Straight Chatting from the Library: Rayne Hall, Author of Storm Dancer

Rayne Hall, author of Storm Dancer, is here to visit with us today and talk to us about books.  As a libraian, you know how I feel about books!!  I think one of the best presents to give (or receive ;-)) is a book, so I was very excited to discover that  Rayne will be awarding an ebook copy of  to a commenter today. I'll draw the winner at the end of the tour so everyone has a chance to comment.  In addition, one grand prize winner will received the following ten ebooks: Haunted: Ten Tales of Ghosts, Bites: Ten Tales of Vampires, Beltane: Ten Tales of Magic, Undead: Ten Tales of Zombies, Bites: Ten Tales of Zombies, Six Scary Tales Vol 1, Six Scary Tales Vol 2, Six Scary Tales Vol 3, Six Quirky Tales, Six Historical Tales. If you like scary stories....this tour is your chance to load up!  Thanks to Goddess Fish Promotions for this opportunity.  To see the other stops on the tour, just hop over here:  http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2013/02/review-tour-storm-dancer-by-rayne-hall.html

WANT TO HEAR FROM OUR GUEST?

1.       What is the favorite book you remember as a child?

I could read at an early age. Of the first books I owned was a collection of life stories of Christian Saints, a big book with  purple cover, and colourful illustrations, full of exciting adventures and gruesome endings. My first ambition as a young child had been to become a saint. However, after reading this book, I changed my mind. Becoming a saint seemed to involve getting torn apart by horses, nailed to a cross, pierced by arrows, burnt as a human torch, or eaten by lions in the arena.  The pain didn't appeal, so I resolved to become a writer instead.

2    I think being a writer has its own set of pains...lol... Tell  us about your current book in 10 words.

You mean Storm Dancer? Dahoud, a troubled hero, seeks redemption for his dark past.

3       Do you have any bad book habits?

I underline interesting passages, scribble notes into margins, and clean my fingernails on the corners.

4    I promise not to send the library police after you ;-)  E-Reader or print? and why?

I love books in any format, digital or print. Once, I thought that ereaders could never replace printed books, but that was before I got my first Kindle. I Ebooks are lighter in the hand than print books, I can change the font size to what is comfortable for my eyes, I can carry a thousand books in my bag wherever I go, books don't clutter up my home,  and they help save the rainforests.

       Favorite place to read?

I read in the bathtub, in bed,  in coffeeshops, and (weather permitting) on the beach.

6    Favorite genre?

Epic fantasy and non-gory horror

7    How do you keep your books organized?

I'm not as organised as I would like to be. Books pile like stalagmites on every surface in my home, all waiting for a space in the correct shelf.  I've been meaning to have  a fantasy book case, a horror book case and so on.  But whenever  I start sorting my books, I get absorbed into reading them, so the sorting never happens.

8    What would make you not finish a book?

If the story doesn't grab me, or if the writing style is dull.  After thirty years in the publishing industry, reading submissions from aspiring writers, I don't want to read something whose author hasn't developed a unique voice yet. For some reason, almost all novice writers use (and over-use)  the same words  over and over: look, turn, could, start to, begin to, nod, suddenly, slowly.  When I read sentences like “He turned to look at her and nodded slowly”  and “Turning to look at him, she could see that he was nodding slowly” I get bored.  If I see those words overused in the free sample pages, or if the story doesn't appeal to me for any reason, I won't buy the book. That's the wonderful thing about ebooks: we can try before we buy. This means that when I pick a book to buy, it's something I'll probably enjoy, and I'm likely to read it to the end. 

9    Keep books or give them away?

I buy so many books (several hundred every year) and don't have space for them all. Every so often, I de-clutter my home and give away my books by the hundred, mostly to charity shops. However, the freed space immediately fills up with new books. Maybe in the age of ebooks, this will be easier.

VIEW THE VIDEO

READ THE BLURB

Demon-possessed siege commander, Dahoud, atones for his atrocities by hiding his identity and protecting women from war's violence - but can he shield the woman he loves from the evil inside him?
 Principled weather magician, Merida, brings rain to a parched desert land. When her magical dance rouses more than storms, she needs to overcome her scruples to escape from danger.
 Thrust together, Dahoud and Merida must fight for freedom and survival. But how can they trust each other, when hatred and betrayal burn in their hearts?
 'Storm Dancer' is a dark epic fantasy. British spellings. Caution: this book contains some violence and disturbing situations. Not recommended for under-16s.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Rayne Hall has published more than forty books under different pen names with different publishers in different genres, mostly fantasy, horror and non-fiction. Recent books include Storm Dancer (dark epic fantasy novel), Six Scary Tales Vol 1, 2 and 3 (mild horror stories), Six Historical Tales (short stories), Six Quirky Tales (humorous fantasy stories), Writing Fight Scenes, The World-Loss Diet and Writing Scary Scenes (instructions for authors).

She holds a college degree in publishing management and a masters degree in creative writing. Currently, she edits the Ten Tales series of multi-author short story anthologies: Bites: Ten Tales of Vampires, Haunted: Ten Tales of Ghosts, Scared: Ten Tales of Horror, Cutlass: Ten Tales of Pirates, Beltane: Ten Tales of Witchcraft, Spells: Ten Tales of Magic, Undead: Ten Tales of Zombies and more. 

Rayne has lived in Germany, China, Mongolia and Nepal and  has now settled in a small dilapidated town of former Victorian grandeur on the south coast of England.

 https://sites.google.com/site/raynehallsdarkfantasyfiction/

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