Hi. I’m Rachel Rawlings born in Baltimore,
Maryland and currently living in Aberdeen, Maryland.
Did you always want to be a writer? If
not what did you want to be?
I think
deep down I always wanted to be a writer.
When did you first consider yourself as
a "writer"?
I would have to
say when I got my first rejection letter from a major publishing house. I didn’t matter that they weren’t accepting
new talent in my genre any longer. They
read it.
Do you work another job as well as your
writing work?
I work full time managing
a salon in Ellicott city, MD. It’s a
family business. My mom and I are
partners.
What is the name of your latest book,
and if you had to summarise it in less than 20 words what would you say?
The Morrigna is a slightly dark, action
packed Paranormal/Urban Fantasy with a strong female lead.
(Hmmm a strong female lead, am thinking this one will be going on my wishlist to read!)
Who is your publisher? or do you self
publish?
I’m proud to say I am a self
published or Indie author.
How long does it usually take you to
write a book, from the original idea to finishing writing it?
About a year.
I only get to write a couple hours a day if at all. If you total all the hours up it’d be about a
year.
Which of your books were easier/harder
to write than the others?
The Morrigna
was definitely easier to write than the one I am currently working on. I had a set routine. I’d write every night after the kids went to
sleep. Right now my writing is
sporadic.
What can we expect from you in the
future? ie More books of the same genre?
Books of a different genre?
As of right
now I’ll be staying in my genre. I read
and write in the Paranormal Genre. I
know what I like.
Do you have plans for a new book? Is
this book part of a series?
The Morrigna
is part of The Maurin Kincaide Series. I
am writing book two Witch Hunt right now.
Book three Blood Bath and a couple novellas are clamouring for attention
too.
What genre would you place your books
into?
Paranormal/Urban fantasy.
Do you have a favourite out of the books
you have written? If so why is it your favourite?
The Morrigna will always hold a special place
in my heart because regardless of its reviews , acceptance or even sales. It’s my baby.
I am totally in to Witch Hunt though.
I love the way it is flowing and the characters are really taking over.
If you had to choose to be one of your
characters in your book/books which would you be? and why?
Definitely Maurin, despite her issues she’s
the bad ass I’d like to be.
Where do you get your book plot ideas
from?What/Who is your inspiration?
That’s an interesting question.
The ideas just sort of come to me.
I’ll be doing something totally random like vacuuming and bam! I have an idea. I’m a very organic writer.
Do you have a certain routine you have
for writing? ie You listen to music, sit in a certain chair?
Does listening to my kids argue count? With three kids running around it’s hard to
keep any kind of a routine. lol
Do you have anybody read your books and
give you reviews before you officially release them?ie. Your partner, children,
friends, reviewers you know?
My husband
is a great sounding board. I bounce
ideas off him and he helps me with
research and development. My best friend
Cory and another good friend Stephanie read a few chapters at a time to make
sure I’m staying on track.
Do you gift books to readers to do
reviews?
I do give books for review but
never pay for reviews.
Do you read all the reviews of your
book/books?
I do. I read them all, the good the bad and the
ugly.
What was the toughest/best review you
have ever had?
The toughest was that I
was not a professional writer who was in desperate need of an editor. The reviewer closed out with a comment along
the lines of they were glad they borrowed the book. It’s probably the best review too though honestly. It’s a challenge to be better and to show
people that I can do it.
Would you ever ask a reviewer to change
their review if it was not all positive about your book/books?
No never.
I don’t believe in manipulating the reviews. People have the right to say what they feel
so long as it isn’t mean for the sake of being mean. The review I just mentioned is up on Amazon
and that’s where it will stay. The
reviewer doesn’t have to like my book.
How do you come up with the Title and
Cover Designs for your book/books?Who designed the Cover of your books?
I put my covers together myself. I don’t actually do the artwork. It’s a lot of searching to find the right
image and then I get the rights and tweak it.
Do you choose a title first, or write
the book then choose the title?
The plot
outline usually comes first. Once I get an idea of what the book will be about
I’ll come up with a title.
How do you market/promote your books?
I do a lot on FaceBook right now. I hope to do some conventions next year.
Which format of book do you prefer,
ebook,hardback, or paperback?
I prefer
hardback but my budget prefers the more economical ebooks.
Do you think books transfer to movies
well? Which is you favourite/worst book
to movie transfer?
I’m always disappointed
in the book to movie cross over. They
always cut so much out. Though The Lord
of the Rings trilogy and the Harry Potter series were both very well done.
What are you currently reading? Are you
enjoying it? What format is it?(ebook, hardback or paperback)
I’m currently reading Abraham Lincoln,
Vampire hunter in paperback.
Do you think ebooks will ever totally
replace printed books?
I
hope not but the industry is definitely changing.
Did you read a lot at school and write
lots of stories or is being a writer something newer in your life?
I
read all the time in school. In fact I
would get in trouble on days we were reading aloud because I was always
chapters ahead. The teachers thought I
wasn’t paying attention because I couldn’t pick up where the last person left
off. I had notebooks full of incomplete
stories and still have a composition book full of poems I wrote in school.
Did you have a favourite author as a
child?
Not necessarily a favourite author but I
loved choose Your Own Adeventure books.
They were the best! I had one
with a princess, elves and dragons. I
read it over and over again.
Is there a book you know you will never
read? Or one you tried to read but just couldn't finish?
Blood and Gold from Anne Rice’s Vampire
Chronicles. I tried but couldn’t get
passed chapter three. I’m still sad
about it because I’m a huge fan of her work.
Are there any New Authors you are
interested in for us to watch out for? and Why should we watch out for them?
I really like J.D. Brown and Blaze
McRob’s work. C.J Ellison Is great too.
What piece of advice would you give to a
new writer?
Thick skin. You’ve got to be prepared for the rejections.
If you could invite three favourite
writers to dinner, who would you invite and enjoy chatting with?
Mark Twain, Stephen King and Anne Rice.
Where can readers follow you?
Your blog details?
Your web site? currently under construction
Your facebook page? The Maurin Kincaide Series
Your Goodreads author page? Rachel
Rawlings
Your Twitter details? @rachelsbooks
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