Hi! I’m Kaija. I write books with characters like me. I so rarely see similar traits in fiction, so I write it myself.
This is my author site. If you want my gaming blog, it’s here.
Fair warning, I tend to wax quite passionate about gaming and gaming characters. I’m such a geek!
So how did I get my start in writing, anyway?
When I turned eleven, my mother told me I should write down a particularly vivid dream and gave me pencil and paper. That’s where I started, and I’ve been writing since. Honestly, I think she was just tired of my chattering, but it lit a life-long passion. Until about sixteen years ago, I never thought of it as more than an enjoyable hobby.
My degrees are in biophysical anthropology and forensic chemistry, masters of education in world history and I have many minors; I jumped around a lot in university because I loved it so much. I have minors in English (creative writing, English literature, literature critique, and a bunch of other English stuff) history, psychology, linguistics, graphic design, folklore, psychology, and modern dance, among other things.
I’ve worked many interesting jobs for money, trail horse guiding, trick rider, backwoods mountain guide, bookstore clerk, forensic pathologist/crime scene tech, bioanthropologist, archaeologist, translation of historical records, high power sales to the US gov’t, textbook/video sales, aromatherapist, middle eastern dance instructor, tailor, and history teacher among others. My varied experience makes me a really great editor. I excel at fact-checking and research.
I’m a geek, and proud of it. If it’s geeky or nerdy, I’ve probably done it, watched it, or obsessed about it.
I love nature, and my brain is both logical and science-oriented. I’m constantly feeding information to my brain. If I don’t, I get bored fast. But this means I EARN my title of Walking Encyclopedia! And fun fact, I actually read encyclopedias for fun. Really and truly.
I enjoy genealogy, probably too much, but it’s a lot of fun for me. I’ve gone off the deep end, tracing my and my husband’s family lines. I long to someday walk the lands of my ancestors by travelling. Genealogy is about history for me, and wondering where my ancestors came from, not something silly like bloodlines or whatever weird things people do with it.
I’m a decent cook when I bother to try, and when I’m not working or gaming, I might be found in the kitchen with a cookbook.
I like old world crafts; I make jewellery, spin with a spinning wheel, knit, and do needlework. I make old-fashioned maps. I’m a traditional and digital artist, as well. All when my muse leaves me time and energy for those hobbies, of course!
I’m also a HUGE gamer. My favourites are Choices Matter RPG, Real Time Strategy, and Survival Sandbox types of games, and I play numerous titles. Gaming is my main mode of entertainment. I don’t watch much TV these days because anything I love tends to get ruined or cancelled. Despite being a self-admitted graphics slut, if the story isn’t there, if the writing isn’t good, and the characters aren’t compelling? I’m not playing it. I’ve switched to almost 100% indie games because of all the AAA bullshit. My current favourites are Baldur’s Gate 3 and Dragon Age Inquisition. I play others, as well, Subnautica, Titanfall 2, Greedfall, modded Minecraft, Sims4, Witcher (all), Assassin’s Creed, Genshin Impact, and so many other games like those.
My musical taste is truly eclectic, and I go through phases. Currently, I’m listening to a lot of emo rock.
I passionately advocate for diversity, and I always will. My stories are always going to be diverse.
Many think and dream about other worlds and being other people; I love to offer my gift of words to them. We all need that brief vacation away from our everyday.
Daydreaming and fantasy are stunning gifts of the human spirit. I love using my gift of words to write fantasies for others.
If you want to get in touch with me, you can email me at kaija.rayne.author@gmail.com. Due to a truly obscene amount of cruelty, bullying, and harassment, I don’t have contact forms on my site. Nor do I do much with social media, not anymore. In this day and age, authors need a social media presence to prove we’re real people. So, I’m semi-active on bluesky, though I have accounts almost everywhere.
I am violently against generative AI. I write every word myself. I make my covers using properly licensed photostock, I hand-craft and scan my maps or hire real artists for them. I also refuse to support people who use it. Not even remotely sorry. Unless and until an ethically made and run one that doesn’t destroy lives and the environment exists? There can be no ethical use of it.
I am physically and mentally disabled and am currently in the process of hopefully getting disability aid. It’s a nightmare and won’t cover living costs but I don’t know what else to do.
Like many full-time authors, I struggle financially. Especially with so many people selling AI slop. I’m on the verge of having to stop publishing. My stories make so little… I just can’t justify it anymore. Not unless I can get my donations to my patreon/kofi et cetera to a point where I can actually survive.
If you want to help me out, buying my books directly from me, something from my Amazon wishlist, cash to my PayPal, or pledging to my Patreon are the absolutely BEST ways you can. Thanks!
Buy Me a Coffee
and Paypal
Help me keep providing content, and you know, eating?
My email address is kaija.rayne.author@gmail.com
If you have something to say to me, please do it that way. Please note that due to the harassment I’ve experienced, I use an ISP tracker. If you’re not meaning to harm me, it’s not an issue. It’s there as backup in case I have to get the authorities involved in cyberbullying issues again.
Social media links!
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