Rayna L. Stiner, Fantasy and Multi-genre Author
Rayna L. Stiner holds a degree in graphic design and is employed full-time as a marketing specialist. As a freelancer, her business workload includes marketing, content writing, social media build-out, web design and graphic design. She’s also a Reiki Practitioner & Master Teacher who provides weekend services to her clients. With her long list of things-to-do, her most important jobs are wife and mommy of two teen boys who she says, “…make my life full and happy.”
Stiner lives in the Pacific Northwest, “A place of magical beauty which continues to inspire me and my writing.” When she’s able to pull herself away from the multiple responsibilities, she enjoys hiking and taking nature walks. Her downtime also includes cooking for the “tribe.” A word she uses to describe the friends and family she and her husband often entertain. She says, “You know we love you when we cook for you.”
Stiner says she would love to be a full-time published author, “…with maybe a freelance marketing client or two on the side.” For now, she’s content with life. “I feel fortunate to have a job that pays the bills and I’ve learned to be patient on my writing dreams, while not losing the fire it takes to realize them. This means I’m working a lot. I’m okay with that right now.”
These days, Rayna writes about a book per year. That wasn’t always the case. While the concept and “basic mythology” for her first manuscript, The Dragon’s Eye, rushed in and “held me captive”, it took about ten years to complete the novel. “I got sidetracked with life and my flailing writing attempts. When I finally completed the first draft, it was a sweet moment.”
Stiner didn’t stop with the first draft of The Dragon’s Eye, “…I revised the heck out of it more than five times.” She refused to leave anything to chance. “This was the first manuscript I wrote. I had no idea what I was doing. I got a ton of feedback, went to classes, read books, joined webinars, etc. and found new insight on honing my craft with each revision. I will say, at this point, I was trying hard for traditional publishing and the agent rejection (even an occasion of humiliating public agent rejection) spurred me to continue shaping my story to be the best it could be. I’m very grateful for the rejection I faced pursuing the traditional route because it forced so much growth. After trunking (putting it in a trunk to gather dust) The Dragon’s Eye for many years, I revisited the world at the beginning of 2017 and reworked it, expanding the story to be the first three of a series. It was and is yet to be published.”
Stiner admits, “I took all the rejection really hard and decided to write a different novel.” With The Dragon’s Eye locked away in the “trunk”, Rayna directed all she’d learned into her next project, and thus, The Broken Veil: A Dragon Bitten Novel was born and published in Oct. 2015. “After that. I wrote Bitsy (Published Aug. 2016), a paranormal fantasy.”
She was back in stride, flexing her creative muscles that craved more exercising. Not stopping, Stiner “…wrote the second version of The Dragon’s Eye, The Golden Elixir and am now working on The Dragon’s Eye, Book 2 (subtitle pending). I’ve also written a short story which was featured in an anthology sold to support women and children who’d suffered abuse. I’ve written several manuscripts I envisioned as children’s picture books and the bones of a middle-grade adventure.”
Stiner tells us about her published books.
The Broken Veil: A Dragon Bitten: Twenty-three-year-old Rori Cantrell is a Dragon Bitten, a link in the maternal chain of women born to protect a hidden nation of creatures most believe to be a myth. When the veil keeping them hidden cracks and threatens to break, Rori must race to mend the crack or the creatures she protects will be at risk of discovery. But, worse, if the veil breaks, the only known cure is the blood sacrifice of an uninitiated Dragon Bitten. And Rori’s daughter is the only one that fits the bill.
Bitsy: Bitsy Varret has a secret, and her name is Liz. But, Bitsy’s alternate personality, Liz has a secret too, and it’s leading them both into a world drenched in shadows and blood.
Bitsy was Stiner’s favorite character to write about because she “…enjoyed writing a character with a dissociative identity disorder.”
Rayna’s ideal audience would be readers who are “looking (for) strong female main characters, who can be their own rescuer”. The Broken Veil was written for an adult audience.
Stiner contributes her core story as a result of her childhood. “My survival of an abusive household as a child and the reality of Divine intervention to keep my sanity safe has played a major role in determining the stories I tell. I grapple with difficult topics survivors face like PTSD, anxiety, depression and lack of trust of others. The loss of voice, self-worth and how these losses affect survivors’ day-to-day life; overcoming these things requires choosing new thought patterns and habits. I know living life after any sort of assault or abuse is not easy, and I want to somehow encourage others who have been through these sorts of ordeals that with the right amount of energy, love, and support, happiness and fulfillment can be achieved.”
The power of words is very personal to Stiner because she learned to use them as a tool for surviving a tumultuous youth. “There was a lot of silencing, so I started exploring my thoughts in written form. Channeling my emotions and conclusions I came to about my circumstances, life and people onto the safety of paper was such a life saver for me. Those experiences showed me writing had the power to save, to change minds, to grow spiritually and intellectually. It also taught me how to problem-solve through writing to survive, then evolve past survival to thriving. Powerful stuff.”
Rayna was asked if her writing has improved since her first published book. “Oh goodness, yes,” she answered. However, she said she would not make any changes to her first book. “I know The Broken Veil is flawed. But, I sort of like seeing an author’s progression in their craft.”
Stiner says negative reviews “suck” but accepts that everyone is “entitled to their perspective.” She says she’s received a couple of negative reviews that caused her to become a more considerate reviewer.
Plotting a story and progressive planning is the most difficult process of writing for Stiner. “I have to do it, but doing it before I’m in the world (writing world) can be challenging.” The most surprising thing she’s learned as a published author is that it “takes a lot of energy and brain power to create story lines, characters, and build worlds”. For this reason, Stiner says she selects her writing time carefully. “After working a full day using my brain, I’m often left with nothing to give to my novels. So, I write on my lunch breaks or in the morning.”
For those considering becoming independent authors, Stiner says, “Perseverance and hard work may be the ultimate key to success. It seems like success for indie authors requires consistent publication of new works, marketing, and networking. I’ve learned to be patient about the progress toward success. Right now, I’m focused on producing more inventory for readers to consume.” She continues, “…success for one author may be something else to another. It makes sense to manage our expectations about what we want when we define ‘success’.”
Interviewer: What motivational phrase inspires you?
Stiner: I was traveling home by plane from my grandmother’s funeral and decided to drown myself in the story I was writing. The man sitting next to me saw me working on my novel and struck up a conversation. He was in marketing, a creative field. I asked him what advice he’d give to someone trying to become a successful creator (designer, writer, musician, author). He told me “Never let the anxiety of failure keep you from realizing your dream.” Even after all these years, I continue to turn that advice over and over to find new ways to apply it. Truth: fear disrupts the creative process, even on a neuroscience level. So, step one – don’t let that happen. Truth: failure happens… AND it won’t end you. You fail. You try again. You fail again. You try some more. Each time, you learn. So, why get anxious about failing? It’s the building blocks of being a better writer. If you allow it to be.
Stiner says the best money she’s ever spent as an indie author was for cover design, editing and the Willamette Writer’s Conference in Portland. If she were to brand herself, it would be with her personal phrase, Magic is Everywhere, Especially Within. And she strives to recognize and apply it.
Author Rayna L. Stiner writes Adult Contemporary Fantasy, Adult Urban/Paranormal Fantasy, and YA Epic Fantasy. To learn more about her, click any of the links below:
