I was living in the shadows, as it were, when I perfected my writing. Years ago when I decided to pick up my pen for the first time in twenty years, I was working as a 911 dispatcher. Had been for years. Working on the dark side of humanity day in and day out changes your brain. The way you think about things. The way you perceive and react to situations. It affects everything.
Even as I started writing, my first “romance” was rejected simply because the subject matter was too dark to fit properly into the genre. I was told to rewrite it and either make it a thriller, or a romance. Which I did, I made it a romance and the book became my first series. I never intended to stake my claim as a romance author, however. I was never totally comfortable with it, but I used it too hone my craft and when I felt that I was ready, I jumped off into writing darker psychological thrillers.
And so I go, with each thriller getting darker and the endings more surprising. An evolution in the dark, as it were. As the thrillers started to pour out of me onto the pages, I realized that I could use my line of work (at the time) and my platform as a writer to bring attention to some subjects that need to be brought out of the dark and into the light. Things like attention to medical needs for the mentally ill, domestic violence, and most recently Postpartum Depression.
Postpartum happened by accident, honestly. A few weeks ago I started posting videos on Tiktok telling the tales of my days as a 911 dispatcher and discussing the influence this had on my books. One of my videos went viral (well over a million views now) and as my account blew up by thousands a day the comments about Postpartum came in by the hundreds. I decided that something needed to be done, and in that moment I decided that I would donate half my royalties from my newest thriller, Carnal Knowledge, to Postpartum Support International.
While the story in Carnal Knowledge is in no way associated with the subject, the serial killer thriller- being the newest in the series can be used in the same way my other titles have, Crazy Love and Break my Bones, to draw attention and start conversations.
I write about bad things. Dark, scary, evil things. Things that make you check your doors twice when you go to bed after you put the book down. Those things are real. They are raw and powerful and sometimes hard to look at, and they need to be looked at. So for the next six months, meaning two royalty cycles for me, I will be following through on my promise to donate 50% to this charity, who helps men and women through what might be the lowest, darkest point in their lives. I can write great stories, and I can use those stories to help someone. Even just one person. So let’s start talking about the things that are hard to talk about, and just maybe someone that has been afraid to say something will step forward and ask for help.
Rachael Tamayo is an award winning and internationally best-selling author. She’s a former 911 operator and currently resides in Houston, Texas with her family as she works on the Deadly Sins series.
Website: RachaelTamayoWrites.com
Facebook: facebook.com/RachaelTamayowrites
Facebook fan page: facebook.com/groups/TheRTAsylum
Twitter: @rtamayo2004
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B01HC2VZ0C
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15251093.Rachael_Tamayo
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/rachael-tamayo
Carnal Knowledge is a twisted tale of lust, but not the kind of lust that anyone is expecting. A woman is hunted by a killer in a world that is turned rapidly inside out as her life is put on a countdown by a madman. This killer has authorities baffled, and will leave readers with one question: What do you do when you know you’re on a serial killer’s hit list?
One thing is certain, some appetites are best left unsatisfied.
A serial killer on the loose, driven by darkness and obsession. A woman determined to not go down without a fight and refuses to be a victim. International bestselling author Rachael Tamayo is back with a highly anticipated Deadly Sins novel. With twists and turns to keep readers gripped, fans of Teresa Driscoll and Rachel Caine will be hooked in this unforgettable thriller.
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