Raine Fielder was raised in a small town and started writing poetry at the age of eleven. She has had four articles published by Thought Catalog and several by Vocal where three of her short stories were chosen out of thousands to be a “top story” and two honorable mention awards. One short story was published in Siren Song Press, another was published in For Page and Screen, and two poems were published in The Anti-Misogyny Club. In addition, she has written several poems, song lyrics, angry Facebook rants, short stories, and ten books. She has a certificate in literature focused on Shakespeare from Harvard University.
About Skin Deep
When Kia Matthews’ mother dies and her father moves them all the way across the country from Seattle to the small new England island of Buccaneer Bay, she doesn’t know what to expect. Nothing could have prepared her for what she finds, a new tattoo, a 200-year-old journal, horror she could have never dreamed of, and a reminder that true love never ends.
The interview
Why do you write in the genres that you do?
I don’t know if it would be easier to find “my” readers if I stuck to one genre, but I just can’t seem to tie myself down to one. I love writing in any genre. But I guess I never really think about genre before I write a story. I write a story and then figure out which one it fits into.
Do you keep a notebook of ideas?
I do keep a file of notes and ideas, but a physical notebook, no. I would be way too paranoid about losing it somewhere. I do so many backups on all my writing files and literally keep them in different locations in case something happens. If I do have an idea while I’m out and about, I send myself a quick Facebook message and then add it to the file later. I’m so organized for a writer. I don’t fit the “messy writer” trope at all.
Do you have a muse?
I have many. I guess anything in the world would be considered my muse but as far as one particular person, no.
Are you more of a fan of plot-driven stories or character-driven stories?
Definitely character-driven. I’ve been reading Stephen King since I was in grade school. One thing I learned from him is that if you can make me care about a character. It doesn’t matter how outlandish the plot is, I’m almost always sticking around.
I’ve read that he hates Dreamcatcher, so I guess he wouldn’t be offended by this. That is his only book that I also didn’t like. I did like those characters, but I didn’t enjoy reading it, so I guess that’s not always true. But in every other case, I have found that it is. I feel like if you’re looking at it the other way, I have to ask why I should care about anything that happens to people I don’t care about?
Fill in the blank: “People will like your book if they like stories about…”
Pirates, curses, witches, Salem witch trials, a little humor, YA, teen angst, romance, fantasy, tattoos, the outcasts being main characters. There is a lot in there for a lot of people.
What are your thoughts on typewriters?
I think they are amazing to have around. I don’t have one because I don’t have enough room on my desk right now. I probably wouldn’t use it for my actual writing, but I certainly would love to play with one.
My mom got me a Quill and Ink set, and I write with it for amusement. It’s funny though because I can’t just write normal things with it, I feel like I have to write things like: “Dearest Emily, tis been a fortnight since last we spoke…” or Abraham Lincoln’s signature. I’m ridiculous, but I feel like the quill wants to stay “in-character.”
Would you rather own a bookstore or run a library?
Wow, this might be the toughest question I’ve ever been asked. Well, I do support both types of businesses a lot.
Libraries are so important for our world. It’s one of the only places you can go and not be expected to purchase things. On the other hand, selfishly I’d rather own my own place so that I could decorate it exactly as I wanted and have a coffee shop inside of it as well.
But honestly, I would adore doing either of those things. And I just thought of something from Stephen King’s IT. Mike Hanlon ran the library and lived in the attic apartment, and that was so cool to me. I wanted to do that so badly when I read that.
How do you name your characters? If you write nonfiction, do you ever change the names of your characters, and if so, how do you decide what names to change them to?
That varies, but mostly I try to make each main character’s name mean something.
What is your favorite website that you use to promote your writing?
I post on Vocal a lot. You can’t really sell short stories individually and poetry books are also a hard sell, I feel like. So, I just post things like that there. Plus, any opinion pieces or essays.
If Hollywood bought the rights to your book, would you want it to be turned into a movie or series?
I would be so happy with either, but I do think a series could get all the fine details better. But if it were a series, I’d want it to be just one season because it’s a complete story. I’d hate to see it dragged out just for money or something.
Who is your dream audiobook narrator?
Natasha Lyonne would be nice. Well, I’m kind of kidding, I do love how she talks, but I’m not serious about that. I mean if she wanted to, I wouldn’t say no obviously because I love her. But I don’t know. I hadn’t ever really thought about it. I guess I wouldn’t want my books told with a very specific person like that because I want the stories to speak for themselves so someone with just a clear way of speaking would be perfect.
Do you try to hit a certain page or word count with each writing session?
Absolutely. When I write daily, I try to get at least 500, and that’s bare minimum. But I’m really not happy unless it’s at least 1,000.
Do you have any writing rituals?
One thing that may be unique to me is that I light a candle when I’m writing “in the zone.” I use different scents for different stories so that when I need to come back to it, I can light the candle and set the mood. Scent memory is very powerful.
What are your passions/obsessions outside of writing?
I love to paint and do other types of art. I like consuming stories in any form: books, TV, movies. I also host and produce a podcast called “Raine on Your Parade” where I analyze all media but mostly film and tv.
Have you made any public appearances to promote your book?
Not yet. I’m an introvert.
Who would you most want to read your book, living or dead?
Probably the living. That’s a joke. I’d like both to read it.
Okay, being serious, this book specifically, probably anyone unjustly accused of something because she’s a woman. I am thinking of specific women, but I don’t want to spoil the plot.
Who is on your Mt. Rushmore of greatest/inspirational authors?
Shakespeare, Edgar Poe, Charles Dickens, Mary Shelly.
What is your favorite bookish possession?
I guess it would be this pink soft cover copy of Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass. It’s just really cute and pink with gold lettering.
Have you ever mentored another writer with their writing?
Sort of, though it was more of a peer-to-peer feedback thing in a group setting. I was a part of a writer’s guild in my hometown.
Is there an idea that a non-writer has pitched to you that you have written or considered writing?
Not intentionally. I have picked up on things people have said in conversation and turned it into something, but no one has ever given me an idea on purpose like that.
What is the most unique way that an idea for a piece of writing has come to you.
Seeing a pair of socks with box of French fries with a monocle printed on them. I wrote a short story about that, and it got published by an online lit magazine.
Are you a big reader? Do you own a large collection of books, or are you more of a borrower?
I have been reading my whole life, and right now I own probably one hundred books or more.
Have you ever gone away to work on a piece of writing? If not, where would you go if you could?
No, not yet. I’m not sure that’s something that would ever be necessary. But I guess just to have the experience I would love to go to Greece, Ireland or Paris.
What is an annoying thing that a non-writer has assumed about writers or the act of writing?
There are honestly so many. One thing that really bothers me is when people assume an author is personally into whatever thing they are writing about. For example, if someone writes about murder a lot, people think the author is violent. I’m pretty much 100% certain that Thomas Harris is NOT a cannibal, even though he wrote the Hannibal series.
Another thing is thinking that having an idea is the hard part and then trying to say they have an idea for a book. I hope this doesn’t sound pretentious or rude, but non-writers probably have a handful of story ideas in a lifetime. Writers have tons weekly.
Finding ideas is literally the easiest part about it. We are bombarded with ideas in our own minds all the time. It’s the execution that really matters. A bad writer can take a great idea and ruin it with bad execution, but a great writer can take the worst idea and make gold with good execution.
How do you measure the success of your writing career?
For me personally, it’s finishing a book, which I have done several times. That’s my success, but for my books, I think success would be for people to read and love them.
For people to find meaning in them that touches their heart. I think that is the ultimate goal here, to make stories that people can relate to and find comfort in. Even in the dark or tragic stories, I want people to feel seen. For people to meet my characters and be able to feel like “oh there I am.”
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