What genre do
you write and why?
Of all literary genres, I enjoy writing romance most. From
innocent crushes to descriptive intimacy, there’s something about a love story
that hooks nearly any reader. I feel that a book is incomplete without at least
some love interest. Love stories
offer a nice contrast to violence, action, betrayal, and the like. Having some
scenes of tender intimacy, companionship, and sacrifice in the name of love
usually make the hardships characters experience more justifiable.
That being said, I don’t write romance exclusively. I pride
myself on pushing my limits and challenging myself when it comes to genre
writing. Presently, I’ve written paranormal, dabbled in Young Adult (YA), and
am now writing my first New Adult (NA) trilogy. All of these genres feature
love stories, but they’re not quite classified as solely “romance”. To me,
romance is an essential addition to any genre I write, now and in future
manuscripts.
Tell us about your
latest book.
My latest book is Unwanted, a New Adult dystopian romance. Unwanted is the first story I’ve written in the NA dystopian genre.
It covers new ground, which for me is an exciting challenge!
Unwanted follows the life of Quinn Mayer, a
second child in the fictitious country Stonewall where the government has
issued a strict one-child policy. Set in the future, the world lost 95% of the
human race after the population census rose to twelve billion people. As if
knowing what to do, Earth cleansed itself, eradicating nearly all of humankind.
As such, the United States fell, and in its wake the country Stonewall was
born. To maintain a sustainable planet, Stonewall issued a nationwide ordinance
that requires families to follow a mandatory one-child policy.
Extra children are known as Unwanteds. Legally,
the military can execute unwanted children if they’re discovered. If an
Unwanted survives to age eighteen, they then become Untouchables. Untouchables
refer to second-born children who survived their years as an Unwanted and are
now safe from execution. Untouchables are legally protected from assassination,
but society (or the people known as Underlyings) continues to shun them for
what they are.
Unwanted begins with Quinn’s eighteenth
birthday, charting her journey into Stonewall. She becomes the most hated in
her sector Ash and the face of Untouchables nationwide. Quinn receives great
hate, many death threats, and witnesses Unwanteds murdered all around her.
Quinn quickly discovers she needs to effect change to fight for basic human
rights and freedom.
Her greatest ally comes to her in the form of
Reeve Sutton, an Underlying of all people, and a soldier at that. While Reeve
should hate Quinn for what she is, he finds her curious, beautiful, and
misunderstood. Their friendship and mutual attraction bring them together, a
unique bond that could possibly challenge President Lynch and all of Stonewall
forever . . .
What marketing methods
are you using to promote your book?
Presently, I’ve been marketing my books on a
variety of platforms: Facebook (www.facebook.com/rachaeltulipano), Twitter (www.twitter.com/rachaeltulipano), Instagram (www.instagram.com/rachaeltulipano), and my website (www.rachaeltulipano.com). I’ve also hosted several giveaways on Goodreads. I plan to launch
more giveaways in the future, especially via my monthly author newsletter.
Interested participants should subscribe to my newsletter to access these free,
exclusive giveaways: www.rachaeltulipano.com/newsletter.
One of—if not the—most important marketing
method I’ve been using lately is networking. Social media has been pivotal in
bridging me with fellow writers and authors. The connections I’ve made in the
last few months alone are invaluable to me. I do believe the most important
marketing tool of all is word of mouth. Having people who believe in you,
support you, and ultimately advertise your work for you is crucial to any marketing campaign.
I’ve been returning the praise, too! When I
meet authors on Twitter or Facebook I add their books to my Amazon shopping
cart and do my best to endorse their work on my pages. Self-promotion only
helps to a point. It’s really what other
people say that makes a difference. I do my best to promote others to share the
love and spotlight. I believe writers supporting writers really is the way to
build a solid author platform. With a firm foundation of loyal readers and
supporters, the books are bound to sell themselves!
What advice do you
have for other writers?
Write from your heart. It’s a tad cliché, but
the best advice I can give to fellow writers and aspiring authors at this point
in my career is to write from a place of absolute passion and enthusiasm.
Writing to fill a void in the literary market or to claim the title isn’t
enough. Writing in hopes of becoming a New
York Times bestselling author shouldn’t be your main goal, either. Writing
should be your side hustle, full-time gig, or hobby because you can’t imagine
your life without it. If you write, do it for your love of storytelling and the
rest will fall into place.
Write content that speaks to you, moves you, and
ultimately makes you feel something.
I’ve started a plethora of projects that I quickly abandoned because they didn’t
feel right. For example, just because there’s a market trend in YA lit doesn’t
mean you need to push out a YA book in hopes of earning high royalties. A good
story is bound to sell itself. If you’re passionate about a story and it means
something for you to tell it, that’s when you write. Write with no intent of
gaining anything but a good book to share with the world. After all, money is
no object. It’s the love for the craft of writing that matters most.
What's your favourite
quote about writing/for writers?
My favorite quote about writing is by Toni
Morrison. In her wise words, “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it
hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.”
The moment I found this quote, everything
clicked for me. Authors are readers first and foremost, and often times imagine
stories that don’t yet exist. Being a writer means rising to the occasion to
put that story into words. If I’m disappointed by what I don’t see in
bookstores, libraries, and the like I know it’s my chance to write the book I’m
longing to read. This quote in particular inspired me to write my debut novel Torn.
Where can people find
out more about you and your writing?
Interested readers can learn more about me by
visiting my website www.rachaeltulipano.com. I offer synopses of my novels Torn, Mated, Unwanted, Untouchable and Underlying. Additionally, I share links
to all of my social media platforms there.
One social media account worth noting in
particular is the Instagram platform for my Unwanted
trilogy (www.instagram.com/the_unwanted_trilogy). It’s a new feature I’m
experimenting with that gives readers exclusive snippets from my upcoming
trilogy. I post a new quote each day with stock photos I believe relate to
specific passages and scenes from the books!
Finally, my newsletter is also a great place
for people to find out more about my writing. I first launched my author
newsletter in April 2016 and so far it’s working really well. I share exclusive
content with my subscribers and plan to host giveaways to reward my supporters
for believing in me. To sign up, simply visit www.rachaeltulipano.com/newsletter.
Who is you
favorite character in your book and why?
My favorite literary character that I’ve created is Bria
Lawrence from my paranormal romance novels Torn
(book one) and Mated (book two). When
first writing Torn I sketched Bria up
by embodying her with all of my favorite traits: undeniable beauty, unwavering
devotion, a streak of humor, raw sexuality, magnetizing charm, and acute intelligence.
To me, Bria is the most complicated yet enchanting character in this paranormal
romance series.
Her biggest weakness is how effortlessly she trusts everyone
she meets. She consistently gives others the benefit of the doubt, even when
they’ve crossed her. Still, Bria remains my favorite because although she’s a
vampire, she’s very compassionate. She feels everything, and at times she feels too deeply. Her emotions often
drive her decisions, which in both books becomes her greatest misfortune. She
is fiercely loyal, and while her happiness means everything to her, the
happiness of others comes before her own. Bria lets characters Landon Pratt,
Natalie Taylor, Alexander Stanton, and Aidan Collins choose their happiness,
which in turn affects her.
The complexity with which I wrote Bria is interwoven across the
series. Upon meeting her in Torn and
bidding her farewell in Mated it’s
safe to say all readers will have a soft spot for Bria. Though flawed, she’s perfect
in every way that matters and my most beloved. I have yet to write another
character that I cherish as much as Bria.
Why do you think
readers are going to enjoy your book?
I believe readers will enjoy my books because they encapsulate a
multitude of emotions and cross genres. I like to incorporate a lot in my
writing: romance, violence, betrayal, grief, light humor, and then some. I do
my best to create real, likeable characters while also crafting interesting
villains. Sometimes the line between dark and light blurs, holding the reader
accountable for choosing their own hero/heroine. With all of these
characteristics, I believe my writing is catered to almost any reader,
regardless of preferred taste. There’s a treat for everyone in my books, it’s
simply a matter of testing out a new author and giving my writing a try!
Where can a
reader purchase your book?
Readers can purchase my books by visiting my website www.rachaeltulipano.com. Under the “books” tab on my website, each novel cover is featured
and is clickable. The link will take you to a new page where you can read a
full synopsis of the story and browse through listed reviews from other
readers. Each book link also will take you to my Amazon author page.
To directly visit my Amazon author page, please visit www.amazon.com/author/rachaeltulipano. This website features my titles that
are currently published, with options to purchase both print and/or e-reader
formats. If you feel so inclined, please post your ratings and reviews on
Amazon and Goodreads to help other readers discover my work!
What is your work in
progress? Tell us about it.
My current work in progress is Untouchable,
the sequel to Unwanted and book two
in the Unwanted trilogy. Untouchable is intended to begin where Unwanted ends.
This second installment brings Quinn Mayer straight to the president’s
mansion. Facing President Lynch head on, Quinn joins forces with another
Untouchable, Kye Lux, to change the way the president reigns over Stonewall.
Quinn learns that her love interest, Reeve Sutton, may have betrayed her trust
and now she’s convinced she can’t confide in Underlyings at all, not even her family!
This discovery may have lasting repercussions that could haunt her.
President Lynch is threatened by Quinn’s knowledge, and as such
decides to pass a new law: Untouchables are now legal to execute, just as
Unwanteds are. After being an Unwanted for eighteen years, Quinn knows what
it’s like to live in fear of death every single day. Her greatest nightmare is
having to relive those haunting memories, especially now that the entire
country knows her name, what she looks like, and who she is.
In Untouchable, Quinn Mayer
is on the run. Soldiers are searching for her, hunting her down in every sector
of Stonewall: Ash, Cinder, Slate, Ember, and Somber. She begins to realize
anyone can betray anyone in the harsh, cruel, unjust world of Stonewall.
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