MTAR: Tell us a little bit about yourself
Rachel: I am a happily married woman with three small children who keep my life overflowing. Writing helps keep me balanced among the chaos of raising little ones. I don’t know what I would do without an outlet for my creative inclinations.
MTAR: What do you do when you are not writing?
Rachel: Other than raising my kids and, I also dabble in book cover design, book trailer creation, and other book publishing and marketing services. For relaxation, I read and watch movies.
MTAR: What inspired you to write your first book?
Rachel: Growing up, I was constantly telling myself stories. I reworked the endings of the books in my head and created new stories using ideas I liked from different books. My first attempt at writing fiction was a school assignment. It was a horribly predictable story with a prince, a noble woman, an adventurous mission with vague parameters, and a light romance. Nothing extraordinary, I assure you.
MTAR: Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
Rachel: My latest release, Wren, was written around the theme of forgiveness. Both of the main characters and quite a few of the secondary characters need to seek forgiveness or forgive someone themselves. The message I hope the reader observes is how essential forgiveness is to the healing process both to the victim and the transgressor.
MTAR: What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?
Rachel: I loved writing the scene where Tourth and Wren face off in a sparring session. The tension of not knowing who will win, if someone will get hurt, and the interplay between these two strong characters drives scene forward a great pace. I especially enjoyed writing the twist at the end of the scene too.
MTAR: For a reader who is new to your writing which book would you recommend?
Rachel: My most recent work is my best. If you enjoy romance, I recommend Duty, since it is first and foremost a romance. If you are more interested in action, Wren is definitely better fit. If you don’t want to commit to a novel and just want to get a taste of my writing style, you can try out Word and Deed, a short, tense story set in the medieval era.
MTAR: What are the most important attributes to remaining sane as a writer?
Rachel: Perseverance and discipline get you through finishing a book even when you are no longer infatuated with it. Patience and humility are necessary to work through the editing process. But I think the greatest attribute you need as a writer is perspective. If you don’t have a good handle on the bigger picture, one bad review can finish you.
MTAR: What makes you laugh?
Rachel: The things my kids say and do, inside jokes with my fellow writers, and my husband’s unusual humor keep me smiling and amused.
MTAR: Are there certain characters you would like to go back to, or is there a theme or idea you’d love to work with?
Rachel: I have a number of projects from my past that remain unfinished that want to see complete and in print one day. In particular there are two: a modern Christian retelling of East of the Sun West of the Moon called White Bear and a Christian speculative fiction trilogy that needs a third book.
MTAR: What are you working on now?
Rachel: Currently I am in the middle of writing the second book in the Novels of Rhynan series. Duty is the first book.
In the second book, Honor, Dentin is sent on a very unpleasant mission to take custody of his best friend’s foster son. While carrying out his task, Dentin encounters a young woman caught in a net of intrigue. Elsa doesn’t know the purpose of the scheming going on around her, but she can’t seem to avoid running into Lord Dentin, the man her family and friends advise her to shun. Can she trust the man everyone says is without honor?
MTAR: Is there anything that you would like to say to your readers and fans?
Rachel: Thank you for reading and supporting my writing. I appreciate it! One of the main reasons I write is you and I love to hear about what you think of each story. Feel free to contact me on Facebook or my blog. Also, thank you, More Than A Review, for hosting me today.