Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m forty years old, and they little kids, and started writing my first series four years ago. I have published thirteen books within that time, all set in my seven solar system Plan8 Alliance.
My books are futurist and all based around stories of crime and war. While the first two series were a real mish mash of sci-fi and fantasy sub-genres, my current series are written to market and focused on cyberpunk and techno-thriller, within a space opera setting.
Many of the same characters feature in different series, as I build on their stories as secret agents.
I have learned so much about self-publishing and within the first three years of writing my first few books, I learned so much about writing too, thanks to being a member of an authors’ beta reading group.
This year, I hope to publish eight new books. They are quite short at around 40-50k each, so it’s less than it sounds. I love writing, and I love reading too about science, sci-fi, and esoteric stuff.
I used to teach English as a foreign language, science, biology, and yoga. I spent much of my adulthood in East Asia and can speak Mandarin and Indonesian.
My husband is Chinese, and I come from a very multicultural family. There is plenty of multiculturalism in my books, with an array of different ethicities, cultures, and religions.
I’ve started my own bookstagram Instagram account to try and attract more readers. It has been fun and artistic to share all my passions.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
YuFu’s Run 4 is about techno-thriller set on a Mercury-like planet, where YuFu (a cyborg Agent-In-Command) takes a squadron of cyborgs there to infiltrate a secret communist colony. The leader plans to exterminate most of the humanoids across the seven solar systems of Plan8, using a deadly virus.
What inspired it? I want to write twenty techno-thriller books in this particular space opera and realised that despite writing in this genre, all of my stories occurred on worlds with breathable atmospheres.
It was high time I based the story within the habitat of space’s void, and it was time to have a space battle too! While I enjoyed this and the action kept me excited, the constant grey and starry scenery in my mind got me down a bit.
My first two series with magic and time travel were a lot more colourful, with an array of natural and futuristic city environments.
YuFu’s Run 1, 2, and 3 were more colourful for my mind too,v with futuristic urban settings as well as swamplands and jungles.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I dictate. I walk and speak ‘into the dark.’ Afterwards, I transcribe it onto Dragon Dictate and edit. I used to be very strict at following a plan, but now I prefer to write into the dark and open up to the subconscious mind. I still use motivation reaction units, though, so 99 percent of the time, the pov character doesn’t get what he/she wantsb in the scene.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
To be honest, I never read space fiction before I started writing it, and always read fantasy and thriller. Let me tell you, though, when I had my second baby, I read George RR Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire series.
He inspired me to write. I still think he is amazing and makes his characters so unique and individual. I’ve been reading some great indie space opera books recently, and you can see my reviews on Instagram: rayneryeauthor.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on a ‘feeder-series’ to get more subscribers. Like all my books, it’s based in the Plan8 Alliance. It’s called Cyborg Assassin 1.
The first two books will be completely free and wide on all devices. Inside the first book, I’ll offer the second book for free if the reader signs up. It’s a strategy I’m trying to increase my platform.
The main character is an African American girl called Oshun, who later becomes a cyborg undercover soldier on a planet where the communists and capitalists are at war. It covers lots of social and political issues and shows the good and bad sides of both sides.
Oshun appeared in my three most recent books in my YuFu’s Run series, where she is a special-agent-in-charge and fifty five years old. I liked the character so much I wanted to show fans what happened in her past through this feeder series. I’m already 35k through book 1 and should be finished in a few days. After that, I’ll go on to write Cyborg Assassin 2.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I don’t know. I haven’t done well with promoting. I grew my list using story origin and book funnel. While some of my readers do but my books, many just want free stuff.
I did my first freebooksy deal the other day for YuFu’s Run 1 and for 2k downloads, which was cool. A few people went on to buy books 2, 3, and 4, so I already made a little money back after just two days.
In all honesty, I’m hoping I can attract readers via Instagram. I do some Facebook and Amazon ads, but they are not adding up to much, and I know I need to put in the time to learn advertising properly.
After I have published twenty books, I’ll take Mark Dawson’s Facebook ads course and or the hours of study in.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t waste time trying to make every sentence artistic, just tell a good story and make it streamlined, so it’s not bogged down with information.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Too much good writing advice.
Go ready in adjectives and adverbs by showing instead of telling (show the body language and internal reactions rather than using a lazy adjective.)
What are you reading now?
Before the Shattered Gates of Heaven. This is a space opera book, and it is beautifully written. I’m amazed it is Bryan S. Glosemeyer’s first book. He is an extremely talented storyteller.
I’m also reading an urban fantasy called Ashwood Chronicles: Lament of Purgatory, and I am reading Phillip Pullman’s Northern Lights to my daughter some nights after homeschooling. Busy busy busy xx
What’s next for you as a writer?
Keep writing my two cyberpunk techno-thriller series–YuFu’s Run and Cyborg Assassin, and slot in space fantasy time travel short books in between to try and get more eyeballs on me in Amazon’s New Release section.
The space fantasy will take place on planet earth and be a bit of a mishmash of genres like my first two series (space opera, time travel, metaphysical science fiction, and crime thriller.) Writing these is like a treat for me too, because I am an eccentric Aquarius at heart and a new age hippie too.
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?
Sarah Ash’s trilogy about Dragons.
Author Websites and Profiles
Rayner Ye Website
Rayner Ye Amazon Profile
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