I am here today with the wonderful Raine Delight. She’s the author of the fantastic Devon Falls series and I feel lucky to have hooked her for an interview. Help me to welcome, Raine!
At what age did you realize you wanted to be a writer?
I was always a reader and loved books from an early age. After I got into reviewing and chatting with authors/publishers, I was encouraged to put my ideas on paper and voila! My writing career went off. :-)
What has been your biggest influence on becoming a writer?
Oh man, I think many of my favorite authors influenced me. I loved how a story can keep you entertained while having the reader fall in love with the characters. To me, a good author is one that tells a story that sucks a reader in and keeps them wondering after the last page is read.
How did you feel when you got your first publishing contract?
I was dancing on the ceiling. *laughs* I was over the moon and thrilled to pieces then I started the next book. :-)
How many novellas/novels have you published to date? When did you have your first sale?
I have four with a fifth one coming on Oct. 9th from Aspen Mountain Press. I had my first contract in 2006 then it just snowballed from there with publishers closing down and such. I love AMP because they have a top notch team that ranges from editors to cover artists.
Tell me about your latest release. Please include if it is part of a series or a stand alone book.
Haunting Magic is the next book in my Devon Falls series. This is book four and follows Rodrick Dracon, a wolf shifter who finds himself ready to finally settle down with his chosen mate except the one woman he finds is his mate is not the one he expects at all. Jaxon Sinclair is aggravating and just plain drives him insane but he is drawn to her like a moth is to a flame. Can he tame this hellcat before the Samhain Moon hits on Halloween or will he turn the tables and tame the wolf?
The Devon Falls Series is as follows:
1) Sticky Magic (found in Babes in Toyland II Anthology)
2) Red Hot Magic
3) Fiery Magic
What was your inspiration for this book?
Rod was a hoot in Fiery Magic when he was giving his twin a hard time but then I got thinking, what happens when this foot loose playboy found himself on the receiving end of destiny’s desires. I loved the way Jax was a woman who was feisty, determined to not fall for Rod and in the end, they both find their hearts desires.
How do you categorize yourself: pantser or plotter?
I am a pantser all the way. I can not plot for the life of me. *sighs*
How do you handle the editing/revision process?
I mumble, swear and basically go at it with my head barely banging the desk in frustration. *laughs* Seriously, I do it though it is the hardest part for me to do since I have to see it through my editor’s eyes and it is hard for me to switch caps, so to speak.
You’re received some fantastic reviews...how do you feel about them and why?
I absolutely freaking love it. LOL They mean the world to me and frankly, to know readers enjoyed my work is the best thing to my ears.
Did anything odd happen while you were researching this story?
Not really. Most of my work is pure imagination though in future books, I am doing extensive research on a few subjects. :-)
How do you get your ideas for your stories? Do they come all at one or in bits and pieces over a period of time?
Actually it depends. I recently read an article on gamma rays and the possibility of it hitting earth in a science article online and it got the muse thinking and then next thing I knew, a new series opened up in Sci fi/futuristic. Then I am intrigued by the BDSM world and with my love of all things paranormal, I combined the two to make up a cool paranormal club called Club Fantasy.I normally get the blurbs and the characters then they eventually tell me the story they want to tell. Some days it is easier, other days it is harder.
Who and what are you reading now?
Oh man, I have so many books it isn’t funny. I currently am reading LL Foster’s Servant: The Kindred (which is really good) and then next up is: Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Bad Moon Rising, JR Ward’s Lover Avenged, CE Murphy’s Walking Dead (book 5 in Walker series) and then on the e-reader, I am currently reading Lynn Crain’s More Than Robotics, Kayelle Allen’s Surrender: Love, Space Escapes Anthology and many more.
Where are you going from here?
Right now I am lining up projects for 2010. I have two deadlines to meet for a December book and a Valentine book for AMP then I can concentrate on three projects that I am determined to finish.
Your favorite dessert? Your favorite city? Your favorite season? Your favorite hero type? Your favorite heroine type?
My favorite dessert is cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory, especially the White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle one. YUM!
Favorite Season is either spring or fall. I like the way the earth restores itself in the spring and gets ready to sleep in the fall.
Favorite hero: I love those vulnerable alpha males who act all strong but have a heart of gold around their mate(s).
Favorite Heroine: One who isn’t wimpy or whiny. I can not stand those heroines who need tobe rescued every single page and frankly it bores me. I like a woman who kick’s butt and even though she doesn’t need aman to rescue her, she loves being pampered and taken care of by her mate(s).
What’s the easiest book you’ve ever written? The hardest? The most fun?
The easiest was Sticky Magic. It took one week to write, a month to edit and tweak. Then the hard parts came- spin offs that had me growing the town around the stories of Devon Falls.
Hardest? It might be Club Fantasy. It is a BDSM club so I am researching everything I can on it and making sure I use the correct words/phrases in there.
Fun? I think I loved the way Jaxon and Rod interact in Haunting Magic. It was fun to see how Jax stood up to Rod even though he made her knees weak with longing. :-)
Where can readers find out more about you and your work? (List them all.)
Website/blog: http://authorrainedelight.com/
My Space: www.myspace.com/raine_delight
Twitter: www.twitter.com/Raine_Delight
Reader’s loop: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Author_Raine_Delight
Newsletter only loop: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RaineDelightNewsletter/
Raine's Bio: Raine Delight is a pseudonym of a self professed book lover and after one too many TSTL characters, decided to see if she could write something a little better. Well many drafts later, Devon Falls series came to fruition. It was originally was to be one book but somehow ended up to 4 with a 5th one being planned for sometime in 2009. I write a paranormal contemporary series for Aspen Mountain and I am also branching out to other genres as I continue to listen to the voices in my head. Check out my book pages to see what is going on with me.
Personal notes: I live with my own boy toy and two kids. I love Johnny Depp and find that some of the weirdest things can inspire me. My muse is a male nut who likes to leave me to go sip mai-tais on the beach and leave me foundering for words; though eventually he takes pity on me and gets my words flowing and characters start settling down.
Thanks for taking part in my 2 for Thursday promotion. I’ve enjoyed having you, Raine!
Lynn
Please join me in welcoming the awesome Celia Jade. Welcome, Celia!
At what age did you realize you wanted to be a writer?
I realized I wanted to become a writer in my late teens. At some point, I got hooked on Harlequins, and fell in love with romance and the sexy male characters in the stories. After that, the idea of writing romance professionally became a serious interest.
What has been your biggest influence on becoming a writer?
The desire to write comes from my love of reading all kinds of books. There are a couple of other things that have been an influence—I studied English literature at university, and I’ve got some creative genes from my mom.
How did you feel when you got your first publishing contract?
I was elated, excited, nervous, and proud. My hard work had paid off. My first contract was with eXtasy books, and I’m still with them.
How many novellas/novels have you published to date? When did you have your first sale?
I’ve got eight books with eXtasy, including a story in the Emerald Envisage anthology, and one with Eternal Press. My medieval romance, Captured, was published in August of 2006, and started selling right away.
Tell me about your latest release. Please include if it is part of a series or a standalone book.
The Greek Tycoon. It’s the second book in a series called Greek Playboys. As the name implies, the stories revolve around Heroes who enjoy the finer pleasures in life, including women, but don’t want to settle down with a wife. Unfortunately for them, the Heroines they meet are not the kind of women who settle for less. Set in the rugged beauty of the Greek landscape, these stories are both romantic and erotic. These books can be read alone.
What was your inspiration for this book?
Being of Greek parents, and having traveled to Greece numerous times, the culture and the people have sort of rubbed off on me. As the prologue in the books says; Greece is a romance of the senses. I speak the language too, which helps with authentic dialogue. It’s always easier to write about something you’ve experienced. Mind you, I haven’t exactly been swept off my feet by a gorgeous Greek playboy yet.
The Drakhom Taboo III is scheduled for November 15th. It is part of a series and these books are best read consecutively to appreciate the development of the characters. The stories are my raciest in terms of intimate scenes. They feature bold, strong characters and are set in Manhattan. The Drakhom are a species of half-human, half-vampire, with exotic sexual appetites. This series has become quite popular.
How do you categorize yourself: pantser or plotter?
Well, I’m both, but I tend to be a ‘plotter’ in general, especially for long stories.
How do you handle the editing/revision process?
The editing process simply comes with the territory. I always give my work a good polishing before submitting it to the publisher. I’m lucky to have at least two amazing editors I work with, who help with the whole process.
You’re received some fantastic reviews...how do you feel about them and why?
I always appreciate a great review, and I like to tell everyone about it! Lol. Any positive review reassures me that I’m writing well, that a complete stranger has read my book and enjoyed it. It’s also good publicity.
Did anything odd happen while you were researching this story?
Do you mean my latest book? Not really. Most of the research came from online and travel book sources, and a couple of phone calls. But, what was interesting was all the information I learned about yachts and privately owned islands.
How do you get your ideas for your stories? Do they come all at one or in bits and pieces over a period of time?
Ideas for stories often come to me in dreams, or at times, they are triggered by a single object or a word I come across. Sometimes, the entire idea for the story flashes like a movie before me. Other times, it has a good beginning, and the pieces sort of fall into place as I work on it.
Share a little bit of the ‘real’ you with our readers. What do you do besides writing? Any hobbies? Dark secrets?
The real me is a simple person with a few idiosyncrasies. I love nature, traveling, dining out, desserts—especially chocolate—the theatre, classical music, and comedy. I love anything romantic and adventurous. The occasional adrenaline rush is welcome. For example, I’ll go to the track for several of laps of go-karting, and I want to take kayaking lessons. As for dark secrets...sure I do have a few although I don’t think they’re dark. I suppose I should still keep them secret not to shock anyone.
Where are you going from here?
I plan to get certain future stories into print. It’s a slightly different medium than online publishing, so some adjustments need to be made, but I’m excited about it.
Are love scenes difficult or easy for you to write? Why?
Love scenes can be challenging. This is because you have to suit the scene to the characters, the genre, the heat level and the period. You also want to avoid using the same words or phrases to describe something, and you have to make each intimate encounter unique. I’ve created a huge vocabulary list I like using for love scenes, and I regularly play with words to come up with new descriptions. I like to fix the mood when writing—dim lights, scented candle, a glass of wine. One good thing about erotic romance, is that very little is taboo, which gives me the freedom to write explicit sexual scenes.
What’s the easiest book you’ve ever written? The hardest? The most fun?
I can’t say that any book I’ve written was the easiest, simply because a lot of research, time and effort go into each one. Certain scenes come naturally, however, and sort of write themselves. This tends to happen with dialogue for me. I fall in love with all of my Heroes and Heroines, although I have a soft spot for the devilish Drakhom men—which I honestly wished existed—and the sexy, golden-skinned Greek playboys.
My website: http://www.celiajade.wordpress.com/
My yahoo group, which has many members: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celiajade/
To subscribe to the group: celiajade-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/CeliaJade
Celia’s Bio: I’ve been in love with writing and reading since I was a young girl. When I started writing as a hobby I tossed out many stories because I felt they weren’t good enough…yes, I am my toughest critic.
Over the years, I kept writing and reading all kinds of fiction so I could cultivate my gift. Finally, my efforts blossomed and I was getting published at local newspapers, magazines and book publishers. Presently, I have several novels out at eXtasy books and more on the way–including a brand new release at Eternal Press. My genres of preference are fantasy, paranormal, historical and contemporary erotic romance. Erotic romance is very sensual, explicit romance.
I enjoy traveling and I’ve lived in Europe, New York and Toronto…finally settling down in my hometown, Montreal where I tend to lose myself amidst books, sheets of paper and my laptop.
Likes: Writing, traveling, books, comedies, nature, animals–especially the big cats and the domestics, candles, chocolate cheesecake and spending time with loved ones.
Quirks: My occasional impatience, moodiness and dry humor. (Hey, I’m a writer.)
Peeves: Bad drivers, inconsiderate people, getting rinsed with cool water at the hair salon.
Books I loved reading (in no particular order): Can you Keep a Secret?; jemima j; Sleepless at Midnight; Good in Bed; A Restless Knight; Taken by the Wind; Highlander Unchained; The English Assassin; The Picture of Dorian Gray; The Importance of Being Earnest to name but a few.
[Publisher’s Bio] Celia Jade lives in Montreal and loves her wonderful family, outdoor cafés, gardening, animals and just about anything chocolate. She feels blessed with a passion for literature and has been reading and writing for years. Every book she writes turns a new page in the story of her life, doing what she most enjoys.
Thank you, Lynn, for this wonderful opportunity!
You are so welcome, Celia. I really enjoyed it!
Thanks for being a part of my 2 for Thursday promotion!
Lynn
Hi everyone!
The winners of last week's drawings are:
Viola Grace's Hotel Spectre is SiNn
Fawn Lowery's Blood Stalker is Anna Shah Hoque (s7anna@yahoo.ca)
Winners email me at your earliest convenience at lynncrain@cox.net and I'll get your ebooks to you right away!
Thanks for stopping by...see you next week!
Lynn
