Yes, all the novel sized books in the Lily Hills Creatures series have spice, as does Saved By My Alien Husband, but the short stories I publish do not.

Do you have an interest in the end of the world and dystopian elements? Then start with Saved By My Alien Husband! But if you need a quick laugh that will lead into a bigger world, A Peculiar Day at Warm Welcome Café, a short story set in the LHC world, is your first stop.

Yes, as of June 2026 my full-length books are available in Kindle Unlimited and can be requested in your library app like Libby, Overdrive, and Hoopla. My books are not yet available in audio format, but that would be lovely!

Because of their length, my short stories are not available in KU, but are Amazon exclusive. You can read each short story for $0.99.

I do not generate my words. All the flawed words in my books are mine and I love them. I do use tools occasionally like ProWritingAid (it’s like Grammarly but fiction focused), which has some AI components to their software, but that is not my focus and not how I pursue my creativity. I’m a human, and love using my human brain to craft worlds. By the way, all the art on my website was commissioned by human artists.

As of 2026, I’m writing in Scrivener. It keeps me distraction free. I have folders set up to keep a whole series in one Scrivener doc, so I can go back and forth between books as inspiration strikes. I do not write in order, often skipping all along a book, so my last pass of the book typically features on checking continuity and adding in details that I decided later, so it reads cohesively. On my computer, I have ProWritingAid connected (it’s like Grammarly but fiction focused), and it works in Scrivener, which helps me find run-on sentences and other potential grammar things. PWA also has sprint timers and other productivity tools that help me focus.

I have ADHD and anything that feels restrictive, like writing in order, tends to make me freeze. By letting myself work between the whole series, I’m having a lot more fun and joy in the process. It does make deadlines difficult though, so I often move them four times before a book actually publishes.

Even though I write out of order, I do add them in order to a Google Doc for my editor as I work. If I’ve written chapter 1-5, 10, 22, and 33, I’ll add in 1-5 to the document and wait on the rest. Once I eventually do 6, that goes in the doc too. Having those final passes aside helps me see the work as a whole in another format, where I can better check my continuity. I use label colors in Scrivener to note which chapters I’ve put in Google Docs, so I know not to tweak anything in Scrivener for it. If I did, then the chapters wouldn’t match, and I’d likely lose work.

With my limited time, most of my writing is done on the weekends. I focus more on admin tasks and marketing during the week. All of my books have been written while I had a full-time job outside of writing and a busy family life.

By the time I’m done with a book, the final draft lives only in Google Docs and in my formatting software, Vellum. I do all formatting myself, it’s one of my favorite parts of the publishing process. If you are an indie author, I highly recommend learning to format, because it can be a fun process and save you a lot of money in the long run.

Publishing is a lot of steps, but it’s very satisfying. I can’t imagine not doing it!

I currently offer paid beta reading services on Fiverr, where I’ll read your romance or fantasy book draft and provide feedback. There are two options, one where I send you a feedback letter, and another where I also comment within your document my live reader reactions. On average I comment over 100 times per book and send a letter of about five pages.

I love to read, but I can’t read by request with my busy schedule, unless it’s for paid beta reading.

That is true! Rachel H. Drake is a pen name. You can also read books from my fantasy pen name, R. K. Sampson. Having multiple names helps me differentiate my brands, because they each have different feels and expectations. My Rachel brand has more cozy elements and magic focus, while my fantasy works as R. K. Sampson are more high stakes, plot twist heavy, and don’t guarantee happily ever afters.

My actual name is Rebecca! But you can call me Rachel, I answer to both. If you want to know more of my personal life, you can follow my lifestyle blog too.