Rachel Olson on Come In, Sit Down, Tell Us ABout

For you that are new, please read our intro now printed in Blue - for our returning guest feel free to jump to the text in black:
This blog is a meeting place for authors and others in the arts .... each week as others are directed to our door or just stumble on by, they come and leave  information about themselves - telling about their new books or drawings or photos or to tell us about their new blogs. ****PLEASE be sure your comments are appearing on the latest most timely blog insuring your inclusion in the sending off to Google plus land at the end of the week.*****


Here is the link to Gwen’s site: http://indieauthornetwork.weebly.com/ G.D. Steel's blog is free promoting of your arts. As I am wont to say {as does Facebook} our site is free to comment and share and always will be free.  This is a great site to join and to become interactive with guest blogging.  It gives you a chance to step out of your box and be whatever you  wish.


Another blog that I have a close tie is CRYPTO and CO.  Please pop over and check out all their pages.


I have been off doing business and my blogging, unfortunately, falls by the wayside.  There is so much news to tell and swamping tends to cross eyes and brain fog off... so only a few links on today's news.


If we thought last month was busy, this month got off to a plunge into new adventures of  editing, writing, publishing, promoting, and social interaction.

The Rain Cloud's Gift written for Children's Charities by our group The Peacock Writers' is on it's way to the NYC BOOK FAIR at the JACOB JAVIT'S CONVENTION CENTER.   No mass books or signing, just books displayed for industry professionals, stars, editors, publicists, publishers, and acquisition teams for the movie industry.  Gwenna D'Young has an Angel who was so impressed with the book, and has given us the money and backing to have the book appear in the line up.  We are also in the process of releasing a full, pictures included, limited edition.


Our next book in this series will celebrate the fall season and we are recruiting writers {1 each} from  India, Japan, and Philippines - America has Halloween and Thanksgiving, Great Britain has Guy Fawkes - we would like stories that reflect fall traditions or holidays for these other cultures as well.  The stories would remain the sole property of the author and their use as a donation would only occur for the book collection for Children's Charities. The story is to be written on a level where a child could either read it or have it read to them - our age goal for readers is 0 through 12.  Please contact me at  https://www.facebook.com/paula.shene  if interested in being considered.


Friday, May 25, 2012 Rachel Olson


Good to have you here, today and it's your birthday!  Happy Birthday Rachel!  Let's hear a bit about what you've been up to ~


What inspired you to write?

When I was in fourth grade, my school had this storybook project. Every child in the elementary school created a storybook, whether it was based on a well-known story or one we made up on our own. We were helped with the writing and illustrated the book on our own. When all books were finished, they were sent off to the local college, where a group of college students read through them and scored them based on several points, including penmanship, grammar, artistic ability, and overall originality. When all scores had been tallied and returned, the entire school had a “family day,” where the parents and siblings of the elementary students were invited to come to the gymnasium and spend a day sharing storybooks. Awards were given under several categories, and one top prize was given for the best written, best illustrated, and overall most original storybook out of all the students, kindergarten through fourth grade. I won that award, to my astonishment. It was the first time I’d ever known that I was good at something aside from pestering my brother and sister.Do you have anyone you show manuscripts to and get advice from or are you a loner doing it all yourself?

I don’t think I could be a loner even if I wanted to. Having opinions outside of my own has always been an important step in the process. When others agree that I’m on the right track, it boosts my ego just enough that I get this new burst of motivation to keep going. Even when I’m heavily critiqued, I take every ounce of it and productively use it to better my writing and myself. What genre do you normally write in? Also, is there a genre you've always wanted to write in, but don't feel you could pull it off?

My favorite genre is paranormal fiction. I love everything outside of reality! And because I’m secretly a diehard romantic (Shhh! Don’t tell!), I tend to always add that little twist. It wouldn’t be uncommon for me to write a simple romance without the crazy weird stuff that paranormal/sci-fi/fantasy genres give you, and it wouldn’t be inconceivable for me to write a steamy story bordering on excess erotica. I can’t say that there’s any specific genre I can’t pull off that I want to write. There are several I couldn’t pull off, but I have no desire to write under those guidelines either.Do you ever base your characters on people you know?

Absolutely! Love During Death is a book my very good friend, Jessica Humphrey, and I are writing together. The main character reminds me of an excellent combination of the both of us. Her family is a simplified version of my family. It’s a lot easier to associate with your characters if there’s more substance to their makeup than just some thrown together concepts in your head. I don’t always do this, though. My other book, The Seventh Layer, has several characters that are designed by ideas that I find appealing in other people. They do not, however, represent anyone in particular.

What advice would you give to someone who was just starting off in writing?

I’ve been writing for a long time, but I’m still considered a new writer. My two upcoming books will be my first ever published. So from one newbie to another, don’t be afraid to make friends! If you can become acquainted with someone who’s already defeated the process before, they can introduce you to an entire world meant just for your passion of writing. I’m still learning new things everyday, but I’d still be completely lost if I hadn’t been introduced to a published writer or two. Lisa Logue, author of Cursed Secrets, was my one foot in the door. I was actually introduced to her through her mother on Facebook! Amazing how the world shrinks when you have access to the World Wide Web. Get your foot in and start swimming. You’ll find what you need, and the experience becomes pleasurable instead of petrifying.

Do your stories tend to have morals, or special messages, included within them?
I can’t say that I’ve ever begun a story thinking that it was my goal to include some moral code or hidden message. I’m not saying it’s never ended up that way, but it’s never been intentional. Most of the time, I just want to write something that would be entertaining to my readers. I, for one, find it somewhat annoying when a book or movie is made with blatant intentions of getting across a message about worldly or socially critical events. I want to relax, get away from the world for a bit.  That’s not possible when the underlying message is completely entwined with modern day world chaos. So the sky is falling and California sunk into the ocean. Yea, that’s pretty hysterically depressing. I want to lose myself in dragon battles and forbidden romances, not global warming hidden beneath a twisted concept on aliens.

Tell us why we would enjoy reading your books?

My writing style is fairly laid back. I don’t try to use big words to sound fancy, especially when I don’t talk like that during daily life. I remember what it was like when my mom used to read stories to me growing up, and how it felt like it was her own story instead of words on a page. I want my books to be like that, where you feel like you’re snuggled up on the couch with someone you care about, and they’re just simply telling you a story. At the same time, I want the embodiment of my writing to be fairly intelligible, so that you don’t feel like you’re reading a children’s book. There is always drama - fights and danger, love and heartache; mystery and crime, and the suspense of the unknown. There’s always an adventure to get lost in and I hope you get lost easily because the words flow freely and you feel like your home with mom again.

Links for books and/or sites
My website – http://rachelaolson.webs.com (will be changing in July to just http://rachelaolson.com)
My Facebook author page – http://www.facebook.com/AuthorRachelAOlson
I have a few other social networking accounts and a blog. All can be found on my website. Updates and upcoming events are also listed there, as well as frequently updated information about the progress I’m making on my books. Sneak peaks are often posted to my Facebook page.