A professional psychic, a horoscope writer, a mother, a friend, but what Soraya relates with being most is an author.
In her soul, deep down, she was always a writer and her stories emerged from pictures, dreams and caricatures.
She lives completely submerged in her passions, and to some it may be dull but even the mention of a good story can give her goosebumps.

Cocooned in her lounge-office, she writes to enchant her readers with the mystical and the unexplainable. And for her that is the beginning and end of everything. Now that she has begun to write, she doesn’t want to stop.

The Quotesrain Interview with Soraya

Tell us about your life, your struggles, your passion.

From the outside looking in I expect people who see me on a regular basis will think my life is quite dull as I am almost always working on projects, but my projects are my passions. I love writing, in fact I feel compelled to write and when I am taking a break from that, I post on my Facebook group, The Witches Web I send Horoscopes to my cyber followers in my weekly newsletter, and work on my website

Whenever I need to take a moment to myself to relax and gather my thoughts, I find refuge in my little garden where I can sit, surrounded by beautiful flowers and shrubs. I am very insular and although this may be boring for some, for me it is idyllic.

How long have you been writing and what inspired you to become a writer?

Many years ago before I knew that I was a writer and had a large circle of friends, I used to write short funny descriptive stories, caricatures really, of my friends. I would pick one friend and then write the story and then whenever we got together I would show the story and ask them who they thought it was. Everyone including the subject of my story would laugh.
It was much later when I was in my forties that I actually began to think of myself as a writer. Being a White Witch and Professional Psychic, I had been invited to the opening of a new esoteric shop and the owner asked me to help with a press release. I put a few words together and this was seen by the editor of The Sunday Post Newspaper who then invited me to write the weekly horoscopes.
In 2001 I was invited to write reference books on Spells Tarot and other esoteric subjects, but always lurking in the depths of my psyche was the desire to write novels and I even took the time to begin one, it’s still on my to do list. Finally in 2015 I took the plunge and published The Wooden Rose, a Symbol of Love, followed by Before the Rose, the Gypsy’s Curse.

While choosing a name for your character, what aspects do you consider that determines what you finally call them?

I find choosing names really difficult and generally have a list of several names to choose from. Sometimes I analyse the names using numerology to see if they resonate with my story.

Do authors in general and you in particular plan series beforehand or do they just happen?

I can’t speak for other authors but I never plan, in fact when I am writing I always wonder where the story came from and am often surprised by what I have written.

How do you choose which stories to tell?

With The Wooden Rose I had a picture in my head, for a number of years, of an old lady standing by a river staring up at the first floor window of a house. One day I was having coffee with a good friend and I was telling her about something or other when she said that I should write novels as she could listen to me telling stories all day. I laughed and mentioned the old lady and the book grew from there as we chatted. A couple of days later and I had typed twelve thousand words. I took them to my friend and when I went back to collect the story she had been crying because of my story line. She called her mother and her sister and they were on the phone asking if they could buy it. My friend and I had a good laugh because it wasn’t even finished.

Do you have a “reader” in mind while writing?

I am afraid that I never think that far ahead and selfishly write because I have to, it is as important to me as breathing. I do not have a choice in this and I think I would be heartbroken if I could no longer do so.

How do you get reviews? Which was the best review you ever got?

With fifteen books published I have a great number of reviews however the best review I ever got was from my daughter who called me after reading The Wooden Rose. Its an emotional love story and really tugs at the heart strings so she was quite emotional when she called. My daughter is a dedicated reader and is never without a good book and I knew that she would be honest with me. It was my turn to cry when she said,

“Oh mum I am so proud of you, I got so immersed in it that I forget that I was reading a book that you had written, its fabulous Mum”

Getting reviews is another story though and before you can get reviews people have to read your book. There are so many to choose from in the marketplace that your book is like a needle in a haystack in a field of a thousand haystacks. Marketing is the key and it takes so much of a writer’s time and energy that eventually there is the danger that the writer has to spend so much time marketing that there are not enough hours in the day to fit in writing.

What does the word “story” signifies for you?

“Sit up. Pay attention you are about to hear something wonderful.” Story….. It is such a good word and I so love good words. Just think about it for a moment. What do you feel when you read these words, “I want to tell you a story.” I don’t know about you but that gives me goose bumps.

Are you currently working on anything?

I am currently working on the third part of The Mystery of The Wooden Rose, titled After the Rose, breaking the curse.

Do you have a special time or place for writing?

I have a corner in the lounge where my office is set up and I write there preferably in daylight hours and I hate being disturbed.

How do you promote your work? How will QuotesRain help you in your book promotion and sales, would you like to refer this platform to your author friends?

I am new to QuotesRain and I am delighted with their help. I feel as though I have a PA who has my back and works tirelessly to let people know that my books are out there. Other than that I occasionally blog or Facebook my titles.

Would you like to share something with your readers and fans?

Watch this space – I have a story to tell you …. in fact I have several…. Love and Blessings Soraya