Author Interview R Tran|R. Tran For Their Sins Cover

This Week’s Feature Author Interview with

R. Tran

Hi R. Tran, welcome to the Indie Publishing Group website. Introduce yourself to us. Tell everyone who you are, where you’re from, what do you enjoy doing, hobbies and interests.

I’m Rebecca Tran an independent author who publishes under R. Tran. I’m from St Louis Mo and I still live near there. I’ve moved away a couple of time and keep coming back. I have two little girls and a full-time job that keeps me pretty busy. In the spare time I have I usually write, read, sew, or cuddle with my dog. I also like going to flee markets and resale shops searching for teapots and other unique things.

When did you start writing and why? 

I started writing at 16 to fight depression after my dad passed away. It was either that or therapy and as a teenager I was too scared and stupid to admit I needed therapy so writing it was. I never thought I would be good at it.

Which is your favorite book you have written and what gave you the idea for it? 

My favorite book that I have written so far is still a manuscript and I am hoping to get it ready for publication within the next year or so. When I was writing The Chronicles of the Coranydas series I felt like there was a lot of unanswered questions that even I wanted to know. I needed a way to answer them and decided to write a prequel.

How did you come up with the title for your book? 

The title of For Their Sins is taken directly from the last sentence of the book and ties the theme of it in rather nicely.

Who helped you with the cover? Or did you design it yourself? What was your inspiration for your cover design?  

My brother Matthew designs my covers for me. I gave him the main images for the Chronicles of the Coranydas series based on images out of the books. But the cover of For Their Sins was all his design. We discussed what the book was about and the general tone of it. I sent him the first three chapters and he came up with the cover as it is today with minimum revisions.

What are some of the themes of your story?

For Their Sins has a much darker tone than I ever wrote before. It delves into the religious aspects of angels and the Nephilim as well as the constant war between good and evil. Love and loss drive the central character’s life propelling her in unexpected directions. There is plenty of action as well to keep readers interested.

What’s your process when you sit down and decide to start writing a book? What is your process and do you have a system? 

I think I have the worst writing process possible. I know my high school English teacher would throw a fit if she knew. Most of my books start as one idea or thought that gets stuck in my head and I think about it for days before I ever decide to start writing. I guess that is my brainstorming session but I don’t write anything down. If it’s something I think I will forget and its really good I will make notes but usually, it’s in my head. It plays over and over in words or pictures until I get it onto paper, usually getting better as it goes. When I start writing I usually have an idea of major events and sometimes the ending. I almost never know how to get between the events. Most of my writing happens organically. When everything is flowing through its magic.

Who are some of your favorite characters and why?  

Richard Rahl from the Sword of Truth series is one of my favorite heroes. I love that he is an inherently flawed character. He is the strongest wizard there world has seen in thousands of years and he has no idea how to use it. There is also something magnetic about his personality. I’ve admitted it before I have a little crush on Richard Rahl.

Claudia from Interview with a Vampire was always intriguing. She was the old lady trapped in a little girl’s body. She was spoiled rotten and willing to throw everything away for a chance at freedom from her maker.

Lestat from The Vampire Chronicles was the villain you couldn’t help but love and cheer for. He convinced you that he was misunderstood and manipulated at every turn. His charm and charisma got him in and out of all kinds of craziness.

The trick is finding a good heroine in books. Some have come close. Mercy Thompson from the series with the same name does a fair job as the heroine and is probably the best one I’ve read lately. She’s able to take down vampires, demons, and fire gods and make it out alive. Mercy also has her incredibly hunky hubby which only adds to her appeal.

Who are some of your favorite authors? 

There really shouldn’t be any surprise when I say that my favorite authors correspond to my favorite characters. They include Terry Goodkind, Anne Rice, and Patricia Briggs. I also love Dave Duncan and Anne Bishop.

Have you got anything you’re working on now?  

I always have several manuscripts I’m writing at a single time. My focus though is to get books 3 & 4 in The Chronicles of the Coranydas series and possibly the prequel ready for publication next year. I also want to finish another manuscript that is a fantasy novel inspired by the Exodus story in the Bible.

If you could have any super powers what would they be?

I would have super speed so I would never have to waste time cleaning my house and I could type my manuscripts super fast. I would also have psychic powers to make me better at my job and keep my kids in line.

If you could travel to any location in the world where would you go? 

I want to take my girls back to Vietnam to see where their dad grew up. I would love to go back to Lake Powell and kayak again to enjoy the serenity and beauty. Then there are any number of beaches I would love to go to, you name a tropical beach and I’m there. Next on my wish list is Hawaii, but Key West is always a winner.

Where do you hope to be in 5 years’ time? 

I want to work part time and enjoy more time with my kids as well as focus more on my writing. I hope to have my entire series published by then and all my current manuscripts finished. I don’t know if I will ever be a bestselling author but if I can make a small profit while people enjoy my work I’ll be more than grateful.

Thanks so much for taking the time to do an author interview. Take a minute and check R. Tran out on the links below. R. Tran’s book, For Their Sins, is available now on Amazon.


R. Tran Author Website

R. Tran Author Blog 

R. Tran Facebook Page

R. Tran Twitter Page

R. Tran Email Contact

R. Tran Goodreads Author Page

R. Tran Independent Author Network


R. Tran For Their Sins Cover

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