Thursday, May 9, 2013

Interview with contemporary romance author Rachel Hanna

Today is an interview with contemporary romance author Rachel Hanna about her book Broken: Secrets in Madison Falls.

Rachel will be awarding a $25 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. You can enter using the Rafflecopter form below. For more chances to win, visit other tour stops and enter to win at those stops.


Bio:
Rachel Hanna is a best-selling author of romance novellas and novels. She lives outside of Atlanta with her husband, three cool kids, two crazy dogs, and one very snooty outdoor cat. She loves to write, read, spend time with family and embarrass her kids as much as possible.

She also LOVES to connect with her readers through various social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter, so be sure to check out her website for ways to connect!

Welcome, Rachel. Please tell us about your current release.
Broken is a story about a woman named Bella who leaves after her mother passes away and works to support her younger sister. The only thing is that her hometown doesn't know what she's been doing for the last two years while she has supposedly been working as a marketing representative in California. When she has to come home to become the mother of her young nephew, Bella finds herself trying to hide her past while also falling in love with a handsome teacher named Grant.

What inspired you to write this book?
I like to write stories about redemption and how people can change their lives by simply making different decisions. I wanted to write a book about someone who had such a seedy past but was still able to find love like everyone else.

Excerpt:
What exciting story are you working on next? I actually just finished up two novels. The first one is set back in 1837 and revolves around a Cherokee Indian legend. The second half of that novel is a contemporary romance in modern-day times that relates back to that Cherokee legend.

I also just finished the first book in a new series set in a fictional coastal Georgia town. The series will all be contemporary romance revolving around the different members of a large family.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I've considered myself a writer since I was about seven years old. I was always writing stories and said I wanted to be a journalist. I did work as a journalist for several years before going on another path, but I've never stopped writing.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
Yes, I do write full time. Every workday is different. I also have three children at home as well as my husband, and we homeschool. So, between their social activities, school and our work, each workday can be jam packed full of activities. Most of the time, I try to get my writing out-of-the-way early so that I make sure it gets done. It can be very easy to go days without writing if you allow it. Some days, I write on my desktop while other days I might pile up in my bed and write on my laptop. My favorite way to write is on my iPad using a wireless keyboard, so I probably do that most often.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I would say that I like to write the seat of my pants. A lot of people like to outline and have character sketches completed before they even begin the story, but I find that it crushes my creativity. I have an idea of where the story is going when I begin, but for the most part I just write and make it up as I go along.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a journalist from the time I was seven years old and used to watch Jessica Savitch on the nightly news. I stayed on that path and went through college and got to work at different places including CNN as an intern. I really enjoyed being a journalist, but then I found that I liked telling stories I've made up myself better than reporting the news.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
I would love to invite your readers to connect with me on Facebook. I've been having such a good time with all of my fan base interacting on Facebook every day. We have a really fun time talking about books, movies and all kinds of other topics.

Thanks, Rachel.
a Rafflecopter giveaway


9 comments:

Goddess Fish Promotions said...

Thank you for hosting

Rita Wray said...

Great interview, thank you. The book sounds like a good read.

Kit3247(at)aol(dot)com

Unknown said...

Thanks for the interview. I look forward to checking out those two new novels you have in the works.

fencingromein at hotmail dot com

MomJane said...

I really enjoyed the interview. This story of redemption sounds really good. I love when people get a second chance in life.

Catherine Lee said...

Rachel...According to your Amazon author page you live outside of Atlanta. I lived in Macon, GA for several years...spent a lot of time in Hotlanta.
catherinelee100 at gmail dot com

Mary Preston said...

I'm always so impressed by a writer who just writes. I'd be all over the place if I didn't plot out every little thing. Not that I write mind you.

marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

Rachel Hana said...

Thanks for featuring "Broken"!

Rachel

Karen H said...

Sorry for the late post. I’m playing catch-up here so I’m just popping in to say HI and sorry I missed visiting with you on party day! Hope you all had a good time!
kareninnc at gmail dot com

Andra Lyn said...

Thanks for sharing the blurb and excerpt!

andralynn7 AT gmail DOT com