Today, I welcome a very close blogger friend, Christine Rains, to my site. She has recently released her 13th Floor Series as a collection and having read most of the stories, I have no hesitation in helping her to get the word out about this awesome collection.
Christine, has written a piece, posted below on how her writing style has changed, which I believe is honest and open, and also holds insight into the development and progression of most writers.
Please welcome Christine and send her your thoughts and well wishes!
Title: The 13th Floor Complete
Collection
Author: Christine Rains
Genre: paranormal romance
Release date: October 13th, 2013
Blurb:
Six supernatural tenants
Living in a haunted apartment building
On a floor that doesn't exist.
Six novellas telling their tales.
A retired demon acquires a price on his
head.
A werewolf is hunted by her pack.
A modern day dragonslayer misses his
target.
A harpy challenges Zeus for the soul of the
man she loves.
A vampire is obsessed with a young woman he
can't find.
A banshee falls in love with someone who's
death she has seen in a vision.
And a sweet ghost must battle a primal
monster to save them all.
All the stories take place at the same time
intertwining their lives together on the 13th Floor.
HOW MY WRITING STYLE HAS GROWN
Once upon a time, I was the Mistress of
Horror. Okay, maybe not mistress, but an apprentice. A really bad apprentice.
My stories were full of terribly written YA and NA angst and gore. I wanted to
be the next Stephen King.
The first horror story I submitted was
immediately rejected. My fragile writer's ego shattered. For over ten years, I
wrote in secret. Yes, I did continue writing. Yet I hid the stories in the dark,
burying them in a box under my bed.
During those years, I crept away from
strict horror. I experimented with fantasy and science-fiction, and my biggest
dirty secret, romance. My style was long-winded. Drawn out prose, overly done
descriptions, and dragging backstories. One of the tales I wrote during that
time was an epic fantasy of nearly 200,000 words. I dared to share this one
with a few friends, and they loved it. With their support, I hesitantly started
seeking publication again.
The next phase was all about practice,
practice, practice. I joined online play-by-post RPGs and dabbled with
fanfiction. These taught me to be flexible, how to improvise, and that not
everyone is going to like you. The latter is the hardest lesson. I attended
writing conventions where I eagerly drank in every tidbit shared. I worked on
short stories which I always considered something I could not do. I lost my
long-windedness and learned every word matters.
I wrote a couple of science-fiction
dystopian novels. They were concise and unusual, but I tried too hard to be
quirky, to force a style that wasn't me. My next project featured a witch I'd
played in a few RPGs. She was tough, smart, and sexy. I finished the manuscript
and it shined. This was the one. I had a couple of short stories published at
this point. I was feeling brave.
The rejections came pouring in. There was
some interest, but once the agent or publisher read the manuscript, they
passed. Why? I'd found my style. I was passionate about it.
The problem: I had no idea how to market
myself. I didn't even realize what I was writing was paranormal romance. I'd
queried one story, and the agents and publishers read something different.
Learning the business side to writing is even more nerve-wracking than learning
about the craft. Yet through my education, my writing style shifted. Knowing
about the business of writing helps a lot with your actual writing.
I've found a style that works for me:
fast-paced, witty, and sexy paranormal romance. And while that's what I write
right now, I'm always taking opportunities to learn and grow as a writer. I
experiment with various styles and genres in short stories. I'm excited to see
where my imagination takes me next.
How has your writing style changed over the
years?
Author Bio:
Christine Rains is a writer, blogger, and geek mom.
She has four degrees which help nothing with motherhood, but make her a great
Jeopardy player. When she's not writing or reading, she having adventures with
her son or watching cheesy movies on Syfy Channel. She's a member of Untethered
Realms and S.C.I.F.I. The 13th Floor
series is her first self-published series. She has eight novellas and
twenty-one short stories published.
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/authorchristinerains
Twitter: https://twitter.com/@CRainsWriter
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4017568.Christine_Rains
