She is a new author that comes from my area of this wide
world. I was very excited to connect with her online and I’m really looking
forward to meeting her in person next week at the book launch party for her
very first published novel Life’s Defeat (all details for the
launch party will be posted at the end of the interview). Having Rebekah so
close to home presented a unique opportunity for me to get to know her just a little
bit better and to help her promote and celebrate her first book release in
person.
So here we are and I hope you’re ready to get to know the
author Rebekah Raymond.
[LDF] Did you always want to be an author?
[RR] No, for
as long as I remember, I have been a writer though. I was always writing—in
diaries, in journals, poems, stories. I am an avid Trekkie and have played for
years on email Star Trek role playing games. Of course there was always that
pull when I held a really great great book, that maybe, one day...but no, I
expected it.
I suppose as
I started to pursue more serious projects I had the thought that it would be
nice to become officially an author, which is what I had felt like for a long
time.
[LDF] What was your main inspiration or reason
for becoming an author?
[RR] My
first inspiration came when a friend of ours passed away, actually. Our girls
had been in the same class the year before and she had been incredibly helpful
during my pregnancy near the end. Her death came as a shock to us and it was so
hard making that connection of similarities and thinking of the possibility that
my children could grow up without me at any time. It made me wonder if I was
gone, what I would have to leave behind for my kids to look up to? So, I
revisited my bucket list I had made years before and publishing a book was on
it.
[LDF] When writing, where does the inspiration
for your stories come from?
[RR] I have
a scary vivid imagination. When I am alone, I often find myself, thinking up
stories, or scenarios, replaying how things could have gone differently or how
a storyline should go. It doesn't hurt that I am a fan of generally all music
and art and writing. So I have a lot of experience in a lot of different areas:
I have worked security at concerts, read about murder and thrills, been an
artist and musician, experienced my own high-school sweetheart romance and wedding,
had children, known loss of friends and family. For my genre it helps too that
I have branched out over the years, occasionally delving into the worlds of
vampires and murder. I even took a course while I was in college that allowed
me to go to the gross anatomy lab, seeing bodies in all sorts of different
states up close. Ultimately though, I do automatic writing, so what comes out
is often unknown to me until it is down on the paper and I go back to read it. Anything
can trigger it though – a song, a great piece of art, an antique or piece of
furniture I see while out.
[LDF] What was the driving inspiration behind Life’s Defeat and the other books that
will make up the Life series?
[RR] Would
it seem strange if I said “I have no clue?” *laughing* I have this friend who I do a lot of email based RPG with, and
occasionally we write other stories together, or write our own things and
exchange writings. Life’s Defeat
started like that - a short story I did just to write one day. That friend had
mentioned NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) several times, and last
November felt like the right time.
Later, when
I saw how great Life’s Defeat turned
out, I felt like I had something really special. I loved the characters,
thoroughly enjoyed the plot. So, I decided to take a small leap. I entered a
contest with a small ebook publisher and actually won! It didn't work out
between me and that publisher, but when I saw how many options there were for
publishing, it became clear that becoming a published author was a real
possibility. So when the editor I hired said I actually had a good storyline
and that my writing was good, I decided to keep going.
The friend
inspired the writing of the short story, that inspired the challenge of making
it more, that inspired the process of publishing, which inspired the next book.
Of course, the characters were somewhat of the inspiration as well – my main
character in Life’s Defeat had more of
her story to tell, and couldn't let me just stop at one book.
[LDF] When you finished writing Life’s Defeat was the story what you`d
thought or planned it would be, or did it turn out to be somewhat different?
[RR] I wrote Life's
Defeat with little preconceived intentions or plot. I had a few notes,
ideas of things that I wanted to happen, but I had no clue how it would turn
out from the start. I did know that it was not, essentially, a happy story. How
can it be when it starts with her parents death and the bulk of it focuses on
her torture and repeated deaths? The real surprise came during the beta and
editing process. My beta tester questioned me about things I had never thought
of, things I needed to cut or change. Then my editor asked me clarify a number
of things, which added plot and twists. The end result did turn out to be a bit
different than I expected, but was made all the better for it. Of course, it
sets up the entire series beautifully, and the next two books have turned out
to be completely unexpected plot lines, even though I tried to do basic
outlines on those. In the end my characters drive their story, no matter what I
say. They really fight me if I try to dictate their fate.
[LDF] As brief as you can, tell us about “Life’s Defeat”?
[RR] Life’s Defeat is an adult thriller, set years
in the future, in a time where the government has basically given up on the
country. It recounts a young woman's experience of losing her parents at a
young age, and growing up within a unique boarding school. When she is still a
teenager the headmaster gives her the choice to join the ranks of the school's
hidden and elite force of soldiers. She takes it, and finds she is good at
being a trained killing force. Too good. She leaves the school at nineteen,
travels and becomes more worldly, but comes back only to be abducted by the
most devious mastermind of their time. His own agenda in mind, he kills her.
Only it
doesn't work.
Life’s Defeat becomes her testament, then, of her decent
into madness, when repeated torture and death by the criminal Rochester claims
her but fails each time to effectively do the job. She loses herself time and
again, and the stakes are raised as her deadly trials are transformed into tests
of her own suicide.
Eventually
she is rescued by a team, run by her old friend, Tomlin, and returns to the
school to continue the next chapter of her life as a broken and beaten young
prisoner of war. She heals slowly, and she faces more decisions of love and
acceptance, deception and revenge. The ending will blow readers away.
[LDF] That is something that I can attest to. I certainly
didn’t see the ending you gave the book coming at all! So now you’ve finished
writing and editing, you’ve got printed books in hand and delivered to the book
store for the launch. You’ve got e-book pre-order and sales links all ready to
go. I have to ask... You’re about to release your first book as a fiction
author. What thoughts are going through
your head? How do you feel?
[RR] Such a
loaded question, and one I feel I need to answer perfectly honest. I am a bit
terrified. As strange as it is, I feel as though I am ready to have my first
child again. I remember feeling very anxious, going into the unknown, unsure if
I would be a good parent, if I could do everything I needed to see it through. There
is that same hesitation here: what if people don't like it, what if I can't
make it as an author? Or, what if I DO?
Seriously
though, I am very excited. My launch date can't come fast enough, and I am
hoping that all goes well. My proudest moment was when I accepted my shipment
of books and I was able to post the picture on social media. My brain is jam
packed with things I need to do between now and then, emails to send, reviews
to inquire about, copies to send out. All good things.
[LDF] Well as I’ve already mentioned, I’m really
looking forward to attending the launch party and getting my hands on one of those published paperback copies. I already know
that I love the story, but I have to have the book!
When I chat with and do interviews
with authors I like to ask them a bit about their regular day-to-day routines
and to try and get to know them as more than just an author too. So let’s go
that direction now... During a typical writing day, what are 3 items that you
always have within arm’s reach?
[RR] First,
my IPad. All of my current stories, poems, and books get written on my iPad.
When I wrote Life’s Defeat I had only
my old beat up laptop (which would overheat on my lap occasionally) and so I
actually wrote about 75% (if not more) of the novel on my iPhone 4. For anyone
who writes frequent emails, they will tell you how much fun mass writing on a
phone can be. So I told myself that if I “won” NaNoWriMo (accomplished writing
50,000 words in 30 days) I would buy an IPad for the future. So I did.
Second, a
snack. I do most of my writing late at night or in the middle of the night, so
something clean and satisfying, like raisins or air-popped popcorn, is a must.
Third, a
blanket. Sounds crazy, but I am one of those weirdos who likes to be warm. All
the time. So whether it’s during a heat wave in July or freezing in December, I
will often be on the couch, iPad in lap, quilt or couch throw over me.
[LDF] And when you have some time for yourself,
just to kick back and relax and read, who are the favorite authors you would
reach for?
[RR] Well, I
have my favourite books, certainly. I read incredibly fast, so all of my books
are loaded onto my kindle and go with me on every camping trip, vacation, or
long road trip. I have a lot of really random reads like psychology journals
and historical journals. But I keep a good selection of paranormal, historical
romance, horror, sci if, fantasy, romance, and memoirs on hand.
I re-read
Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel series
about once every few years (yes, all nine of them). I love the richness of her
characters, and how she broke boundaries between basically prostitution, sex and
the heroine, the relationships between her people, and the believable sprawls
of the landscapes she creates.
Otherwise
there are a smattering of other authors I pull up frequently: Maggie Shayne,
Edgar Allan Poe, Diana Gabaldon. To be honest half the time I pull up a book
without looking at the title or the name. The book must speak for itself, no
matter what it is.
[LDF] Alright this is the last question and time
for one of my little quirk questions – my
quirk not yours, but I always have to ask… Coffee or Tea? Coke or Pepsi?
Books or Movies?
[RR] Once or
twice a year I enjoy a coffee or tea (no really, no preference, and only that
many times).
Coke always
wins over Pepsi, although lately diet Pepsi has found its way into our fridge
and I don't hate it enough that I don't drink it.
I love the
feel of a book in my hands. I love the smell of an old hardcover and the jagged
edges of the nice, hundred year old cloth covered novels. I love the fact that
a good book doesn't tell the reader absolutely everything, so you are able to
imagine exactly how a character looks and sounds. I don't mind that a book
becomes a six hour video in my brain. Having said that,
there is something to be said for a movie that really captures the essence of a
good book - Little Women (Louisa May
Alcott), for example. I love the book, and read it frequently for my own
enjoyment and also to my daughter. But the movie fit my own feel of the book,
and I always get hit hard during the scene of Beth’s death. Even with knowing
it is coming, I cry every time.
[end of
interview]
Rebekah and
I have been messaging and emailing back and forth over the last few weeks and I’ve
truly had a great time getting know her and to ask her questions about her
journey to publishing. One day while messaging she mentioned that she’d written
most of the first book on her cell phone and I couldn’t help but laugh (as I
was actually doing the same thing at that moment) and I told her that we were
going to have to share that tidbit in her interview. I didn’t know how but I
knew it had to be included, so I’m really happy with the way our whole
interview turned out.
As you
should have guessed by now, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to read Life’s Defeat as an advanced reader and
I will be posting my complete review of the book here on Ups, Downs, Ins and Outs tomorrow. But needless to say, I loved it and I
thoroughly recommend Life’s Defeat to
everyone. It’s a thriller and has a romance. It’s a bit science fiction and
dystopian. It’s simply a really great book. I promise.
Now, if you’re
in the Calgary, Alberta area on Wednesday October 7th, 2015
and if, like me, you’d really like to get your hands on this book then I
suggest you make your way to the Book
Launch Party for Life’s Defeat at OWL’S
NEST BOOKS from 7:00-8:30pm.
Here’s all
the details and I hope we’ll see you there:
Owl’s Nest Books
7-8:30 pm
815A 49th Avenue SW, Calgary, Alberta
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