Today, my special guest is Ms. Rhiannon Paille who has created the amazing world of The Ferryman and the Flame beginning with the first novel of the series, Flame of Surrender. It is a beautiful world, and I encourage you all to dive in and experience it for yourselves! If you missed my review, you can catch that HERE.
Rhiannon Paille
Flame of Surrender on Goodreads, Amazon, Smashwords, B&N, Indigo, Kobo
Follow Rhi: Twitter, Facebook, Blog, Website
Follow Rhi: Twitter, Facebook, Blog, Website
Rhi was never a normal girl. Her life was an urban fantasy wrapped in a paranormal romance and served with a side of horror. To escape her everyday weirdness she began writing fantasy. She studied at U of Sedona and MIMT, obtaining a PhD in Metaphysical Science and Parapsychology. She's married to a chef/comic book shop owner and has a fondness for architecture. She frequents Twitter and Facebook, but if you really want to get to know her you should visit her site: www.rhiannonpaille.com
GL: Please introduce yourself to everyone.
Rhiannon: I'm Rhi, slightly neurotic, always fun, sometimes emotional, and definitely never at a loss for words.
GL: Tell us all about Flame of Surrender and the Ferryman and the Flame series.
RP: Heartbreaking, sexy, enchanting, unexpected, addictive, and original.
Flame of Surrender is best described by Adele's song "Someone like You" particularly the line "Sometimes it lasts in love and sometimes it hurts instead."
I can't even properly explain the rest of the series. All I can say is that when I told my friends the basic plot outline they all squeed and then asked when they could read it.
Expect me to do things that other authors don't do. I don't want to give away any major spoilers, but I'm not afraid to go all the way with my writing, even if it's always going to be a YA series.
GL: What was your inspiration for this series?
RP: I'm a mythology junkie and I'm very familiar with Celtic, Norse and Welsh myth. The core of this series though is based on a very difficult relationship that went through many incarnations before finding happiness.
GL: Which character was the most difficult for you to develop?
RP: This was a tie between Krishani and Tor. The second book took forever to write because a lot of it was from Krishani's POV and most of the time, he was just too incapacitated to talk to me. At the same time, I kept trying to find ways for Tor to make an appearance and he kept evading me and not wanting to be in the books at all. I found it very difficult to get into the mindset to write from either of their POV's.
GL: Mmm…but I love Krishani J…
GL: Which character was the easiest?
RP: Pux, who wished he had more scenes but ended up getting all the good lines and some of the best scenes because he's a drama queen like that. But then what else could you expect from a gay feorn?
GL: I also love Pux, and I wish he did have more scenes!
GL: Given a choice, which type of character would you be? (Merfolk, Elven, Ferryman, Flame, etc.)
RP: I'd be a Flame. I realize how complex they are, but it's the enchantment and natural magic that draws me to them. I wouldn't have started writing about Flames if I didn't secretly wish I was one.
GL: Oddly enough, I’ve been leaning toward Ferryman! Maybe I’m just obsessed with Krishani…
GL: Of all the different locations mentioned in Flame of Surrender, where would you prefer to live?
RP: Avristar. I know that's broad, but I don't care where exactly in Avristar I got to live, I'd just be happy to live there. If anything, I'd like to live in Orlondir.
GL: If your book was made into a movie, who would you cast in the role of Krishani? (Feel free to cast any other character as well J).
RP: Krishani - Dylan Minette
Kaliel - Chloe Moretz
Shimma - Evanna Lynch
Pux - James McAvoy (I think it's that time he was a Satyr in Narnia)
Desaunius - Cate Blanchet (if only she were shorter)
GL: Dylan and Chloe make me feel so OLD!!! But, James McAvoy is always a good choice J…
GL: Are you working on anything new? What can we look forward to?
RP: This year you can look forward to the short story series "Last City on Earth" which I'll be entertaining you with until the fantastic release of Flame of Justice in October, 2012.
I'm also working on the last 3.5 books in the Ferryman and the Flame series of course.
GL: Have you learned any valuable lessons while writing and/or publishing?
RP: Looks can be deceiving. It really doesn't matter whether you're self-published, indie, or traditionally published, all that matters at the end of the day are the sale stats.
GL: Without whom could you just have not made it through the writing/publication process?
RP: This list is just too long. Samantha Wiebe, who cosplayed Kaliel back in 2010 long before it was published. Natasha Heck who suffered through the really bad first drafts of FoS, Ted Sali who took the photos in 2010 that later became the cover photos. And of course my husband Michael who literally put up with me being in very bad moods and crying over scenes I was watching in my head but hadn't put down on paper yet.
GL: What do you enjoy in your “free time”?
RP: I love how you put that in quotes. I actually have no free time. My husband owns a store and runs conventions. I work as a metaphysical therapist and author. Between the two of us we're just really really busy. I also do all my own marketing and advertising so when it comes to book trailers, book tours, interviews, convention appearances, etc. etc. I have to organize all of that on my own.
Geez, the only thing I don't do is publish my books on my own. I'm happy that A.P. Fuchs at Coscom Entertainment does all the editing, formatting and distributing for me. I don't know how I'd survive without that side of things.
GL: I’m of the opinion that “free time” doesn’t exist. I certainly haven’t experienced any in YEARS!
GL: What is your favorite comfort food?
RP: It used to be a cheeseburger, small fries and a rootbeer. But then I had kids and my hips didn't lie. So now, I'm a chocolates person. I'm very likely to indulge in Lindt chocolates or a good box of chocolates than I am to actually eat real food.
GL: And the chocolate doesn’t go to the hips? I must be eating the wrong kind of chocolate! J I’d take chocolate over a cheeseburger any day…
GL: Are you a “stay out all night and party” or “get cozy and watch movies” kind of person?
RP: I've always been a get cozy and watch movies kind of girl. Even when I was a teen and could go out, I think I can count on one hand the amount of times I've ended up at a club.
GL: I’m the exact same way!
GL: Do you have any unique/crazy talents or hobbies?
RP: *sigh* I can read minds, and I'm not a bad singer either. I'm just really out of practice half the time or too nervous when I get up on stage these days.
GL: Really? That doesn’t work over the internet does it? ;-)
GL: What advice do you have for other aspiring writers?
RP: All new authors fret over all the details when they're not published. They want to prove themselves, they want to impress the big dogs, they want to win the book lottery. Get your head out of the clouds and back down to earth. See publishing for what it really is -- a business, not a fairytale. I know it's difficult when all you ever do is write fiction, but you have to have good business sense too. If anything, take some time to study the market before deciding where you fit best. And treat it like any other business that has to brand themselves, market, advertise, and sell product.
I hope it helps, if it's any consolation, my perspective didn't change until I got published. :)
Thanks so much, Rhi, for dropping in and hanging out with us for a bit! I am anxiously looking forward to more of your work, and I wish you all the best! Please visit again…
Everyone go grab a copy of Flame of Surrender and keep Rhi on your favorite authors list! :-)
I'll be back soon with more reviews. I have several on my to-do list... Have a great Friday!
