Rae of Hope by W.J. May - Review & Interview

Rae of Hope by W.J. May
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

How hard do you have to shake a family tree to find out the truth of the past?

Fifteen-year-old Rae Kerrigan has never questioned her family’s history. That is until she accepted a scholarship to Guilder Boarding School in England. Guilder is a very unique, gifted school.

Rae has no idea what she is getting herself into or that her family’s past is going to come back and taunt her. She learns she is part of an unparalleled group of individuals who become marked with a unique tattoo (tatù) on their sixteenth birthday. The tatù enables them to have supernatural powers particular to the shape of their marking.

Both her parents were marked though Rae never knew, as they passed away when she was young and never told her. Learning about her family’s past, her evil father and sacrificial mother, Rae needs to decide if there is a ray of hope for her own life.

MY REVIEW:

W.J. May has written a story filled with magic, suspense, and a touch of romance, I thoroughly enjoyed Rae of Hope. The writing was good, character description were well written that you felt you knew everyone well. The story flowed extremely well and I was quite shocked when I realized I was at the end. W.J. May’s writing is really good, and I can’t wait for the next book in this series.

Rae who has experienced the loss of her parents has been living with her aunt and uncle in New York since she was 6 years old; she has had a good life and has no complaints. So when she receives an acceptance letter to the Guilder Boarding School in England she is not sure why her uncle applied for her to attend there, but doesn’t question him.

When she arrives we meet her new roommate Molly who becomes a great friend to Rae and ends up very important to her. Of course there are many other great characters in this book and they are also very well written so you get to know them. As Rae learns more about the school and her own families history she is shocked to find out her father was a pretty evil man and all the people in her school teachers and classmates seem to know more about her family then she does.

Trying to prove that she is not her father’s daughter Rae knows she is good deep inside. Now the waiting begins as everyone is watching to see what happens to Rae when she turns sixteen, as this is when they get their powers; and her powers may be extreme. This is all I can say without writing spoiler alerts. Rae of Hope is a must read and I suggest you go grab a copy.

I recommend Rae of Hope to anyone who loves YA Paranormal and its worth every cent you may have to pay for it. I have rated it a 4 out of 5 and only thing I can say that I didn’t like is that I wish it didn’t end so fast. Now to find out when the next book comes out?



About the Author:

Wanita May grew up in the fruit belt of Ontario - St.Catharines.  Crazy-happy childhood, she always has had a vivid imagination and loads of energy.

The youngest of six -- four older brothers, and sister -- they taught her at a young age to be competitive in all aspects of life.
At sixteen, she began competing in athletics (track and field) and before she turned seventeen, she was representing Canada in high jump.  She continued to compete, breaking Canada's JR High Jump record (1.92m - 6' 3 1/2" for those metric-ly challenged).  She attented University of Toronto, and Kansas State University - graduating with a BS degree in Kinesiology and beginning her Masters in Business.

She is currently married, and the mother of three adorable kids.

After her father passed away in 2009, from a six-year battle with cancer (which she still believes he won the fight against), she began to write again.  A passion she'd loved for years, but realized life was too short to keep putting it off.

Her first book, Rae of Hope - from the Chronicles of Kerrigan - is available Nov 15, 2001 by Mitchell Morris Publishing.  It is contracted as a four book series and available in print and ebook through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Smashwords and other online sites.

She is currently represented by Dawn Dowdle of Blue Ridge Literary Agency. Wanita is a writer of Young Adult, Fantasy Fiction and where ever else her little muses take her.

Now, enjoy the interview!

1. Did you always want to be a writer? And what inspired you to write?

I have always enjoyed writing, but never thought I’d become a writer.  My Dad passed away three years ago and I began writing after he died. He was a great example of how to live life to the fullest and so I am trying to do that now 

2. How would you describe RAE OF HOPE?

A Must Read. LOL.  It’s a paranormal tattoo world.  The first book, Rae of Hope, deals with Rae Kerrigan attending Guilder Boarder school and the second book starts to get into more than just the school setting.  The third book in the series has Rae working for a special agency and the fourth book in the series… well, its still in the writing phase  The Chronicles of Kerrigan is full of mystery, thrills, supernatural and romance. A little bit of everything.

3. Which character you had most fun writing?

I would probably say Molly – Rae’s roommate.  She’s really bouncy, crazy, annoying, funny and unpredictable.  Rae is a lot of fun to write about as well – it’s amazing to see her grow up.

4. What was your main source of inspiration for the story?

My interest in tattoo’s. Plus my love of paranormal and fantasy.

5. What should readers expect from RAE OF HOPE?

A great twist at the end.  A lot of mystery and, without realizing, connections from book one that link together in book two, three and four.

6. How did you come up with the title of your book?

Rae Kerrigan is the main character.  I love playing with words and using double meanings so Rae of Hope actually had its title before I even started writing the story – when the concept was just forming.

7. What books have most influenced your life most?

Every book I’ve picked up.  Every book I’ve fallen in love with as a kid or as a teen and as an adult.  If a story can take me away for a little while and leave me thinking after, it’s a great book.  If I had to choose one specific, I’d probably pick the Chronicles of Narnia – CS Lewis created a fantastic world that I still enjoy reading as an adult.

8. What are your current projects?

Three WIP actually.  I am currently working on the publishing edits for Dark Nebula, the second book in the Chronicles of Kerrigan,  and my agent has a fantasy-thriller we are working on. 

9. Do you see writing as a career?

It’s something I enjoy so I think I would be writing whether I was published or not.  My husband and I own our own business that deals in vintage jewelry.  Great inspiration comes from that!

10. When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

I wrote as a kid but in highschool began highjumping and that became a focus through HS and university.  I fell back in love with it after my father passed away and Rae of Hope was basically the first book that came out.

11. As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?

An Olympic athlete, a teacher, a mom, probably every character I read… btw, I’m still not positive I’ve grown up.

12. Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?

I do get to hear a lot from my readers.  The internet is a fantastic thing in the way we get to communicate and stay in touch.  The response is so much fun! It’s encouraging and inspiring.  I love hearing what people liked, what confused them, what got them asking questions – because then I know they were thinking about the story after it was finished. That’s a great sign in my opinion.

13. Where do you hope to take your writing in the future?

I’d love to write full time but I enjoy doing loads of stuff so I’m happy where I’m at right now.  I do hope to get my next series published as well. The writing process is a learning experience and is an awesome ride.

14. What were your feelings when your first novel was accepted/when you first saw the cover of the finished product?

WOW! And double wow! I couldn’t believe Rae of Hope had a contract offered, and it turned into a four book series. I LOVE the cover and now can’t wait to see the cover of Dark Nebula, the second book in the series.

15.  Are you working on any books/projects that you would like to share with us?

If you go to youtube and type in wanitajump – you’ll see some of my book trailers.  There is a WIP process called SEVENTH MARK and another SHADOW of DOUBT.  I like making the trailers – those two are rough, but they are fun to do and a little break from writing!

16.  What was one of the most surprising things you learned in writing your book?

I like editing.  I never thought I would but I really enjoy it!  It’s fun taking the story you know, making it tighter and adding some foreshadowing and hints. 

17.  Who designed the covers?

My publisher does the covers and did a fantastic job with RAE OF HOPE.

18.  What was the hardest part of writing your book?

Finding the time to write.  I have three kids, hubby and business.  Seems I’m always busy and wishing I had more time to read and to write  

Any last thoughts or words of wisdom you would like to share with the readers?

Fall in love with every story.  Become a character in every book.  And never skip ahead! The surprise is always worth it! 

Thanks for letting me stop by!

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