Interview with Rhiannon Paille

So yesterday I posted my review for Flame of Surrender by the awesome Rhiannon Paille. She and I met through hopping around on the book blogs. She was kind enough to give me a copy of her book and do an interview with me. Mind you this is my first interview ever!! (another milestone in the blog world and it's an author!)

MF: Tell me about your book Flame of Surrender?

RP: It's a song I've sung thousands of times in the shower, but never in public. It's a song I know like the back of my hand, one that I've slaved over, tuning the notes and melodies until they were just right. It's the song that taught me how to sing and the song that I'm deathly afraid of singing in public.

That being said it's about a boy that's destined to become a Ferryman, falling in love with a girl that could cause the apocalypse because of what she is, a flame. Their have to come to terms with who they are, what they're meant for and learn how to preserve their doomed romance. At its core it's about that beautiful love we all crave, and about those gut wrenching moments when we realize that despite how much we want that love to last, it wasn't meant to be.

The first time I had to sum this book up, I said "This is a nice book that reads like a nice book, that isn't a nice book." and when readers get it in their hands, they'll find out why that's the best non spoilery description.

MF: It is difficult trying to pitch a book and not spoil it! Transformers, GI Joes, My Little Pony, Jem or Smirfs?

RP: JEM! LOL OMG that was my favorite kids show EVER. Although I'm all into teletoon retro now because they show all the old shows, just not JEM for some reason, boo.

MF: I love Jem, but I was a My Little Pony girl. How often do you sit down to write in a week?

RP: Right now I'm not writing anything. Gasp, this will likely change, because for me, I write and then I take a break, then edit, revise, whatever, and then when I DO sit down to write, I don't do anything else, and can literally get 133,000 words written in 5 weeks. (Last time I did this was in May/June, I wrote the third book in The Ferryman and The Flame series)

MF: What are you thoughts on ePublishing?

RP: You know I wasn't with it, but then, I got Kindle on my iphone and found the "buy with one click" function and well it just auto delivers and it really IS one click. And the books are half price. So I used to go and buy the hardcovers and then I'm like ooohhhh it's 9.99 on Kindle . . . ONE CLICK AWAY. It's like crack I think, and so much lighter .. . I actually had this idea, for conventions and stuff, we need cheap flash drives and then just sell books on flash drives, so you like walk away with something physical, but it's not a book book. Also, saves trees, haha, my MC talks to trees she'll likely appreciate that side of it.

MF: I love how she talks to trees (but not in the crazy way). Name a person who has influenced you as a person. This doesn't have to relate to writing.

RP: I know it doesn't, but Cassandra Clare. I guess I was wallowing in the pit of author despair and then I read her books and realized that I don't need to try so hard to do what I've been trying to do. It's really weird, but Cassandra has a writing style that's REALLY close to my writing style, and reading her books basically taught me how to write my books. Case in point, I recently wrote the third book and I've been reading it, and for the FIRST time ever, I think this one only needs a copy edit . . . that's right, it's THAT DAMNED GOOD. (all thanks to Cassie just for being herself)

MF: Um, let me just say, that is awesome! If you could be any supernatural creature, what would you be and why?

RP: I AM a supernatural creature, there's really no IF about it, just that's about the most I can tell you about it, you know, top secret news and all.

MF: If you could have any super power, what would it be and why?

RP: *cough* *cough* *splutter * splutter* I READ MINDS FOR A LIVING.

No I'm serious, on top of being a writer I'm a metaphysical therapist, which is a nice way to say I have a PhD in Metaphysical Science, and I'm too psychic for my own damned good. I literally, word for word read people's minds. Scared yet? (I am my own superhero)

MF:*sighs because she is jealous!* Tell me about your recent "break through" in the writing world.

RP: I'm gonna look back on this and shake my head aren't I? It wasn't a breakthrough so much as an epiphany. I'm also secretary / head coordinator for a comic book convention in canada (www.c4con.com) and so I've had a lot of experience with celebrities, and marketing and other shtuff.

While making phone calls to potential participants I ended up talking with one of the guys that runs a small publishing company. He's set up at the event three years in a row, and while I haven't talked to him extensively, I do know him. So I casually asked while talking about tables and what not, what his submissions are like, and he says he's closed, but for friends or people he knows he's open. So that got me into writing a short story for an anthology he's publishing (Superheroes v.s. Zombies) and he might be taking on my series. I say might because while he's sold on it, he's never done YA before, and he sticks mostly to the zombies, monsters and superhero stuff. At the same time, he has been expanding his company and recently sold one of his other titles to Simon and Schuster. He's also sold seven other titles to publishers in Germany and Russia, officially opening up his foreign markets.

So excuse me for being on pins and needles about his final decision about this deal, but he's kicking ass and taking names on the small press level and it sounds like a great starting point for me. I really hope it all works out.

MF: I think that is a huge break through and I think the more people get a hold of your first book the more doors are going to open for you! Yeah, folks, that good! What was high school like for you?

RP: A nightmare I don't want to relive. I was literally the crazy girl because of my psychic abilities awakening and misfiring and what not, so it was just a very awkward time in my life I don't want to go back to. The only thing that was good about it was vocal jazz. I can sing, and I'm not shy about it. I had to audition for the elite group and managed to make it.

MF: Are you willing to share one of your most embarrassing moments with me?

RP: Okay . . . we were invited to a BBQ back in June this year, and all us adults are sitting around the kitchen table while the kids play inside, and outside and where ever. So my six year old comes up to us crying because she got hit in the head by a ball. So I say something to effect of, "Honestly honey, you're gonna get hit in the face by many balls from many boys." and then my friend Ted looks at me and starts laughing, "You did not just say that." and I turn red, cover my face, "I did NOT just say that!" and yeah we all had a good laugh at my mom fail.

MF: That is a great story. It's what makes the world go round! Right? Why did you become a writer?

RP: I became a writer because I had a story to tell. I didn't really set out to follow the rules of writing or to simply write something just to be a writer. I literally began The Ferryman and The Flame because I would dream about it, think about it incessantly, watch all the scenes in my head and I couldn't get away from it. Writing it was both therapeutic and terrifying for me because I think in a lot of ways these are my worst fears on the pages, this is the kind of love I longed for in my life, this is a place I wanted to live in, a place that I missed if that makes sense. And bringing it all to life in fiction immortalized the land (Avristar) the characters (Kaliel and Krishani) and helped me conquer my fears.

MF: What is your favorite smell?

RP: Campfire smoke.

MF: Me too! What is your best summer read so far?

RP: The Tower of Parlen Min by Matt Xell, he's a new Indie Author and his story was amazing.

MF: Alright, I'll go get it. If you were stranded on a deserted island and could have only three foods, what would they be?

RP: I'd need a cow, my husband and an unlimited supply of seeds. He can plant, harvest and cook for me like he already does because without him, it wouldn't matter what three foods I could have, I'd burn them all.

I want to thank Rhiannon for stopping by! It was great interviewing her and highly rec that you go get her book Flame of Surrender!