Interview: Ray Star
On magick, animal villains and victims, and changing the world one book at a time
Welcome back to another Wizard of Claws interview!
Anything is possible with a little bit of magick, as Ray Star shows in her award-winning Earthlings trilogy, a YA fantasy-dystopian mash-up taking place after an uprising that sees nonhuman animals claim dominion over Earth. The story follows a young witch called Peridot as she joins the Resistance to fight against the chickens hellbent on enslaving and killing the last remnants of humanity. In a world ruled by animals, readers vicariously experience how it feels to drop to the bottom of the food chain.
General Questions
Can you share a little bit about yourself, including how you came to care about animals and creative writing?
Hey, my name’s Ray, and I’m an author from Essex in the UK and I write fantasy tales with a vegan twist. Along with writing stories that nourish my soul, I’m a mother to two wonderful young boys, stepmother to two wonderful teen girls, and foster mum to an array of wonderful rescue animals, all of whom are my absolute world. I’m a passionate nature lover, an eclectic witch, a writer, a teacher and in my heart of hearts, a human, just like you. And yet, I am also so much more than those things. As, dear reader, are you.
I fell into creative writing after fifteen years as a business owner with no prior experience but I had a vision I simply had to bring to life, and all that has transpired since that vision has brought me to where I am now. It’s been quite a journey for which I am very grateful.
Most animal advocacy focuses on creating tangible changes in the real world. What role can the arts play in changing how people think about animals?
I believe it is the arts that hold the ability to impact our world the most. And yet, it is the arts that are being utilized the least.
Stories hold the ability to change the world.
Imagine a bookstore filled with novels, and held within each of their pages, fictional tales bringing escapism to the reader, whilst leaving a lasting imprint in their mind of what life could be like, if we were all a little kinder. To others. To ourselves. To animals. To this truly mesmerising planet that we are all blessed to call home. Can you imagine just for a moment the ripple effect that could have across humanity? The possibilities are endless.
If you have a story that can help others, whether that be human, animal, or something entirely different, if it inspires compassion, or promotes positive change in some way, please, I implore you…write that story.
After going vegan, when did you realize that writing fiction was the best, or primary, way for you to help animals?
Almost immediately after watching the Earthlings documentary I knew I had to write a story to reconnect readers with animals. I had consumed their flesh for almost thirty years prior to that moment, and after witnessing how the steak, chops, mince, milk and sausages came to be on my plate, it broke me. Like physically, emotionally, spiritually, tore me in two. SO much pain. SO much suffering. And it was partly my fault. Partly our fault. I had to do something. I knew so many others that would feel this way too if they knew the truth.
From this place of determination, the fictional Earthlings tale came to life in my mind. And I poured everything into it. The hurt, the pain, the wonder, the joy, the anger, sadness, all my hopes and fears for the world, it’s all in there. Encompassed in love, and compassion, which is the ultimate right-of-passage to the story. That love truly does conquer all. And to embrace that universal truth, can heal our world, for all species, our own included.
Aside from your own characters, do you have any other favorite fictional animals?
I grew up watching The Animals of Farthing Wood, and the main characters, a fox and a vixen, always stayed with me for their mission to protect and save the other creatures of the wood. I think I watched Dot and the Kangaroo perhaps a hundred times too, I don’t know anyone else who has seen this other than me, but if you have children, it’s a must. Then, of course, there is The Lion King. There is not a single character within that story that hasn't stayed with me. Mufasa’s words echo in my mind most days:
“Remember who you are.”
Story Questions
I couldn’t help but think of Animal Farm and Tender is the Flesh while reading Earthlings, as well as YA fantasy series like Shadow and Bone. Are there any books from which you drew inspiration while developing the Earthlings world? Were any moments in the book inspired by real-life animal advocates from the past or present?
It’s strange to admit this out loud, and everytime that I do, people are surprised by my answer. But I had no idea how the Earthlings trilogy would begin, or end, until I sat down to write it. I had no inspiration, no storyboards…just an idea and an empty Word document. And each time I sat down to write, that idea flowed into characters and storyline, to plot twists, relationship dynamics, and scenes that could open a reader's eyes (gently) to the realities of modern day society for the creatures we share this world with.
The only parts taken from reality are some of the characters. Phoenix, Freyja and Willow are my beloved animal companions in real life, so they became main characters within the story. Phoenix (rest in peace boy, writing book three was so hard to do now that you’re gone) was a Pitbull rescue, and I wanted to raise awareness of Breed Specific Legislation, so that became an integral part of his backstory. Freyja was rescued from the streets after an awful situation, so that’s in there too.
The main character Peridot is named after a peridot ring my dad asked me to wear before he died, and her last name is my mothers maiden name. When looking up names for human characters I used names from my family tree (traced all the way back to 1771!).
For the more graphic scenes in the book, I needed to stay true to what happens in real life and this involved a very long Zoom call with the animal investigations team from Viva! as they outlined for me exactly how animals are reared and slaughtered so I could create the worldbuilding as authentically as possible. Then I named each title within the trilogy after documentaries that further portray the truth too. (Earthlings, Dominion, Land of Hope and Glory).
Some underlying themes in the series are that love and empathy cross the species boundary and that magick exists all around us. Why do those themes resonate with you, and in what ways would you like your readers to embrace them in their own lives?
This is a great question, and one that I would reflect back to you the reader. In this present moment, I’d like you to look back across your lifetime. Close your eyes, take a deep breath in through your nose, and hold it for the count of three as you bring to light a memory that brings you joy.
It can be anything, from any moment in your life, that truly made you feel warm and fuzzy inside and gave you an authentic, full-face, bare-your-teeth grin. When you remember that moment, let your breath out slowly through your mouth, and take a moment to reflect on how you felt.
Did that memory fill you with love? Did it feel, perhaps, a little magickal? I know my moment(s) did. Now give yourself permission to envision for a while longer that we could live in a world with more of those moments…because we totally, one million percent can, if we enable yourselves to give and feel love, and if we embrace all the magick that comes with it.
I believe that love and magick are two faces of the same coin, they are connected. If you are lacking love in your life, then you have become disconnected from your magick. Reconnect with your magick, and within moments, love will pour back in.
Can you walk us through the process of how you developed Earthlings’ magick system?
I follow a lot of Pagan traditions in my personal life so I implemented that in the story where possible, from foraging, to crystal healing, to following the wheel of the year. It felt true to the story and gave a wholesome feel to Peridot's upbringing.
I also knew I needed to give the story extra mystery and excitement for it to become what I envisioned it to be, and that’s when the deities came to me. I gave the Magickborn characters in the story an ancient embodiment that could take over at any moment, for better or for worse, and this reflected how our light and dark sides have the ability to do this in reality too. My favourite deity got only one chapter in the book (Lillith) but I believe she portrays the best and worst of all of us. I’m excited to delve more into her character when I write the prequel.
Why do you think stories about magick are so popular and timeless?
Truthfully? Because they’re so empowering. I think each of us dreams in some way of connecting with something greater than what we are and making changes to the world we live in. Magick enables that on a grand scale. Even if it’s escapism in books, films and tv programmes. But please remember, dear reader, that magick is real, it does exist, not in the sense of having control over the elements like Peridot and her friends (although we’re rather proactive at changing weather patterns), we do hold the ability to be the creator or creatrix of our reality.
And there is real magick in that.
Every species has a good reason to hate humans, so how did you decide which ones would align themselves with the Resistance?
This was tricky. I knew from the first word who the villain would be, but I needed to make it realistic. When I teach Writing for Animals workshops at schools, students often ask me, ‘Miss, why is the villain a chicken? Why not a lion?’ and it’s a valid question. My answer is that if our roles were reversed, sadly, lions wouldn't stand a chance. We’ve hunted them nearly to extinction, they simply do not have the numbers to rule. But animals that have been farmed for food? They don't have that problem.
Thanks to us, there are trillions of farmed animals in existence, and if they had voices and could communicate and revolt, would we stand a chance? I truly believe we’d suffer severe losses, if not be overrun and defeated. If you’ve ever stood next to a cow in person you’ll know what I mean. Their sheer weight alone one-on-one is unfathomable if they intended us harm. It is a cruel irony that they suffer so dreadfully, when if they did unite together and storm their oppressors they’d likely find freedom.
In a nutshell; those that hate us the most in the story are those that have experienced the most cruelty in real life. Those that are aligned with humans, are those that we have shown the most love and compassion to. Although I was really torn on where to place horses. And deer. But Bayard’s backstory fixed that.
I need to know a story’s basic plot points before I can write. What are some of the benefits and challenges of writing without an outline? How much of the story did you know before you started writing, both for the full series and for each individual book?
I believe that everyone’s story is unique to them, even in the way we write it, and for me, plotting just doesn’t work. The one time I did map out where the story would go, when I came to write it, something totally different ended up on the page. I intended for the ending to be a battle of magick-vs-magick, but then, I had a life-altering incident in my personal life involving bees and whilst writing from a flowstate, the ending took a totally different turn. And I’m so grateful it did, as I’d not included insects in the story so far.
Many may disagree with me on this, but I don’t believe in storyboarding. I believe that all time spent plotting the story is time spent away from actually connecting with and writing that story. For complicated narrative points that need tying up nicely, at the end of each chapter as I write, I pop in a colour font *Don’t forget *** so that it’s fresh in my mind for next time, and that’s pretty much my writing system. I dip into a flow state and what comes up is what goes on the page. I implore writers to give this a try too, let go of all expectations and just write. You’ll be amazed at where your story will take you if you’ve not restricted yourself to where it must go. Something even better than your plot could be waiting for you to tap into. It was for me.
We meet a lot of characters along the way, and the narrative shifts perspective throughout the series. How did you keep all the POV characters (and their plot lines) straight, and why did you decide to write them all in first person?
The good ol, different colour font reminder as mentioned above. It’s insane, I know, but it’s just what works for me. As I complete a chapter, before I log off, I have a few lines of incomprehensible-to-anyone-else waffle that looks like this: Peridot and Euan bond, complicated?? Hades & Seph FINALLY, Bayard speech, Jack in background, don’t forget Val’s coming, Joe’s vision, Bees, Darkness is bat sh*t crazy, Oh and Alan. Never forget ALAN!!
That right there is my writing technique. Ha! I can’t believe I just shared that with you, but it’s how I stay on track with all the characters, whilst not limiting myself to a complicated plot that is unlikely to play out when I’m in a flow state. I have a very vague reminder of what I mustn't forget, but that can still go anywhere. And I love seeing where it goes. Writing is as exciting as reading for me, as I have no clue what’s going to happen, just like my readers!
I write in first person to give the most impactful insight into each of the characters, as I like my readers’ to feel everyone's emotions as if it were their own. And for the reader to decide what they align with. It’s their story as much as it is mine.
I’ve found that people often victimize themselves when coming up with reasons why they can’t be vegan. (I don’t necessarily begrudge them for this; we all do it.) But in Earthlings, you’ve literally made humans the victims by swapping our position in the moral hierarchy with other animals, thereby making it easier for readers to empathize with animals in the real world. What’s the response been like from your non-vegan readers?
That question pretty much encapsulates why I wrote the story if I’m honest. Talk to people about veganism or animal suffering and they often get defensive or uncomfortable, and they place a judgement on you because of that conversation. It has the complete opposite effect of what that conversation was trying to achieve. It just doesn’t work. Not for me anyway.
But writing a story that looks and sounds like the next YA craze that anyone can pick up and delve into a world of magick and adventure, then be surprised by a narrative with a meaningful message that hits home, that is impactful, but more importantly not preachy. 90% of my readers are non-vegan, and from the reviews I’ve seen, this approach works.
If you tell someone that you believe something is wrong, they’ll have a million counters as to why it’s not. But through works of fiction (which are subjective to the reader and enable them to make up their own mind about the issue at hand) it becomes empowering. In so many ways. It frustrates me that more writers aren’t utilizing this to share their beliefs and make an impact in the world, for whatever cause they feel passionate about. Stories can change the world. Stories will change the world.
How did you come up with your pen name?
Losing my dad to pancreatic cancer in 2017 was the catalyst to this crazy journey in so many ways. The saying that trauma makes or breaks you is real in that when something truly earth shattering happens in life, you either crumple and succumb to all the feelings that come with it, or you process those feelings and it enables you to grow into an evolved version of who you were before that trauma hit.
Someone else, for me, became Ray. I was in my photography studio at the time (I owned a PR agency before I ceased trading to become an author) and propped up against the wall was a pair of my dads ladders, with the name of his business handpainted in his handwriting in red. His business was Ray Star Electric. A message from beyond the veil.
What was the process like of turning Earthlings into an audiobook?
Wonderful! This was truly so much fun. I have to give my sincere thanks to Albion Byrd and Paula Hunt for doing such an incredible job of bringing the characters (and there are A LOT of characters!) to life, they did a superb job. And to the team at Vegan Grants for funding the project. I am so eternally grateful for their belief in my story and for their generosity.
My dream is for Earthlings to make it onto the big screen, a picture says a thousand words and all that. I envision a Guardians of the Galaxy-style blockbuster (Alan would have major Rocket vibes) with an all vegan cast, a vegan director (does such a person exist?) spreading Peridot’s magick across the globe. Oh the spine tingles!
Hearing the story brought to life as an audiobook was incredible, and helps me stay aligned with that dream vision, and I can’t wait for the production of Dominion and Land of Hope and Glory to launch on Audible too.
Can you give us the details on the books’ gorgeous new cover art?
I loved the original cover and it was integral to the story (Peridot’s happy place is by a vast oak tree) but…it alienated a lot of potential readers from the YA genre by looking too environmental. That, and it’s a story with a hell of a lot of animal characters, and no inkling of that on the cover, and the designer who created the originals wasn’t able to create the final edition for LOHAG. The combination of those aspects lead me to co-create these covers by the wonderfully talented Designs By Danielle. And I love them.
If you could go back in time and start this whole process over again, is there anything you’d do differently?
I would have prepared myself from the start to do all of the book marketing myself. I’m with an indie press and I treasure my publisher but they don't have the budget that big publishers have to market their titles and I made some poor decisions in investing in PR agencies who did not live up to their hype. If I'd known from the start how let down I would feel with agencies charging substantial fees and not delivering on their pitches, I’d have done it myself from the beginning. Luckily I had 15 years of PR under my belt from my previous occupation and I’ve turned it around, but if I hadn’t put the graft in myself, I don’t think anyone would know the Earthlings world exists.
If you’re a fellow indie author, either self-published or with an indie press, put the time into understanding book marketing. My ticklist pre-book launch is as follows:
Create a press release (6 months in advance of the title launch), reach out to booksellers, bookstores, media, podcasts, book bloggers, book a blog tour, book a Bookbub promotion and/or Goodreads giveaway, get on BookTok/AuthorTok and share the story, research relevant keywords and SEO for the Amazon listing page, create the Amazon plus graphics on canva, get advance reviews way ahead of the launch date, set the title up for pre-order at least 3 months in advance of the release, then nearer the date do giveaways and utilize social media.
The list goes on, but the above are a must if you want a successful book launch. If you’re not with a big publisher with a team behind you promoting your book and you don’t do these things, it will reflect in your sales.
How does it feel to be done with Peridot’s story? How have readers reacted to the trilogy’s conclusion?
Oh so complete, yet oh so sad. Each of the characters came alive when I wrote them, and now that the trilogy is complete…it's like their lives are too. Some shall return in the prequel but I have other projects to finish before I can delve into the world of the Changing (Vallaeartha, Lucian and Joseph’s story). I can’t wait to go back and I hope my readers feel the same!
Some were shocked at a certain character's demise (no spoilers!) — one reader even wrote me an alternative super-gruesome ending — this made my day! — but on the whole, all boxes were ticked and the final chapters provided the shock, the tears, the ultimate conclusion, resolution, and one hell of a happy (ish) ending.
Closing Questions
How can readers find you and your books online?
You can subscribe to my monthly newsletter via my website at raystarbooks.com for all book updates, event notifications and regular freebies, and I’m on most social media platforms with the handle @RayStarBooks, I love hearing from readers and aspiring writers — reach out anytime.
Any upcoming projects?
I’m in the process of building a Creative Writing App to help people connect and align with the story inside of them too. I’m passionate about stories changing the world and I’d like to help aspiring authors bring their visions to life, from a place of passion and flow like I did. Writing Earthlings changed my life, in so many ways.
I’ll also be including book marketing hacks and tips to help indie authors that don’t have a big team behind them. I know how hard it can be but I’ve cracked it, and so can you!
In the meantime you can catch me on BookTok for writing tips, and Instagram for spiritual nudges, and if you have children of school age, I teach creative writing workshops at schools across the country and I welcome enquiries for all ages from Key Stage 1 through to University.
Anything else you’d like to share?
Thanks so much for such insightful interview questions, and for sharing the Earthlings world with your readers.
