Guest Blog with Author Kayti Nika Raet

 

Author Kayti Nika Raet

I had the pleasure of meeting Kayti Nika Raet on Twitter where she supports fellow Indie Authors and invited her to join the World Wide Blog Hop (see the Home page and click on the World Wide Blog Hop in the archives). Kayti is a down to earth and talented Author.

Here’s a little about Kayti:

Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Kayti Nika Raet moved down South when she was 11, where she was bitten by the writing bug, as well as other, less friendly insects.

She is the author of the Outsider Chronicles, a five book series starting with NIKO and set in a world where the rain burns like acid and flesh eating monsters roam.

She’s also a reviewer for Readers’ Favorite and has her own Youtube Channel: Kayti Edition.
When she is not hard at work on her fourth book she has fun reading, listening to K-pop, and photography.
Kayti lives in Georgia.

Her Niko series, The Outsider Chronicles Book 1 is currently available on amazon click HERE to purchase.

The Outsider Chronicles
by Kayti Nika Raet

The Outsider Chronicles Summary:

Science Fiction * Action/Adventure * Monsters * Thriller * Romance * Horror

One can live for several weeks without food, but only a few days without water, a fact seventeen year old Niko is only too aware of as she struggles to provide for her two younger brothers in a post apocalyptic landscape where the rain burns like acid, food grows increasingly scarce and any Slither that crosses her path is laid low before it can sink its teeth into her.

Then one night everything she’s ever worked for and loved is consumed by a raging fire, leaving her with one brother missing, the other dead and herself gravely injured.

She is rescued by the Rose Circle, an elite group of Slither hunters who sneak her into Amaryllis City, a decadent metropolis where only those who are able to pay the exorbitant entrance fee manage to live a life of relative ease.

But for Niko, Amaryllis City is not the haven she grew up believing it to be. Its corruption runs deep and when her unique abilities as a Slither hunter are revealed she becomes a target to to a city hoping to replicate the awful experiments that created her.

All Niko ever wanted to do was find her baby brother, but that’s proving to be harder than she ever could have expected.

After reading her contribution to The World Wide Blog Hop I knew it would be fun to have Kayti as a Guest Blogger here on Rey Books so I offered her the opportunity and she graciously accepted and here we are.

So I’ll now turn it over to Kayti.

Kayti:

Today I’ve been invited by Ronald (or am I just hijacking his blog? Mwah ha ha…) to create a guest post and since it’s November and that means NaNoWriMo is on every writer’s brain I decided to talk about my experience thus far.

First off I should be honest, I’m actually NOT participating in NaNoWriMo but I am using it as the much need kick the pants to finish the second half of my book.

I’ve written three books so far and each has been a learning experience. With book one (Niko) I had to remember that while I was having fun crafting new worlds I also had to lay the ground work for the rest of the series. Book two (Harm) made me realize how much I hate writing sequels. Book three (Outsider) made me realize WHY I hated writing sequels, and what I had to do to fix it (act like I’m writing a whole new book and insert the back story in the second draft).

Book four (Monster), which is the penultimate book in the Outsider Chronicles is still in the first draft stage, and back in July, when I first started I was on a roll, 20k of shocking twists and turns! Woot!

I thought August would be similar… boy was I wrong! I wrote 10k words which had to get deleted and then my story stalled completely.

Cue three months of frantically hashing out the plot (I hate outlining but this story is much heftier than my last three…) Writing scenes out of order (Maybe I just need to get down the parts that keep replaying in my head…) Working on short stories (Maybe I just need a break and a moment to do something different…) Cleaning (Inspiration will come while scrubbing walls…)

During those three months I got in about a 1000 words and logged in a few hundred hours of stress (MY BOOK COMES OUT NEXT SPRING AND I DON’T EVEN HAVE A WORKABLE DRAFT!!!!)

Then on the last week of October I swore that come hell or high water I was going to write SOMETHING and so on November 1st I wrote the scene that I had been avoiding all this time. It’s a short scene barely five hundred words, but it changes everything and I was scared to write it… though I did a good job of telling myself I wasn’t.

As a writer I believe every story has their own truth and it’s your job to honor that even if you might not feel comfortable with it or your worried what other people will think. If you don’t write that truth, the readers know and sometimes they call you out on it. In my case, my characters ran off with my pen and paper, determined to hold it hostage until I agreed to their terms.

I’m still nervous about it, and I’m still trying not to write escape hatches for me to wiggle out of. I’m going to trust the story (my little monster…) and tell it the way it wants to be written. And who knows, maybe I’m getting worked up over nothing.

Sincerely,

Kayti Nika Raet

author of The Outsider Chronicles

P.S. It’s about two weeks in and I’ve finished about 4000 words. Yay!

If you want to learn more about Kayti or her novels click HERE and check on her website.

If you want to let us know what you thought about our Guest Blogger or if you have a question for her then post in the comment section below.

Until next time continue to support fellow Indie Authors.

“If We All Push in the Same Direction We Can All Meet Our Goals.”

-RSB

Meet Nicolette Pierce

Interview With Nicolette Pierce

RB: Hello Nicolette. I really enjoyed reading The Big Blind and am happy to have the chance to interview you. I know you’re working hard on your next novel and appreciate you taking the time to do this.

So, tell us a little about yourself, when did you start writing?

NP: I never pictured myself as a writer, although I always thought it would be a fun thing to do. I had attempted a few novels in the past and was never able to move the story along. My background actually started with a degree in TV and Video Production with a certificate in Cinematography. I worked for PBS and FOX for awhile before deciding it wasn’t really the path I wanted to follow. I didn’t know what path I wanted to follow. So, for the following thirteen years I worked in an office, first as an Administrative Assistant and then moved my way to Accountant. That wasn’t my desired path either. I was lost, but grudgingly accepted my lot in life. Not everyone can have a dream job. That was the case until I stumbled across Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum novels. I gobbled up her books like chocolate and found my writer’s “voice”. In the summer of 2011, Mars Cannon was born and Nadia Wolf was right behind her.

RB: Tell us about The Big Blind. What made you pick Las Vegas as the location and how did Nadia Wolf come about?

NP: The Big Blind came about because of my husband. The man was obsessed with Texas Hold‘em for about five years. And while he talked my ear off on the subject and watched poker tournament after poker tournament, Nadia Wolf was taking shape. Simply, there aren’t enough female poker players, and I thought, “What if . . .” And anything can happen in Vegas, right? It all fell into place.

RB: There is a main plot and a sub plot and it flowed nicely. In fact it’s one of the things I really enjoyed about your writing. You have a way of keeping the story flowing and not breaking stride. Does your writing come naturally or is it something you worked at?

NP: Thank you so much! I think it might come naturally, but I do tend to enjoy stories that have subplots so I might be mirroring what I like. It also might just be the way I write. I tend not to preplan too much. The characters take on life and they control the story, even the sidekicks. I’m currently working on a novel now and I had thought a new character was going to act a certain way. He refuses to cooperate. He’s now in control.

RB: Now, from your website I see that there are more Nadia Wolf books, High Stakes, Cashing Out and Squeeze Play and you’re working on more books that go into the other characters of The Big Blind, telling their stories. By the way, that’s ingenious, will we get more books starring Nadia or is Squeeze Play the last?

NP: So far, Squeeze Play is the last for Nadia. Her story circled so nicely I didn’t want to over write it. It’s like beating a reader over the head with a club. But, like I said before, I don’t have much control over my characters. If Nadia wants another book, she’ll insert herself somewhere.

RB: So is there anything you want to tell our readers?

NP: Yes. I want tell them how much their support means to me. I’m a happy independent author because of every reader who took a chance on my books. Their ratings, enthusiasm, and word of mouth are incomparable. Without them my stories would be sitting on a virtual shelf collecting virtual dust. They breathe life into stories. So, a big and heartfelt thank you!

RB: Thank you so much for letting us get you know you a little better and I look forward to reading more of your work. You really are an exceptional writer.

NP: Thank you so much, Ronald. I appreciate the opportunity. I look forward to reading your work as well.

Here is the amazon link where you can pick up a copy of Nicolette Pierce’s The Big Blind

Click HERE

Working Overtime

Hello Fam,

I’ve been hard at work on the new Rey mystery novel as well as a new Chris Nathan mystery novel and a script, not to mention getting ready to finally release that Young Adult novel I’ve been telling you about….well, if you follow me on facebook.com/reybooks or Twitter @ronaldsbarrios you know what I’m talking about. Shameless plug. And yes you read that first part right, I’ve been working on all of the above at the same time. It’s a juggling act but it’s moving along nicely. I’m really excited about the works I have coming out and I’ll keep you informed as I make progress on each project. So be on the lookout for posts pertaining to the very first Young Adult novel from Rey Books and me.

BTW Christmas is just around the corner. Just thought I’d throw that in.

Happy Reading

RSB