, you want to feel like you’re making life decisions for yourself. Still, she’s been wonderfully supportive every step of the way.

 

How did you celebrate the sale of your first book? Who did you call first?

 

There were a series of small celebrations when I sold my first book. My Mom took me out to celebrate, my closest friends took me out. They also sent me the best bouquet ever. It was a bouquet of chocolate covered strawberries. Then, at our monthly meeting my chapter gave me flowers to commemorate my first sale.

 

My Mom was the first person I called. Followed closely there after by my best friend.

 

Has your environment/upbringing colored your writing at all? Have you ever written about life’s experiences?

 

Yes, I’m sure my environment/upbringing has colored my writing. They say write what you know and as an author just starting out it’s easiest to incorporate the familiar into your books. For example when I was younger, my Mother used to read tarot cards all the time. She taught me how to do it and gave me an understanding of how they work. So it made perfect sense to me to have my heroine be a tarot card reader and have her be brought up in an environment that was very open to the types of subject matter you’d find in the new age section of the book store.

I also have another manuscript that I’ve been working in where the main character works in a bank and is largely unhappy working there. That also stems from personal experience.  I like to think that incorporating aspects from my life help me to create more realistic characters. 

 

What do you feel makes a great Romance Hero/Heroine?  How do you develop your heroes/heroines?

 

I’m drawn to strong heroes and heroines. I like to read about heroines that are smart, funny, independent, and possibly even a little stubborn, but there is a fine line there. I love reading story with heroines that can stand and/or fight side by side with their hero or go toe to toe with them if necessary. The great heroes, in my opinion, are the ones that respect their woman’s independence. I guess an example of a great hero/heroine pair that always comes to mind for me are Eve and Roarke from JD Robb’s IN DEATH series.

 

I’m very much a plot driven writer. I usually come up with a storyline first and a few traits of one of the characters, the rest stems from there. I’ve got friends who talk about the characters running around in their heads talking to them. For me, I’ve got a series of film clips in my head and I create characters to play out the action in the film clip. The characters in ONLY IN HER DREAMS now are vastly different from the characters in some of the earlier versions of the book. As I wrote and the plot revealed itself to me, ideas about the characters came to me as well. For example, in earlier versions of the book Rachel didn’t have a lick of psychic talent, nor did she work in the hotel that hero owns. As I was writing I realized the character in that incarnation didn’t fit the story I was creating. So, I tweaked and re-tweaked her until I had a character that made sense in the context of the story I was writing.

 

Do you find it easier to write with a deadline or without?  How do you feel when you write “the end” - are you ready to send your characters on their way? 

 

I prefer to have deadlines. I crave deadlines. It forces me to get it in gear and get down to the task at hand. Other things can so easily, distract me, but when I have a deadline I have to sit down and get it done. No excuses.

 

When I write “the end” it’s party time, but it’s also panic time. Why? Because that means I have to start the process all over again. So, before I jump into the next project or into the editing process I usually take a little down time to enjoy the fact that I’ve completed something.  It also gives me some breathing room. By the time I hit the end I’m pretty sick of the story and the characters because I’ve been living with them for so long. So, I’ll take some time away from that book so that I’m as fresh as possible when coming back to it.

 

Since you have started your career as a writer, what would you say are the most important lessons you have learned?

 

There are a couple things I learned since I started my career. First and foremost, persistence, you have to keep moving forward in the face of rejection and you also have to have a thick skin. Another thing I learned is that you need to keep a firm grasp on who you are as a writer. I remember as a newbie author going to tons of workshops, then running home and trying to implement everything I learned. In the process, my voice got a little lost in the mix. What I finally learned, and this applies to everything from workshops to contest comments to suggestions from your critique partner, is that I had to pick and choose just the items I felt would work for me. At the end of the day, it’s author’s unique voice that makes them stand out from the crowd.

 

What do you hope readers take away after reading one of your stories? What do you want them to feel?

 

My goal with all of my books is, of course, to entertain. So I hope my readers take pleasure from both the physical and emotional adventure that the characters go on. I also hope that my readers enjoy the journey that I’ve just taken them and my characters on enough to want to do it all over again.

 

You say you are a video game addict, what are your favorite games and which ones do you look forward to getting in the future?

 

I love all types of games. My favorite games are probably the simulation games like The Sims or Rollercoaster Tycoon, although I also have a fondness for Role Playing games like Fable. I’m also a huge fan of Guitar Hero. My friend has a Wii, I totally want one, so I have a blast going over to her house and playing along with Barracuda and Welcome to the Jungle.  The game I’m really looking forward to playing is Guitar Hero Aerosmith, a great game with the music of an awesome band. Talk about a fun combo.  

 

What was the first author you can remember being hooked on?

 

The first author I was hooked on was Christopher Pike. He wrote these young adult books that were filled with mystery, murder, and romance. I was completely addicted to his books and went out and bought every one that I could get my hands on. 

 

What is one question no one ever asks you that you wish they would?

 

I don’t think I’ve ever been asked what attracted me to writing paranormal romantic suspense.

 

MORE FUN…

 

Who would you love to meet? What would your conversation be about?

 

I would love to have met Walt Disney. His ideas were so innovative, he was so creative and had such amazing vision that I think it would be fascinating to have a conversation with him. I’d love to talk to him about his films, about the theme parks, about ideas he had for the future.

 

Are you an early riser or do you love those lazy days in bed?

 

I love lazy days in bed, especially now that I have a pillow top on my mattress so I can sink in and snuggle under the covers.

There is nothing better then a lazy Saturday snuggled in watching movies or doing a marathon of some TV show on DVD.

 

What kinds of hobbies do you have?  Do you want to learn something new but just haven’t had time?

 

As of late I haven’t had much time for hobbies. I used to take dance classes all the time. I loved to tap dance, I also enjoyed taking bellydancing lessons. I’m in school right now so if I’m not writing or at work I’m studying. Once I graduate through, I have every intention of taking both Ballroom dancing lessons and Karate lessons. I watch Dancing with the Stars and every episode I watch just makes me more and more determined to learn how to do those dances.

 

Who is your favorite Disney Character? Which one would you love to have breakfast with?

 

I’m a total Disney Princess fan. Cinderella, Belle, and Aurora are my favorites, but while the fantasy of being a princess is fun I’m not sure I’d want to do breakfast with them. I think I might prefer to do breakfast with Captain Jack Sparrow just for the sheer entertainment value. Or, maybe Elizabeth Swann, talk about your kick-butt heroines. I think I’d also throw Ben Gates from the movie National Treasure in as a possibility. With all of the knowledge he has I’m sure he’d be a fascinating conversationalist. As I may have already mentioned, I find smart really, really sexy.

 

Rayna, thank you for spending time with us.  Continued success with your writing.

 

By Kim Atchue-Cusella

Romance Junkies Publishing Editor Pam Sacknea

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