A Discussion of Creativity & Writing: An Interview with S.W. Raine
Today we are talking with S.W. Raine about her creative process. S.W. Raine is the author of The Techno Mage.
About Author
Raine is Canadian, born and raised, and constantly moved in between Ontario and Quebec with her military family. She moved to Michigan, USA, in 2004, where she currently still resides with her husband and son.
She has always had a vivid imagination and loved reading and writing from a very young age. She took courses in Children’s Literature through ICL in Illinois, and released her debut New Adult Steampunk adventure in 2020. She has participated in NaNoWriMo for over a decade and is currently a Municipal Liaison for the Detroit region.
So let’s get into the questions!
First, tell us about your book!
The Techno Mage is about a trio of friends, a mythical man, and a mission to destroy the mythical airship Faugregir.
How did you come up with this idea? What inspired you?
I’m a total Pantser, and the only inspiration I had was an image of an airship that appeared as a floating island instead.
Tell us a little bit about your main character(s). Were you inspired by anyone particular when writing them?
I had originally created the trio (Ikarim, Arteus, and Magaliana) for a Steampunk Role Play that never really took off. The only inspiration I had was a random image of a blond man as my avatar for Ikarim, and a woman with long blonde dreadlocks wearing tan overalls that I had seen long ago.
What about your setting? What inspired you to choose where the story took place?
When I created the trio for the RP, all three were mechanics. And since Arteus was the son of Doktor Gesselmeyer–a wealthier scientist–it just made sense to have them be in Germany, working as a side-gig for the old man.
Obviously, stories change from their initial inception. How has your story changed while working on it?
I deleted a few scenes, but I also ended up deleting an entire character, as well! It broke my heart, but he’ll make his reappearance proper in the spin-off. 
