#AtoZChallenge C is for Christine Rains #FreeBook

Established Author Name: Christine Rains

1- Would you tell us a little about being a "Geek mom"?

I call myself a geek mom because I love doing all the things stereotyped as nerdy with my son. When we used to play imagination games, we'd go on adventures and fight monsters and make friends with dragons. I read to him every night until he was nearly 12 years old, and his favorites included Norse and Greek legends. We had a membership to the local children's science museum and went often, and we spent a lot of time at the library as well. These days, my son is into Dungeons & Dragons as much as I am. In fact, he's having a D&D game for his birthday this month. This makes both of us excited!

2- In what category/genre do you write? Why?

When it comes to short stories, I've written in every genre. It's a great medium to try new things and stretch my creative muscles. Most of my longer works have an element of the supernatural in them, be they dark urban fantasy or paranormal romance. I've been fascinated by the supernatural for all of my life. The lure of mysteries, of things just beyond our understanding, and the magic hiding in everyday things.

3- What part of one of your stories was the most fun to write? The most challenging?

I love to write scenes with lots of dialogue, romantic tension, wonder, and discovery. The conversations between my characters in my fantasy LitRPG series, Khthonia, are so much fun as they echo real life chats I've had with my gamer friends. They talk about everything from the rules of the game to love to philosophy. Usually I write too much dialogue, and I have to edit it down when I revise my books. The most challenging part of writing for me is the ending. As a pantser, I know what I need the outcome to be, but I have to trust in the story to get me there. My muse has never failed me, but it causes me a lot of stress. A great example of endings is the one for my urban fantasy series, TOTEM. How to wrap up all those layers and loose threads in a way that made sense eluded me, and I agonized over it for weeks. When it finally came together, it was beautiful and elegant, but I have gray hairs given to me specifically by that last TOTEM book!


4- Would you please, in 160 characters or less, give a #WriteTip ?

Write what you love, not what you think everyone else wants.

5- April 4 is National School Librarian Day. Would you share a happy memory of one?

I absolutely adore libraries, and I've spent a great amount of time in them over the years. I remember in elementary school being chosen by the librarian to help out and how that felt like a great honor. I had no quiet places or much peace as a child, but there, it was always tranquil. I would run my fingers along the book spines as I shelved them and imagine the worlds hiding in those pages. It was my happy place, my escape from the world, and as an adult looking back on those days, I think she knew I needed it. Thank you to all school librarians out there for everything you do.

6- What do you love and hate most about being a published author?

I love writing and sharing my stories with readers. I have so many worlds in my head aching for release, and I'm very lucky I can do so. The aspect I hate most about being an author in today's world is that authors can't just be writers, we have to be businesspeople as well. I have no natural talent for marketing, and I find no joy doing it. I've researched and read so much about how to market your books over the years, that it only brings me misery when I experience everything I've learned hasn't helped. I realize every path is different. What works for one author won't work for another. And what works for one book won't work for another. It's my biggest source of stress. I'd rather just write, because that's where I find happiness.

7- Do you publish traditional, self, hybrid, other? Why?

I self publish because I love having complete control over everything. I can work at my own pace, and I have the flexibility to fit my schedule around my family's. It's important for me to be there for them, but still pursue my own dreams. I have had publishers before, but they have been negative experiences. I do realize that not all publishers practice bad business, but it has tainted my opinion of working solely with a publisher. I believe that going hybrid is a nice compromise. That way you have a publisher to take care of some of your stories, while you still have the freedom to do what you want.

8- What question are you dying to answer?

What is your stereotypical horror movie role?
I would be the scholar or skeptic, and because I would go investigate the strange noise or the weird runes, I would be the first to die.

Answer from Interviewer J: Survivor / Hunter (Daryl Dixon is a fictional character from AMC's horror drama series The Walking Dead. That'd be me.)

9- Would you please ask our audience an intriguing question to answer in the comments?

What is your favorite supernatural mystery? (Ex. Loch Ness Monster, the Bermuda Triangle, poltergeists.)

10- Which of your books would you recommend right now?

I recently finished writing the final book in my fantasy LitRPG trilogy, Blight of the Necromancer. It's with my beta readers now, and hopefully will be released by the end of this year. The first two books are available at Amazon, and for this week only, you can get the first book, Shudder of Specters for free!
Website: https://christinerainswrit.wixsite.com/home
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CRainsWriter
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorchristinerains
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Christine-Rains/author/B00AZYIAT4

Link for Shudder of Specters: https://www.amazon.com/Shudder-Specters-Fantasy-LitRPG-Adventure-ebook/dp/B0979PJRL8/



Please check out the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge
#AtoZChallenge 2023
a-to-zchallenge.com