Novelist Raquel Rich joins
me today to chat a bit about her time travel thriller, Hamartia.
Bio:
Raquel
Rich is a sci-fi author and occasional blogger.
She loves to travel, suntan, walk her dog, and is obsessed with all things
Beauty & the Beast. She despises cold weather, balloons, and writing about
herself in the third person but noticed all the real authors do that. Born and
raised in Canada to Brazilian parents, she lives in the Toronto area with her
family. She’s married to the guy she’s been with since she was fifteen (her
baby daddy), and her superpowers include being a mom to their two awesome
grown-ass boys and one fur baby.
Raquel Rich is a proud
member of Broad Universe: an international,
non-profit organization dedicated to promoting, encouraging, honoring, and
celebrating women writers and editors in science fiction, fantasy, horror, and
other speculative genres.
Welcome, Rachel. Please
tell us about your current release.
If you’re a hardcore sci-fi
fan who loves spaceships and aliens, Hamartia is not for you. On the other hand, if you loved The Terminator and The Maze Runner, you’ll love Hamartia. There is a woman
desperate to save her son, there is a disease plaguing the human race, and it’s
a time travel thriller suitable for both adults and young adults. What price
would you pay to save your child’s life? You’d die for your child, but would
you kill? How many?
What inspired you to write
this book?
My son and I were at the
Science Museum in London, England. We got sucked into an exhibit that explored
the science and popular beliefs behind fears and phobias. One belief was that
phobias were the result of past life experiences. I used this to defend myself
against my son’s jokes about my deep hatred for (fear of) turtlenecks and
balloons. I argued that I’d been strangled to death at a party in a past life—obviously. This banter with my son led to a list of
“what ifs” forming my head; what if you could travel to your past life? If a soul
is reincarnated too many times, would it die? How far would you go to save your
child’s life if his soul was dying? I decided to answer these questions through
Grace, Hamartia’s main character.
What exciting story are you
working on next?
I’m working on Hamartia’s
sequel, Deus Ex Machina, but I can’t say more about it without ruining Hamartia.
When did you first consider
yourself a writer?
It took a good year to
admit I was writing a book, never mind call myself a writer. When people used
to ask me, “What do you do?” I’d answer in a shaky voice, “Um… I’m a writer?” I
don’t think the doubt in my voice dissipated until after I published Hamartia.
Do you write full-time? If
so, what's your workday like? If not, what do you do other than write and how
do you find time to write?
I write full-time! I’m
lucky to have a supportive hubby who thinks Hamartia will become a blockbuster
movie so he can retire and play golf all day. Every morning until
lunchtime-ish, I sit in my pyjamas and write. Afterwards, depending on the
season, I clear my head by taking my dog for a walk or by going for a swim. However,
when I’m in editing mode, wild horses couldn’t drag me away from the task. I
edit and rewrite from sunup to sundown, ignoring the weather, my family, and my
growling dog and stomach.
What would you say is your
interesting writing quirk?
I write every morning from
about 9 AM until 2 PM but only if I’m alone. I am immediately distracted when
people are around or near me, even if they’re in another room of the house. It’s
the knowledge of their presence that annoys me. I could be on a super writing rampage,
words flowing and unstoppable like a raging rapid, but the second someone shows
up, my ideas and words go cold and evaporate quicker than a cube of ice in an
August heatwave.
As a child, what did you
want to be when you grew up?
When I was a kid, I dreamed
of being a pilot and a writer. Then I threw-up on a flight to Brazil. I was
heartbroken when I realized flying a plane doped up on anti-nausea meds wouldn’t
pan out. As for my dream of being a writer, it went dormant for a couple of
decades until that fateful trip to the Science Museum in London, England, where
the idea of Hamartia was born.
Anything additional you
want to share with the readers?
Fun fact: I’m a writer of
colour who is a little put off that protagonists never looks like me. For that
reason, I never describe Grace’s race or skin colour. I want the reader to
assume they look like her. I’m often asked who I would cast as Grace if Hamartia
is ever made into a movie. This question stumps me every time. All I can say is
that having to decide on Grace’s race or skin colour for a movie would be a
great problem to have!
Links:
Thanks for stopping by
today!
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