Indie Revolution Day Three - Rachel Tsoumbakos

For one whole week, I will be talking to Indie Author's about what it is like to be an Indie Author and their books!

For the third day on the tour, we have Author Rachel Tsoumbakos!

Thanks for joining us today Rachel!

What is it like to be an Indie Author?

It’s a wonderful time for Indie authors at the moment. There is certainly a niche market, especially with the introduction of devices such as the Kindle. For the price of an eBook, more people are willing to branch out and read outside their comfort zone.

Can you tell us any pro’s/con’s about being an Indie?

The biggest pro is having so much of a say in your work. I get to design my own cover, be as politically incorrect as I like and all sorts of other crazy stuff that the traditional publishing houses are not interested in doing. The worst thing is having people who think that because you are ‘indie’ you’re not really a writer.

Can you tell us about an important experience in your Indie journey?

Learning that the novel itself is only a small part of the publishing experience. When I discovered that I would have to make decisions on the cover art, the internal layout, Twitter hashtags, blog entries, etc. I was originally horrified. But now I just take it all on board and have discovered that I actually enjoy most of the other stuff.

Do you have any advice to any aspiring authors, about being an Indie?

Be aware that there is so much more to writing a book than just sitting down and typing out a story. There is a lot of hard work that goes into getting a book ready for publication. And edit, edit, edit!

Tell us about your two novels!

My first novel, Emeline and the Mutants, is a post-apocalyptic horror story set in Australia. It revolves around an AIDS cure that mutates and rather than curing people, it causes bizarre mutations. The main character, Emeline is a gutsy warrior-type character who must deal with the everyday struggle of life in this strange new world. But when her brother is murdered, she is thrown together with his girlfriend (who she does not like) and they must discover the truth about his death.

My second novel, The Ring of Lost Souls, is a paranormal gothic romantic tragedy set in the abandoned ruins of a mental institution. The main character, Isobel, finds a ring and upon putting it on, discovers she is being haunted by two ghosts. Both are vying for her attention and both are remnants of a past she knew nothing about.

Where did your inspiration come from for each of the novels?

With Emeline and the Mutants, the story crept up quietly on me. I’d been watching a housing estate being built on top of a windy hill. The houses were packed in like sardines and I wondered what it would be like to live in there. It’s crazy to think that was the starting point for Emeline.

The Ring of Lost Souls is set in an actual location near me. Larundel is a mental facility that was closed down in the 90’s and is now on the heritage list for architecturally significant buildings. While the site is off limits to the general public, many people have gone in and taken photos of the place. There are also a lot of urban legends and ghost stories surrounding the place. I tried to amalgamate them all into one cohesive story.

Did you always want to be a writer?

Absolutely! I wrote a lot as a teenager but left it behind once I entered the workforce. Then, after having kids, I returned to it.

Do you read for motivation? If so, anything in particular?

I read because I love it. Although, I have noticed that while writing, I will read within the genres I am researching.

Future Books in the works?

I wrote a trilogy a few years back that really needs my attention. Originally I wrote them as a vampire series, but since looking back over them, I have discovered that the story is less about the single vampire in it, and more about the other magically characters. I am planning a re-write of them this year.

Random Questions!

Hobbies?

I love organic gardening and ballroom dancing. Two years ago my husband and I entered the Australian Dancesport Championships and came second in our category!

Special writing habits?

I write late at night. I guess with the genres I write in, that is a given. I also write the first draft in a month (thanks to participating in NaNoWriMo for the last three years), and then spend the next six months editing it.

Favourite book? (Apart from your own of course!)

It’s a tie. Non-fiction goes to Backyard Self-Sufficiency by Jackie French and Fiction goes to Jean M. Auel’s The Clan of the Cave Bear

Thank you to Rachel Tsoumbakos for stopping by and having a chat with us!

You can find more about Rachel at her blog here!

Today I am giving my fabulous followers the chance to win an ecopy of 'Emeline and the Mutants' and 'The Ring of Lost Souls'