WRITER WEEK-FEATURED RACHEL FIRASEK

This week's feature writer is Rachel Firasek

She is affectionately called Boss Lady by my Sassy Street Siren Sisters and I. Learn more about us here Rachel Firasek's Sassy Streen Sirens

And being the generous soul she is, she has offered up a free copy of Piper's Fury to one lucky commenter. The only requirement is to leave a comment with your email address and tell me what psychic power you would like to possess and why. Winner chosen by Random.org

Do you listen to music when you write? And if you do what would be on your playlist?

OH, I absolutely do! I write my fastest and most creative works to Emilie Autumn. She's deliciously dark and twisted.

What do you do to get in the book writing zone??

I turn off my email. I can't write knowing that it's so close. I'm an email addict. I lower my music to a soft background noise, then I plant my butt in the chair and play pretend.

If you could be any of your characters, who would you choose and why?

I'd be Arabella from my new Curse of the Phoenix series. She's a voodoo priestess and is wise beyond her years. I love how she's hesitant to manipulate the magic that comes so easy to her. I can't wait to share her with you all.

What inspires you?

I'm inspired by people and art. I can look at a picture and a story comes to life. It's almost like I see a movie in my head from a static snapshot. It's crazy. Expressions are vivid, even if they're dower. There's always a story behind an emotion.

What do you do to overcome writer's block?

Fortunately, I don't really get writer's block. More likely I struggle with too many stories in my head. They usually don't let me pay attention to the story I'm working on. Lol. Sometimes a simple change of scenery or schedule will fix me.

How do you connect with your characters? Do you have conversations in your head? Dreams about them? Or do they just tell you their story?

A little of all three. When I worked on Piper's Fury. If I didn't play with Piper enough, I'd find myself dreaming about her. I had my husband help me act out a few of the scenes. ;-)

If you could choose a movie to define your life, what would it be and why?

Wow, this is a first. I don't watch much TV, but have you ever seen The Adventures in Babysitting? The heroine has so many hurdles to overcome and for everyone she leaps, two more pop up. That's exactly my life. It's a constant struggle, but I'm anxious to overcome each one.

What advice do you have to share with other writers like myself just starting out?

Write. Read. Write some more. When you feel like you've learned everything you can from your own writing, craft books, and reading—find some critique partners and learn some more. Take classes from veterans that know what they're doing. I still take classes. In fact this year, I've taken 8. Doh! Savvy Authors has some very affordable and fabulous workshops. Invest in your career in small quantities. :) But, most importantly, keep writing. When you stop, you get rusty.

How do you create your story?? Do you see your beginning, middle and ending or do your characters surprise you?

I'm always surprised. I'll plan a scene in my head, but when I sit down to write, bam! I'm thrown for a loop. Oh, and I hate the middle. Maybe I can get a gig that just lets me write the beginning and the end. Oh, wait, I hate those too. The End is hard, I hate parting with my characters.

What is your favorite quote and why?

“I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity.”~~Edgar Allan Poe

And if you could have dinner with anyone alive or dead, who would it be and why??

I'd dine with Vlad Dracula! I want to know what he thought of when he had that dinner with all the carnage surrounding him. Some day I will walk on the grounds surrounding his castle and absorb the horror of his legacy.