Rayne Hall is a fantasy and horror author
who has had more then forty books published under several pen names, in several
genres, by several publishers, in several languages.
Do you write under your actual name or a pen name, and is there any special
meaning behind your name?
Over
the years, I've written in different genres and styles. To avoid confusing
readers, I use different pen names. Rayne Hall is the name I use for my fantasy
and horror fiction.
I
chose “Hall” because it's easy to pronounce in both German (my mother tongue)
and English (my writing language). It's brevity is useful for Twitter and for
book cover design. It's a the surname of
some of my ancestors, so it feels right.
When
I was casting for a first name to use, a friend had a dream in which I was
using Rayne, and told me about it. It seemed a good omen.
“Rayne”
is a medieval women's name, although not many people know that. Some people
assume that “Rayne” is a man's name, because it rhymes with “Wayne”. This suits
me well, because if people don't know my gender, they can't pigeonhole me, and
this gives me the freedom to write what I like. This is especially important
for horror fiction, which some people think of as a man's genre. My bestselling
book “Writing Fight Scenes” - a guide for author - attracts a lot of praise
from reviewers who laud how well “Mr Hall” understands the anatomy of a fight.
I wonder if they'd be equally enthusiastic if they knew I was a Ms.
What are the names of your main characters and what can you tell us about them?
The main character in Storm Dancer is
Dahoud. He's a troubled character, a former siege commander who needs to atone
for his dark past. He fights to protect
women from war's violence, but he his possessed by a demon. How can he shield
the woman he loves from the evil inside him?
Do their names have special significance
to your story or were they just names that you liked?
“Dahoud” is an old Arabic name, dating back
thousands of years. It's the same name as David (the king) in the Bible. The fantasy world of Storm Dancer is
based on the Bronze Age period in a Middle Eastern-type setting, so this is
perfect.
Other character names in Storm Dancer are
also ancient Hebrew, Aramaic, Hittite or
Persian, some are medieval Turkish and Arabic. Some are made-up fantasy names,
inspired by the names of those cultures and periods.
The same applies to the names in The
Colour of Dishonour: Stories from the Storm Dancer World. The tales feature
some of the same characters. The other characters also have names that are
compatible with the culture.
Some of the stories are inspired by myths
and classics of literature. For example, the story “Kin” in The Colour of
Dishonour is loosely based on a section from a Shakespeare play. My choice of
names is a nod to Shakespeare. Widow Leah is King Lear, and her daughters
Mahlega, Gonila and Komal represent Regan, Goneril and Cordelia.
What are some fictional names of
places where your characters’ stories unfold?
Djildit, Tajlit, Quislabat, Koskara,
Zigazia, Darria, Samil, Ain Elnour, Oubar, Ain Muzab, Ain Narnat.
How did you choose the names for your
fictional settings? Do they have special significance?
Inventing place names can be fun. When I
needed a place name for an oasis town, I happened to be listening to the catchy
Egyptian song “Nour El Ain” by Amr Diab.
I jiggled the syllables and it became Ain Elnour.
The town name Oubar is inspired by Ubar,
the mythical city that had sunk into the sands.
For other places, I consulted maps of North
Africa and the Middle East. I looked for small villages with interesting names
and changed a few letters to make them different.
Thanks for sharing!
Find Rayne Hall all across the interwebs....
Don’t forget to check out the Indie Giveaway for a chance to
win an ebook of Rayne's novel, Storm Dancer, along with 10 more awesome ebooks by some
great indie authors! Also up for grabs are 3 print books and a $20 Amazon card!
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