Sunday Morning Coffee Chat with Author Dariel Raye

Welcome to Sunday morning Coffee Chat time!

Today’s Guest is Author Dariel Raye

Welcome Dariel! It’s a pleasure to have you here – especially for such a great reason – a book launch!? Congratulations on that.? I know you made a short video, so let’s introduce you to my guests!

SE: Valentines and Mardi Gras, now that’s not something I’m used to – but I guess you are Dariel!? Great little hello! So my first question for everyone is Coffee or Tea?

DR: Both. According to my mood?

SE: Diversity! I love it!? lol… Okay, tell us a bit about yourself. We know you?re an author, but do you work another job when you are not writing?

DR: I?ve worked as a mental health and substance abuse therapist, college career counselor, and chorus and band instructor just to name a few of my jobs, but due to kidney failure and its many complications, I?ve been self-employed as a vocal coach, minister of music, piano instructor, and algebra & statistics tutor for the last 5 years.

SE: I might need to get your number, my eleven year old daughter is in pre-algerbra right now. If she starts to get stuck, I might need some help – all those problems are greek to me! Luckily she loves math and excels. Oppps, totally off topic, Sorry! What is your favorite thing to do when you aren?t writing or working?

DR: Sing, play piano, and play with pets. Also like to go to the beach and symphony functions.

SE: I’ll go to the beach with you! What is your favorite color?

DR: Brown and green are equally dear to me. Brown is a comfort color reminiscent of Mother Earth, and green is the color of thriving life. I?m always drawn to them in stores, even clothing stores.

SE: I like that. What is your favorite season?

DR: Definitely Fall. Love the colors ? earth tones ? and the temp is perfect here.

SE: With loving the earth tones, I knew you would say fall. If you could live anyplace on earth, where would it be?

DR: Italy, because even the secular music there is complex and moving. They don?t half step in the arts or in love.

SE: Other than writing, what do you have a passion for?

DR: Human rights (in a nutshell, equality and justice particularly for anyone who has traditionally been subjugated or denied fair treatment), animal rights, and music.

SE: You are a very strong woman Dariel! Go you! So let’s change courses now and talk about your writing.? How long have your been writing? Was it a dream, a goal or is it just a hobby?

DR: Started writing in elementary school. Won a few awards over the years, but didn?t start writing professionally until after a divorce (finally had the time to devote to it).

SE: hahaha – If anyone gets that, it’s me. So how many hours a day do you devote to writing?

DR: 6-10, more if I can. Some days I don?t get to write at all, so I try to write as much and as long as possible when I can.

SE: I do envy you that time. Do you have a set routine or do you write when the mood strikes?

DR: I?m an extreme night owl, so I usually start writing at 1 or 2 pm, take 15 minute breaks every hour or two, and don?t stop until 2 or 3 am the next morning.

SE: That’s a great writing plan. Is there some place special you like to be when you write?

DR: I have an antique desk in my bedroom dedicated to writing. My research books, inspirational what-nots, scented candles (sandalwood is my favorite), gifts from readers, and anything else that inspires me are on the desk. It?s huge with a hutch, and I still run out of room. LOL

SE: There is never enough room for things to do with writing. Do you listen to music or do you need a quiet place to write?

DR: I actually listen to paranormal, action, Sci-fi or horror series or movies. The TV is behind me, but the action spurs me on. Sometimes I listen to love songs while writing the love scenes.

SE: Paranormal shows, now that is one I have not heard before. I love it! Thanks for talking about how you do some of your writing. Now, let’s get to the meat of the interview and talk about this book you have just released! What is the name of it and is it part of a series or a stand alone novel?

DR: ?Dai?s Dark Valentine? is a stand-alone for now, although some of my Beta readers have asked about a sequel already.

SE: Always nice when they are asking for more. Where did the idea come from?

DR: A dream inspired by my flash fiction friends at ?Will Blog For Sex.? Muffy Wilson usually chooses an inspirational pic for all of us to write 100 flashes. I looked at the picture late one night and dreamed of Joban and Daitre (although Daitre wasn?t her name at the time).

SE: What is it about?

DR: ?Dai?s Dark Valentine? is about Daitre, a naive 18^th century French cat-shifter from a wealthy family, and her seemingly unrequited love for Joban, a dark fey with the ability to bend time. He?s the family?s Captain-of-the-Guards, and also serves as her bodyguard. She?s warm, trusting, and loving, while he?s aloof, wary, and somewhat cold at first, but extremely protective. In the story, Daitre?s father, Alain, has accumulated some very dangerous enemies who also target Daitre. Alain, being the wise man he turns out to be, further entrusts Daitre?s safety to Joban by establishing an agreement with him to marry her and use his time-bending abilities to take her to safety. Joban?s idea of safety turns out to be New Orleans nearly 300 years in the future. Of course, once they get to New Orleans, it doesn?t take Joban more than a day to realize his father-in-law?s enemies are already there, and now they?re more powerful and numerous.

SE: Holy cow! That sounds great! Do you have any upcoming projects, or other books that have been published ?

DR: I?m working with a group of authors on a boxed-set of paranormal romances scheduled to be released early this Fall. I?m also working on ?Dark Sentinels Book Three: Parrish,? which should be released this Summer. The ?Dark Sentinels? series is about super wolf-shifters created by Mother Nature to preserve and protect wildlife. As usual, She has a secret, and the pieces slowly come together in the series when they start to notice a new pattern.

SE: I know all about that box set!! So glad to be working with you on that. Paranormal Obsessions is going to be an awesome box set!

DR: Later this Fall, I?m planning to release ?Taking Palima,? book two in the ?Kushiel?s Keep? series about dark spirits in a purgatory-like realm kept by Kushiel, the punishing angel. The first book in the series (before I?d decided it would become a series) is ?Untameable Heat: Kaden?s Reprieve.? Finally, I?ve already started working on a Christmas release, ?Destiny?s Christmas,? also about a different kind of angel ? descendants of Nephilim. It will be the first in my ?Orlosian Warriors? series.

SE: Wow, someone else who has ten things going on at once! I feel your stress, lol… Dariel – Thank you so very much for coming to visit today! I’m so happy you were able to stop by and share!