1. Please tell us a little about yourself. 

Heyyy! My name is Nicole Rayne. I’ve been writing for about seventeen years at this point. Besides that, I play video games, watch anime, and do all kinds of arts and crafts activities. 

2. What do you write (genre, length)? 

I’m writing a paranormal romance series. 

3. What is/are your current project/s? Please give us some details. 

My series is called Darkness Comes At Dawn. It has all kinds of paranormal creatures in it like vampires, werewolves, elves, etc., plus some I made up on my own like Shinigami and Cursed Ones. The central thread of this series is that, for some reason, people are finding their Fated Ones (or mates) outside of their paranormal race. So instead of a vampire being with another vampire, it’s more like: a vampire is paired with a faery. No one knows why this is happening but besides that, there’s an ancient evil that’s resurfaced and he’s building a powerful army. 

That’s all I’m working on at the moment. It’s a big/long series. 

4. Who (author or otherwise) or what book inspired you to write? 

It all started with anime. Once I discovered the world of fanfiction, I was set on this path, lol. I wanted more of a series than what I was watching on tv and eventually stumbled upon fanfiction websites. I read them, liked them, then tried to write own. A few years after that, I picked up my first novel by Sherrilyn Kenyon. That was when I really looked at writing as a career and made me think: huh, I can do this too! So, my inspiration is two-fold: anime fanfiction and Kenyon. 

5. What advice would you give to aspiring writers? 

Join a few writer Facebook groups! This has helped me more than anything. Sure, you can Google answers or things you need to know, but that will only get you so far. In a FB writer group, you make important connections. And I’m not just talking from a networking perspective (but that’s good too), I mean friendships as well. Writing is a solitary thing, it’s good to have fellow writer friends who understand what you’re going through when you can’t solve a plot hole or someone says to you: writing isn’t that hard! Trust me, you need writer friends. 

6. What do you do for a living? 

I used to have a job as a picture frame assembler, but I was laid off, lol. So, now I’m hyper focusing on my books and occasionally looking for another job. 

7. Who is/are your favorite author(s)?
Kresley Cole! She is so good at balancing the plot and romance of her books, it’s amazing. 

8. What is/are your favorite book(s)? 

Well, because I love Kresley Cole so much, everything she writes, I love, lol. But other than that… Goddess of Legend by P. C. Cast is a really cool twist on the King Arthur legend. Dance with the Devil by Sherrilyn Kenyon is my favourite from her Dark-Hunter series (the male MC is like an anti-hero, it’s so fun!). I don’t venture from the romance genre much but I gave this particular book a chance because I’m friends with the author: The Scales by Paul Sating. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this odd thriller, mystery monster, almost coming-of-age type story. And one more for the road: Harry Potter, because I’m still in love with this series, even in my adult years. 

9. What’s the best compliment someone can give you as an author?

I’m a simple person, lol, just saying you’ve read my book and like it is so awesome to me. 

10.What is the strangest/most interesting/coolest/weirdest/scariest thing you’ve had to research for a book or short story? 

This falls under most interesting and coolest: animals. I needed to look up some rare/extinct/mythical animals and came across a wikipedia article about The Great Emu War. You can go look it up, but here’s the cliff notes: Years ago, emus were eating farmers’ crops. The farmers retaliated and things escalated. The result: After a month, farmers armed with pitchforks and such LOST to the emus. That’s right. The emus won. Seriously, go look this up, it’s incredible. Now, I have an emu in my series (don’t know when it’ll pop up) because they are, apparently, badasses. 

11.What is the most difficult part of writing for you? Why? 

I don’t really find any part of it difficult. 

12.What is your favorite genre to read? Why? 

Paranormal romance! I love reading about different creatures/paranormal things, and I love romance so, naturally, those two together is my sweet spot. 

13.What are some little known facts about you? Hobbies, talents, anything? 

Here’s a juicy one: I hated writing when I was younger, so much so, that my mom would fake my handwriting on school assignments. Also, I don’t know how to swim. Or ride a bike. 

14. Do you like physical books, ebooks, or audiobooks better? Why? 

I don’t really buy physical books anymore because space is limited on my bookshelves and ebooks are easier to read and access. It’s a convenience thing. But that’s for my favourite genre: paranormal romance. As for other genres, I prefer audiobooks. I get bored reading other genre so audio is better for me for those. 

Find Nicole at the links below!

Website: https://www.nicolerayne.com/

Amazon:

Facebook: Darkness Comes at Dawn Series

Twitter: @NicWritesRaynes