Monday, December 16, 2013

Interview, Spotlight and Excerpt Initiation by Rayna Noire

1.     Tell us about yourself.

I am a Midwesterner, locked in a state that experiences tornadoes, floods, and blizzards. As long as the water isn’t ankle high, I write. Nature is my go-to friend. Walks refresh me. It seems fitting that I do my part, by planting trees, flowers, and feeding the birds.

2.     Have you had other careers before becoming a writer?

I’ve done pretty much everything, from writing PR ads to short order cook. Even though I‘ve trained for other jobs, I always felt writing was what I needed to do. Currently, I still have a day job.

3.     How did you get started writing?
4.      
As the last child in the family, my mother was too busy to answer my numerous questions. Instead, she taught me to read and write when I was four. I devoured every book I could get my hands on. I was very disappointed in the first grade reader. I read it the first day and told all the non-readers how it ended. This did not make me popular with my teacher. I felt obligated to write several alternatives for Dick and Jane. A few had hot air balloons, sky diving bad guys, and Lassie.

5.     Tell us about your current series / WIP.

Currently, I am writing the Pagan Eyes series. It features the Carpenter family, who are Wiccan. They keep getting lost in time, but deal with real issues such as suicide, bullying, rape, and divorce. Issues your average teen or young adult encounters.

6.     What is your next project and when will it be released?

Revelation is the next book. It should be out in February. Keep your eyes and ears open, because there will be free days for Revelation.

As for series, my next one is Druidic in nature. I am totally convinced a trip to England is in order to visit Stonehenge.

7.     Where do you get the ideas for your stories?

Stories ideas come from everywhere. I recently dined with my daughter in a chain restaurant where the woman behind me detailed loudly how she spied on her husband. I thought that could be a story. Instead of finding out her husband was cheating, she might discover he was a hit man or an alien, something unsuspected.

8.     Do you have any upcoming FREE promotions you would like to tell us about?

I am always running contests. It’s good idea to follow me on Facebook to see what’s up. Facebook.com/AuthorRaynaNoire

I am planning to offer Initiation free on December 27th after everyone has opened their new Kindles. There will be another free day when Revelation comes out, but I don’t have that date yet.




Initiation
Pagan Eyes
Book 1
Rayna Noire

Genre: Paranormal Time Travel YA/NA

Publisher: Sleeping Dragon

ISBN: 978-0615915807
ISBN: 0615915809
Number of pages: 208
Word Count: 68,528

Cover Artist: Dawne Dominique

Book Description:

Leah Carpenter thought being the only witch in her local high school was hard. That was until she inexplicably found herself in the past running from an angry mob, which turned out to be much harder. Lionel, the man in charge of the mob, holds a grudge against a girl he calls Arabella. He thinks she’s Arabella.

Luckily, just about the time it looks as if she’s done for she pops back into her century. This causes trouble at school, but at least she has an understanding family. What happens in the past can hurt her. The whiplashes covering her body are proof enough. Her Nana believes she has to right a wrong in the past to stay in the present and go out with her crush, Dylan. What she discovers in the past is an evil so pure that it makes her blood run cold. She might not ever make it back for geometry class or more importantly a possible date with Dylan.


The smell struck her first. The acrid, smelly odor reminded her of her fourth-grade field trip to a pioneer village. The candle maker had intrigued her by dipping wicks in what she had assumed was wax until the woman explained it was made of animal fat from butchered animals. That’s what it smelled like, along with the campfire aroma of burning wood.
In the misty night sky, a clouded crescent moon shed meager light on the surroundings. Turning slowly she examined the primitive thatched hut behind her. In the small front garden, a split log supported by two stumps served as a bench. An oaken bucket sat by a door that flew open. An elderly woman hobbled out, dressed in a black cloak. The woman reminded Leah of her grandmother, but instead of a look of fierce determination, terror pulled her face into an anxious mask. Reaching Leah, she tugged on her clothes, pushing her toward the woods. “Flee, flee, they come. Smell the torches.” The woman pointed to a path winding toward the east.
A dim glow was coming from that direction, along with the sounds of voices and snapping branches as dozens of feet marched in their direction. An overwhelming desire to run after the unknown woman came over her. Another part of her wanted to see who was coming down the path. It was only a dream, right?
 People couldn’t be hurt in a dream, or could they? She struggled to remember what her psychology teacher, Mr. Schaeffer, had said. He’d said either people couldn’t be hurt by their fears or your fears could kill you by bringing on cardiac arrest.
A few men came into view, burly men garbed in shapeless garments, with wild hair and ragged beards. Held high the flickering torches illuminated a small circle around them. One held a curved knife, reminiscent of the scythe the Grim Reaper carried. It didn’t bode well. One of the men spotted her, yelled, “Witch!”   and charged her way. It was a definite bad sign, causing her to sprint toward the woods in the same direction as the old woman. Sticks, rocks, and briars pierced her feet, reminding her of her shoeless state. At home, she excelled in cross-country, but she had shoes, sunlight, and a feel for the course with no angry villagers behind her. The running men drew closer. Leah stumbled over a tree root, wasting precious time.
“Here, over here.” The voice came from overhead. Staring up into the canopy of leaves, she saw a small hand motioning to her. Of course, hide in the trees. Why didn’t she think of that? Grabbing the lowest limb, she pulled herself into the leafy covering. In the dark, she felt for the branches, climbing higher. Eventually she grabbed an ankle or calf, and received a hand up for her trouble, helping her climb higher.
Good Goddess, how many people were in this tree? She held her breath as the light and noise came closer. The few men below argued about which way to go, while a woman waded in with her opinion. “Samuel, let the witch get away. Mayhap he uses the witch for his own purposes.”
One of the front-runners denied the accusations. “Martha seeks to harm my name, because I did not plight my troth with her.”
The argument moved on a little farther away from the tree. Leah exhaled in a whoosh, thanking the stars for the scorned woman and lack of dogs. As if hearing her silent prayer, a long canine bay rent the air.


About the Author:

Rayna Noire is an author and a historian. The desire to uncover the truth behind the original fear of witches led her to the surprising discovery that people believed in magick in some form up to 150 years ago. A world that believed the impossible could happen and often did must have been amazing. With this in mind, Ms. Noire taps into this dimension, shapes it into stories about Pagan families who really aren’t that different from most people. They do go on the occasional time travel adventures and magick happens.



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3 comments:

Stormy Vixen said...

Sounds like a great book and I am looking forward to reading it. Thanks for sharing it and the giveaway. Wishing everyone a wonderful and magical holiday season! evamillien at gmail dot com

bn100 said...

Interesting blurb

salena said...

This book sounds like a great read. I love the cover. :) Thanks so much for sharing. Happy Reading! & Merry Christmas :)

 
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