Author Interview and Giveaway: Rachelle Rea

Hey writers. Today I would like to present author and freelance editor Rachelle Rea! Rachelle's a member of both our group and the Go Teen Writers group. In addition, she's offering a special giveaway of a 10-page edit. Don't miss the opportunity to sign up for it.

And now, on with the interview.

Tell us a little about yourself first.

I am a homeschool graduate who sloshed through Algebra and soared through History. I am a college girl attending a Christian university in pursuit of a Communications degree—senior year is almost upon me! I am a freelance editor who loves to perfect punctuation and is fearlessly loyal to semi-colons.

I blog about books, writing, and my favorite word at my personal blog, Inspiring Daring, and I can also be found on Meditations of His Love, Kindred Grace, and Adornabelle.

How much research do you usually put into your books?

I write historicals, so plenty. J My writers’ group (Word Weavers) has asked me a number of times how I know all this stuff. And it’s funny because I feel like such a cheater. Some authors say they spend months researching medieval Italy or the anatomy of a WWII bomber plane. Yet I find nonfiction tomes about the Dutch Revolution dry, but I’ll consume a biography about William of Orange and come away from it with all sorts of ideas. I just search the Internet for all the itty-gritty details not included in biographies.
In other words, there’s no way I would have survived as a novelist pre-Google. J

What are a few interesting things you’ve studied/researched for your latest novel?

What nuns wore in the 16^th century (habits were indeed black by then). How far a horse can travel in a day (30-60 miles, depending on the horse’s health). How deep the English Channel is (at it’s deepest, app. 400 feet). The family tree of Philip II of Spain (convoluted). How to say “I love you” in Dutch (Ik hou van jou).

How does your real life interact/play a role in/interfere with your writing life?

Oh, I like that you categorize “real life” and “writing life” as different. At this stage of my life (for the entirety of my college/university experience), my real life and writing life have operated in cycles. During semesters, I read, research, outline my next novel, edit my last one. During Christmas Break and summers, I write like mad.

So, to answer the question, my real life and writing life glare at each other across the room because we all know only one of them can have my attention at a time. Talk to me in a year, though; that may have changed after I’m a college-educated woman no longer bound by the rigidity of the school year. J

What do you do when you're not writing?

I go to the beach or blast worship songs in my truck or watch TV dramas or princess movies. At my local YMCA, I coach gymnastics to preschoolers through pre-teens. Children are my joy; stories are my passion. I read. I blog. I blog about the books I’m reading.

When you read, what is your favorite genre?

Historical fiction, hands-down. My tastes have stretched recently; I’ll read dystopians (Roth rocks), YA (Stephanie Morrill and Laura Anderson Kurk), and even some contemporary (Jenny B. Jones and Kristen Heitzmann).

But I start to get cranky after a fast from historical fiction—and a plunge into a different century is the only cure.

What keeps you motivated?

A pink sticky note greets me whenever I open the box that holds my earliest “manuscripts” (short stories riddled with perfect protagonists and speaker tags). It says, Write like you’re ten. When I was in middle and high school, I could sit for hours with a pen and paper (I detested the computer then) and just write. Not because I thought I should, but because I loved it. I lost that for a time, but I’ve got it back again: that thirst to put a story down in all its dazzling brilliance—and then edit it until it starts to actually resemble dazzling brilliance.

If you couldn’t be an author, what would your ideal career be?

Can I pick something that’s still related to the publishing industry? I think I’d like to be a publicist. Becoming a book blogger/reviewer has allowed me to use my passion for great stories to get those same great stories into readers’ newsfeeds, hands, and hearts. When I fall in love with a book, I can’t shut up about it (on my blog, social media, or in real life). Doing that for a living would be amazing.

If you could have time travel abilities and could meet anyone from any time, who would you like to meet?

Queen Elizabeth I. She has always been my favorite historical figure, because she was daring and utterly unpredictable. I love reading her biographies. Plus, the Elizabethan era is my favorite time period in which to write, so research trip!

If the Doctor and his Tardis showed up on my front lawn, that would be where I’d ask to go.

And finally, where can we find you online?

I love connecting with new friends and kindred spirits! Find me on…