Rain Mitchell author biography, plus links to books by Rain Mitchell.

Rain Mitchell

My Pseudonym and Me: A Love Story, by Stephen McCauley

Two years ago, I was asked by Denise Roy at Plume to write a series of novels under the pseudonym Rain Mitchell. The series was to revolve around five women who meet at a yoga studio in Los Angeles. There would be pregnancies, bad boyfriends and lots of sun salutations.

I was on board. I started doing yoga as a teenager, and for several years, I'd been longing to write something radically different than what I'd been writing since my first novel, The Object of My Affection, was published in 1987. I'll confess, though, that I had a slightly condescending attitude toward Rain Mitchell. I'd published six novels. Rain Mitchell? A neophyte! I'd been teaching creative writing for 20 years. Rain's employment history was as vague as Rain's gender. I was clearly going to have to teach Rain a lot.

As it turned out, I was the one who learned from Rain.

I've always written agonizingly slowly, producing a novel every four years. Rain sat down each morning with confidence and produced 10 or more pages before dinner.

I avoid big, plotty developments, preferring small emotional shifts to drive the narrative. Rain made things happen--affairs, miscarriages, drunken binges--with a gusto that left me gasping in admiration.

Rain openly laughed, cheered and wept along with the characters.

Rain completed the first novel in six weeks.

Whenever I finish a book, I can barely stand to open it. Rain is proud of Tales from the Yoga Studio and Head over Heels. Although not exactly enduring literary masterpieces, Rain thinks they're engaging entertainment, with a lot of humor, heart and insight into the world of yoga.

The final novel in the series is under way, and Rain Mitchell and I are about to part company. I've started to miss her already.

My only comfort during this period of anticipated departure is knowing that a part of Rain will always be with me--in the confidence, energy and enthusiasm I felt while draped in Rain's androgynous identity.

Thank you, Rain. I will always be grateful to you. And a little bit in love.

From Shelf Awareness

This biography was last updated on 12/28/2010.

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