Author Regine Abel #interview

Please give a warm welcome to author Regine Abel

Tell us a bit about yourself?

I’m a sci-fi and paranormal romance author. My day job is Design Director in video games. Yep! I torture game designers all day long lol. I’m a Canadian turned globe-trotter as my career has taken me pretty much all over the world. I currently live in Europe but planning on returning home in the not too distant future to start writing full-time.

Have you always wanted to become an author?

The desire to write professionally frequently popped up in my mind over the years. I was always quite the storyteller growing up. I actually wrote my first book at the age of 13 and sent it to a publisher. Surprisingly, one of the editors took the time to read and comment the whole thing before sending back the manuscript with a gentle rejection letter. The amount of work required to fix it overwhelmed teenage me, half of which I didn’t fully understand, such as character development lol. So, while I gave up the idea to become a writer then, the urge to write never left me until I finally decided to take the plunge again two years ago.

What was your inspiration for your current book/series?

The Xian Warriors series was first inspired by a stock photo image of men in fetal position that looked like they were being incubated in giant glass spheres. It made me think of The Matrix, the pod inside which Neo awakened when he first exited the Matrix. That made me want to write a story involving the transfer of consciousness. Sprinkle in some insectoid aliens partly inspired by the movie Starship Troopers, and the Xian Warriors were born.

Here’s the book trailer of the first book in the series: Legion (Xian Warriors 1)

What are you working on now?

I’m currently working on Raven (Xian Warriors 2). In the first novel, we learn about the Xian Warriors, genetically engineered soldiers that are essentially made immortal by their Soulcatchers. What’s a Soulcatcher? A psychic human female able to capture the soul of a fallen warrior and transfer it back into a new copy of his body grown in an incubator. Together, they fight against the Kryptid invasion, insectoid creatures hell-bent on dominating the galaxy. If you love sci-fi, action, and a steamy romance, this series is for you!

Do you have any quirks while writing?

I’m only comfortable writing in one of my three writing pajamas while listening to epic movie music.

What are your hopes for the future?

To become a full-time writer within the year. That possibility is very likely. And after that, to keep growing my fan-base and hopefully for them to continue to enjoy my books.

Do you have any advice for new authors about the publishing world?

Do you. Write what makes you happy, not what others tell you to write. Take reviews with a grain of salt. You will never please everyone and some readers will completely miss the point. It’s okay. Just keep going. Build your social platforms. It’s painful when you are an introvert like me, but it will make things easier down the road. Get yourself a writers tribe and support each other. Going at it alone is brutal. Making it doesn’t happen overnight. It will take a lot of hard work and perseverance, but if you write with love, then readers will love your work right back.

Do you have anything to say to your readers?

Thank you for supporting indie authors. Thanks to all of you who picked up my first book and helped spread the word two years ago when I was completely clueless. And a particular thank you to those who take a second to post reviews. It only takes a moment but makes a huge difference for authors.