You guys, it has been a minute since I had a brand new author interview up on the blog. I’ve been working hard writing and editing my own books, but when I had the chance to ask Rachel Hobbs a few questions, I couldn’t say no.
Rachel is the author of the Stones of Power book series, a dark paranormal fantasy series. She graciously agreed to answer questions about writing dark fantasy, selling signed paperbacks and getting more reviews on your books (without being sleazy!)
Rachel Hobbs lives in soggy South West Wales, where she hibernates with her bearded dragon and her husband. By day she is a dental nurse at a small local practice. By night, she writes. Her debut novel SHADOW-STAINED is the first in a dark fantasy series for adults, inspired by her dark and peculiar experiences with narcolepsy and parasomnia. She’s since subjugated her demons, and writes under the tenuous guise that they work for her. Fuelled by an unhealthy amount of coffee, she writes about hard-boiled monsters with soft centres and things that go bump in the night.
Rachel’s bio from the back of her book
Eliza: Rachel, thanks so much for joining me on my blog! Your books sold me with the tagline “Monsters. Magic. Mayhem.” As those happen to be three of my favorite things. Tell me a little bit about your Stones of Power series.
Rachel: Thank you for having me! So the Stones of Power series follows Ruby, a spunky young woman with a knack for attracting chaos like a magnet, and Drayvex, the unscrupulous, grey-moralled Demon Lord who crashes into her life chasing his next power fix. In the first book, Shadow-Stained, oblivious Ruby happens to have just what he wants hanging around her neck – the Lapis Vitae, aka the power stone that will grant him immortality in the form of invulnerability. When you’re wearing this stone, you can’t be killed. And so the cat and mouse game begins. Drayvex is very much used to getting his own way through violence and unmatched strength, but the stone makes Ruby physically untouchable. So he’s forced to take a softer, more calculated approach by earning her trust. To slip into her heart and convince her to give it to him freely. But Ruby is more of a wildcard than he could ever bargain for. Cue psychological warfare, blurred lines and betrayal galore. The books are dark fantasy, and very much for adults, but they also have those forbidden, enemies-to-lovers vibes that for some readers is the big juicy cherry on the cake. Each book in the series introduces a new stone of power and follows the messy, tangled, ever-shifting relationship between Ruby and Drayvex.
Eliza: Your books take a different tone from the fairy-magic fantasies that are a dime-a-dozen nowadays. Readers love your take on dark fantasy and your ability to write about gruesome matters. What inspired you to take on fantasy from this angle?
Rachel: Yes, my books are gritty, violent and unapologetically dark. My two main characters are perfectly imperfect. I don’t censor them or polish out the ugly, and nowhere is this more apparent than in their beautifully toxic relationship with each other. Especially my demon, Drayvex, who’s actually pretty terrible to Ruby in every book. She must be a sucker for punishment! The first book in the series, Shadow-Stained, is a bi-product of one of the darkest periods of my life. Writing that book kept me sane, and I poured all of my then demons onto the blank page. The resulting story is something that is a little more real, that I feel keeps readers on the very edge of their seat in what has been described by some as a twisting, roller-coaster ride of emotions. Monstrous heroes and flawed, vulnerable villains are interesting, and I will forever be writing stories about them.
Eliza: I’m new to dark fantasy and I’d love to discover more! Do you have any book recommendations for readers that are just getting into the genre?
Rachel: V E Schwab is top shelf dark fantasy. One of her series I can’t recommend enough is her Monsters of Verity duology, This Savage Song and Our Dark Duet. The author herself describes them books as Sin City plus Romeo and Juliet, minus the romance and PLUS the monsters. Another series that I like to highly recommend is Darren Shan’s City Trilogy. It’s technically more of a gritty urban fantasy series, but it’s also nice and dark, so in my opinion meets the criteria. More fantastic names to add to your growing to be read pile are Jay Kristoff, Leigh Bardugo and Joe Hill.
Eliza: What is the most challenging aspect of the writing or editing process for you? Do you have any tricks that you use to help get over those hurdles?
Rachel: I think for me, the most challenging part of writing a book or a story is getting that first draft down. I’m a bit of a perfectionist, and so when I should be writing in clumsy sentences and just getting the initial words on the page, I’m wrestling with myself. I need to be happy with a scene before I can move on. I need it to read well and to meet my first draft standards. I tell everyone that I’m a slow writer, but honestly, I’d be a lot faster if I wasn’t my own worst enemy! These days I do set limits as to how long I allow myself to mess around with one friggin’ scene, and I’m getting better at drawing a line and just moving on to the next. But a great piece of advice I received recently is ‘progress over perfect’. You want to choose progress, always. You may never get perfect. And despite what your mind wants you to think, that’s okay. You can only give your best.
Eliza: I love that you sell signed paperback copies on Etsy. I haven’t seen very many authors do that! Would you recommend other authors give it a try?
Rachel: One of the most amazing feelings I remember as an early reader was getting my books signed by my favourite authors. Now that I’m an author myself, like them, I want to be accessible, and I want readers who want my signature to be able to get their hands on one at any time. I’m grateful for all readers, but those signed copy sales are always extra special to me. For this reason alone, I do recommend giving Etsy a try (although the international postage might make you baulk a little at first!)
Eliza: You have a tremendous amount of great reviews on your books. I know a lot of the writers that I connect with really get stuck on how to get their book into readers’ hands without being rude. What is your number one tip for getting reviews?
Rachel: The biggest hurdle, I think, is in convincing readers to take a chance on an unknown author, as opposed to buying something safer with tonnes of reviews. One way I try to get around this is to be as specific as I can with my marketing on who my books are for. For example, the Stones of Power series is a dark, gritty fantasy in the vein of Lucifer and Good Omens. If you like enemies that hate each other a little too hard, ungodly scraps between demon power-houses and fantasy violence and gore, then this series is probably for you! In terms of approaching reviewers, it’s important to do your research and be as sure as you can that you’re a good fit before you make any contact. Don’t just cookie cutter your emails, take the time to build a connection, to get to know a reviewer and really personalise that request. I think it’s important to take a ‘what can I do for you’ approach’ when it comes to review outreach, as opposed to ‘this is what I want you to do for me’. It will get you a lot further, I guarantee it.
Eliza: Thanks so much for joining me today! Please share links to your books and socials so that readers can find you!
Rachel: Thank you! You can find me on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, as well as bumbling my way through the occasional Tiktok.
Shadow-Stained (Stones of Power #1)
Soul-Strung (Stones of Power #2)
You can also check out signed copies of Rachel’s books on Etsy!
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