"SECRET of the SANDS" ~~RAI AREN & co-author TAVIUS E.
~~~AUTHOR INTERVIEW~~~
Geri: What inspires you to write?
RAI: I usually have a message of some kind that I want to convey, either subtly
or more directly, and for me, saying it through a fictional tale is how I am
naturally drawn to communicate it. Personally, I love getting lost in the
pages of a book. I love the escape a great story provides, so I want to
provide that for other readers, give them an engaging place to lose themselves
for a few hours, and spark their imaginations. I dearly love crafting worlds
that I think readers will enjoy. Most tellingly though, I write stories that I
personally want to read. I explore ideas that are fascinating to me, that I feel
passionately about. Any book I write is one that I would immediately grab
off of a book, or library shelf. I love to pour my heart and soul into a story,
whether it's light-hearted action adventure, a thriller, or horror.
RAI: J.R.R. Tolkien, he crafted such detailed, vivid worlds, with characters and
stories that contained so much heart. When I read his works, I feel that I
get lost inside them, that I walk through the worlds with the characters. I
feel their pain, struggles, hopes, and joys. That is an amazing gift for a
reader. I also love Anne Rice;Agatha Christie; Dan Brown; JK Rowling;
David & Leigh Eddings; and James Rollins.
Geri: What type of books do you enjoy reading?
RAI: My favorite books are thrillers; mysteries, adventure stories; science fiction;
suspense; alternate historical fiction; fantasy; and some horror novels. I
especially love anything that revolves around ancient mysteries, that's like
catnip to me! I very much enjoy being taken away from the everyday ordinary
on a fantastic adventure that gets me thinking. I am also fascinated by
quantum physics.
Geri: Should a book be judged by its cover?
RAI: Yes and no, I'm a very visual person, so a great cover that speaks to key
elements of a story will really grab me. I like covers that have strong visuals.
After that, the story itself has to appeal to me. I won't buy a book that I just
like the cover of, if the actual story doesn't interest me. On the flip side, I also
won't pass up a book where maybe the cover doesn't do anything for me, but
where the story really piques my interest. It's just that with a nice cover, the
book has more of a chance to be noticed, and picked up by readers. I would
say that it is a solid investment to craft a quality cover that, most importantly,
gives potential readers a sense of what the book offers. It is an amazing sales
and communication tool.
Geri: Do you have current work in progress?
RAI: I actually have a few. The first priority is to complete putting the
finishing touches on Destiny of the Sands, the sequel to Secret
of the Sands, with my co-author, and release it. The sequel carries on
where Secrets left off, and takes the main characters on an even darker,
more perilous journey. After that, I have three solo novels in various
stages of development. One is a science fiction horror novel, one is a
dark thriller, and another is a thriller. The stories all have very strong
messages, and deal with darker themes. I am very passionate about them.
The stories are fully formed in my head and partially written. I just need the
extra time to complete them! Oh! to only need an hour or two of sleep a
night!
Geri: Thank you kindly for today's interview. I wish you much success!
Rai: You're welcome.
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