10 Questions with Author Rachel Brune

I recently had the pleasure of meeting the lovely Rachel Brune, in a writers group. She is the author of Echos and Premonitions, a memoir,  Soft Target, a suspense thriller, and Cold Run, a werewolf urban fantasy. Rachel is an interesting character herself. She served five years as a combat journalist, including two tours in Iraq. She then earned her MA in Political Communication. She currently works as a freelance journalist as well as working on some non-fiction projects and the sequel to Cold Run. I am so happy she found the time to answer my 10 questions.

1. What made you choose to write in this genre?
1. I’m a big fan of urban fantasy, especially the gritty, crime kind of modern-day magic. I think it’s completely logical that someone with these sorts of abilities and sensibilities – especially a werewolf like my main character - would be drawn to the sort of job where you defend your “pack.”
2. Who influenced you growing up?
1. I think I read every single Anne McCaffrey novel at my local library – and there were a lot of them. As I got older, I fell in love with Ray Bradbury, Neil Gaiman, and many others. At the same time, although I retained my love for fantasy and science fiction, I became enamored with the mystery and crime/thriller genres, specifically authors like Robert Crais, Michael Connelly, Len Deighton, and others. I like to think that Rick Keller is an amalgamation and an homage to the hard-bitten special agent pulled in for just one more job …
3. When did you know you were a writer?
1. I’ve never not known it … but it’s taken me several years to refer to myself as one without feeling like an imposter.
4. What inspires you?
1. Pretty much everything. A song on the radio, a news story on the Web, a conversation with a stranger, a story told by a friend …
5. Do you have a process? If so, what is it?
1. I do a lot of writing and thinking in my head before I even sit down to the computer. I make a lot of notes as well, as ideas come to me. Usually the first thing I have to do once the story starts punching its way out is to sit down, gather all the notes, and write out a sketch of the plot. Once I start writing, it comes pretty easily, unless I haven’t done my prep work. After that draft is finished, I tend to go on to other things for a few months before returning to the work, just to let it percolate a little. Of course, with every project (and deadline) that I attempt, and the constant learning I try ensure I do through professional reading, workshopping, etc., the process adjusts, changes, and becomes more than it was.
6. Beyond children’s picture books, what is the first real book you remember reading?
1. Red Feather, by Margaret Morcomb Lyons and Carnahan. It was a very old book on my parents’ shelf, but for some reason the story of the boy learning to make his way in the woods sticks in my memory.
7. What is the hardest part of the writing process for you?
1. Starting… :D
8. What are you currently working on?
1. I have a number of articles, a non-fiction proposal for a book on domestic violence, as well as a novel in progress, Steel-Toed Blues, about a blues guitarist and Army veteran who discovers she is a conduit between the American Fae and a Magician who wants to coopt their power for evil.
9. Do you have any advice for other writers?
1. Don’t give up! If you love writing, keep doing it.
10. What is one thing you would like your readers to know about you?
1. I have the ability to destroy technology with my mere presence … which is kind of a bad thing for a writer!

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People can find me at my blog and Web site, Infamous Scribbler, follow me on Twitter, or check me out on Goodreads. For anyone interested in my books, they can learn more on my Amazon author page. Thanks for having me!