Alyssa Matthews thought she had an explanation for everything. After all, as a slightly sceptical paranormal investigator that was what she was used to doing; researching, observing and explaining.
So when she began writing a paper about a long forgotten case of death by Spontaneous Human Combustion, she assumed it would be a run-of-the-mill piece. Little did she realise that she was about to be plunged into a situation that would not only force her to question her own sanity, but also her scepticism about the nature of the paranormal.
Not to mention the dreams that just wouldn’t go away..
Available at Amazon.co.uk
What is your
name, where were you born and where do you live now?
Hi, my name is
Rachael J. Thorne; I was born in Yorkshire in the North of England but moved to
Suffolk when I was a teenager. I stayed
there right up until just over a year ago when my husband and I moved out to a
little village in North Essex.
Did you always
want to be a writer? If not what did you want to be?
I think I’ve
always wanted to write ever since I was a young teenager, although back in
those days I had this grand idea that I was going to be the ‘next big thing’ in
music journalism. Even then I was
constantly writing short stories in my spare time.
When did you
first consider yourself as a "writer"?
I first
considered myself a ‘proper’ writer when I got my first by-line as an
apprentice reporter on a local newspaper.
I remember how incredibly proud I was to see my name there, despite the
fact that the News Editor had more or less butchered my copy into his own
words. Of course that was soon to be
shattered when the same thing happened on a front page article; my words were
twisted, people were offended and my name was there for all to see. I didn’t last long as a reporter! I think fiction is more my style.
What is the name
of your latest book, and if you had to summarise it in less than 20 words what
would you say?
My latest book,
which is my debut novel, is Last Regress. To summarise it in less than 20 words: “Alyssa
Matthews thought everything had an explanation; she would soon find out how
wrong she was.”
What can we expect
from you in the future? ie More books of the same genre? Books of a
different genre?
My next book, Running For A Life, is slightly
different, less supernatural/paranormal and more based around alternate
realities, and after that I will be working on the sequel to Last Regress.
What genre would
you place your books into?
I think my
writing usually falls somewhere between supernatural/paranormal romance and
paranormal horror.
What made you
decide to write that genre of book?
Really I think
it’s because that’s what I tend to gravitate towards reading and so I naturally
tend to write that way. However, I
wouldn’t rule out writing in another genre in the future, it really depends on
how the story decides to tell itself. If
I came up with something that didn’t lend itself to a supernatural/paranormal
theme, I wouldn’t automatically scrap the idea.
Do you have a
favourite character from your books? and why are they your favourite?
I have a soft
spot for Nathaniel in Last Regress;
he was my favourite character to write.
For some reason I just warmed to him as I was writing him.
Where do you get
your book plot ideas from? What/Who is your inspiration?
A lot of my plot
ideas come from dreams, or from sitting and day dreaming. When I wake in a morning I try to remember as
much of my dreams as I can and type them into my notepad in my phone. It’s amazing what your mind can come up with
when you let your subconscious mind take over, of course it can also be complete
nonsense!
Do you gift
books to readers to do reviews?
Absolutely, the
more people read your books the better, after all that’s the point of writing
in the first place.
Would you ever
ask a reviewer to change their review if it was not all positive about your
book/books?
Of course not, everyone
is entitled to an opinion and it would be a very boring world if everyone had
the same one. As long as people are not
nasty just for the sake of being nasty and they give an honest and balanced
review then why should any author take offence?
How do you come
up with the Title and Cover Designs for your book/books?Who designed the Cover
of your books?
The title
usually comes to me sometime during the outlining process, so I know by the
time I start the first draft what the book is going to be called, and it’s
normally just something I’m writing in the outline that will spark a phrase in
my head and start me off brainstorming titles.
With Last Regress I designed
the cover myself. I knew very early on
exactly how I wanted the cover, the precise photograph, the colouring,
everything. It’s a photo I took on a
photo shoot I did with a friend a couple of years ago around the local area. It fit perfectly with the mood I wanted to
create, and also the pathway leading away, the last regress, the last chance to
go back.
Do you basic
plot/plan for your book, before you actually begin writing it out? Or do you
let the writing flow and see where it takes the story?
I’m obsessively
organised with these things (ask my friends about my lists!) so I outline and
plot to perfection before I start to write.
I tend to write a very short first draft which tells the bare bones of
the story. It’s only when I start the
second draft that I begin to deviate from that original plan when I read
through and begin to see where the story needs to flow.
Do you think
ebooks will ever totally replace printed books?
Absolutely
not. I love eBooks, of course I do it’s
how I’ve chosen to publish, and I love to read books on my Kindle, but I think
there’s a place for them to exist side by side.
I fully intend to publish my books as paperbacks in the hopefully not
too distant future.
What piece of
advice would you give to a new writer?
Write. Seriously, keep writing, don’t give up. There are so many opportunities now for
upcoming writers, so many ways to independently publish and market, I wish
these opportunities had been there a few years ago (and now I sound like the
old maid sitting on her rocking chair!).
Your Blog
details?
Your Web site ?
Your Facebook
page?
www.facebook.com/LastRegress
Your Goodreads
author page?
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15754779-last-regress
Your Twitter
details?
And any other information
you wish to supply?
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008LSHH4A
Last Regress Amazon.com link
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B008LSHH4A
Last Regress Amazon.co.uk link
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