M. C. Rayne Interview

 

Mr. Rayne popped in today for a hazelnut latte, and graciously allowed me a quick Q & A session:

Can you tell me how the emotional process of your writing works?  What type of resources do you use to tap into your feelings, to reach down deep inside, to pen the pure, perfect words your characters experience?

Many of the people who read my work know to expect some underlying angst somewhere in the story, be it at the start, middle or end, but there it is - waiting for the reader. It's strange, but writing stories with sad themes are easier than writing your typical love story, and I think this is because I have never been in love. I don't think the big L is out there for me, and I'm much happier playing with emotions. 

People say I write love well. I'm not sure, but with the relationships I pen, these are things I would want if love ever came to me. I live inside my head a lot, plan out a future I may never have, and a lot of the time I am building Mr Right in my mind, with our home in the woods, filled with cherished pets. I'm a dreamer. 

As an author, if I can call myself that, I like to delve into a little darkness, show love and life in its truest form - it isn't all sunshine and roses. I think if I wrote a happy, happy love story I would be fooling myself and the small handful of readers I have. If my boys are going to have a happily ever after then they will need to go down a few broken road first. Such is life.

Do your characters “talk” to you, as so many other authors describe happens to them?

I used to think people were crazy when they said their characters talked to them, but I didn't realise until I started writing this is true. All my life I have lived inside my mind, playing out unwritten stories, but now as I'm trying to become an author, the boys NEVER shut up. They talk to me at the worst times too, so I email myself a lot with things to add to stories. This kind of works for me. Most of my chapters are dreamed up while I walk to work, long before taking form on my computer.

How did you get on with the whole publishing experience? Did you enjoy it?

I wouldn't say I loved it, I was a nervous wreck, but the ladies at Renaissance Romance Publishing managed to calm me down and guide me through this daunting time. With them, and other authors who have gone through it, I managed to get through. As a self confessed impatient person, I did hate the slowness of the process and wanted my book in my hands two seconds after getting accepted by the publisher. You don't see the work involved in releasing a book until you go through it. 

Where do you hope to be with your writing career ten years from now?

I'm not in this to make money, this isn't why I write. Yes, I could carry on giving my work away for free, but I want to hold my books, see them on websites, and this costs;  I can't do this for free. As long as I make back what I put into my work and touch at least one person with what I pen, then I'm happy. In ten years I just hope I'm still writing and getting better with each release.

Some readers are familiar with Bean. Would you like to tell us about him?

Awww, Bean is my baby! Okay, well I live with two best friends and we all wanted a pet. We can't have a dog as we are all a slave to the 9-5 and didn't feel this was fair to a living creature, so my best friend Dae suggested a Guinea Pig. I was dubious at first, I really wanted a dog, something I could cuddle and play with, but as normal, Dae got his way - he always does, haha. As a child he grew up with these animals, so I went with it.

ANYWAY, he came home with the small, sweet black and white animal who is a dog in the form of a guinea pig. Seriously, Bean comes when called, talks to me, licks me, and purrs like a cat, which is kinda odd, but normal - so I'm told.

It sounds strange, but Bean is my mini muse and is featured (under the alias Fred) in my upcoming novel, Flavours Of Our Life, due out early next year.