Arcadia Rayne

Hi! I'm Arcadia! Currently, I'm a PhD student studying developmental psychology, but you will be able to call me Dr. Arcadia very shortly. I was born and raised in Maryland, but moved to Boston, MA for school in 2020 which is where I'm currently based. I'm the author of the House of Hyrax series, which is a slow-burn romantasy about a kingdom run by the children of the Gods and a girl without memories who realizes she's the last living descendant of the God of the Dead.

Truthfully, I've always loved storytelling. I was writing novels on my family computer when I was barely old enough to read. Throughout my life I've dabbled in theatre and script-writing, academic writing, and more. I have always had a passion for using storytelling as a tool to cope with "real-world struggles" and it is an absolute privilege to get to do that through the House of Hyrax series.

Depends on the day! I find some of my best inspiration for overall plot by just going on walks and allowing myself some time to be alone with my thoughts. When I'm looking for specific sources of inspiration (like inspiration for clothing, architecture, etc) I use a lot of pinterest, travel to art museums, and tour historical homes.

I have a couple things in the works right now that I'm (unfortunately) not able to discuss just yet. Stay tuned. What I can say is that nothing would make me happier than the opportunity to meet up, chat, and sign some books so I'm always looking for ways to make that happen. In the meantime, you can order signed copies of my books off my Etsy Shop.

Reach out to me on social media! My DMs are always open to chatting and I try to host different Q&As whenever possible. (@arcadiarayne)

Officially, there will be four total books within the series. However, I am often tossing over the idea of different prequels, side-stories, and spin-off series'. So stay tuned!

Stay tuned!

The House of Hyrax series is a slow-burn. The first book, The Rose in the Shadows, is all about building the tension. It has some spice, but you can definitely look forward to books 2-4 each being a bit spicier.

I would love to see that some day! It honestly still blows my mind that people have enjoyed my story enough to even consider asking me this question. Right now the House of Hyrax series is a long way off from this, but fingers crossed!

Not at all actually. I have Pinterest boards for all the characters that include images of what I picture them looking like as well as their general aesthetic. In my head, the characters are completely unique people.

Book Two in the House of Hyrax series is called The Crown of the Dark Prince. It will be coming out in 2025.

Typically I allow myself time to roughly brainstorm the overall challenge in the book that the characters will need to face. Through that process, I typically come up with 2-4 scenes that come together really clearly in my head. From there, I begin outlining based on a 3-act or 27-chapter structure. I start by placing those initial 2-4 scenes where they make the most sense and then build the rest of the story around them. Once it's time to write I do write from start to finish instead of bouncing around between different chapters.

Scrivener for research and writing. ProwritingAid for proofreading. Atticus for formatting.

Indie-authors are essentially self-published; however, that doesn't mean that their work is any less valuable! Some of the most incredible authors I know started out indie. I made a very purposeful decision to go indie instead of seeking traditional representation. After studying market trends within my genre (New Adult Fantasy Romance), indie seemed to be a pathway that allows me, the author, creative control during the start of my series while also keeping the door open for later discussions of representation or traditional publishing. Being an indie-author isn't necessarily easy. While there are many "pros" associated with indie-publishing, it can also be a LOT of work and can be very expensive so whenever possible try to support the indie authors you know and love by purchasing their work and sharing on social media!

You can support me (and other indie authors) in three critical ways: 1)Pre-orders! Pre-orders help set a book series up for success by essentially showing the algorithms that "Hey! This is a book people like, you should be supportive of it!" Pre-orders help books place in rankings and do well overall so whenever possible always pre-order your books. Even if you have KU, preordering and Ebook is the BEST way to support the indie authors you love. 2) REVIEWS! Leave your reviews and leave them everywhere (Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc). Reviews do not have to be long or well-written but every single review helps a book succeed. 3) Sharing! Whether your sharing with your friends or on social media, you can be a big help in connecting new readers with indie stories.