Interview with “The Best Seller”author Dina Rae

Today, we have with us, the science fiction author of the conspiracy thriller, The Best Seller, Dina Rae. She’s tried both the traditional publishing and self-publishing routes, and her latest novel, The Best Seller, was recently released by Solstice Publishing. With this interview, we kick off her book blog tour with Full Moon Bites author promotions.

Kaye: Your latest science fiction conspiracy thriller, The Best Seller: Book 1 of 2 was recently released. It is the tale of a writer’s dream come true, turned nightmare. Would you like to talk about that? Tell us what it’s all about.

Dina: I thought it would be interesting to write about a Stephen King-like author who doesn’t write his work, but records it from extraterrestrials.  I once listened to a podcast that talked about automatic writing that comes from the Akashic record and thought it would play well in a novel.  Of course, the author doesn’t live happily ever after.  That would make for a short, boring book.  There’s a reason for it as you read on.  My next novel, The Sequel, gets more into it.

Kaye: You’re a wife and mother in addition to being a writer. What are your secrets for juggling writing with family?

Dina: I also work full-time as a teacher and coach, so yes, it’s a lot to juggle!  I bring a notebook with me at all times.  When I am waiting at the dentist, it’s time to write; when I am waiting for noodles to boil, it’s time to write; when I am at a choir concert or softball game; it’s time to write…  You can always find time to do the things you love to do.  I wish I was that determined when it comes to working out!  I have found that the most productive people on the planet are the ones who have no time.  Ask the busiest person you know to do something and it’s done!

Kaye: What is the one thing you hope to teach your children?

Dina: Great question!  I want them to be good people, but also know that it is okay to mess up.  It’s okay to take a risk and fail.  Learning from mistakes is not just a lesson, but a way to live your life.  I want them to understand the value of a dollar.  So many young people start out their lives in massive debt from college.  Life’s expenses cause more debt.  My college-aged daughters decided to attend junior college and work as a way to keep expenses down.  They might just graduate debt free.  They both have friends who already are in massive debt and have yet to graduate.

Kaye: Your books are filled with conspiracies and intrigue. A lot of your books don’t fit neatly into a genre category or subcategory. How do you describe your books?

Dina: I love a good conspiracy-left-wing, right-wing, alien, HAARP, contrails, 911, apocalypse, bring it on!  All of my books take kernels of popular conspiracies and then build stories around them.  The Best Seller delves into how the government not only knows about extraterrestrials, but partners up with them to maintain power.  Of course, a humongous conspiracy always has a few that go rogue which messes up the plan.  I also take the Roswell incident and fill in the blanks about how our government found a spaceship and aliens in New Mexico back in 1947.  In The Sequel, The Best Seller’s second volume, there is a great deal of conspiracy about Hitler and his Nazis.

Kaye: You do a lot of research in order to write about things you haven’t ever seen and places you’ve never been? What are some of the strangest things you’ve ever had to research for your books?

Dina: In The Sequel, I spent a great deal of time researching races of aliens.  David Icke’s name popped a few million times.  Very, very strange.  He believes a Reptillian race lives on earth among us.  They shapeshift into key figures of the elite circle.  These Reptillians prepare for New World Order.  I loved it!  He is very sincere in his beliefs as are the many who follow him.

Kaye: Are you a plotter or a pantser? Why?

Dina: I am a total pantser for the first half of the book.  I start plotting later on, and then go back to change everything!  I tend to work better without an outline.

Kaye: You’ve made some pretty awesome book trailers, which do a good job of capturing readers’ attention, but how effective have they been as far as selling books goes?

Dina: Thanks so much!  The truth is the trailers do not generate a lot of hits.  They are something that I will keep doing anyway.  I think that I get most of my sales from interviews of bloggers and radio hosts.  I also will have selling spurts after a great review from a review blog.

Kaye: If writing suddenly made you rich and famous, what would you do?

Dina:  I would love to find out!  I have everything that I want in a middle-class capacity.  Extra money would mean lots of traveling.

Kaye: What’s the most fun part of writing a novel? What’s the least fun part?

Dina: Most fun-I oddly love to research.  I also love putting the pieces together for the story-it’s like a puzzle.  Yes, I am a geek!  Least fun-editing and constantly promoting.

Kaye: What did your road to publication look like? How did you get to where you are today?

Dina: My first book was The Last Degree.  My publisher was not entirely on the up and up.  I didn’t know any better.  I pulled the manuscript and canceled the contract.  The book is now up on Amazon as self-published.  My second book and third books, Halo of the Damned and Halo of the Nephilim, had much smoother rides.  They were published by Damnation Books.  They recently sold the business to another publisher, Caliburn Books.  The Best Seller was picked up by Solstice Publishing and they have been great.  The got back to me right away after my query.  I signed and then they gave me a cover.  While it was being edited, I started promoting the book.

My advice to new writers is this-check out Preditors and Editors.  They keep tabs on the publishing world.  Also know that not everyone is legit.

Kaye: Is there anything unique or unusual about your writing process?

Dina: Not really, but I do like to write longhand.  I like to buy cool looking journals to write in.

Kaye: What is the strangest inspiration for a story you’ve ever had?

Dina: It’s certainly not an original idea, but genetic modifications, cloning, CRISP-R, and gene therapy scare the hell out of me.  Fear of the future inspires me.  I don’t see the progress, I see the pitfalls.

Kaye: What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

Dina: I love to play tennis and walk my two dogs.  My husband and I also love to go to flea markets for fun.

Kaye: What is the biggest challenge of being a writer for you?

Dina: There are so many challenges.  Advertising is so expensive.  Authors have to be more creative in their promotions.  There is a lot of trial and error.

Kaye: If you could have lunch with any author, alive or dead, who would it be?  Why?

Dina: Jesus Christ/God because I believe they wrote the Bible.  Meeting them would mean I made it into Heaven.  On a less divine note, I would love to talk to Shakespeare (or Queen Elizabeth as some conspiracy theories claim is the real author of all of those plays).  I want to know how it feels to have so many of your phrases used in today’s language.  I would want to know how he feels about modern literature.

Thanks so much for interviewing me!  Great questions!

I want to thank you, Dina, for sharing with myself and my readers a small glimpse into your life and your writing. I’m sure The Best Seller will be… a best seller, and I’m pleased to be able to help kick off your tour.

You can follow Dina here:

@haloofthedamned
Blog: http://www.dinaraeswritestuff.blogspot.com/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30286767-the-best-seller

Facebook

See Her Book Trailers Here:

The Best Seller: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQER8wJmaf8
The Last Degree: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkbg6Yy8UKU
Halo of the Damned: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4p89LXZNxOs

Dina is also hosting a give away for 2 signed paperbacks of The Best Seller, and 2 Amazon $10.00 gift cards. You can enter the give away here:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/873c06d2357/?

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