Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I discovered my love for writing when I was ten years old. It was then that I found that I could take the stories that I was living outside when I was playing and put them together in one place where others could see them as well. So far, I have a couple finished works that I’m trying to polish for publication and one short story that is already published, “Child of Fire.”
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Child of Fire” is the only published work I have out right now. I wrote it while I was in college years and years ago, but it took me a long time to be comfortable sharing it. The inspiration for it was an Adele song that I kept hearing on the radio at the time. How setting fire to the rain led to a girl fighting a volcano spirit to save her village, I’m not sure, but that’s where the story went and I love it.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not anything terribly unusual, I think. I never know when I’ll get kicked in the muse, so my papers from classes in school always had tidbits of stories written in the margins. I have notebooks that I tote around with me that I do that with now, since I don’t have classes now. I also am really influenced by music. If a particular song starts a scene in my head, I’ve been known to listen to it over and over again for days until I get it written out just right.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’ve had a lot of influence from a lot of different places. I especially love Patricia Briggs and her Mercy Thompson series. I feel like the way she handles magical beings’ relationships with humans is very real, and really influenced my own in my works. I’ve also been very influenced by authors I know personally. I love sitting down with them and tearing scenes apart together then building them back up.
What are you working on now?
Right now I have an Urban Fantasy novel in the works. It’s finished, but still needs a few touch-ups before I publish it. It’s called “Unclaimed.” In it, chupacabra are shape-shifters that have a human and animals form that hunt and drink blood, but must bond with a human bondmate in order to live. The main character, Alec, hasn’t bonded and it doesn’t look like he’s going to, so he decides to scrap together what life he can and goes out to claim his own territory. Not only does this upset the status quo, upsetting the other chupacabra in his community, but the territory that he’s chosen turns out to be under attack from something else.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
So far, most of my work has been either on Amazon or through my blog on WordPress (littleredrobertson.wordpress.com), but I’m continually on the lookout for new opportunities to spread the word a little further and reach more readers.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t give up! It’s really hard to see any sort of success! Even just the writing process itself is a pain, but I can tell you, that story that you’re holding inside will dog you until you finally get it out, and then it’s such a rush! You did it! It’s an amazing feeling! After that, there’s so many opportunities out there to reach people. It takes a lot of work, but it’s totally worth it in the end.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Anything worth doing is worth doing right. My father used to tell us that growing up, and it really has stuck with me, especially with trying to build my story and myself as an author. I do a lot of research and I’m working on it, but I think about that quote every time I want to just cut a corner. If I’m going to put a story out there, it’s going to be in the best shape I can get it into, and if it doesn’t sell in one place, then I have to look for other opportunities elsewhere. Just because it’s work doesn’t mean that I can’t do it.
What are you reading now?
My husband got hooked on the Wheel of Time series, and proceeded to get me stuck on it. Right now I’m on the fourth book. In those few moments when I’m not being mommy, I’ll sit and read for a few minutes.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Well, right now I’m very focused on building up my platform, getting me and my work out there to as many people as I can. By the end of the year I intend to have “Unclaimed” finished and ready to go, and will hopefully have a fan base already set up and waiting for it. Granted, a short story probably won’t build a huge one, but I have to start somewhere, and every reader counts!
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Oh, that’s rough. I’d probably take my scriptures, for my spiritual well being as I went through those daily struggles. Then my husbands outdoorsman’s guide, to help my fill in the gaps of my knowledge so I can survive, then Kristin Britain’s “Green Rider.” I have a lot of authors that I love, but that has been my favorite for a long time and I don’t see it going anywhere anytime soon.
Author Websites and Profiles
Rachel Robertson Website
Rachel Robertson Author Profile on Smashwords