This week, I have on offer  an interview with an AMAZING author for you! Holland Rae, author of Heart and Dagger has graciously allowed me to pick her brain and get all the details about what makes her and her outstanding books tick! I know you’re already dying to get the scoop, so I won’t bore you with a long introduction, but as you read through, don’t forget to check out the links at bottom to sample some of this great author’s work for yourself! Alright, now on to the main event:

 

First, tell us a little bit more about you. What made you become a writer?

I grew up in a house of artists. In fact, the first time I attended a formal creative writing program, my mom taught it! (I was about eight at the time…) I didn’t always know what it meant to be a writer — I think I’m still figuring that out — but I’ve always told stories, made up characters and imagined events, scenes, and scenarios, so it eventually became the obvious choice. I ended up going to school for journalism, which is just another form of storytelling, so I’ll always have it in my life.

 

What do you love most about being a writer?

There’s so much to love! Writing and storytelling is hard, but it’s also so fulfilling and important. I think in today’s unique political and social environment, there are two things about writing that stand out to me. I love giving readers an escape from the destruction and saddening images we see every day. Lately, I’ve begun to understand exactly how important that self-care and stepping away from the news can be. I also like writing progressive, inclusive stories. It’s important to me that my heroines are unique and open-minded and strong in their own ways. I write characters of different backgrounds, ethnicities, sexualities, and religions because I know how important it is to see yourself on the page or the screen.

 

What is either (or both) your superpower, or the quirkiest thing about you you’re willing to share? 

Oooh, I’m such a weirdo! I feel like if I was a superhero, I’d be Captain Chaos or something like that. I thrive in chaotic, overwhelming environments — it’s where I do my best work. For instance, I’m moving to Nashville (800+ miles from here) in less than two weeks and I haven’t packed a thing. I haven’t cleaned or purged or any of it. But it’ll come together in the end because it always does, stories, moves, all of it.

 

So let’s talk about your books. What do you have on offer? Steamy, sweet, series, standalone?

Pirates! I have pirate queens and the men who love them! My current series, The Ships in the Night Series, is set around the period of Regency England, but it’s on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean. This gave me the opportunity to write unique and different sorts of heroines that wouldn’t be given the chance to shine fully in proper society.

I’ve always loved writing about female pirates and I had a lot of fun on book one in the series, Heart, and Dagger, starring Captain Catalina Sol and Lord Armand de Bourbon. That book came out in November and I’m currently writing Heart and Veil, book two in the series.

 

Is there anything in particular that motivates or inspires your books?

For me, inspiration can honestly come from anywhere. I outlined an entire series based on this house I passed every day while working as a nanny. I’ve been inspired by books I’ve read, places I’ve visited and people I’ve met. I think the biggest thing for me is keeping my mind open to the new ideas and accepting them as they arrive. I think that’s why I write so many different genres!

 

What is the hardest part of writing for you?

I think it might be editing, but it honestly depends on the book. I’m a NaNoWriMo veteran of many years, so getting that first draft out is usually the easy part. It’s going back in and making changes that I know will make the book better but that are complicated and time-consuming I struggle with most. Under my other pen name, I ended up doubling the length of two different books — one from a novella to a novel and one from a short to a novella, after they had been written. That was really challenging, but they were both better for it.

 

What is your favorite part?

Meeting my characters! Romance is such a character-driven genre and it’s so important to craft fully-rounded, flawed, unique characters. I’ve used my journalism background for this a lot, actually, when I sit down to interview my characters or pretend they’re interviewing each other. It’s fun to make them real and solid and I enjoy the process a lot.

 

If you had to choose one book for readers to pick up from your collection, which would it be and why? 

I’d have to say Heart and Dagger! Catalina was such a fun heroine to write because she is loosely based on a lot of women who left their lives to become pirates and captains. The Golden Age of piracy ended a few centuries before Regency England, but the idea of shucking society’s expectations to make a life for yourself is a universal idea that resonates even today. I loved writing this curly-haired, britches-wearing female pirate captain that saves the poor and helpless and I hope you’ll enjoy reading her!

 

Where can readers find your book?

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Heart-Dagger-Ships-Night-Holland-ebook/dp/B0767LFT57/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/heart-and-dagger-holland-rae/1127176437?ean=2940158564642

Wild Rose Press: https://catalog.thewildrosepress.com/all-titles/5361-heart-and-dagger.html

 

Do you have any special offers or givaways for new readers? If so, tell us more…

Of course! I have free copies of Midnight Lake, my summer friends-to-lovers short available here: https://claims.instafreebie.com/free/yUi9I

and I also host giveaways in my group a lot: https://www.facebook.com/groups/196337010993469/

 

How can readers find you/connect with you?

I’m all over! (Come say hi!)

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HollandRae/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/@RaeRomance/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/hollandraeroman/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hollandraeromance/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/default/e/B00I2U24U4/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?redirectedFromKindleDbs=true

Website: https://hollandrae.com/