Hi, I’m Rebecca! Writing here as R. K. Sampson, I’m a YA and NA fantasy author. My favorite scenes to write are plot twists, betrayals, and unique takes on love in fantasy settings. If you find it unrealistic when everyone ends up perfectly fine at the end of a fantasy series, you may like my work! Not every character makes it out unscathed (or even alive) in my books.

Little bits of my life often show up in my characters. In the Fated Tales series, Hasley’s perfectionism is very similar to how I felt in late high school and college, especially being celebrated for being “good.” I had a five-year plan, of which none of it happened despite my intense effort! The weight of responsibility and isolation Ember felt was very real to me as the eldest daughter that thrived on being helpful, while also feeling misunderstood in a world where I didn’t know anyone who saw life like I did.

And in my upcoming release, my first romantasy love triangle, you’ll have to wait and see what parts of me have made it into Madeline’s character.

Now I’m in my mid-thirties, married to my high school sweetheart, and have an elementary-aged creative boy that loves video games just as much as his dad.

I write in multiple genres, because I am a very passionate ADHD woman with many interests. You can read self-help and manifestation under Rebecca K. Sampson and paranormal romance under the name Rachel H. Drake.

The first story I remember writing was about a “white knight” coming to save me on a Pegasus… I was in first grade. Yet, I didn’t write fiction regularly until after I graduated college and heard about the NaNoWriMo writing challenge. Before then, I mainly wrote poetry and did mixed media collages. There is a trunk in my room full of journals and art I’ve created over the years. I have always been an artist, just in different mediums until I found novels.

Technically, my first published work was a haiku about gardens being a simble for love in fourth grade in the Anthology of Young Poets collection. After that, I had poems posted about my ex-boyfriend in my school’s magazine (pretty bold of me to do, I’ve got to say) and on Livejournal and Fictionpress. Some of it probably still exists, though who knows what embarrassing username I used at 15.

In 2014 when I learned of NaNoWriMo, I started writing a contemporary novel about a young teen with anxiety that had another life as an apocalypse survivor (with zombies) that she visited each night in her dreams. It was the same month as my wedding, so I took that book with me on my honeymoon, writing on my phone as my husband and I waited in lines at Disney World.

I never published that story, or the second novel I attempted (a YA novel-told-in-verse of Mean Girls meets Easy A), instead pivoting to fantasy novels. Maybe one day I’ll visit it again, you never know what life can throw your way.

Now as an independent author, I write and publish my books on my own instead of with a large publisher. With the help of a few trusted contractors, I bring my creative visions to life with my own online company Aria James Publishing.

If you want to know how you can best support me, buying books directly from my store is the best way to do so. Plus, if you buy a paperback on my website you get the ebook for free!

Anything else you’d like to know?

Get in touch with me and stay connected—follow along for the latest updates, book releases, and more! My links are on the left on desktop or on the top if on mobile.