Interview with D.A. Roach, author of Rarity

Title: Rarity
Author: D.A. Roach
Publisher: Amazon Digital
Pages: 197
Genre: Young Adult
Format: Paperback/Kindle

It's her junior year at Stanton High. Brogen, an empathic teen, is looking forward to another uneventful year with her buddy Meg at her side. Meg and Brogen are not in the in-crowd, actually, they aren't in any crowd. They are content keeping a low profile and doing their own thing. But the first day of school brings Becca, the blonde babe, and Jay, the charismatic guy who doesn't fit any stereotype. These two new students pull Brogen out of her comfort zone and into a new social situation. And with the good parts of this new situation...comes the bad. Becca is attracted to Jay and is prepared to stomp on the competition when it comes to making Jay her boyfriend. Brogen wants no part of any high school drama, but life...or fate keeps putting Jay and Brogen on a path together. This puts a target on Brogen's back and she's not sure Jay is worth the wrath of Becca. As they journey through their school year, several life changing events alter the relationship between Jay and Brogen. But the question remains, should they give in to fate and give love a chance? Or fight it and take the easy road? For More Information

Rarity is available at Amazon.
Pick up your copy at Barnes & Noble.

Welcome to The Writer's Life, Jean. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how long you’ve been writing?

D.A. Roach has been telling tales since she was a kid. Others would remark, “That’s an amazing story, it can’t be true.” But it was always true. Somehow she added the right words to make simple events sound exciting. But she was encouraged toward science since it seemed to come easy to her. She tried to enjoy a profession in this area but wasn’t happy. She wanted to create and tap into her artistic side. One day, a few years ago, an acquaintance urged her to write down the story of her first family vacation, and she did. It was her first venture in self-publishing and the book was entitled Trusting Strangers. Once she finished writing her first book, she wanted to continue putting her stories on paper and so she continued writing. In her free time she is usually writing, drawing, painting, listening to music, or reading.

http://daroachbooks.blogspot.com/, www.facebook.com/ DARoachDA/, @daroach12books, and Rarity can be found http:// amzn.com/B00N72V77I

Can you please tell us about your book and why you wrote it?

Rarity takes place in a small town in modern times. Brogen is an empathic teen who takes on everyone’s energy and finds herself emotionally overwhelmed and drained. She avoids all but her one friend. Their junior year of high school brings two new students to the school. One is the new blonde babe, Becca, who has the entire student body wrapped around her finger. And the other is a cute, charismatic guy, Jay, who doesn’t fit into any of the cliques...instead he seems liked by everyone. Brogen is intrigued with the new guy and while she continues to try and place Jay - she ends up falling for him.

Unfortunately, Becca also has her eyes on Jay...introducing Brogen into a sea of drama. But Rarity isn’t your typical romance. Part way through the story, Jay finds he has been diagnosed with a rare and deadly disorder. It turns his world upside down. His selfesteem is affected and his relationships are in danger of falling apart. Rarity gives the reader a glimpse into the terrifying world of a rare diagnosis, and while this is a fictional story, it could be the story of any person diagnosed with vascular Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (vEDS).

I wrote this book because a year and a half ago my youngest child was diagnosed with vEDS. vEDS is a rare collagen disorder that affects tissues, organs, and blood vessels. Patients are often misdiagnosed because it is rare. By the age of 20, most patients have had a major cardiac event, and the average life span of a vEDS patient is 48. Though some live longer and others die later. I had never heard of this disorder and there were no local support groups because it is rare. I turned to facebook and found an online group of vEDS patients that became our support family. They were brave enough to share their triumphs, fears, loses, and hopes with us. Rarity is hope for those with vEDS. Rarity is their story. Rarity is unconditional love. And I am donating ½ of all profits of Rarity to vEDS research.

What were some of the biggest challenges you faced writing it?

The biggest challenge I faced was writer’s block. I hit a dead end in my story. I had so many loose ends and the story was not headed toward an ending. I researched overcoming writer’s block online and in the end, I backtracked several chapters - twisted the plot into a new direction, and the rest of the story came out naturally. But I was stuck for at least two weeks. Q: Do you have a press kit and what do you include in it? Does this press kit appear online and, if so, can you provide a link to where we can see it?

Have you either spoken to groups of people about your book or appeared on radio or TV? What are your upcoming plans for doing so?

I have spoken to a support group for vascular Ehlers Danlos Syndrome about the contents of my book. The members were very excited to see how I portrayed the disorder and were very supportive of the book. As for upcoming plans to speak about my book, at this time I am focusing on my blog tour and will consider any interviews offered to me. Q: Do you have an agent and, if so, would you mind sharing who he/she is? If not, have you ever had an agent or do you even feel it’s necessary to have one?

No, I do not have an agent. I believe there are so many resources and info sources available online that it’s worth trying to self-publish without an agent.

Did you, your agent or publisher prepare a media blitz before the book came out and would you like to tell us about it?

Do you plan subsequent books?

Not pertaining to this book, however, I am in the process of wrapping up my J+P series and plan to finish it before I begin my next stand-alone novel.

Thank you for your interview, Jean. Would you like to tell my readers where they can find you on the web and how everyone can buy your book?

http://daroachbooks.blogspot.com/, www.facebook.com/ DARoachDA/, @daroach12books, and Rarity can be found http:// amzn.com/B00N72V77I

D.A. Roach lives in the midwest with her 3 kids and husband. In her free time she enjoys reading, writing, music, and art. She has had a diverse job list including teacher, pharmacist, and factory worker. Her life is rich with vivid characters and stories and she enjoys taking inspiration from these characters and tales to create new stories.

For More Information

Visit D.A.’s website.
Connect with D.A. on Facebook