I asked M.C. Rayne if he could take time out of his day to answer some questions for me about his experiences as a writer and the road to becoming an author, M.C. Rayne has sent his first ever Original Fiction to Renaissance Romance Publishing, they have agreed to publish it and M.C. Rayne is in the process of signing a contract with them, a massive well done to him!!. Here are his answers to my questions:
Me: What started you off writing in the first place?
M.C. Rayne: A friend introduced me to a Fanfiction group after my mum died. I was a little lost at that time, and still in shock with what happened. The ladies I met sent me their stories to read, then encouraged me to write my own. Once I started I couldn't stop. I will never stop writing Fanfiction, but currently I am moving towards original fiction.
Me: If you could be as good/ famous as any author in the world, who would it be and why?
M.C. Rayne: J.K Rowling, I love her imagination. I have not delved into fantasy yet, but I plan to.
Me: What's your favourite book/ piece of FanFiction or both?
M.C. Rayne: The Harry Potter series will never get old, but I could write an endless list which I would always add to.
Me: Is there anyone in your family who knows you write, if so, who?
M.C. Rayne: My immediate family knew I wrote Fanfiction, but once I was signed with Renaissance Romance Publishing, I told everyone while dancing lol
Me: What are you working on at the moment, FanFiction or an Original Fiction?
M.C. Rayne: I have a piece I am almost done with called Flavours Of Our Life, and a planned trilogy called Born In Blood which I am doing with a friend. Once FOUL is complete I have a new story which is fighting to come out.
Me: Have you published any work yet, if so, what? If not, do you plan to publish anything?
M.C. Rayne: My first piece will be out in September as part of Renaissance Romance Publishing Fall Fires anthology. I will release more details soon.
Me: Your house is burning, you can only take 3 things with you, what would you take? (everyone is out safely, so no need to save people)
M.C. Rayne: My guinea pig, Bean. My iPad and all my music and books. More than three I know, but I need them all.
Me: Which could you not live without, your mobile or your laptop?
M.C. Rayne: Mobile - I can write on it and browse the web.
Me: Have you ever self-published anything as opposed to going to a publishing house direct?
M.C. Rayne: I love the idea of self publishing and would like to try it, but I also love working with the ladies at Renaissance Romance Publishing. It's weird, but it kind of feels like a family and I would always send them my new stuff first. If they declined something, then I would self publish I think.
Me: Do you have any advice for aspiring authors? Any words of encouragement?
M.C. Rayne: I never wanted to be a writer, not really. Honest. Everyday I would walk to work and play out stories in my head, becoming lost in my imagination (how I never got run over I do not know), but once I started to put pen to paper I couldn't stop. I would think about my stories while in the shower, trying to sleep at night, in my dreams. I knew that if I thought about this so much, then I needed to follow a dream I never knew I wanted. If this is you, and you can't think of anything else, then your a writer.
The hardest part for me is believing I have talent! I hear people saying it, but I just roll my eyes at them. I think all writers go through this, but if you love what you write then just use all rejection and negative reviews as a way to get better. Your work becomes a part of you, and when you think someone may hate it you get defensive.
When you send something to a publisher, expect to find yourself checking your email every second of every day. Expect to feel sick and filled with self doubt. This is what I was like, and always will be.
My main advice is just to enjoy the ride and keep writing.
Well that's everything from M.C. Rayne, I would like to take this moment to thank you for answering these questions, and I am sure your words of encouragement will help others in their journey to become published. Good luck with your book, and we all look forward to seeing it soon!!!
Keep a look out for more interviews!!!
Me: What started you off writing in the first place?
M.C. Rayne: A friend introduced me to a Fanfiction group after my mum died. I was a little lost at that time, and still in shock with what happened. The ladies I met sent me their stories to read, then encouraged me to write my own. Once I started I couldn't stop. I will never stop writing Fanfiction, but currently I am moving towards original fiction.
Me: If you could be as good/ famous as any author in the world, who would it be and why?
M.C. Rayne: J.K Rowling, I love her imagination. I have not delved into fantasy yet, but I plan to.
Me: What's your favourite book/ piece of FanFiction or both?
M.C. Rayne: The Harry Potter series will never get old, but I could write an endless list which I would always add to.
Me: Is there anyone in your family who knows you write, if so, who?
M.C. Rayne: My immediate family knew I wrote Fanfiction, but once I was signed with Renaissance Romance Publishing, I told everyone while dancing lol
Me: What are you working on at the moment, FanFiction or an Original Fiction?
M.C. Rayne: I have a piece I am almost done with called Flavours Of Our Life, and a planned trilogy called Born In Blood which I am doing with a friend. Once FOUL is complete I have a new story which is fighting to come out.
Me: Have you published any work yet, if so, what? If not, do you plan to publish anything?
M.C. Rayne: My first piece will be out in September as part of Renaissance Romance Publishing Fall Fires anthology. I will release more details soon.
Me: Your house is burning, you can only take 3 things with you, what would you take? (everyone is out safely, so no need to save people)
M.C. Rayne: My guinea pig, Bean. My iPad and all my music and books. More than three I know, but I need them all.
Me: Which could you not live without, your mobile or your laptop?
M.C. Rayne: Mobile - I can write on it and browse the web.
Me: Have you ever self-published anything as opposed to going to a publishing house direct?
M.C. Rayne: I love the idea of self publishing and would like to try it, but I also love working with the ladies at Renaissance Romance Publishing. It's weird, but it kind of feels like a family and I would always send them my new stuff first. If they declined something, then I would self publish I think.
Me: Do you have any advice for aspiring authors? Any words of encouragement?
M.C. Rayne: I never wanted to be a writer, not really. Honest. Everyday I would walk to work and play out stories in my head, becoming lost in my imagination (how I never got run over I do not know), but once I started to put pen to paper I couldn't stop. I would think about my stories while in the shower, trying to sleep at night, in my dreams. I knew that if I thought about this so much, then I needed to follow a dream I never knew I wanted. If this is you, and you can't think of anything else, then your a writer.
The hardest part for me is believing I have talent! I hear people saying it, but I just roll my eyes at them. I think all writers go through this, but if you love what you write then just use all rejection and negative reviews as a way to get better. Your work becomes a part of you, and when you think someone may hate it you get defensive.
When you send something to a publisher, expect to find yourself checking your email every second of every day. Expect to feel sick and filled with self doubt. This is what I was like, and always will be.
My main advice is just to enjoy the ride and keep writing.
Well that's everything from M.C. Rayne, I would like to take this moment to thank you for answering these questions, and I am sure your words of encouragement will help others in their journey to become published. Good luck with your book, and we all look forward to seeing it soon!!!
Keep a look out for more interviews!!!