Ask the Author: Raven St. Pierre
Answered Questions (21)
Raven St. Pierre
Hi, Cynthia!
Honestly? My grandparents. My grandmother once told me that, in the 50-some-odd-years she and my grandfather were married, he NEVER once raised his voice at her. Not even when she argued with him or they disagreed on something. They were so incredibly loving you could just feel it when you were in the same room. I like to think that will be my husband and I 50 years from now :)
Honestly? My grandparents. My grandmother once told me that, in the 50-some-odd-years she and my grandfather were married, he NEVER once raised his voice at her. Not even when she argued with him or they disagreed on something. They were so incredibly loving you could just feel it when you were in the same room. I like to think that will be my husband and I 50 years from now :)
Raven St. Pierre
Thanks so much for this, Ashley! The love :)
I don't have a release date for Justin's book just yet, but it will be sometime in 2017. My next release will be OVERDOSE and you can expect that one in October. Thanks again for the encouraging words!
XOXO--Raven
I don't have a release date for Justin's book just yet, but it will be sometime in 2017. My next release will be OVERDOSE and you can expect that one in October. Thanks again for the encouraging words!
XOXO--Raven
Raven St. Pierre
Hey! First, thank you so much for checking out the series! Appreciate you :) And I already have Angel and Kai's story started, but I haven't given it a release date just yet. I'll definitely share the details once I have something solid nailed down. Thanks for reaching out!
Raven St. Pierre
So, Debbie... that was SUPER specific, and naturally I want to know what inspired your suggestion... but I'll mind my business lol :) Currently, I don't have a Scottish hero in mind, but that doesn't mean I never will. You never know what could happen!!
Raven St. Pierre
Hi, Dee! Great question and I'm gonna be honest... there are beautiful men of every race, in my opinion, so I aim to represent them all eventually lol. I have a story about two Native American men, one with three sexy African-American brothers, two I'm working on with Hispanic male leads, and one I'm mulling over with a Samoan hero. So, AJ being Japanese was my shout out to all the handsome Asian men out there, and I hope I did them justice :)
Raven St. Pierre
Hi, Thermena! I haven't released Angel and Kai's first chapters just yet, mostly because I like to wait until I'm closer to finishing just in case I decide to change something fundamental within a story and need to tweak the beginning. I will definitely be issuing it as soon as possible, though. Thanks for asking!
Raven St. Pierre
Hi, Catherine!
First, thanks for checking out my work! Much appreciated! Second, quite a few people had questions about Nick and Mel's situation, but there will be an update about them in Matt and Brooklyn's story. Nothing too in depth, but readers will get some info on them :) Thanks for asking!!
First, thanks for checking out my work! Much appreciated! Second, quite a few people had questions about Nick and Mel's situation, but there will be an update about them in Matt and Brooklyn's story. Nothing too in depth, but readers will get some info on them :) Thanks for asking!!
Raven St. Pierre
Sam and AJ's novella was so much fun to write! I didn't realized until I put pen to paper, figuratively speaking of course, how much I missed them. I don't want to give too much away, but I will say that my main focus was to give readers what they've been asking for. They wanted more Sam and AJ, minus the drama and heartache. I even received one email that stated that it wasn't fair to take folks through the drama and not let them see some of the good times. Heard her loud and clear and agreed to some degree, so that's what I'm trying to do with this short story. It's not extremely plot-driven, it's mostly us getting to spend time with them, seeing how they've grown as individuals, as a couple, and as a family! Terrell and Maisha have a heavy presence in the story, which I made sure to include because people really seemed to respond well to them, especially Terrell. You will also get updates on Antonio, Kiera, AJ's parents, and more! Also, my fave part of this project was getting to see AJ as a parent. With the hard road he had with his father, it nice to write/experience the bond between him and his son :)
Thanks for asking, Brandon!
Thanks for asking, Brandon!
Raven St. Pierre
Hi, June! Happy New Year to you as well! The price of this book has yet to be determined as of right now, but I should have that figured out this week. Sorry I don't have a more definitive answer, but I'm working on it :)
Raven St. Pierre
Hi, June :) Great question. I've decided not to offer the preorder option this time around because I'm doing things a little differently than usual. I'll be offering ARCs (advance reader/review copies) to a set number of readers. If you're interested, the sign-up form will be available in the coming weeks :) Thanks again for the question!
Raven St. Pierre
You ask awesome questions :) I LOVE music and try not to make too many song references in my work, but I fail every time. I don't just have a general playlist that I listen to while writing. Each book has it's own, featuring music that inspires and accompanies the scenes, helping me express the visual effects and emotions as I experience them. I'll try to limit myself to listing per book LOL :)
Gravity:
1) Brian McKnight "I Belong to You"
2) Deborah Cox: "I Won't Give Up"
3) Maroon 5 "She Will Be Loved"
4) Justin Nozuka "After Tonight" (Sam and AJ's first time)
Secrets:
1) Kendrick Lamar "Poetic Justice" (Smexy scene in AJ's car)
2) Miley Cyrus "Adore"
3) The Veils "Lavinia" (when Sam leaves)
4) John Mayer "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room"
Exposed:
1) Sara Bareilles "Gravity" (seeing AJ for the first time after 5 years)
2) Chris Brown "No Bull$#!+" (when AJ shows up at Sam's door right before first smexy scene)
3) John Legend "Best You Ever Had"
4) Lauryn Hill "Nothing Even Matters"
Red Sun:
1) Los Lonely Boys "Velvet Sky"
2) Red Hot Chili Peppers "Under the Bridge"
3) Citizen Cope "Sideways"
4) Tank "I can't make you love me" (when Solei sees Jolon right before she moves away)
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
1) Jazmine Sullivan "After the Hurricane"
2) Beyoncé "1+1" (accompanies epilogue)
3) Lauryn Hill "When it Hurts So Bad"
4) Jazmine Sullivan "In love with Another Man"
Again for the First Time
1) Adele "One and Only" (Theme song for the entire book)
2) Ed Sheeran "Thinking Out Loud"
3) John Mayer and Katie Perry "Who You Love"
4) John Legend "All of Me"
"Only Love" has many songs that inspired Victoria and I. Playlist for that one coming soon :)
Gravity:
1) Brian McKnight "I Belong to You"
2) Deborah Cox: "I Won't Give Up"
3) Maroon 5 "She Will Be Loved"
4) Justin Nozuka "After Tonight" (Sam and AJ's first time)
Secrets:
1) Kendrick Lamar "Poetic Justice" (Smexy scene in AJ's car)
2) Miley Cyrus "Adore"
3) The Veils "Lavinia" (when Sam leaves)
4) John Mayer "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room"
Exposed:
1) Sara Bareilles "Gravity" (seeing AJ for the first time after 5 years)
2) Chris Brown "No Bull$#!+" (when AJ shows up at Sam's door right before first smexy scene)
3) John Legend "Best You Ever Had"
4) Lauryn Hill "Nothing Even Matters"
Red Sun:
1) Los Lonely Boys "Velvet Sky"
2) Red Hot Chili Peppers "Under the Bridge"
3) Citizen Cope "Sideways"
4) Tank "I can't make you love me" (when Solei sees Jolon right before she moves away)
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
1) Jazmine Sullivan "After the Hurricane"
2) Beyoncé "1+1" (accompanies epilogue)
3) Lauryn Hill "When it Hurts So Bad"
4) Jazmine Sullivan "In love with Another Man"
Again for the First Time
1) Adele "One and Only" (Theme song for the entire book)
2) Ed Sheeran "Thinking Out Loud"
3) John Mayer and Katie Perry "Who You Love"
4) John Legend "All of Me"
"Only Love" has many songs that inspired Victoria and I. Playlist for that one coming soon :)
Raven St. Pierre
Thank you, thank you!!
Collaborating with Victoria on "Only Love" was a first for me. In the past, I've wondered how an experience like this would suit me because I'm such a control freak when it comes to writing (which I could afford to be because I've always done it alone); however, this endeavor was far more pleasant than I imagined.
What I enjoyed most about this process was having someone to pour as much creative energy into the project as I did. In general, that can be extremely draining - fabricating settings, dialogue, and characters who have some measure of depth to them. Working with a fellow author meant that building this particular story world was a shared task. With someone else working alongside me, it was nearly impossible to have writer's block.
Another aspect of co-authoring that I found enjoyable was getting to see up close and personal how another writer worked (her writing process). No matter how much you think you know, there's always something to be absorbed by watching others. This experience was no different.
From the beginning, we established a strong line of communication where we were both comfortable asking questions, sharing our thoughts and feelings, and hashing out concerns. We set ourselves on a writing schedule and stuck to it for the most part. When one had difficulty with a scene, we came together and worked through them together.
What made this collaboration successful was that Victoria and I had similar visions of how the story of Adam and Aubrey would start, progress, and end. For that reason there was little difference of opinion as we wrote.
Looking forward to hearing what you think of the story when it's released in a couple months! As far as what the future holds in terms more collaborations... we'll just have to wait and see :)
Collaborating with Victoria on "Only Love" was a first for me. In the past, I've wondered how an experience like this would suit me because I'm such a control freak when it comes to writing (which I could afford to be because I've always done it alone); however, this endeavor was far more pleasant than I imagined.
What I enjoyed most about this process was having someone to pour as much creative energy into the project as I did. In general, that can be extremely draining - fabricating settings, dialogue, and characters who have some measure of depth to them. Working with a fellow author meant that building this particular story world was a shared task. With someone else working alongside me, it was nearly impossible to have writer's block.
Another aspect of co-authoring that I found enjoyable was getting to see up close and personal how another writer worked (her writing process). No matter how much you think you know, there's always something to be absorbed by watching others. This experience was no different.
From the beginning, we established a strong line of communication where we were both comfortable asking questions, sharing our thoughts and feelings, and hashing out concerns. We set ourselves on a writing schedule and stuck to it for the most part. When one had difficulty with a scene, we came together and worked through them together.
What made this collaboration successful was that Victoria and I had similar visions of how the story of Adam and Aubrey would start, progress, and end. For that reason there was little difference of opinion as we wrote.
Looking forward to hearing what you think of the story when it's released in a couple months! As far as what the future holds in terms more collaborations... we'll just have to wait and see :)
Raven St. Pierre
Gravity was the installment of the series that changed the least during the editing process. There were scenes added, but none taken away that I can think of.
Secrets changed a lot. There was a character who I added in when redrafting it. Also, in the original, Antonio met a different fate. Making what I'd written beleivable would've drawn too much of the readers' attention to the details of how that all panned out. In short, it took too much away from the main focus of the story, which was Sam and AJ's relationship. There was also a deeper storyline surrounding Mr. Hahn's financial troubles as well, but again, explaining that took too much of the spotlight off of Sam and AJ.
Exposed, Book 3, was COMPLETELY rewritten. Changing those three pivotal elements of book 2 (the fate of Antonio, Mr. Hahn's trouble, and the added character) made it necessary. In the original book 3, AJ was alone, cold, and completely immersed in his job. Sam was the one who was engaged. And in the end, there was no resolution between AJ and his father. However, when I redid this installment, I wanted to make sure that, emotionally, everything came full circle.
Looking back, there isn't anything that I regret adding or removing, because I was constantly reworking and rearranging the story until I was satisfied with it. As far as wanting to explore scenes deeper, I do sometimes wish I'd left a little wiggle room to add book 4 back in, although it would've had to be rewritten. I've toiled with the idea of giving Sam and AJ a novella in the future, just so readers can get a glimpse into the drama-free side of the life they built. If I do, it will be released sometime in 2015, but I'm not sure I'll do it. Part of me feels like Exposed said it all, but I've had quite a few readers email or inbox me, asking me to revisit Sam and AJ's story. While I think a full-length novel would be a mistake, I could see doing a short novella. :)
Thanks for asking! It gets my hopes up every time someone says they see this series as a movie. It's a wild idea, but stranger things have happened, right? LOL
Secrets changed a lot. There was a character who I added in when redrafting it. Also, in the original, Antonio met a different fate. Making what I'd written beleivable would've drawn too much of the readers' attention to the details of how that all panned out. In short, it took too much away from the main focus of the story, which was Sam and AJ's relationship. There was also a deeper storyline surrounding Mr. Hahn's financial troubles as well, but again, explaining that took too much of the spotlight off of Sam and AJ.
Exposed, Book 3, was COMPLETELY rewritten. Changing those three pivotal elements of book 2 (the fate of Antonio, Mr. Hahn's trouble, and the added character) made it necessary. In the original book 3, AJ was alone, cold, and completely immersed in his job. Sam was the one who was engaged. And in the end, there was no resolution between AJ and his father. However, when I redid this installment, I wanted to make sure that, emotionally, everything came full circle.
Looking back, there isn't anything that I regret adding or removing, because I was constantly reworking and rearranging the story until I was satisfied with it. As far as wanting to explore scenes deeper, I do sometimes wish I'd left a little wiggle room to add book 4 back in, although it would've had to be rewritten. I've toiled with the idea of giving Sam and AJ a novella in the future, just so readers can get a glimpse into the drama-free side of the life they built. If I do, it will be released sometime in 2015, but I'm not sure I'll do it. Part of me feels like Exposed said it all, but I've had quite a few readers email or inbox me, asking me to revisit Sam and AJ's story. While I think a full-length novel would be a mistake, I could see doing a short novella. :)
Thanks for asking! It gets my hopes up every time someone says they see this series as a movie. It's a wild idea, but stranger things have happened, right? LOL
Raven St. Pierre
Hi, June :) First, I'd like to thank you for the preorder of only love. Really hope you enjoy it. As far as Again for the First Time, I felt like that one needed a little more of my attention in terms of smoothing out the plot. With that being said, my goal is to be done tweaking the storyline within the next two weeks, and I should be ready to release it in January. Tentatively, January 27th. I will be sharing the cover for that one in October or early November as well as snippets of the story here on goodreads, Facebook, and my blog :) Thank you so much for asking, and again, thank you for your support with Only Love :)
Raven St. Pierre
Reciprocity was written when I originally drafted the Free Falling series, but when the saga was re-written after releasing the first book, I had to eliminate the final installment because the story had changed so much. However, there is a possibility that Angel will be getting her own book in the not so distant future. I've already started hashing out a few of the details, but have a few other projects ahead of that one. There will definitely be updates when/if her story makes it out of my head alive :)
Raven St. Pierre
Writer's block is an ugly, UGLY thing.....
Typically, the issue is the specific project that I'm focused on and not writing as a whole. So, the first thing I do is set the current project aside and then focus my creative energy elsewhere. That usually gets the juices flowing again! Other times, I am able to pinpoint that plot issues are what's hindering me. In those instances, I either REFER to my outline, TWEAK my outline, or CREATE an outline if I hadn't already done so. In other words, outlines are somewhat of a safety harness for me when I compose a story. They keep me from painting myself in a corner by giving the story direction.
Typically, the issue is the specific project that I'm focused on and not writing as a whole. So, the first thing I do is set the current project aside and then focus my creative energy elsewhere. That usually gets the juices flowing again! Other times, I am able to pinpoint that plot issues are what's hindering me. In those instances, I either REFER to my outline, TWEAK my outline, or CREATE an outline if I hadn't already done so. In other words, outlines are somewhat of a safety harness for me when I compose a story. They keep me from painting myself in a corner by giving the story direction.
Raven St. Pierre
The goal is to release two new stories this fall and/or winter, although I have not pinned down specific dates as of yet. I always post release dates here on goodreads, on my Facebook page, on my blog, and Twitter :) Thank you so much for asking!!!
Raven St. Pierre
I love this question and I just so happen to have a Pinterest board for "FREE FALLING", "ABRAHAM, ISAAC, and JACOB", and "AGAIN FOR THE FIRST TIME". I always have a celebrity in mind when I write because it helps me visualize the characters and bring them to life :)
I'll post the boards below!! SN: I'm going to be doing one for "RED SUN" soon!
Free Falling Series: http://www.pinterest.com/ravenstpierr...
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: http://www.pinterest.com/ravenstpierr...
Again for the First Time: http://www.pinterest.com/ravenstpierr...
Enjoy!!
I'll post the boards below!! SN: I'm going to be doing one for "RED SUN" soon!
Free Falling Series: http://www.pinterest.com/ravenstpierr...
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: http://www.pinterest.com/ravenstpierr...
Again for the First Time: http://www.pinterest.com/ravenstpierr...
Enjoy!!
Raven St. Pierre
I definitely mirror some of myself onto my characters. It's unintentional most of the time, but it happens all the time. From their reactions to situations, their sense of style, sense of humor, quirks, etc.....there's definitely a lot of me mixed up in there - not sure if that's good or bad :) If I had to choose one who is most like me, it would totally be Sam. She's artistic like I am (painting, drawing, writing, crafting, etc.), she's emotional, has a smart mouth, she's indecisive and flighty at times (LOL). Her journey with AJ even mirrors my own relationship in many ways. We, of course, didn't have all of their drama, that was all fictional, but we met and became inseparable our senior year of high school. We got so caught up in each other that I was married shortly after I turned 19, and we're still together and happy 11 years later :) So I drew on a lot of my own feelings and emotions toward my husband over the years to pour into Sam when it came to her feelings for AJ.
Raven St. Pierre
When I started writing (full-length novels, anyway) back in 2009, I honestly had NEVER read an IR novel LOL. An idea hit me and when I saw it in my head, the hero for that particular story just so happened to be of a different race than the heroine. It was really that simple :) I have stories where the male MC is Asian (Free Falling Series), Native-American (Red Sun), African-American (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob), Italian (Again for the First Time), and so on. So I don't necessarily only write IR, I just don't restrict myself. When someone picks up one of my books, they never know what they're going to get LOL :)
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