Tuesday 18 December 2012

AUTHOR INTERVIEW - RHIANNON PAILLE

What is your name, where were you born and where do you live now?
My name is Violet (but my pen name is Rhiannon), I was born in Winnipeg and I’m still stuck there. I think there was a blizzard and I got snowed in forever.

Did you always want to be a writer? If not what did you want to be?
I wanted to be an accountant. After that seemed too boring I wanted to be a singer. After my mom basically said I’d never make that work, I was going to settle for teacher. Then I blew my college fund on a car, found my husband, ended up pregnant, and landed on psychic reader, and then writer.

Did it take a long time to get your first book published?
Hahahaha if you mean by a big publisher, then ahh I’m still waiting. In the meantime I think I’ll sell the books I write to people who care.

Do you work another job as well as your writing work?
Yes I do. I read minds for a living.

What is the name of your latest book, and if you had to summarise it in less than 20 words what would you say?
LANTERN & POISON is out now, and it’s SURRENDER from the villain’s POV. I saw Tahereh Mafi release Destroy Me, which is from her villain’s POV and decided to follow along.

Who is your publisher? or do you self publish?
I self publish because I’m a control freak.

How long does it usually take you to write a book, from the original idea to finishing writing it?
That all depends on the book. I often outline books and it can take me forever to write them, but once I do it takes about a month to get a first draft down.

Which of your books were easier/harder to write than the others?
Right now I’m struggling with the second book in my Intuition series. Unconventional Intuition. I keep worrying I don’t have enough material for it, but then I stall on writing the lessons I DO have material for. It’s very awkward.

What can we expect from you in the future?  ie More books of the same genre? Books of a different genre?
More of something . . . anything. The Ferryman + The Flame series currently has 4 books in it, plus 3 novellas, and I have 2 more novellas and 2 more books in that series to write before it’s officially finished.

Do you have plans for a new book? Is this book part of a series?
Made to be Broken is my YA Contemporary idea, in the vein of Beautiful Disaster and Pushing the Limits.

What genre would you place your books into?
YA Fantasy, YA Dystopian, Metaphysical, and YA Contemporary

Do you have a favourite out of the books you have written? If so why is it your favourite?
Forgiveness from The Ferryman + The Flame series is currently my favorite book.

Do you gift books to readers to do reviews?
Sometimes, often in ebook format because paperbacks are expensive.

Do you read all the reviews of your book/books?
I try to, but then sometimes I try not to. It’s a double edged sword, I want to be like, “thanks for the great review!” but if it’s not a great review, I never know what to say.

Would you ever ask a reviewer to change their review if it was not all positive about your book/books?
No, never. People can think what they want. I realize my books are going to be hated by some, in some way I kind of hope if they hate them, they really hate them and they tell people how much they hated them. It’s better than people saying nothing.

Do you choose a title first, or write the book then choose the title?
I always choose the titles later.

Do you decide on character traits (ie shy, quiet, tomboy girl) before writing the whole book or as you go along?
I write a general character sketch but I let the characters develop on their own as well.

What do you think makes a book a really good/bestseller ?
It’s a combination of the right book, the right market, the right time, the right publisher (or self publisher) and the right fans. It’s kind of the best of everything converging to make something awesome, if one part of the train falls short, the whole project will fade into the background.

What do you do to unwind and relax?Do you have a hobby?
Relax? What’s that?

Have you ever based characters on people you know or based events on things that have happened to you?
Yes . . .

Is there a certain Author that influenced you in writing?
Cassandra Clare, who finally showed me that how I write is right.

What is your favourite book and Why?  Have you read it more than once?
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater and yes more than twice.

Do you think children at schools these days are encouraged enough to read? and/or do Imaginative writing?
Yes, my eight year old is already writing short stories.

Is there a book you know you will never read? Or one you tried to read but just couldn't finish?
Deity by Jennifer L. Armentrout. I tried, but I don’t get the Seth, Alex, Aidan thing. Not to mention why Alex is sleeping in Seth’s bed but still totally in love with Aidan.

What do you think about book trailers?
I loved them until I did a live action one and all the people involved in it betrayed me and now I can’t show it. They also didn’t finish it . . . which also sucks.

What piece of advice would you give to a new writer?
Write a bad book first. Once you do that you’ll find your voice, how many words per day you can write, if you prefer third or first person, and what genre you like to write in most.

Do you or would you ever use a pen name?
Rhiannon Paille is my pen name, though Paille really is my last name.

Where to find me:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/RhiannonPaille

Twitter: www.twitter.com/RhiannonPaille

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16049030-surrender

Website:http://www.yafantasyauthor.com


Other: http://www.amazon.com/SURRENDER-The-Ferryman-Flame-ebook/dp/B00A55EZS8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1355432210&sr=8-2&keywords=surrender+rhiannon





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