Author Interview with Raine Thomas
Hi everyone! I’d love to introduce you to Raine Thomas, who is a multiple award-winning author of Young Adult, New Adult, and contemporary romance. Known for character-driven stories that inspire the imagination, she is a hopeless romantic with a background in the fields of mental health and… wait for it… Wedding Planning – which are crazily two areas that intersect far more than one would think. Her years working with children and young adults with emotional and behavioral challenges inspired her to create protagonists who overcome their own conflicts. I wanted to ask her a bunch of questions about her newest book, RETURN OF THE ASCENDANT and she didn’t disappoint!
Elyse: What inspired you to write this book?
Raine: Return of the Ascendant came about following the publication of a short story I wrote called “The
Ascendant,” initially featured in the Take Me to Your Reader anthology. Some fellow authors and I
published the anthology to support the UtopYA writer’s conference. Each year, the conference featured
a different theme, and the upcoming year’s theme was going to be Sci-Fi. We challenged each other to
come up with Sci-Fi themed stories, and “The Ascendant” proved so popular among my readers that I
decided I just had to expand the characters of Kyr and Ty. Their story ultimately turned into the
Ascendant trilogy.
Elyse: Can you tell us about your writing process and how you developed the characters and plot?
Raine: The initial idea of an alien bodyguard sent to protect a woman who had no idea she was from another
world came about while brainstorming with the authors I mentioned. We were heading home from the
previous year’s conference and hashing out plot ideas for everyone’s stories. I was driving, and it was
dark and raining. That set the scene for “The Ascendant,” which ultimately led to Return of the
Ascendant.
I’m a plotter, which means I spent weeks creating the Alametrian world before I started writing. From
the environment to the currency to the culture of the Alametrian people, I had to think it all through and
consider how it would influence the story. Only then did I dig into the main characters and figure out
their goals, the obstacles they’d face, and how to achieve their Happily Ever After.
Elyse: Are there any specific challenges you faced while writing this book?
Raine: The Ascendant series was my first foray into science fiction. There are certain rules writers are supposed to follow to honor the genre, so learning those rules and making sure to stick to them was certainly a challenge. In the end, though, I created a series I’m proud to share with readers.
Anyone interested in reading “The Ascendant” can do so for free by signing up for her newsletter
(http://rainethomas.com).
When Raine isn’t writing or glued to e-mail or social networking sites, she can usually be found vacationing with her husband and daughter on one of Florida’s beautiful beaches or crossing the border to visit with her Canadian friends and relatives. Come connect with her here and at the links below!
Amazon – http://amzn.to/1fZ6NCV
Amazon UK – http://amzn.to/1mYlDeh
Barnes and Noble – http://bit.ly/1qgzhJK
iBooks – http://bit.ly/1lWxCvz
Kobo – http://bit.ly/1e6ah81
Goodreads – http://bit.ly/1iqw6wc
X https://x.com/Raine_Thomas
Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/AuthorRaineThomas)
Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/rainethomas/)
Bookbub (https://www.bookbub.com/authors/raine-thomas)
Goodreads (http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5053436.Raine_Thomas)
Amazon Author Page (www.amazon.com/Raine-Thomas/e/B005FLP14E/)
Pinterest (http://pinterest.com/raine_thomas/)
Linkedin ( http://www.linkedin.com/pub/raine-thomas/53/111/bb3 )
YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/user/RaineThomas)
TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@author_raine)
Website + Newsletter Signup (http://rainethomas.com)
