Dee: I write about intuition and that’s how I
work. I’ve never had a very structured life and I find I get the best from my
writing when I work intuitively. I always have faith that the direction I need
to go in next will come, as long as I don’t push. I use drawings of my Arkrealm
characters to keep my connection with them when writing. Almost everything in
my life is geared around writing, including my holidays and I often dream my
next chapters.
Paul: If someone had the
power to step into your creative mind what would they see?
Dee: I’m always contemplating ways of getting the
most from people and in particular my readers. So my creative mind is filled
with ideas to inspire. Every word I write is angled towards helping people see
the positive side of life.
Paul: Do you have a
favorite character in each of your series, aside from the lead? If so, which
one and why?
Dee: I’m partial to two of the characters who
create humor in an otherwise adventurous and dramatic journey. One is Replikye,
Arkrealm’s orange leader and the other is the yellow apprentice, Yozone. I love
riding the wave of tension and then being thrown into a comical scene.
Paul: How do you find the time to write?
Dee: If I’m starting a new book I like to do it while I’m on
vacation. Being in a new setting always brings inspiration. I often write at
night into the early morning. I taught dancing at night for most of my life so
I’m an afternoon/night shift kind of girl. I rarely work in the morning because
I love writing and once I start it is hard to stop and nothing else gets done.
Paul: What is one thing you hope I do not tell the
readers?
Dee: That Sandy Miller’s feelings of inadequacy are based on my own
feelings as a teenager.
Paul: If you are self-published, what led to you
going your own way?
Dee: Because
my series encompasses fiction and non-fiction working in harmony as a series
and it was something that wasn’t normally done, I felt it may prove a struggle
to get a publisher on board. Also I knew the exact direction I wanted my series
to head in and I didn’t want publishers coming in and changing my vision just
to fit in with their financial needs.
Paul: Do you plot your stories or do you just get
an idea and run with it?
Dee: I
have an outline of the story, start, end and major arcs. My characters are
defined through my color system, so I then let them shape the story as their
personalities come through. Sometimes the story goes in a direction I don’t
suspect just because one of the characters jumps out of a scene and takes
control. I go along for the ride. It’s exciting to write and not know all the
answers.
Paul: Do you do a lot of editing or do you find that
as time goes on your writing is more fully-formed?
Dee: In
my early drafts of the first book I over-edited in an effort to reach
perfection. It wasted a lot of time because by the time I got to the end of the
story many of the heavily edited chapters were scrapped completely. I am
currently writing the second novel and the workbook in unison with the approach
of writing the whole thing before doing any major edits.
Paul: Do you have to do much research for your
stories?
Dee: I
have been studying and planning this series for eleven years, so much of my
research has already been done and much of what I write about is from
experience. However, I did have to research the information about The Country
Fire Authority, protective services for wildlife and the environment, and
motocross.
Dee: My first book, Arkrealm The Apprentice, is
about fifteen-year-old Sandy Miller becoming the first human apprentice for the
ethereal world of Akrealm. Balancing her everyday teenage life with her secret
identity of environmental superhero in training creates problems for Sandy. She
fears she is losing the grip on her dream of dating heartthrob Ridge Elliot and
when she faces the full force of Mother Nature and deadly enemies she fears she
won’t live to experience her first kiss.
Paul: What inspired you to write this
book?
Dee: I wanted to help young adults find
themselves, and hopefully avoid the difficulties of the teen years. I wanted to
do this in a fun way that would be inspiring, exciting and different because
after working with teenagers for years I knew that teenagers respond to an approach
that encourages them to embrace their passion.
Paul: Do you also write any poetry, non-fiction or
short stories?
Dee: I
do all of the above. The workbooks in The Arkrealm Project are non-fiction
self-help books and I have had articles published in magazines associated with
psychic and spiritual development. I have always created poetry for birthday
cards because I like to create a personal message, but I’ve never thought of
publishing poetry. I enjoy writing short stories because I think it’s wonderful
practice for the editing process, but I’ve never focused on them from a
publishing prospective.
Paul: What’s your favorite / least favorite aspect
of your writing life? Has anything surprised you?
Dee: It
takes a lot of work to write a book. After years of work I smile when I hear
someone say nonchalantly, “I think I’ll write a book.” If you are not passionate
about writing don’t even try. If you do write and you get to the publishing
stage it really hits you just how much competition you’re up against. Although
I had focused on creating a series with brand and merchandise potential the
hardest part has been the initial marketing stages. It is still early days so I
won’t know for a while if all the work is paying off.
Paul: What do you do when you’re not writing? Do
you have any hobbies or party tricks?
Dee: To
be honest my life revolves around writing. I enjoy photography, but I focus on
images I can use for my book trailers. I am an intuitive artist, which helped
keep me visually connect with my characters. I am a member of a writer’s group
because I enjoy working with other writers. I am always studying writing and am
currently doing a screenwriting course. I am also doing courses on Photoshop
and several other web development programs. I’m always looking for new ideas. I
find learning exciting.
Paul: Many thanks, Dee. That was most interesting. I wish you every success for the future.
Dee's Blog: Dee Rayson
Dee on Twitter: @DeeRayson
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Dee's latest book: Arkrealm: The Apprentice (Amazon)
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