Interview with Rachel Rossano
1:00 AM
Thank you for having me
here today. I am honored. I have enjoyed your first book so much. I am eager to
read the next as soon as I can grab the time.
My husband and I are
celebrating fourteen years of marriage this year. We spend a lot of time
raising our three young children. My days are full of homeschooling, keeping up
with household tasks, and squeezing writing in between everything else.
I love to write. It is
my escape from the stresses of everyday life. I have discovered as a mother of
small ones that writing helps me keep connected to the more mature part of
myself. It gives me something to talk about with others and a point of
interaction with the online writing community.
After reading Duty, I
must say I am very curious where you got the inspiration for the
story.
The
book idea really did begin with the opening line: “’The red one is mine,’ he
said.” It was the winning line in an opening line contest I hosted on my blog
to celebrate my 100th blog post. Then, while driving my kids around, I listened
to an ancient history course from The Learning Company. The lecturer spoke
about a king sending an army of men loyal to him into a hostile area and having
them settle there, intermarrying with the population. From there, I developed
the idea of an army being sent into an area to establish a loyal force near a
border needing reinforcement. The idea took off from there.
Who was
the inspiration for Brielle?
I
didn’t pattern her after any one person in particular, but tried to create an
amalgamation of characteristics that would make her a great natural leader. I
wanted the reader to accept that a village could have elected her their leader
in the absence of their actual overseer. She needed to be a woman able to stand
alone. She needed to be a woman that others respected despite her youth.
From
my first story, writing heroines has been a huge challenge for me. The right
mixture of femininity and strength is hard to create. I knew from the moment I
chose the opening line that my heroine was going to take offense at being claimed
like a piece of clothing. But, the nuances of how she expressed her reaction
would define her character for the whole book. It took me a few tries to get
that reaction just right.
Did you
base Tomas off someone you know? I really liked him.
Again, there is no one I can point to as the inspiration for him. In
creating him, I had a pretty solid beginning with that opening line. The
challenge immediately became how to craft a likable hero who could still speak
those offensive words in character. Why would a decent man worthy of marrying
Brielle say something so arrogant? I, through Brielle, spent the rest of the
book finding that out exactly what kind of man he was. To be honest, I loved
every moment of exploring his character and his backstory.
Why did you choose to set
Duty in a fictional country?
I wanted to have the liberty of creating history to fit the story’s
needs. I chose a familiar world because I was writing on a deadline. The
creator of the opening line, and others, were eager to read the story I wrote.
Although I hadn’t committed to a set end date, I initially wanted to get on
with other projects. After all, Duty was supposed to be a short story.
Ha! God had other plans.
When I say the world was familiar, I am referring to the larger
alternative world of which Rhynan is only a small part. My very first book (a
short story/novella) was set there. I have set total of seven novella/novels in
the same fictional world. Only a few of them are in print though. The
Mercenary’s Marriage takes place in Braulyn, a country to the south east of
Rhynan. The Theodoric Saga, of which only one novella is in print at the
moment, centers around two generations of the ruling family of Anavrea, the
country directly south of Rhynan.
If you could pick one
character to meet in real life, who would you choose?
Since I am stirring around ideas for the sequel, I would love to corner
Lord Dentin. He has spilled some of his back story, but he refuses to tell me
his name. If you have any suggestions, I would be happy to hear them.
You have many lovely
locations in Duty. Which setting was your favorite?
Oh, that is a hard choice. I would love to wander around the vargar. I
love exploring buildings and long to tour a castle or two someday. However, I
also love walking about in the woods, as long as there is no risk of a
snow-laden branch falling on my head.
Will we ever get to
read more about Tomas and Brielle?
Yes. I hope so. Perhaps a book or two even will lie in my future. I am
gathering ideas for a sequel (Lord Dentin’s story). Also, their oldest daughter
has insisted that I tell her story, which will be a third book if I get that
far. I hope I am able to do a trilogy.
Now that you have
finished Duty, what’s next for you?
Two short stories (possibly three) and a science fiction novel are on
the top of my writing task list. Also, the three remaining Theodoric Saga
books need editing and publishing.
Another novel of mine is coming out this year, too. Wren: A Romany
Epistles Novel is the story of my most unconventional heroine. Wren Romany
fights, hunts, and holds her own in a men’s world, but can she straighten out
Tourth Mynth’s problems before it is too late. She is my most bold and
confident heroine ever.
Thank you for coming
by today.
Thank you for inviting me.
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1 comments
Thank you for interviewing me, Sarah. I really enjoyed answering your questions. :)
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