Make sure you head on over to Rachelle Ayala's site. She is hosting an amazing Hidden Under Her Heart giveaway and tour. I will be on her site tomorrow doing a book chat on Break From You. She is also having amazing giveaways of some wonderful books, including Break From You, so head on over and sign up to win!
A warm welcome to Rachelle Ayala,
1.
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I’ve always been a storyteller. I was the oldest of four
children and my siblings gathered in my room where I made up adventures with
people and pets. I visualize stories like a movie in my mind and rarely take
notes while working on a novel. I’ve always wanted to write, but had a career
first in engineering and management where I gathered many life experiences.
2.
Where did the idea for Hidden Under Her Heart come
from?
The initial idea was a romantic suspense where the
evidence for the rape was hidden in the unborn baby’s DNA, but when I started
writing the story, it turned into a more character driven story exploring the
difficult decision a woman has to make when confronted with rape and abortion.
The kinder and gentler hero, Lucas Knight, had a lot to do with the tone and
direction of the story.
3.
How long did it take you to write this story?
Five months. I drew on my own experiences to write the second
half of the story so once I got through the difficult first half, the rest of
the chips fell in place. Of course I didn’t have a happy outcome in real life.
One of the benefits of being a novelist is that I get to invent a happy ending.
4.
What is your writing process?
I’ve written three novels and used three different processes.
I believe it is unique to the story. However if I had to put a name to it, I’d
say it is combination NaNoWriMo and PlotWriMo. I hastily dash off a first draft
without plotting and spend a month using Martha Alderson’s Re-Vision process to
identify the energy markers and throw out extraneous scenes or rewrite segments
that make no sense. Then I put it up on CritiqueCircle.com and have my
associates critique it. I rewrite two to three times during the crit process,
always from start to finish, each revision. Before editing, I send it to beta
readers for their general reactions and do another revision with the feedback.
5.
If you had to choose a favorite character in your
story, who would it be?
Am I allowed to do this? I’m a mother to three children and
can honestly say that I love each one to the fullest. It’s equally hard for me
to pick THE favorite character. But since you’re requiring me to chose one it
would be Michal, the princess of Israel who became King David’s first wife.
After all, I lived her life from the age of fourteen when she met the shepherd
boy playing the harp to her final reunion with King David in her heavenly
mansion.
6.
The attention to detail and the terminology you used in
regards to medical references and triathlon running was well done. Did you do
research for this or do you have experience in these areas?
My husband is in the medical profession and I was an allergy
patient for fifteen years. Unfortunately, I also have firsthand knowledge of
the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit as my son lived there for three weeks after
his untimely birth. I researched the triathlon by reading Chris McCormack’s
book and conferring with a sister of a friend who competes in triathlons. I
also watched the Kona triathlon on streaming video and reviewed youtubevideos
of previous triathlons. When I was younger, I used to run 10K races and
finished a half marathon, but never a complete one, so I know the feelings of
pounding the pavement and being exhausted, dehydrated or in pain.
7.
You tackle a very sensitive and controversial topic
with ease, was that difficult to do?
It was extremely difficult to let the story tell itself
without injecting my opinions. I revised the abortion discussion several times
with the help of my crit partners who included both pro-choice and pro-life
women. I had to capture the feelings of a rape victim and how she just wants it
to go away, pretend it never happened. I also had to balance the reaction of
her boyfriend between anger at the rapist, guilt for having backed away from
the relationship, and concern for the unborn baby. He came off realistically
judgmental in some places but loving and overprotective in other places.Both characters change in the story and experience emotional
growth. Maryanne was not the strongest character in the beginning, but once she
faced her weaknesses and started making decisions, she became more accepting of
herself and confident.
8.
What is the overall message you want readers to take
away from the book?
That it is hard to judge another person when you have not
lived in their skin, and even if you don’t agree with their decisions or
choices, they will not listen to your opinion unless you truly care and accept
them.
9.
What can we expect from your next book?
I’m itching to do another romantic suspense. I’ve picked two
characters that are hardened against love. Danger, a mystery in the past, a
debilitating injury and buried family secrets combine to ignite both
firecracker passion and bone piercing pain.
10. Anything
else you want to share about yourself or your books?
I love dramatic fiction with heavy emotional overtones
centered around women coping with life problems. Favorite authors are Anne
Rivers Siddons and Melissa Foster. These books take you into the harrowing lives
of women facing huge challenges with unexpected twists and heartrending
emotions. I like to write dramatic stories with flawed characters and
impossible dilemmas. My crit partners often say I box myself into a corner. I
enjoy the challenge of redeeming seemingly unredeemable characters and
resolving mysteries with an unexpected but plausible ending.
Thanks Rebecca for introducing me to your readers. I welcome
comments and questions. Please visit me at my blog: http://www.rachelleayala.com or find me
on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/rachelleayalawriter
Hidden Under Her Heart, available at Amazon.com
Maryanne Torres is a compassionate nurse who fails at relationships.
After a string of losers, she swears off premarital sex, hoping to land a
marrying type of man.Lucas Knight, a law-school dropout, moves to California to train for the Ironman Triathlon. He's smart, sweet, and everything Maryanne wants in a man, but their relationship suffers from his dedication to the sport. Seeking consolation in the arms of a handsome preacher's son, Maryanne attends a church party where she is raped.
Maryanne is pregnant from the rape and plans to abort. But the identity of her rapist is hidden in her baby's DNA. Lucas asks Maryanne to seek alternatives and pledges to support her through the pregnancy. When Lucas becomes the prime suspect, Maryanne must clear his name and make a life changing decision.
The rapist has other ideas. In order to destroy the evidence, he offers Maryanne an illegal offshore abortion. With Maryanne's life in danger, Lucas races to save her and her baby. However, Maryanne hides a secret that threatens to tear them apart forever.
Thank you Rachelle Ayala for joining me today! You can find out more about Rachelle Ayala at her blog, here. And don't forget about the giveaways!
More books by Rachelle Ayala
It's Teen Dating Violence Awareness month. According to the CDC, Dating Violence is defined as the physical, sexual, or psychological/emotional violence within a dating relationship, as well as stalking. It can occur in person or electronically and may occur between a current or former dating partner. Sexual abuse is a form of dating abuse. It is when a date forces him/herself on his/her partner and doesn't respect nor care about the consequences.
If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship, get help.
15 comments:
That is a tough subject to tackle.
My writing process is reversed. Extensive plotting followed by a NaNo burst.
Very tough topic...very sensitive.
I'm like you- I do a lot of plotting. I plot until I feel like I really know the story and then I power it out. It still surprises me though, sometimes it ends up going in directions I never envisioned.
These are indeed hard issues to deal with, particularly since it's not easy to predict how readers will react to touchy subjects like these. It takes a courageous author to write on these subjects. I hope the book does well and raises awareness.
Wow sounds very intense and moving. Powerful stuff. My kind of read. Thanks for sharing it Rebecca. I'll check it out. And nice to meet Rachelle!
Sound like a detail and emotional read. Definitely stash it on my TBR. :-)
Hi Alex, we're mirror images then. I did skip Nano this year because I finished my first draft Oct 30. Thanks for stopping by, Rachelle
Thank you. I hope I achieved a balance and let the characters drive the story. This book has both the pre- and post- angle and is meant to inspire, uplift and heal.
Hi Pk, thanks! Feel free to let me know what you think. I'm honestly open to all opinions. I just want to be a help to people.
Thanks! I hope you will like the hero too.
Great interview! I'm honored to be mentioned, but more than that, I really enjoyed reading about what you went through while writing Hidden under Her Heart. You did tackle a really controversial subject, and I loved what you said about your character not being the strongest at the beginning, but facing her weakness and then becoming strong. That's really what it takes in real life, as well. I can't wait to read it.
Thank you, Melissa. You're right about real life. I faced monsters while writing this book. The first one was pulling out all the pictures of my son and reading the journal I wrote while he was alive. The second one was imagining myself in Maryanne Torres' skin and wallowing in her pain, guilt and depression. Thank God for Lucas Knight! He kept me and Maryanne going. What a guy!
I agree. I really enjoy books that tackle the tough issues and help raise awareness. I think it is so important to start the conversation and get people to talk.
Very intense and moving. Make sure you check it out. :)
Thanks for stopping by Melissa. It is great to meet you. I agree that we all learn from facing our weaknesses to become strong.
Thank you, Rachelle, for such a wonderful interview. It was great to host you today! :) Best
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