Author Interview | Meet Raemi A. Ray and her debut novel, A Chain of Pearls #mystery #authorinterview #mustread
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  • N. N. Light
    • Apr 23
    • 5 min read

Author Interview | Meet Raemi A. Ray and her debut novel, A Chain of Pearls #mystery #authorinterview #mustread




Readers, I have a treat for you today. Raemi A. Ray is a debut author whose mystery novel is one of the best I’ve ever read. I asked her for an interview, and she agreed. Allow me to introduce you to Raemi A. Ray and her debut A Chain of Pearls. Take it away, Raemi:

 

What book do you wish you could have written?

Probably Jane Eyre. It’s always been one of my favorites, but I’d have focused on the unraveling of Bertha. She’s the most fascinating character to me.

 

How important are names to you in your books? Do you choose the names based on liking the way it sounds or the meaning?

Without giving too much away, in the first book some of the names are very important to the plot, but generally speaking the names are ancillary. I do put thought into them and try to choose first and surnames that are representative of the class, age, and demographics of each character, but by no means are they defining.

 

Have you always liked to write?

I suppose. I used to write as a child. I have vague memories of a massive fantasy novel that was lost long ago when our early 90’s IBM computer finally died. In college, I somehow was accepted into a creative writing program, that got me out of math electives, but I wouldn’t say I was dedicated to the craft, like my classmates. But my brain has never been quiet. I’ve always spun stories, it’s only recently that I started setting them down with purpose. 

 

Are you a plotter or a pantster?

I am a plotter. I’m much too high anxiety to not be in complete control of everything all the time.  

 

What is your least favorite part of the publishing / writing process?

Truthfully the marketing and author-relations stuff. I’m a terrible self-promoter and I hate talking about myself. These sorts of interviews and putting myself in front of others makes me incredibly uncomfortable.

 

Is there a certain type of scene that’s harder for you to write than others? Love? Action? Racy?

Oh yes, any scene that carries a lot of character emotion is difficult for me to write. I have trouble with showing vs telling in these situations. Thankfully, my editor is quick to ask, “what is he/she/they feeling here?” so I can clarify.

 

Is this your first book? How many books have you written prior (if any?)

Yes, this is my first book. I’ve written 3 as part of this series and the other two will publish later this year.

 

What are you working on now? What is your next project?

I’d love to continue to explore Martha’s Vineyard through the eyes of Kyra and her group of friends, but we’ll see.

 

What is your biggest fear?

Oh this one is easy. I’m terrified of enclosed spaces or being trapped in any capacity. My worst nightmare is those escape rooms. I can’t imagine anything less fun than being locked in a room and having to answer LSAT questions to leave.

 

What do you want your tombstone to say?

I don’t want to be buried or interred. ‘All are from dust and to dust shall return,’ and what not. I should say I want to my ashes scattered somewhere romantic like Skye, Lucerne, or Lucy Vincent Beach but truthfully, they can be chucked in the bin or wherever. I’ll be dead. What will I care?

 

If you had a superpower, what would it be?

Fire, I think. I’m always cold. It’d be nice to have a built in heating system.

 

If you were an animal, what would you be and why?

A house cat, probably. I am introverted and take a while to warm up to people, but once you’re in my circle of tolerance, I’m quite annoying and slightly menacing.

 

What were you like as a child? Your favorite toy?

This is going to date me, but when I was real little it was a tie. When I was feeling girly, I loved my collection of Fashion Star Fillies. They were these colorful horses with brushable manes and tails. And when I was allowed to play with my brother and his friends, Micro-Machines.

 

Thank you, Raemi, for the excellent interview. Readers, scroll down to read all about her debut mystery novel.

 

Title: A Chain of Pearls (a Martha’s Vineyard Murders mystery book one)

Author: Raemi A. Ray

Genre: Mystery

Publisher: Tule Publishing, Inc.

 

Book Blurb:

 

The last thing she wants is to dig up the past…

 

When the body of a celebrated journalist is fished from the Edgartown Harbor, the official report rules his death accidental. But why was he alone on a senator’s yacht during a nor’easter? That’s only the first question London-based lawyer Kyra Gibson has when she arrives on the idyllic island of Martha’s Vineyard to settle her estranged father’s affairs.

 

She’s not looking for closure. She’s not seen him in decades since he left her with her aunt following her mother’s death. But as Kyra delves deeper into her father’s life, she learns he had many regrets and wasn’t as retired as she believed. The more Kyra discovers, the more questions she has. With the help of world-weary detective, Tarek Collins, they uncover a web of intrigue and corruption involving a powerful senator, a dubious energy company, and brutal murder.

 

As they chase down clues, Kyra and Tarek flirt with danger and race against time to solve the murders and uncover the dark secrets lurking beneath Martha’s Vineyard’s picturesque façade of old money wealth and privilege.

 

Excerpt:

 

Sunday

 

Kyra Gibson tightened her grip on the rails of the Island Home as it pulled into the harbor at Vineyard Haven. The ferry’s horn blared, notifying the passengers to return to their vehicles. Kyra hesitated, wanting a glimpse of the island her father had made his home nearly five years ago. The dock looked weather-beaten, the boarded-up, cedar-planked buildings just beyond, desolate under April’s gray afternoon sky. A chill snaked down her spine, and Kyra pulled her leather jacket tight around her shoulders. She descended into the belly of the ferry and returned to the warmth of her rented SUV. With a deep, steadying breath, Kyra prepared to disembark.

 

She guided the SUV off the boat and into a small village consisting mostly of closed shops and cafés. “Turn left onto Vineyard-Haven Edgartown Road,” her GPS barked. Deeper into the island, the town gave way to farms and spindly pine woods. The apprehension she’d been ignoring for weeks, resurfaced. Am I right to have come?

 

Make a U-turn!

 

Kyra cursed. She’d passed the turnoff. “How did he even find this friggin’ place?” she muttered. Looping back, she spotted the gravel drive and pulled up to a large house surrounded by a thicket of pine and brush. The house, a traditional New England colonial, was painted white with black trim. Empty flower boxes hung below shuttered windows. The garden beds were well cared for. Someone had spread fresh mulch and pruned back the rhododendrons and hydrangeas.

 

She parked next to a blue Range Rover. Taking a deep breath, she opened her door and stepped out from the safety of her rental car. The air was heavy with briny moisture. The damp clung to her hair and clothes. Kyra shivered. She gripped the key the lawyer had sent. Its spiny blade dug into her palm. She squared her shoulders and walked up the porch stairs, pausing before the door. Her breathing turned shallow.

 

She had never expected to be here. But she also thought she’d see him again. She’d thought she had time. Kyra unlocked the front door. It swung open, and she stepped into her dead father’s house.

 

Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):

 

 

 

 

 

 

GoodReads:

 

BookBub:

 

Author Biography:

 

Raemi A. Ray is the author of A Chain of Pearls, her debut and the first book in a Martha’s Vineyard Murders series set on Martha’s Vineyard. Her travels to the island and around the world inspire her stories. She lives in Boston.

 

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