We recently connected with Rachanee Lumayno and have shared our conversation below.
Rachanee, appreciate you joining us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.
I’ve always been drawn to writing since I was in grade school. It helped that an early mentor–my sixth grade teacher–encouraged me in my writing. That early confidence was crucial in continuing to pursue it.
I’ve been writing in some form or another for all my life, even if it wasn’t my main career. From journalism, to songwriting, then scripts and sketches later, and now fantasy novels, writing has been a part of my life in some way or another.
The biggest thing that helped me was surrounding myself by other, better writers (either in the writing room, or in a writer’s group), and not being afraid of notes and critiques. You can either write just for yourself, just for fun, just to get something on a page. But if you want to make it a career, then you have to be willing to learn and grow. If you think you have nothing left to learn, you won’t grow–and you won’t get anywhere.
I spent several years in a writers group before I ever published my first novel. I didn’t even workshop my books in the group. Instead, I was submitting my film and TV scripts. Could I have sped up the process? Maybe. But I needed that time to absorb, learn, and figure out my voice. And the relationships I built in my writers group ended up being invaluable when it was time to launch my first book–my co-leader is also my editor.
So, can you shortcut the process? I’m not sure, because as creatives, we’re always “in process.”
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Hi! I’m Rachanee Lumayno, an author, actress, and voiceover artist. I write YA fantasy novels. As of this writing, Heir of Crowns and Curses, Book 4 in my Kingdom Legacy series, has just been released, and Heir of Secrets and Spectres, Book 5, is slated for an April 2024 release. I also write for a web comic series and an upcoming video game. I’m happy to talk about anything fantasy, writing, editing, and self-publishing.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
“I really love your music, but it’s either I buy a CD or I buy groceries this week. Sorry.”
That’s what someone said to me after I had played a concert in their area. As a touring singer=songwriter, I played close to 100 dates a year all around the United States. Sounds glamorous, right?
Kind of.
I drove around the U.S. in my little beater car, selling CDs out of my trunk. I’d only get paid by tips, or CD sales. The year was 2008, and the financial crisis had hit everywhere hard. I was hearing words like that more and more often. So I knew something was up.
And then the real turning point came.
I drove about six hours from my native Michigan to a venue in Ohio to play a concert that night. I arrived in time for my sound check to find out … the venue had shut down. But they hadn’t bothered to tell me.
They were also supposed to put me in a hotel for the night. But–surprise, surprise–that didn’t happen either.
So I was hundreds of miles from home, a young, solo woman, with a bunch of expensive equipment in my car, and nowhere to sleep. Because it was the start of a tour, I couldn’t turn around and drive home. I had to tough it out.
And I started looking for ways to diversify my income.
That unexpected closure led me to doing theatre back in Michigan, because at least I could stay close to home. Which eventually sparked a move across country, and now a career in acting and writing.
And having that flexibility to be creative, but stay local, has made a difference in my personal life as well, when I became a caregiver.
So even though that venue shutdown (and all of 2008) was devastating, it taught me resilience and opened up an entirely new creative career for me.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
Being a creative is hard work, but it’s also so rewarding. Stories help us relate to each other–communication is one of the most important skills we possess. Being able to share my stories with people–and hearing that they love them and make a difference in their lives–motivates me to keep going.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.rachanee.net
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/rachaneelumayno
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@rachaneelumayno
- Other: Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/series/339973-kingdom-legacy Join my Discord community! – https://discord.gg/zC2FEsatJw
Image Credits
Headshot – Robert Olin Studios Book Covers – Fiona Jayde Media Picture at LosCon 2023 – Marshall McCann