Introduction
Raven James is a British romance author of the completed Phoenix Reborn Trilogy.
Raven writes stories that feature strong men and even stronger women, searching for their happily ever after. She’s been writing love and adventure since 2020 when she release her debut book Echoes of the Past.
Find Raven and her books here.
An Interview with Raven James.
Step into the world of gods, magic, and time travel as we discuss writing with Raven James.
What led you into writing?
From a young age, I have been an avid reader of books, especially fantasy and romance. Over the years I have dabbled with writing, whether it was poetry, short stories or fanfiction, I was always scribbling away. After the birth of my son, I found I didn’t have enough time to write, so I used my time for reading instead. But when my little one started nursery I wasn’t sure what to do with myself because I hadn’t written in a while. Until one day I was browsing Facebook, and I noticed requests for beta readers. I was soon beta reading for several authors, alongside devouring more books. During this time, I remembered my love for writing and began jotting down notes for my fantasy romance, which turned into my RH trilogy. I believe my love for writing has grown larger over time and will continue to grow. Now I can’t imagine never doing it again.
What made you decide on RH as a genre?
It happened by accident. I have read tons of RH, but when I started writing my Phoenix Reborn Trilogy, it was originally going to be a MF. Then the other guys wandered into my mind, and eventually the story, and there they stayed. I love that RH stories are often full of love, kindness and sweet moments, with spicy scenes thrown in for good measure. It’s a genre I plan on not only reading for a long time, but also writing in as well.
What inspires your writing?
Various things inspire my writing. Be that everyday life, or a great book I’ve read, or a fantasy movie I can’t get out of my head. I also love learning about mythology and different time periods (real and fictional). I love to listen to music while I write, usually instrumental. The different songs can sometimes cause a creative spark and the words flow easier.
Tell us a bit about your latest release.
The Phoenix Reborn Trilogy is my RH fantasy series that follows Alina, a phoenix (not the feathered kind) and her battle to have a normal life. Which is difficult considering she is centuries old and being hunted by gods.
Along the way she meets Shadowbolt, a snarky, talkative horse, and Killian, a sexy farmer with a heart of gold. Besides romance and snippets of humour, there are plenty of plot twists and interesting characters to meet along the way.
Are any of your characters built on real life people?
What do you do to relax?
Sometimes certain mannerisms and quirks are based off people I know, but I’ve not based an entire character on a real-life person (yet).
Reading is my first love, but art and design is another way I relax. I love to create things, whether that’s through graphic design, drawing, or sewing. I’m always involved with one hobby or another.
What advice would you give to budding authors?
Write, write, write, then write some more. Give yourself permission to suck when writing the first draft, that’s what edits are for. You can’t edit something that doesn’t exist. Build a good community of supporters and like-minded people around you. Don’t feel like you have to be lonely to write. Some of my closest friends are people I’ve met in the reader and author community, and I wouldn’t trade them for anything.
And finally ... Who are your go-to authors?
There are so many amazing authors I love. Stasia Black, Maya Riley, Sadie Moss, MJ Marstens, Mika Lane, Erica Woods, Michelle Hercules and Sienna Blake are just a few of my favourites.
You can check out Raven James here: https://www.amazon.com/Raven-James/e/B08FHV4HZJ