Interview with Raine Thomas!!!

Thanks so much for the interview Raine!!!  Raine and I met on Twitter, and trust me when I say that I consider her a friend!  She's helping me out so much with my book, and giving me general advice as well, regarding the finishing process!  When she mentioned her blog tour, I asked to be a part of it!  I was overjoyed when she said yes!!!  I'm totally doing a SQUEE right now, as I have been looking forward to this interview since she said she would do it!!   

Thanks so much for having me on the blog, Jess! It’s a ton of fun to be here. 

1. What was the inspiration for Defy? How did the idea come to you?

Because Defy is the first book in the Firstborn trilogy, it begins the stories of the children of the daughters of Saraqael. Many of the characters from the Daughters of Saraqael trilogy make an appearance in this new trilogy, though the stories center on entirely new characters. The idea behind Defy really started when a few readers said that they’d like to see a male protagonist who was entirely different from the male leads in Becoming, Central and Foretold. Zachariah is that character. Everything sort of built from there.

2. Who is the main character of the book?  What is she like?

The main female protagonist in Defy is Tate. She’s the firstborn daughter of Skye and Caleb from my book Foretold. Her character was largely shaped to be the perfect complement to Zachariah. She also had to be a blend of her parents in personality and appearance, and based upon early reader feedback, I succeeded in that. Tate is adventurous, spontaneous, fun-loving, spirited, good-humored, strong and courageous. Some of those traits get her into quite a bit of trouble, though!

3. What is Defy about?

Defy follows Tate’s adventure when she disobeys her parents’ orders to stay within her protected homeland and ends up in a disastrous situation. Zachariah becomes her unwitting savior, and his actions serve to connect them in a mysterious way. While Tate struggles to get out of her predicament, an evil Mercesti named Eirik is scouring the Estilorian plane in search of a powerful ancient artifact. Ultimately, their fates all connect…with dramatic consequences.

4. How does the Firstborn storyline differ from the Daughters of Saraqael storyline?

The Firstborn trilogy follows a different group of villains, and it takes place about eighteen years after the Daughters of Saraqael trilogy. There are also new central characters; namely, Tate and Zachariah, Sophia and Quincy, and Clara Kate and Ini-herit.

5. How long have you been writing Defy?

Defy took me about four months to complete. I’m nearly done with Shift, the second book in the Firstborn trilogy, and will then get to work on Elder, the last book in the trilogy.

6. Describe the characters of Defy.

I briefly discussed Tate, the main female protagonist in Defy. Her twin brother is Tiege. Where Tate is impulsive and tends to bend the rules, her twin is the opposite. They’re very close, despite their differences. Their firstborn cousins, Sophia and Clara Kate, are as close to them as siblings. Each of these characters belongs to an Estilorian class called the Kynzesti. They’re elementals, and because they’re new beings, their powers are still largely unknown.

The male protagonist in Defy is Zachariah. He’s cranky, mysterious, withdrawn and stubborn. When he meets Tate, he’s been on his own and removed from Estilorian society for fifty years. His sole companion is a female kragen (dragon) named Nyx. He’s what you’d call an antihero.

7. What or who inspires you to write?

There are many things I find inspiring. Music, a beautiful photograph, a walk on a gorgeous day…any single thing can serve as a source of inspiration. I also have to give a shout-out to my readers here. If not for their frequent encouragement, I don’t know if any other inspiration would keep me so motivated!

8. How long have you been writing?

It’s easy to respond, “All my life,” but that’s not quite true. I didn’t start writing with the intent to publish until about five years ago. Sure, I’d written some full-length stories that will never see the light of day, but those were really more for me than anything else. Now, I write for my fans.

9. Is it difficult writing Young Adult versus writing from an adult POV?

I don’t think so. I worked in the field of children’s mental health for eight years, so I really learned how to communicate with young adults. On top of that, I don’t “dumb down” my characters, all of whom are in their late teens or older. I was a very mature teenager with a well-developed vocabulary, and I see no reason that at least some of my teen characters can’t be the same.

10. Who is your favorite author and why?

Nora Roberts. She manages to sway my emotions more than any other author, and she always leaves me feeling happy in the end. I also love how she portrays male characters! I’ve learned a lot from her writing.

11. Why did you decide to write YA versus an adult genre?

I’ve written adult novels, though they haven’t been published. I also write nonfiction novels in the course of my wedding planning career. But I got into reading YA novels a few years ago, and once my daughter was born six years ago, I decided that I wanted to write books that she could ultimately read. Thus, I started the Daughters of Saraqael trilogy.

12. Which author would you like to meet the most and why?

I’d probably like to most meet J.K. Rowling. She’s such a private person that it would be an absolute privilege to actually get to meet her! In truth, if we were ever introduced, I’d probably just faint on the spot.

13. What type of music do you listen to?

I’m pretty varied on this. I listen to everything from Top 40 to hip hop to country to New Age. I even like songs from musicals! When I write, it’s typically with Top 40 music in the background.

14. What do you like to do while you're writing?  Watch TV, listen to music, bake?

Bake? Bake?? Bwahaha!!! Sorry…you just don’t want to let me loose in the kitchen! My hubby does the cooking, for the most part. Right now, I’m sitting on my La-Z-Boy sofa with my headphones on and Spotify playing. My hubby is next to me watching the Stanley Cup playoffs on the TV. So I guess you could say that music and TV do tend to make it into my writing routine!

Brief bio: Raine Thomas is the author of a popular series of YA fantasy romance novels about the Estilorian plane, including the Daughters of Saraqael trilogy and the Firstborn trilogy. She is a proud member of Romance Writers of America and is a contributing blogger to The Writer's Voice. When she isn’t planning weddings, writing or glued to social networking sites, she can usually be found on one of Florida’s beautiful beaches with her husband and daughter or crossing the border to visit with her Canadian friends and relatives.

Ways readers can connect with Raine:

Twitter (http://twitter/Raine_Thomas) 
Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/rainethomas) 
Goodreads (http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5053436.Raine_Thomas)

Pinterest (http://pinterest.com/raine_thomas/)
Website (http://rainethomas.com)
Blog (http://RaineThomas.com/blog/)

Thanks again Raine for the wonderful interview!!  Also, thank you for including me in your blog tour!!

Please make sure you head over to Amazon and get a copy of Defy!!

Here's the link for you, just so you can!! Go... Go now and buy it!!!!

Defy on Amazon