Extrasensual Perception by Rayna Vause
Dreamspinner Press
Cover art by Paul Richmond

Available for Purchase at

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to host Rayna Vause, author of Extrasensual Perception, one of our highly recommended stories.  Welcome, Rayna!

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I want to thank everyone here at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words for having me here today to celebrate the release of my latest novel, Extrasensual Perception, and for taking the time to get to know me a little bit better. This has been an exciting week for me, but I think release weeks is for all authors. So, let’s dive into these questions shall we?

• Where do you normally draw your inspiration for a book from?  A memory, a myth, a place or journey, or something far more personal?

My inspiration for a story can come from anywhere and everywhere. A news story, a television show, a movie that you would have like to have seen go in a different direction. The possibilities are endless. My book Demon of Mine was inspired by a combination of the show Supernatural and the movie Office Space. My latest release Extrasensual Perception was the result of a writing prompt. We were challenged to look at old school Harlequin romances and write a gay romance in a similar fashion. Some of my favorite category romances were the ones that pushed the boundaries of the line. I was drawn to the books that had paranormal elements such as psychics. So, when I was issued the challenge of writing a Dreamspun desire a psychic seemed like the perfect choice for my book. 

• Are you a planner or a pantzer when writing a story? And why?

I’m a total planner with a hint of pantser. I need a story road map or I get nowhere fast as I write myself into corners. If I have my outline when I sit down to write, I know what scenes I need. I know what they need to accomplish. The pantsing comes in with how the scene unfolds on the page.

• Contemporary, supernatural, fantasy, or science fiction narratives or something else?  Does any genre draw you more than another when writing it or reading it and why does it do so?

I have eclectic tastes. I like to read a wide variety of genres. Although you’ve got a better chance of catching my eye if there are paranormal/urban fantasy elements as I like getting caught up in other worlds or alternative realities. When it comes to reading, if it’s an engaging story, with a strong romance and an HEA I’ll go along for the ride.

As to writing, I love paranormal/urban fantasy. I love for me a story is that much more fun to write when I can take the everyday world and toss in something strange and unusual. I love the idea of the werewolf or demon next door. Someone who’s a regular joe, but has the one extra special quirk like magical abilities or shapeshifting. There’s are a certain level of freedom as well as control to paranormal and UF. It’s my world and I make up the rules.

• If you had a character you’ve written you would write differently now at this time in your writing career, who would it be and why?

At this point, I can’t say that there are characters that I would write differently. As write more and your craft gets stronger. When I look at my books I see things that I would strengthen technique wise, but not in character development.

• Can an author have favorites among their characters and do you have them?

I absolutely think authors can have favorites among their characters. Generally, it’s the characters in the book I’m working on at that time that are my favorites. However, I will always hold a special place in my heart for the cast of characters in my in-progress Hell Inc. series. The first book being Demon of Mine. My favoritism is likely a byproduct of sentiment. I spent years with these guys. They are the stars of my first full length book to get published. They let me poke and prod at them as I got a better handle on my writing voice and improved my storytelling craft.

• If you were to be stranded on a small demi-planet, island, or god forbid LaGuardia in a snow storm, what books would you take to read or authors on your comfort list?

Good question. I’d have to say:

Charlie Cochet. I’m absolutely addicted to her Thirds series.

Tere Michaels. I just love the way she tells a story.

Mary Calmes I love Jin and Logan and well pretty much anything Mary has written.

I figure that’s enough to keep me busy for a while. Thank god for ereaders so I can carry the bulk of my library with me. This way I don’t have to choose just a couple books to take with me.   

• How early in your life did you begin writing?

I started writing in grade school around 5^th or 6^th grade. I remember having assignments in English class where we were supposed to make up our own fable or tall tale or something. I remember writing this story about how ocean waters become salty (PS it’s because the sky giants knocked over an enormous salt shaker. LOL!) We were always doing creative writing in that class, when we weren’t diagramming sentences, and I absolutely loved it. You know, I think my mom still has some of the short stories I wrote around the house somewhere.

• Were you an early reader or were you read to and what childhood books had an impact on you as a child that you remember to this day and why?

I was indeed an early reader, but I think that’s because I was read to as a child. As a baby my mom would read to me then as I got older we would take turns reading to each other. Some of the earliest books I remember reading with her was a series about a vampire bunny, the first book in the was entitled Bunnicula. From there we moved on to A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engel, and a bunch of books by Roald Dahl (The Witches, James and the Giant Peach). It seems, even as a child I leaned toward books with a paranormal bent. I don’t remember if these were books that mom choose for us to read or if we picked them together. But I do recall loving every minute of them. I loved the magic and mystery and adventure in these books. I guess they had a bigger impact on me then I realized because in my books I try to incorporate a little magic, a bit of action/adventure, and a ton of fun. That’s what these authors gave me as I was reading the tales the wove and that’s what I hope to give to my readers.

• What’s coming next?

I’ve got two project in progress at this moment. First another urban fantasy. It’s a contemporary set story where Vampires exist and some humans are not so happy about that. The story features an anti-vampire activist and the vampire that he eventually falls for as they work together to save the activists life as after a vicious vampire attack. The other book is Angel of Mine. This is the second book in the Hell Inc series that features Adrian, an angel, and Leland, a demon. There are two men with centuries of a history and baggage that they have to sort through all while trying to stay alive while on the run from someone who wants Leland dead.

• If you were writing your life as a romance novel, what would the title be?

It’s not exactly steamy or sexy, but I guess my title would be A Work in Progress and it would be a paranormal romantic comedy featuring a woman who could magically remove all calories from food, a laptop and a cat. ☺

Blurb

If a stalker doesn’t kill them, the heat between them might.

Christopher Vincent is desperate enough for a job that he accepts an offer to entertain as a psychic in a friend’s nightclub. Jackson Whitman, one of the club’s co-owners, is less than thrilled by the new act. To him, psychics are ridiculous and a liability. But when they come face-to-face, attraction flares to life between them.

Someone is watching Jack and Chris from the shadows. What starts as a series of creepy encounters leads to deadly attacks.

Jack and Chris must set aside their differences and work together to survive a homicidal stalker. But can they survive their explosive connection?

About the Author

Rayna Vause is a lifetime learner who wants to live on a Disney cruise ship travelling the world and thinks purple should be considered a natural hair color. She’s fascinated by the magic and mystery in the world; things like angels, demons, cats (especially cats!) and true love. A proud geek, she injects some of her tech-obsessed soul into every story she writes. When not writing, she’s pursuing another degree, running a conference, working through her massive TBR pile, losing herself in a video game, and plotting her next novel.  

Author links

Website- http://www.raynavause.com

Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/raynavauseauthor

Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/rayna_vause