This month is my birthday and I'm giving my readers a double feature of Hidden Diamonds. Two spectacular fellow Soul Mate authors, Rayanne Haines and Barbara Nolan.
Quinn Taleisin hates secrets,
and shadows, and subterfuge. Which is why she still can’t believe she agreed to
become a member of the Guardians, an elite force of immortals tasked with
keeping the balance between good and evil in the world.
Sounds great, except, to be a guardian you must agree to live in secrecy. Quinn is a wind elemental. Being caged in by secrecy is worse than death for someone like her. She can’t imagine a worse fate—until she’s asked to work with Lachon Findel, the man she holds responsible for her mother’s death and her father’s insanity.
Lachon is the oldest living elemental in the world. Known as Lachon the Law, he’s an earth element; a man who sees the world in black and white, right and wrong. So maybe once, briefly, a hundred years ago she thought he was a good guy. She knew better now. No way would she fall for his savior of the world shtick.
When the dangers of the past catch up with them, Quinn realizes the only way either of them will make it out alive is if she can put the ghosts of the past behind her and finally trust the flesh and blood man in front of her.
Rayanne shares her incredible journey into writing her kick-ass heroines full time and her answers to the Hidden Diamonds author questionnaire, including her opinion on cavemen vs astronauts.
Living The Dream
Hi Everyone,
Thanks so much, Jenn for
having me on your Blog! I’ve just launched, Air Born, the third book in my
Paranormal Romance Series. It’s my fifth book overall – I also have two poetry
books out with a third in development. And I’m utterly delighted to say that as
of June 1st I will no longer be employed by anyone other than
myself. Yep – I’ve quit the day job to focus on writing, which is what fed the
idea for my blog post today.
I remember being fourteen
years old and being taken through a fence by my horse, Razzle. He was a good
horse. But that day something spooked him and no matter what I tried, he
decided there was no way I was staying on his back. He’d had enough.
As puberty hit, I started
feeling that way about expectation. I wanted it off my back. The idea of
finishing high school to go to college to get a 9-5 job ate away at the fiber
who I knew I was. I wanted to chase wild horses and wild adventures. I’m
certain I was an author before I knew what the word meant.
My parents raised me to be
tough and independent, to work hard. Living on a farm, you worked - period. To
this day, my mother is the strongest woman I’ve ever met. Her strength was a
benchmark for me as I a struggled through divorce, single parenting,
re-educating myself, and building the career I wanted, not what society expected of me.
When I began writing seriously
I started with poetry. A great poet can change the world with one line. I write
poetry to empower women. I soon discovered I wanted to write fun stories about
kick-ass women and alpha men who loved them. Along came expectation. A serious
poet, a true feminist couldn’t write romance. To that, I scoff. The women in my
family, the strong women I know, have never been defined by expectation. Have
never allowed the judgments of others to shape our path.
I write romance, where happily
ever after is found because of the heroine’s strength and resiliency, not
despite it. Everything I write is shaped by the experiences I had growing up
surrounded by strong women and by the resiliency I discovered in myself when I
became a single mom. If I had to go back in time and tell my younger writer
self, anything, it would be—don’t change. Follow the path whatever it looks
like. Life is going to be hard. It’s going to test you. You’ll be lonely
sometimes. The world will expect things of you that you don’t have to give. You
know who you are. Buy some good pens—The stories will come.
- Rayanne Haines
An Author Interview with Rayanne Haines
What is the wildest thing you've done to
research a book?
My
research is pretty normal I think. Though I have travelled to every location in
my books except the Isle of Wight. Though I’m working on that because I’m quite
certain I still have long lost relatives there. This August I’m heading to
Ireland to research for a new series I’m drafting out!
What is
your writing process?
I’m a
solitary pantser. Lol. I mean, I think I do plot. I’m working on the fourth
book in my Guardian series and I absolutely know where I want it to go. But I
spend much more time on character development and world building than I do on
plotting. That way if things switch up with the plot it’s usually because my
characters have demanded it.
What is your favourite thing to do to relax?
What is your favourite thing to do to relax?
Can I say
Netflix and Chill? Truthfully though, I’m a big gardening buff. If I wasn’t a
writer I think I would want to work in a greenhouse. I adore playing in my
garden and growing my own food. When I see plants starting to sprout I get a
little thrill!
Who is your favourite fictional crush?
Who is your favourite fictional crush?
Oh dear,
I’m a grown woman so I know I should have a grown woman answer but the first name
to pop into my head is Rhysand from a Court of Thorns and Roses
And in the spirit of the long-running Joss Whedon debate, who would win: astronauts or cavemen?
And in the spirit of the long-running Joss Whedon debate, who would win: astronauts or cavemen?
I love a good caveman but I have to say, Astronaut, hands down. Those guys and gals are in the prime physical condition of their life, would have access to medication and health care cavemen wouldn’t even know to dream about, and the military brains to back up any tactical operations to win in combat. Sorry Cavemen – you’re out.
Thank you, Rayanne, for being one of my birthday Hidden Diamonds and for your encouraging story about following your dreams. For those who want their own copies of Rayanne's books or to follow her on social media, you can find her here:
Thanks for joining us! Come back next month on June 27th for the next Hidden Diamond.
Or, if you'd like to stick around on my blog, you can check out last month's Hidden Diamond, my friend, the 10 carat Eve Langlais.
There's always my last blogpost as well about my thoughts on Black Widow's character arc in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including Avengers: Endgame.
And there's another little birthday present you can take advantage of, the first book in my paranormal romance series, Revelations, is now available for less than the price of a cup of coffee.
See you next time!
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