A Great Interview with Author Dariel Raye!

     When greedy land developers set their sights on Dark Sentinel land, Torin turns to attorney Stephanie Bates for help, but she’ll need his protection to stay alive long enough to save his land.

     Real estate lawyer, Stephanie Bates, has risen to the top of her field through meticulous sacrifice and goal setting. She has no time for distractions – and that includes pets, messy relationships, and loose ends.
 

     Torin DuMont is a forensic scientist who chose the profession to avoid dealing with people as much as possible. Raised by a stepfather who hated him, he’s been forced to live a life of solitude, fueled by anger and distrust. When wolves and shifters start turning up dead, Torin must battle an enemy bent on destroying those he was born to protect. His greatest challenge, however, is Attorney Bates and the surprising affect she has on his heart.

Interview with Dariel Raye!

AR: Tell us a bit about yourself that our readers might not know.

Dariel: I started playing piano by ear at 5 years old, tutor ACT, SAT, Algebra, Statistics, and Writing (mostly essays and research papers), teach piano and voice, there’s always a tune in my head, numbers run around in there, too. I count constantly, and I seldom go to sleep before 4 am. I know. Sounds pretty dysfunctional, but I’m also a therapist so I know my own diagnosis. LOL

AR: What do you do to relax?

Dariel: I really enjoy singing and playing instruments, hanging out at the pier near the beach, watching the sunset, and watching paranormal movies and series like “Teen Wolf,” “Grimm,” love playing with and caring for my pets, and reading, of course J

AR: As authors, we’ve sometimes been accused of being several people. How many personalities live in your mind? 

Dariel: I actually have no idea how many people live in that troubled place. LOL I know 6 or 7 are talking to me on a daily basis off and on about what they want to do next. That’s why I become such a bear when I don’t get time to write. They never stop talking.
 

AR: What type of hero do you like best?
 

Dariel: Definitely protectors who are willing to risk themselves for their loved ones. I love straightforward, strong heroines and powerful, protective, rough-around-the-edges, big hearted heroes.
 

AR: How many plots do you include in one of your books?
 

Dariel: There are always at least 3: the macroplot and at least 2 microplots, at least one for each character.
 

AR: Tell us about a typical day in your life as a writer.
 

Dariel: I usually only get about 5 hours sleep since I’m up so late. Do my best writing late at night when it’s quiet and interruptions are minimized, right now I’m still under quite a few doctors’ care, so I won’t start tutoring again until next year or so, and I also can’t really exercise. (that last one’s becoming a problem because I love roasted pecans – lots of calories ;-)
Start writing and related stuff in the afternoon, usually only eat 2 meals a day, but keep plenty snacks close to my writing area. Seldom talk on the phone, mostly text. My writing desk is surrounded by research and writing books plus my 2 Kindles (don’t even ask why I have 2)
Usually write until things start sounding crazy (I read my writing aloud as I go), then read myself to sleep with someone ELSE’s novel.
 

AR: Do your books have a common theme or are they all different?
 

Dariel: Definitely. “Neither time nor space can destroy what is meant to be.” In addition to that, I believe in strong, intelligent, protective heroes who are not threatened by a woman’s intelligence or success, and strong, intelligent heroines who value themselves and don’t waste a lot of time on trivial stuff like trying to lose those last 5 or 10 pounds. They’re too busy living and accomplishing. LOL
 

AR: When did you know you wanted to be an author?
 

Dariel: I started writing stories as soon as I could write. Used to write them in notebooks back in the day before personal computers ( I know I’m aging myself. LOL), but didn’t really consider it as a profession until after a divorce. I figured since I hadn’t done very well at finding one, I’d create my own. LOL I wanted to offer other women the same escape I found in books by writers like Feehan, Cole, Kenyon, etc. When Ward hit the scene, I couldn’t hold back any longer J

AR: What inspired you to write your “Dark Sentinels” series?
 

Dariel: My love for animals, mainly, and I dreamed about them after reading about a writing competition at TWRP (The Wild Rose Press), so I wrote a short story, entered, and got second place! From there, the story grew into an entire world of beings born to protect nature and wildlife. I’m very passionate about that, and support as many animal rescue and protection organizations as possible. The “Dark Sentinels” are dear to me. Most of them with the exception of Sable, from book one, are not very diplomatic, but they’re willing to stand up for what they believe, they’re super intelligent (I love a smart man J), and they love with everything they are.
 

AR: What are you working on now, and what can we look forward to from you in the future ?

Dariel: The character voices are nearly screaming at me now because I’ve gotten so far behind, but I’m working hardest on “Dark Sentinels Book Three: Parrish,” and “Fiona,” a new contemporary inspired by a project I’d started working on with Mia Darien before my transplant. “Dark Sentinels Three” will be the first full-length in the series, and “Fiona” is evolving into a full-length, too. That said, I have about 7 projects in the works, but usually work on 2 a day. 

AUTHOR BIO:  Dariel loves books, animals, and all things paranormal. Dariel has written articles for The News Item of Mobile, and Black Health Magazine of Atlanta. A classically trained pianist and vocalist with a degree in piano and vocal performance and a master’s in counseling psychology, she completed studies for a Ph.D. with the exception of her dissertation, and finally stopped due to kidney failure/dialysis. She is presently writing a shifter romance series, “Dark Sentinels,”  a dark urban fantasy series, “Kushiel’s Keep,” two Nephilim series, “Dark Progeny” and “Children of Cain,” several erotic romances inspired by blog flashes, a new serial for her newsletter, “A and D’s B and B,” and a contemporary, “Fiona.” Lives with a very spoiled Dobie/Coonhound and a passel of black cats. To learn more about Dariel and her books and be the first to find out about her blog posts, visit her blog, her WP site, subscribe to her daily newspaper, and join her newsletter.

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