Which authors do you aspire to be like? What lessons can you learn from them to cultivate your own identity as an author?

When I think of the authors that I aspire to be like, the authors who have done so well at not only creating a fiction story but have done so well at making this story come to life in the minds of those who read it, I think of authors like E.L. James, L.J. Smith, and P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast.

One lesson that I can learn from E.L. James would be to create an entrancing erotic scene, BDSM related or not. With L.J. Smith, the number of details that she places into her series The Vampire Diaries is something to aspire to and learn from. The underworld that Smith created for her 'Vampire Diaries' series is out of this world; pun intended.

When someone reads even just a portion of my writing, I want them to be able to name me without seeing my name on the piece before they read it. To clarify, if a group of people were given a sample of my writing without seeing my name anywhere on that writing, I would want them to be able to say, “Oh, that is Author R.F. Massey’s work!”

What is unique about you as a writer, including your style, experiences, or expertise?

What is unique about me as a writer, style included would have to be my attention to detail and my ability to unload a mess of raw emotion into my work. I have heard these as compliments from peers and from previous professors and it is something that fuels me as a writer even still to this day.

For example: "The wind is howling through burning willows and crackling bark. Embers from burnt down trees dancing through the blood-tinged sky. Screams encompassing us at every corner of this blood-sodden earth. Houses are destroyed and families are torn apart. The world is coming to an end faster than anticipated and it is up to us to put an end to all this destruction and chaos."

Will you use a pseudonym? Why or why not? (Note: Keep in mind that if you use a pseudonym for your work in this class, your classmates will be able to associate your name with your pseudonym now and in the future.)

Well, I am not sure if R.F. Massey in place of Rachael Faye Massey would really be considered a pseudonym or not, but if so, then yes, I will be using one; if not, then no. If not, then it is because I want to be a well-known author by my real name rather than a fictional name made up by me to keep my real identity hidden. I know that this may not be the actual reason as to why some choose to use pseudonym’s in place of their real names, but it is just my thought process on the matter.

While it has been brought to my attention that this has become quite popular lately, I feel like R. F. Massey fits my brand and who I am. It may be a risky move keeping it like this, but that is a risk I am willing to take with my work.