We have the bad boys of Elite, the clowns in the Consequence series, and then we have rockstars. Whatever the character, Rachel makes them her own.
She brings a work of fiction to life, and makes everything that more worth reading. She inspires us, gives us faith, and brings us our future book boyfriends, so it's my honor to be able to share Lisa's book reviews interview with Rachel with you.
How many publications do you have?
I have over 50 books
What inspired you to write your first novel?
I used to be a school counselor and in between clients i'd sit at my desk and write..it was like my own personal brand of therapy. Once I finished a chapter I'd send it off to my sister who was a stay at home mom, she's the one that encouraged me to keep writing and finally submit to a publishing house.
Do you have a motto or mantra? What is it?
Never give up
Your a new mom. How are you handling being a mom and an author? Has becoming a mom inspired you to write more?
I think it's forced me to become very structured and organized...I LIVE by Thors schedule right now haha but it's good because I'm almost better with time management than I used to be and I think that's really important you know? He's inspired me to really dig deep, I wrote one of my most emotional books right after he was born, Elude.
Do you have any traditions in life or in writing?
We have a lot of fun traditions as a family from Sunday church and dinners to family vacation on the coast.
With writing I always have to have playlists for each book and I ALWAYS need to have at least three or four projects going on at once.
Which part of the day do you tend to write?
All day haha, morning and night.
Who would you say has influenced your life the most? In life and writing.
My grandma has probably been the most influential, she's extremely hard working, successful, and has always pushed me to go beyond my comfort zone. She's such a classy lady and to this day the reason I put on makeup and lipstick even if Im just staying home is because she said as a wife you should always wear lipstick for your husband even if he never notices haha...she's hilarious that way.
Has there been a certain subject you found hard to write? How did you overcome this?
I think the hardest subjects for me to write about are always loss because of bad choices...because that's a very real thing that we all deal with.
What is the message you want to convey in your stories?
Redemption. I always want people to see that there is never a place you can go to that you won't be able to find your way out of. I think in live we always think about being too far gone, but you're never out of reach and that's the truth.
What has been the best part of being an author for you?
Meeting so many amazing readers! I've been so blessed with so many loyal fans, its really turned into just this HUGE family and I love it.
Is there a certain Genre that you haven't written but would love to do? If so, what?
Western! I don't think I could pull it off, but I WOULD LOVE to write about a cowboy...;)
How do you research your subject matter?
Lots and lots of reading, which, lucky for me, is my favorite hobby!
How did you come up with the names of the Elite series?
It started with Elite, I just wanted it to be, well, Elite, special, different, and then the whole E thing kind of just blew up from there.
Did you always want to become an author? If no, what did you want to become and why?
No. I went to school for psychology and got my MBA i always saw myself in the business world...but I've always been a dreamer and I've always made up stories so it makes sense that this is where I'm at.
Tell me about your WIP.... what are you working on at the moment?
I just finished working on RIP, it's a spin off of the Eagle Elite series that deals with the Russian Mafia.
When you started out writing who did you write for and do you still write for that reason?
I wrote for me and my sister haha or anyone else who would read, and honestly to this day I still write for that one person who needs it the most, whoever that reader may be. I write because if I didn't, I'd probably lose my mind, and I write because I know there's always somewhere out there that needs an escape just as much as I do.
Can you tell us something that no one else knows? An exclusive on what's to come.
OOOOOOOO.....Yes. ;) I have a new book series releasing that I haven't really discussed outside of my fan group. It's a two book series entirely from the male POV...That's all I can say for now but I think readers will really like it!
You can all agree she is a pretty amazing woman. Just from these answers you can see the belief and talent that is within her, and all that gets poured into her writing, into her books.
I honestly believe Rachel Van Dyken is one of the best writers out there. She brings you a little of everything, and I for one and looking forward to some cowboys, so lets hope she braves it and writes a western novel.
As for RIP, I have read the blurb to this ;) and have to say, I'm freaking excited.
I'd normally post up pictures of Authors books, but with how many Rachel's published, I think you should just head over to my reading order list, hit up Rachel's name and check it out. Or better yet, check out my reviews. I don't think there's a book I haven't reviewed of Rachel's.
Thank you Rachel for an amazing interview. Keep up the good work and keep writing.
Cowboys ;) Hint! Hint!
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