Author C. Rae D’Arc is a lifelong book lover who has worked in nearly every corner of the literary world, from writing and editing to retail and reviewing. A university graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in English, she blends her love of storytelling with a deep appreciation for analysis and history. Though she lives in the desert, she finds inspiration in forests, fantastical creatures, and the beauty of nature.
When Princess Emerald of Somnus pricks her finger on a poisoned spindle, she falls into a deep sleep—and dreams of modern England. Caught between two worlds, Emer must navigate smartphones, new friendships, and a budding romance, all while racing against time to awaken before the poison claims her heart. The first installment of the Dreaming Princesses series, Dreaming Beauty is a whimsical and heartfelt retelling perfect for fans of Enchanted and reimagined fairy tales.
Q: What’s a memory of a story or book that made you realize you wanted to be a writer?
A: I always wanted to be a writer. I remember reading Kevin Henkes’ books in kindergarten and learning he was the author and illustrator. Those became my dream jobs.
Q: What’s the best piece of advice another writer has given you about storytelling?
A: “Write for you. Edit for others.” I don’t know who said it or if they said it this way, but it’s something I frequently tell aspiring authors, because we can become so overwhelmed by expectations, standards, and editing concepts that we fail to simply finish the story. Just write the story you want to tell. Editing and marketing can come later, after you have a full scope of the story and where it needs to go.
Q: Do you have your own circle of writer friends? If so, what other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?
A: I wouldn’t exactly call us a circle, but Jim Doran (author of the Kingdom series of YA fairytale retellings) and R.A. Cheatham (AKA Robyn Aimee, author of The Last of the Sea Elves and clean contemporary romances) are among my alpha readers. Every time Jim and I share a story with each other, the other says “I have a story like that!” Then, Robyn’s one of my best friends to encourage me with writing goals.
Q: How do you approach writing characters with experiences different from your own?
A: Research. Unless you’re writing an autobiography, every character will have experiences different from your own. To understand those characteristics and experiences requires research, preferably primary sources of people who have those characteristics or experiences. If that’s yourself, all the better.
Q: Do you have any rituals or routines to help you transition into “writer mode”?
A: As a music addict, I steer my thoughts with playlists for my stories in Novel (eerie suspenseful music for Don’t Date the Haunted, and neo-classical for Specter Inspector) with character theme songs. When writing in my Dreaming Princesses series, I often listen to hurdy gurdies, throat singing, and other folklore music. I also use a timer with the sound of rain to occupy my phone like a “do not disturb” mode.
As a born-and-raised citizen of Horror, Pansy Finster has survived Hauntings such as mad killers and poltergeists by living her brother’s rules, including, “Avoid dolls, clowns, and masks.” But after the death of her fiancé, Pansy finds herself alone—which is a dangerous status in Horror. When she flees to the town of Heartford, Romance, she’s startled that a masquerade has Regency ladies screaming… in excitement.
~Don’t Date the Haunted is the first installment in C. Rae D’Arc’s Haunted Romance trilogy.
Q: Have you ever had to cut a scene or character you loved? How did you handle it?
A: There’s a phrase for this, called “Killing your darlings,” because…it feels like that. It hurts, and I hate deleting anything, even parts of sentences. Instead of deleting, I just pull the “deleted” words off to the side.
I’m glad I keep everything because two editors gave high praise for my first sentence in Don’t Date the Haunted, but it was in a prologue that needed to be cut. I published the book without the prologue but later wrote a full novella (found in From Horror with Love) that includes that prologue scene.
Q: What’s one question readers ask you the most about your books, and what’s your answer?
A: “Where do you come up with your ideas?” Sometimes I joke and say, “Being crazy helps,” because I’m the type of person who asks, “Why not?” when I’m told not to do something.
Also, I write the books I want to read. I wanted to read a clean adult romance with dark humor that blended horror and romance, so I wrote it in Don’t Date the Haunted. I wanted to read a Sleeping Beauty retelling from Charles Perrault’s version (including the second half that Grimms and Disney cut out) that explored her 100 years of dreaming, so I wrote it in Dreaming Beauty. I wanted to see what happened to The Sixth Sense kid after he accepted his gift and solved murders, so I wrote it in Specter Inspector.
Q: What have you written that you found to be the most fun to write?
A: The story needs to make me laugh or I can’t write it. So, corny but true, I enjoy writing all of my stories.
In the grim city of Shigaqua, Aeron Spade uses his rare ability to visit the dead in his dreams to solve crimes no one else can. With help from ghostly legends like Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot, Aeron takes on a haunted murder case that could launch—or destroy—his career. Spector Inspector is a thrilling, noir-inspired mystery where the living aren’t the only ones with deadly secrets.
Q: What’s your favorite under-appreciated novel?
A: As a member of the Indie-published community, it seems like most Indie and well-edited self-published books are under-appreciated. To mention a few of my favorites:
- “Horror with hope” books by Michaelbrent Collings
- Dark romantic comedies of Kel Kade’s King’s Dark Tidings series
- YA fairytale retellings by Jim Doran
- Romantasies by R.A.Cheatham (or contemporary romances by Robyn Aimee)
Q: If you could live in the world of one of your books for a day, which would it be and why?
A: Definitely the world of Novel, because it’s the world of ALL books. So, to be more specific, I’d want to live in Urban Fantasy, but I’d really want to visit Steampunk, Sci-Fi, or the coast of Narnia in Children’s. I based Heartford, Romance, off of my own university life experiences, so I’ve already been there and done that.
Q: What’s a new genre or style you’d love to experiment with in the future?
A: The unique thing with my books set in the world of Novel (Haunted Romance trilogy and Dead and Back Again books) is that each book is an exploration of the genre. “Don’t Date the Haunted” was set in Romance, so it follows the themes and expectations of a romance novel (while also including some elements of horror since the main character is from Horror). I wrote a fantasy with multiple fairytale retellings when they went to Grimm’s Fantasy in Don’t Marry the Cursed, then set out to write a horror when my characters went there in Don’t Dance with Death. Specter Inspector: Dead and Back Again #1 is set in Mystery, then its sequels will be set in Thriller then Sci-Fi/Western, so my readers can expect those explorations in the future.
Q: What projects are you working on at the present?
A: My next release will be “Visionary Investigations: Dead and Back Again #1.5,” coming this August! I’m also working on books 2 and 3 in that series, the last two books of my Dreaming Princesses series, and a new series of Asian-themed, clean YA, dark romantic comedies with love-tetrahedrons. (I’m polyamorous when it comes to stories…)
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Now available in print and on Kindle!
While you’re here, don’t forget to check out my latest suspense novel, It Had to Happen, now available in print and on Kindle!
Book Summary
When Jack Utley loses his daughter just as his business is about to soar, it seems he’s traded financial gain for Callie’s life. After an encounter with a mysterious woman on the eve of Callie’s funeral, Jack wakes up to find that time has somehow rewound to the morning of Callie’s accident. Jack gets an opportunity that most grieving parents can only dream of – he saves his daughter’s life.
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Write on the World 
Thank you so much for sharing this interview! I really appreciate that you included the links for the many books and authors that I mentioned! You did such a great job with this, I shared your interview on my social media.
Thank you so much for sharing this interview! I really appreciate that you included the links for the many books and authors that I mentioned! You did such a great job with this, I shared your interview on my social media.
Thanks for the interview!