Please tell us a
little about yourself. Where are you from and when did you start writing?
I’ve been
married to my wonderful husband for 15 years and we have a teen and pre-teen
daughter as well as my beloved black Lab, Max. I grew up in Bristol before
moving to Wiltshire in 2001. I love being close to the countryside in one
direction and the bustling Georgian city of Bath in the other.
I started
writing toward publication when my youngest daughter started school full-time
in 2005. The Wild Rose Press published my first novel in 2007 and I’ve had at
least one novel a year published since. Harlequin Superromance publishes my
latest contemporary romances and Kensington publishes my Victorian romances.
You’ve
written several highly rated Romantic novels, including historical and
suspense. Tell us about your books and what inspires you to write.
Aww, thank you for saying my books have been highly
rated, that means a lot to me! I love writing contemporary and historical
novels alternately – it keeps my mind fresh and hopefully my readers’ too! My
editor at Harlequin (contemporary) is happy for me to write mainstream romance
or romantic suspense in my current series, which is great. So far, I’ve written
two of each and contracted for one more – I’m thinking this last one will be
romantic suspense. I feel a murder coming on!
My Victorian romances are also linked by a secondary
character in previous book, becoming the hero or heroine in the next book. I am
contracted with Kensington to write two more by June 2015 which will be four in
total. As for inspiration? That comes in the form of deadlines, lol!
Describe
your writing process. When and where do you write?
I am lucky enough to be a stay at home mum so I treat
my writing like a job and write from 8.30 to 3.30pm during the week and as much
as family time allows over the weekend. My laptop is always turned off by 7pm
for my relaxation – ie bath, followed by a glass of wine in front of the TV.
Where do
your ideas come from? Which comes first,
the story, the characters or the setting?
This
can vary. Most of the time my inspiration comes from a premise and then I
create a synopsis and character sketches which usually bring forth the
conflicts.
How long does it take you to write a book? What
research. If any, do you undertake when planning your book?
It usually takes
me around six months to write a 85,000 word novel – my research is very
limited, in that I focus on emotion more than anything else. For my Victorian
novels, I make sure I have etiquette and social standing as spot on as I can,
but again, the emotions are the focus of the book and love, hate, jealousy,
greed and joy were the same in the 1800s as they are now.
Are you a plotter or a pantser?
A bit of both –
I am becoming more of a pantser as time goes on but my work in progress is
becoming a nightmare so I will definitely be plotting the next one more
thoroughly. I like to start with a three page synopsis as an outline, character
sketches for the hero, hero and villain, if I have one. After that, I dive
straight in and write the first draft from start to finish without looking
back. The hard part comes in the following drafts!
Of all your characters, do you have a
favourite?
Oooh, difficult
question! One of my favourite heroes is Will Samson from my Kensington debut,
The Seduction of Emily…and one of my favourite heroines is Cat Forrester from
my Harlequin debut Finding Justice. In fact, I like Cat so much she’s appeared
in every book in the series so far and I’m on book four, lol!
Do you work with a writing/critique
group?
I have three
fantastic critique partners who I couldn’t be without – they are thorough but
entirely constructive and I would be half the writer I am today without them.
We work really well together and I hope we continue to do so for years to come.
We met online and have never met in person so maybe one day I’ll fly to the
States just to meet them. Why not??
What advice would you give to someone
thinking of writing their first novel?
Write! That’s it – so many people want to
write but don’t actually do it. Write your novel, attend as much workshops as
you can and listen to people who have made their way through the writing
gauntlet. I enrolled in many affordable, online writing classes when I started
out and they were invaluable. Also, join a writers group and/or association
like the Romantic Novelists Association. Talking to other writers is really,
really important. Good luck!
Rachel’s latest book is A Man Like Him (book 2 in her Harlequin series) and available now. Here’s the blurb and buy links:
Changing her life...again
After two years in hiding, Angela Taylor knows
her independence is worth it. As long as she can escape her past, she has
everything under control. Until a flash flood hits the park where she works,
and hot Chris Forrester shows up the exact moment she needs a hero.
Chris proves he can save lives-and weaken a
girl's knees. But how can she make him understand that she's off-limits, that
getting close to her will endanger his
life? Her happiness or his safety: it shouldn't even be a choice.
Because when you love someone, you protect them,
no matter the cost. At least, that's what Angela keeps telling herself....
A Man Like his is available from:
Bio:
Rachel lives with her husband and two young
daughters in a small town near Bath in the UK.
After having several novels published by small US presses, she secured
agent representation in 2011. In 2012, she sold two books to Harlequin
Superromance and a further three in 2013. She also writes Victorian romance for
Kensington--her debut was released in April 2013 and she has since signed for
three more.
Rachel is a member of the Romantic Novelists
Association and Romance Writers of America. When she isn’t writing, you’ll find
Rachel with her head in a book or walking the beautiful English countryside
with her family and beloved black Lab, Max. Her dream place to live is
Bourton-on-the-Water in South West England.
She likes nothing more than connecting and
chatting with her readers and fellow romance writers. Rachel would love to hear
from you!
Links:
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