Cyn: Welcome to the Lounge, Raine. *waves the male harem towards Raine* Please take good care of Raine while we chat, gentlemen. Raine here deserves some extra special loving today. Tell me a bit about yourself, Raine. How did you get started writing romance?
Raine: Hi Cyn {hums with approval over the lovely display of eye candy}, what a lovely place you have here. Thanks for inviting me. Let’s see something about myself huh *eyes glaze over as they start to give a foot massage*. *shakes head* Well, I am a single mom of two ages 6.5 and 8, have a boy toy of my own *smiles wickedly* and I am a lover of books. I started writing over 2 years ago and with a few missteps with a publisher or two, I finally found a place that I enjoy being at. I am a HUGE HEA girl. I love romance and all the trappings. Heck I am a Libra so go figure that I put much on little things like flowers for no reason, little notes to say “I love you” and other stuff like that. My favorite thing in writing is having two completely opposite characters find that the sparks they have between them makes one dang hot fire! *grins wickedly*
Cyn: I know you write paranormal romance. Why paranormal? Why not straight contemporary?
Raine: Paranormal is a fun genre. I can explore to my hearts content over different aspects that everyone knows about and add in my own imaginative things to keep it different, fresh and interesting. I can’t do a straight contemporary if you paid me to. *shrugs* For some reason, it just doesn’t interest me in any way. I like the way paranormal fits inside my head and in my stories. I am branching into Sci-Fi Futuristic Romance, Fantasy romance and other genres like that. Makes me feel like I am thinking outside the box, so to speak.
Cyn: What led to the creation of Devon Falls? How did the initial idea of a series set in that location come to you?
Raine: Devon Falls *smiles softly*. I just read a book that sucked, plain and simple. TSTL Characters, a very weak plot line and other flaws that had me gnashing my teeth and muttering I could do better. An author friend, Skyler Sinclair told me to do it and I took aspects of my hometown, added in some very imaginative characters and plot; VOILA! Devon Falls was born! Sticky Magic, the 1st book was written in one week and from then on it took off. I never expected it to have 5 books much less the response to the whole series as a whole. J Each book except the very last one is set around a holiday. Sticky Magic is Christmas, Red Hot Magic is Valentine’s Day, Fiery Magic is 4th of July and Haunting Magic is Halloween. Each has some aspect of the paranormal, be it magical mages, shape shifters or something like that but all have one thing in common: the characters all find a love worth fighting for and sharing. J The final book is something of a mystery but you do get a hint of what it may be in Fiery Magic. *grins wickedly* Each book also has a character that is the next book’s hero/heroine. Something really different and unique if I say so. *laughs then groans as the lovely boys hits on my arches with delightful pressure*
Cyn: What was the best writing advice given to you when you first started writing?
Raine: To write, write, write and then write some more. I am a busy mom and frankly try to write during the day when kids are in school. With summer vacation coming, I may alter my schedule a little especially as we have family vacations, birthdays, and high school graduations coming up. Weekends I leave for family. This is my down time and I desperately need it. LOL I try to treat this as a job but sometimes life just gets in the way and I may not write as much but I always try to write at least 500-1000 words a day if I can during the week.
Cyn: What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
Raine: To write what you know then expand it! Keep learning from more established authors and try to do free workshops if possible. I try to get some workshops in on anything I can to help me learn more on my craft. Write what you know then smash it by going beyond what you know and expand the horizons. Always make sure to read publishers submission rules carefully!!!!! That is very important. I also try to beta test something on an impartial person, be it an author friend or a crit partner. I like finding out what doesn’t work before I submit so I can change it and polish it up even more before submitting so I can get an acceptance letter rather than a rejection letter.
Cyn: *leans forward and motions for two men to begin the massage on Raine’s lower back* Tell me, Raine, who inspired you to write such erotic love scenes? How do you keep inspired when writing?
Raine: *moans as they hit one particular troublesome area* My god Cyn, I am definitely going to have to come back for some more relaxation. *Evil Grin*
*laughs* My honey loves being my “research partner”. According to him, it is all in the name of research! *Laughs softly* Most of the stuff I write is sensual to explicit. I don’t believe in close door romance. I find that sex is a natural part of life and once you stop feeling like that then it is all down hill. Maybe some are uncomfortable with that but heck, I like sex and the way it is between two people who love and cherish each other. To me that is romantic and special. I try to make the books I write have that foundation before they generate to a bedroom, a wall, heck a counter top or the floor. *laughs* It is all imagination though I have been known to partake in some sensual bondage games with the honey sometimes. *Wide innocent grin*
Cyn: If you had a choice between plain cheesecake and chocolate chip cheesecake, which would you choose?
Raine: *swear softly* You do know my weakness Cyn. *laughs* Neither. Give me White Chocolate Carmel truffle cheesecake. LOL I like the unusual and decadent!
Cyn: What makes a hero? How do you create your heroes?
Raine: My heroes have flaws of some kind, but their heart is good and in the right place. A flawed character gives the author more to work with then a perfect one because face it; there are NO perfect people though from what I see on celebrity news, many think they are perfect. *snickers*
They come to me, either in flashes or voices in my head though it is always when I am drifting off to sleep and I am swearing a blue streak to the voices to contact me on my office hours. *grins* I start writing and they end up telling me what they look like, what they like and who they love/lust for. It is fun to unwrap the layers and get to the soul of them and find that the woman of their dreams is actually one that may or may not be right for them. My muse is one demanding bugger and he likes to take some naughty side trips to nude beaches and sip mai tais. *laughs* I swear some days he enjoys watching me swear at him and pound out words on the computer and then have him come swooping in to save the day. I swear he has a hero complex. LOL
Cyn: What is Raine up to now? How can readers contact her and find out the latest?
Raine: I have so many WIP’s in different stages it is not funny. LOL I am writing a Space Pirates series that I am interested in another publisher for, add in a romantic comedy with paranormal elements, a BDSM-themed paranormal, plus a few others, I am going to be one busy bee this year. Plus I am writing the 4th book in Devon falls, Haunting Magic and then I am letting it rest a spell to write other stuff and then in 2009 I will write the final Devon Falls book. Also AMP just contracted my Fantasy Romance called Fairy Kisses and Magical Dreams. It has a magical Faberge Egg, romance and a hot Fae Prince determined to get out of an arranged marriage by finding his destined mate. Look for that either end of 2008 or early 2009.
To find out about what I am up to, you can go to these places:
Website: www.freewebs.com/raine_delight (I am in the process of getting a new website loaded and will be unveiling it, I hope, over the summer).
Blog: http://rainedelight.wordpress.com
My Space (come be my friend): www.myspace.com/raine_delight
Email: rainedelight@yahoo.com OR rainedelight@gmail.com
Raine’s Sinful Seductions Newsletter: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RaineDelightNewsletter
Raine’s Chat Loop: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rainedelight
Come on over and sit a spell. I enjoy meeting new people and seeing what they enjoy in books.
Cyn: Can you share a bit of your next release with us?
Raine: Fiery Magic comes out July 4th. In just *looks at calendar and counts* 16 days! This is Alicia and Damien’s story. It is emotional and sexy to my eyes. Basically it is a story of redemption, of finding that the love you thought died was still there and about forgiveness.
Three years before, Damien Dracon destroyed Alicia Stevens (Jenna’s sister from Sticky Magic) heart and from then on he has regretted that he lost the one woman who was his mate, his love and the only one who made him whole. Fast forward to three years later, Damien came back to Devon Falls, determined to win back her heart and show that love can be sweeter the second time around. Alicia and Damien both have secrets that threaten this fragile love that blooms again and add in a twin brother, Rodrick who thinks every woman is his to use and toss aside, secrets and sinfully hot sex, you get Fiery Magic. J
This one was special to me because I wanted to show how two people can come together, get ripped apart by choices that they had to make even if it was the hardest thing they had to do and find that love always wins over time. Revisit Devon Falls and find out if Alicia will bring Damien to his knees and both will end up with more than they ever thought possible. Can Alicia forgive the man who broke her heart and who she still loves even after the hurt that lingers in her deepest part of her soul? Can Damien win over the cynical woman that Alicia has become? Everything comes to head when these two find that love is always sweeter the second time around.
The wonderful Celia Kyle did the cover and I have to say…she did a beautiful job capturing the characters on the cover. I have heard that many love Alicia’s eyes on the cover and that they are very striking. *grins* I can’t wait to see how Haunting Magic’s cover will look once I get that into Aspen Mountain Press.
*groans as the boys deliver a wonderful massage* God Cyn, maybe you should offer package deals for the boys/girls and let us buy an hour of their time for “relaxation”. *grins wickedly* Thanks for having me here and I thoroughly enjoyed my first time here. *laughs* I look forward to more visits. J
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