Thursday, October 31, 2013

M. C. Rayne Promo & Guest Post


M. C. Rayne

Our Walk to Remember

 

 

Our Walk to Remember


For the Robinson-Shae family, an annual charity walk means more to them than any expensive holiday abroad. After all, it’s where Elisha’s fathers met, and this year it’s even more important to her. Sammy couldn't make it this time, so she asks Charlie to share memories of how they met, and fell in love.

 Excerpt

Elisha looks back at me and pulls on our adjoined arms, giggling happily to herself while dancing her knee-length, yellow summer dress around her body so it moves with the warm breeze. I forget how much she loves this annual event. We’ve always done it together. She gets excited to see all the people she’s grown up around. I hope she never grows tired of this venture, never loses herself to the world of television and computer games when she could make a difference doing something small, yet huge.

Such thoughts make me shudder, thinking someone as delicate as little Elisha could ever be a slave to the mediocre. Not our baby, no way!

“Tell me again, Dad,” she interjects, turning towards me and smiling with joy. “Tell me about when you met Daddy?”

Her brown eyes sparkle when she looks up at me, lighting her porcelain face. Can a father ever refuse his daughter? How do you say ‘no’ to the product of your love, the person who found a home in your heart without trying and looks to you to lead them along the right paths?

“Again?” I tease. “You know this story so well, you can probably tell it better than me.”

Warmth fills my cheeks, bringing colour back into this aging man’s face while he toys with the light of his life, the only other person he loves without question. So many times Sammy and I have sat before a roaring fire while Elisha recounted our history like she’s reading a book. Her voice is always filled with such passion that we hang on her every word. One would be forgiven for thinking it’s her past she is detailing, but I guess my husband and I never get bored with sharing how we came to be the lovers we are today.

“I like it better when you tell it, Dad. Don’t worry; I will fill in any parts you miss,” she chimes in an assertive manner, and I know without a doubt she will.

“Okay, baby,” I commence, drawing her in close so I don’t have to shout too loud.

I don’t need unwanted ears to hear something that will forever remain unwritten, a story that’s stamped into my heart and is ours alone. Sammy has his own version of the life we share, but this is all from the very soul of Charlie Shae — this is how I found my love.

This shouldn’t be so hard to recollect, but I’ve never had to share our story without my counterpart sitting next to me, relishing my retelling. While the warm breeze runs through my free fingers again, I try to grab onto the emptiness and envision that Sammy isn’t very far away. Sadly, my mind isn’t that creative.

Swallowing the pain, I lose myself to the words flowing from me and find myself on auto pilot.

“It was the summer of 1996. I had just finished college. . .”




As I was posting this promo, Mr. Rayne popped in for a hazelnut latte, and graciously allowed me a quick Q & A session:


Can you tell me how the emotional process of your writing works?  What type of resources do you use to tap into your feelings, to reach down deep inside, to pen the pure, perfect words your characters experience?

Many of the people who read my work know to expect some underlying angst somewhere in the story, be it at the start, middle or end, but there it is - waiting for the reader. It's strange, but writing stories with sad themes are easier than writing your typical love story, and I think this is because I have never been in love. I don't think the big L is out there for me, and I'm much happier playing with emotions. 


People say I write love well. I'm not sure, but with the relationships I pen, these are things I would want if love ever came to me. I live inside my head a lot, plan out a future I may never have, and a lot of the time I am building Mr Right in my mind, with our home in the woods, filled with cherished pets. I'm a dreamer. 


As an author, if I can call myself that, I like to delve into a little darkness, show love and life in its truest form - it isn't all sunshine and roses. I think if I wrote a happy, happy love story I would be fooling myself and the small handful of readers I have. If my boys are going to have a happily ever after then they will need to go down a few broken road first. Such is life.

Do your characters “talk” to you, as so many other authors describe happens to them?

I used to think people were crazy when they said their characters talked to them, but I didn't realise until I started writing this is true. All my life I have lived inside my mind, playing out unwritten stories, but now as I'm trying to become an author, the boys NEVER shut up. They talk to me at the worst times too, so I email myself a lot with things to add to stories. This kind of works for me. Most of my chapters are dreamed up while I walk to work, long before taking form on my computer.

How did you get on with the whole publishing experience? Did you enjoy it?

I wouldn't say I loved it, I was a nervous wreck, but the ladies at Renaissance Romance Publishing managed to calm me down and guide me through this daunting time. With them, and other authors who have gone through it, I managed to get through. As a self confessed impatient person, I did hate the slowness of the process and wanted my book in my hands two seconds after getting accepted by the publisher. You don't see the work involved in releasing a book until you go through it. 

Where do you hope to be with your writing career ten years from now?

I'm not in this to make money, this isn't why I write. Yes, I could carry on giving my work away for free, but I want to hold my books, see them on websites, and this costs;  I can't do this for free. As long as I make back what I put into my work and touch at least one person with what I pen, then I'm happy. In ten years I just hope I'm still writing and getting better with each release.

Some readers are familiar with Bean. Would you like to tell us about him?

Awww, Bean is my baby! Okay, well I live with two best friends and we all wanted a pet. We can't have a dog as we are all a slave to the 9-5 and didn't feel this was fair to a living creature, so my best friend Dae suggested a Guinea Pig. I was dubious at first, I really wanted a dog, something I could cuddle and play with, but as normal, Dae got his way - he always does, haha. As a child he grew up with these animals, so I went with it.

ANYWAY, he came home with the small, sweet black and white animal who is a dog in the form of a guinea pig. Seriously, Bean comes when called, talks to me, licks me, and purrs like a cat, which is kinda odd, but normal - so I'm told.

It sounds strange, but Bean is my mini muse and is featured (under the alias Fred) in my upcoming novel, Flavours Of Our Life, due out early next year.




M. C. Rayne got into writing after the passing of his mother, and used it as an outlet to get through the difficult time. He never really thought about becoming an author, but since putting pen to paper he has never looked back.


Currently he lives in Leeds with his two best friends Dae and Pete, and his guinea pig, Bean. He spends a lot of time reading and writing, and far too much time procrastinating online.



M. C.'s Blog Tour Schedule:



10/22:Lorenz – Promo/Excerpt
10/23: Jude Ouvrard – Guest Post
10/24:Lily G. Blunt – Guest Post
10/25: N. Wood -- Interview
10/26:S.A. Jones – Promo/excerpts
10/27:Jennifer Garcia – Promo/Excerpt
10/28:Elizabeth M. Lawrence – Guest Post
10/29:R.E. Hargrave – Guest Post
10/30:Layne Faire – Guest Post
10/31:C.W. Stevens – Promo/Excerpt
11/1: K.L. Pratt – Promo/Excerpt
Sam – Promo/Excerpt
11/2:Mich's Book Reviews – Guest Post
The Hive Book Reviews – Review/Promo/Excerpt
11/3:
11/4: