Hey There! Today I welcome author Rachael H Dixon to the Blog. Thank you, Rachael, for appearing on my Meet the Author: Q&A series!
Rachael H Dixon is the author of the urban fantasy novel, Slippery Souls (part of her intriguing Sunray BaySeries). To find out more about this fab British author (and to find out a bit about her latest book), read on!
Meet the Author: Q&A with Rachael H Dixon
Author Name: Rachael H Dixon
Most Recent Book Title:Slippery Souls
Recent Book Genre: Urban Fantasy
A Bit About the Author:
I’m from the cold and windy northeast of England; I crave sunshine and warmth, and as such my skin is so white it’s almost translucent. As well as writing, I love to read, walk lots with my Whippet and drink red wine. I enjoy drawing and painting, especially pet portraits - and I love Gil Elvgren artwork. I sometimes wonder if I’m perhaps the only writer in the world who doesn’t like coffee…and I have a hatred of baked beans that borders on being a phobia.
You’ve wanted to write books since…and because…
I’ve wanted to write ever since I could hold a pen (which, admittedly, is rather strangely).
I’m a daydreamer, and I like to create my own worlds and scenarios. Being an author (or Arthur, as it was back then - because I couldn’t pronounce author) was most definitely what I wanted to be when I grew up. It’s just an urge that’s always been there - as I’m sure lots of other writers would testify.
What’s a writing session like for you?
I write at my dining room table - which is not ideal, but it does me fine. It wasn’t until 2009 that I started writing seriously - I began with a home study comprehensive writing course and things went from there. I studied non-fiction at first and recouped my course fees by selling travel features etc. But by 2010 I switched onto the fiction side of the course, which is where my passion truly lies. From there I’ve been writing short stories (a lot of which have been published, and some of which have won competitions). I only really started work on my novel at the end of 2010 when I was made redundant for the second time in as many years. It was at this point that I decided to bite the bullet and make a bad situation better by pursuing writing as a potential career. Thankfully my husband has been very supportive and understanding throughout. So for me, at the moment, writing is a full time endeavor and I write from around eight in the morning till about ten at night some days. I’d really love for this opportunity to work out so that I don’t have to return to a 9-5 job - so I guess that’s my main inspiration.
What genre(s) do you write and what might you like to try out some day?
I love horror and I have the ideas of a dark psychological horror written down. I’ve started sketching out chapter one already and am mulling the characters over in my head.
Slippery Souls (and the rest of the Sunray Bay Series) are Urban Fantasy, with a not-too-serious twist - but I definitely see myself writing more in the way of horror in the future.
When did you decide to take the indie author journey and how has it been?
Having no full time job to go to, I decided I’d give the whole indie thing a shot. I found the idea of marketing and controlling the entire book quite exciting. It’s hard work though, I won’t lie. I have no prior background in marketing and some days I wonder just what I’ll need to do to get the world and its dog to sit up and listen to me - especially as I’m not fond of being overly spammy. That said, I don’t regret the choice to go indie; I never took it lightly in the first place, so I knew it was going to be a hard slog. All I know is that I won’t be discouraged and I’ll keep on doing what I love doing most - however things turn out.
Other Books You’ve Written:
Slippery Souls was my first novel - but I do have quite a few short stories out there too. If anyone’s interested I have some free downloadable ones on Smashwords:
I give them away for free so people can gauge whether they’re likely to like my books or not - because they pretty much sum up my writing voice.
What are you currently working on? And when do you anticipate the public will be able to snatch it up?
I’m currently working on the sequel to Slippery Souls - The Forgotten Ones. And I have some sketchy ideas for the third book in the series too. I’m hoping The Forgotten Ones will be out around February 2013.
And, as I mentioned before, I’m in the planning stages of a more serious horror novel too. The working title at the moment is Little Blue Eyes and I’d like to release that sometime next year.
As well as novels, I love to write short stories still - so hopefully I’ll get to steal some time throughout the year to write more of them.
And I’m also involved in an Arts Council funded project at the moment (the idea is to make a Brass Book - essentially marrying the Durham Brass Band Festival with the Durham Book Festival). The writing group, of which I’m a member, were selected to partake in the creation of this Brass Book (which incorporates the traditional book with the digital book) - so it’s all been very exciting. My graphic novel style piece, which is going into the book, can be seen HERE.
Any promos or special announcements?
I currently have a competition running for one winner to have a main vampire character in The Forgotten Ones named after them. Deadline is 30th September, and all the information about what you need to do and how to enter can be found on my BLOG.
I also send out a quarterly newsletter and anybody who signs up automatically gets put into a draw to win a free paperback copy of The Forgotten Ones. To sign up to the newsletter all you have to do is send me an email saying so.
Where can readers find your books:
Slippery Souls is available in paperback format via the publishing company FeedARead.com, as well as most other online distributors such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble etc.
The e-book version is published with Amazon and Smashwords - so it’s available from most e-book distributors.
And lastly, something fun and quirky. If you could recommend just one book (or author), and one food or drink (or both) that should be enjoyed when reading this book/author, what would you recommend?
I’d recommend any book by James Herbert - his books are what essentially inspired me to be a writer when I was small, and I think his stories nurtured my love for the macabre.
I’d definitely recommend reading Herbert whilst curled up on the couch wearing pyjamas and fluffy slippers (if you live somewhere cold, that is - pyjamas and fluffy slippers are pretty much mandatory all year round in the northeast of England) and a large glass of Bailey’s to hand. Whilst Herbert chills you to the core, the Irish cream balances it out and gives you a warm, cosy feeling inside.
Slippery Souls, by Rachael H Dixon
Libby has hit a bad patch in life, and just when she thinks things can’t get any worse she's killed in a car accident alongside her dog Rufus. During their transition to the afterlife’s Sunray Bay, Rufus somehow manages to absorb her soul – which, in turn, gives him human-like qualities and renders her soulless.
Accompanied by her now talking dog, Libby tries to unravel the mystery of her slippery soul, encountering many setbacks and dilemmas along the way. She has no idea why a group of monster slayers, headed by an ex-convict, are hunting her down, and when she teams up with rogue Peace & Order Maintenance Officer, Grim, she’s shocked to discover that there’s a mob of disgruntled vampires and a very angry mayor hot on their heels too.
Libby has never felt so unpopular, and begins to wonder whether it’s possible to die twice in one day...
Slippery Souls available on Amazon (CLICK HERE)
Email rachaelhdixon[at]gmail.com
Thank you for joining us today, Rachael, and thanks so very much for sharing!
Happy Reading (and writing)!
