About Rachel De Lune:
Rachel De Lune writes emotionally driven erotic romance. She began scribbling her stories in the pages of a notebook several years ago and never considered it would be the start to the adventure she’s currently on. Today, she’s still scribbling stories of dominance and submission and is looking forward to releasing her debut ‘The Evermore series’ to the world.
Rachel lives in the South West of England and daydreams about shoes – you know the ones with the red soles – lingerie and chocolate. She is a wife and has a beautiful daughter. She finds it particularly funny when she’s scribbling her steamy scenes to the sound track of My Little Pony on the TV. She would love to give up her day job to devote more time to her scribbles. For every woman who’s ever desired more. www.racheldelune.com
What inspires you to write?
I was first inspired to write by reading so many amazing stories by fabulous authors. I would speed read on my kindle and ignore everything until I got to the next chapter. Then the next! I loved the escapism that reading provided, but I wanted a story that was more real to me. There was something in the back of my mind saying ‘what if’, and that something turned into Izzy, my lead in The Evermore series.
I’m still inspired by the authors that I read but I also try and reflect the real life situations that you, your friend or your neighbour might also experience.
Tell us about your writing process.
‘More’, my debut novel was written over the course of about four years. I started with part of an idea and scribbled it down. That expanded and I continued to scribble in the pages of notebooks. I wouldn’t have a set time to write and I’d go for long periods of time without writing anything.
Then, finally, I reached the end of the story and decided to put it into a manuscript. So I began typing it all up.
Since those early days, the process has evolved. I still scribble down a lot of the outline longhand, but I try and get it onto the computer much earlier. I’ve learned to write directly onto the computer as well. To start with, this was a very odd concept and took some getting used to. Three books later, I’m much better at it. Once I have my outline, I’m much more comfortable and often let the writing flow and the characters take me where they want to go.
I’m also much more precious about my writing time. I have a full time job so I have to be strict on allowing myself some time to write. Usually, I’m desperate to get into my office for a couple of hours each night to work on my words.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I don’t talk to my characters, but I certainly listen. When I’m writing, I see the scene play out like a film inside my head. I try to capture that with words on the page. Sometimes I don’t know what they are going to do next, but it all adds to the fun.
What advice would you give other writers?
Keep writing and practice your craft!
I’ve been fortunate enough to have some fantastic critique partners and a fabulous developmental editor. They have taught me a lot about character motivation and writing clearly and concisely. I’m working on that now and I have an inner editor sat on my shoulder to keep me company. She often sounds like my editor in my head!
Finally, don’t give up. It can seem a daunting experience getting everything ready to publish, and that’s just the books side, not to mention the marketing and promotion. But you can do it. The author community online has been so welcoming to me, you’ll find the support you need to make your dreams a reality.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I never intended to publish my book. Once I’d finish it, I was going to be proud I’d written it, and be happy. But that little voice was back saying, ‘what if’. So I decided I’d self publish and be happy.
After leaving a review for a novella I’d just finished, I was contacted by the author to see if I’d like to read an ARC of her latest novel. I was over the moon and thoroughly enjoyed reading her next book. We got chatting through social media and I worked up the courage to send her my manuscript to see what she thought.
She waded through my first draft, but was so positive to me. She gave me some fantastic critique points but also put me in touch with her publisher, Stephy.
Stephy wanted me to self-publish and that was a shock when we first started talking. She told me that I could absolutely do it on my own and that I should. Her abundance of support and positivity towards me was fantastic and a huge boost for little old me, sat in the UK wondering what I should do next with this story. When we started getting down to details I realized that she would do all the ‘stuff’ I was hugely daunted by and didn’t have a clue about. If I was going to ‘do this’ and publish my words, I wanted it to be the best I could make it. After talking with Stephy, I knew that I’d be able to do a 100 times better with her as my publisher than on my own. So I signed and the rest is history.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
What a big question! I’m addicted to my kindle. Not quite so much these days, but I will read every week and so I hope that ebooks will continue to see the success they have done, although after the initial growth a few years ago, this is levelling out.
I still buy each book I read, I am not on Kindle Unlimited and I don’t see the concept of borrowing or sharing books working in a digital format. I still will buy the paperback copies of my favourite books or authors. Even if they only look pretty on my shelf.
It’s great to see so many indie authors hitting the bestsellers lists and it’s hugely encouraging to know that you don’t have to be a traditionally published author to be a success. Because of that success of indie authors, I’m sure we’ll see more hybrids who want to benefit from both worlds of publishing.
What do you use?: Professional Editor, Beta Readers
What genres do you write?: Erotic romance
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Rachel De Lune Home Page Link
Link To Rachel De Lune Page On Amazon
Your Social Media Links
Goodreads
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit, to allow you, the reader, to hear the author in their own voice.
