Our first bra
ve soul is Rhiannon Paille, she is the author of the recently released The Flame of Surrender and Integrated Intuition.
Not only does Rhiannon possess a vivid imagination, hers is well educated – our guest holds PHDs in Metaphysical Science and Parapsychology. If you follow this blog, you know about the voices trapped in previous posts. When I asked Rhiannon what to do about exercising them, she rolled her eyes and told me to call Ghostbusters. Okay, maybe she didn’t, but it sounded good. Onto the interrogation:
Q) What made you decide to pursue PHDs in Metaphysical Science and Parapsychology?
RP) I needed to know more about the things I could do naturally. After hurting someone I cared about, it seemed like the only way to ensure that instead of denying myself and my abilities, I would use them to help people. The PHD side of it was because I had a thirst for knowledge and felt I needed to know everything possible about Metaphysics.
Q) I’m fascinated by what is entailed with your degrees. In simple terms, tell us what is involved with attaining your accreditations.
RP) Do you mean the college I run? Or simply how I obtained my degrees? The latter was simple, read about 75 books, wrote about 100 essays, wrote a master thesis and doctoral dissertation, completed practicum, obtained degrees. In mapping out my own college, I wanted to include the various ways people learn. Some are hands on, others are through reading. The idea of experimentation is big in the Bachelor of Metaphysical Therapy Program I offer. I like giving students the chance to test their boundaries.
Q) Did your interest in writing open the doors to the Metaphysical World or vise versa?
RP) No, my interest in metaphysics reawakened my love for writing. I used to write when I was 12, I stopped at 15 when my life became it’s own urban fantasy. Living your own story is far more interesting than writing about one that’s fictitious. A lot of what I learned and experienced became part of The Ferryman and the Flame.
Q) Are you compelled to dabble in other genres? If so, which ones?
RP) I’ve written 2 short stories in my own dystopian world. One of them, Fable the Immortal will be published by Coscom Entertainment December 1st, 2011. I also write urban fantasy and paranormal romance.
Q) If you could have lunch with one of the great writers, who would it be? What would you ask them? Would you ask them to critique your work?
RP) I’d be petrified of this lunch and would most likely get too nauseous to eat. Also, I wouldn’t ask them to critique my work, I would avoid questions about their work and would try to find something we have in common other than our love of books. That being said, I’d like to meet JK Rowling though I have no idea what we’d talk about.
Q) Speaking of your work, tell the readers about The Ferryman and the Flame Series in twenty words or less. Ready, set, go.
RP) A living weapon that could cause the apocalypse falls for a boy destined to follow death.
Q) We’ve all seen the disclaimer: Any similarity to a person living or dead is purely coincidental; have you fallen back upon it or do you disguise your character’s influences? Give us an example of a person in your life that you’ve used for inspiration as a character.
RP) I used my mom, but it’s for a book I haven’t written yet.
Q) Lots of people enjoy well-crafted first sentences, others enjoy last sentences. Do you give any extra attention to either? What do you feel is more important? Tell us your favorite(s).
RP) I’m a fan of well crafted first sentences. Most memorable of late comes from Maggie Stiefvater.
Q) Have you ever written anything that has tested your intestinal fortitude?
That made me smile and laugh. I have needle phobia, so I tried to write about someone with polycythemia cutting themselves in a bathtub. Not for suicide but because they need to blood let to survive. The WIP is far from finished as it scares me and makes me all sorts of queasy. I almost asked my crit partner to write it as to not waste such an awesome idea.
Rhiannon, thanks for stopping by. Hopefully the experience hasn’t scarred you. The best of luck to you and The Ferryman and the Flame series.
On deck… Joey Avniel will take the chair and talk about one-legged seagulls.
A fellow traveller in the world of Doctoral research into the world we know best. Good luck, Rhiannon! And love your interview Joey!
I meant John! I saw that Joey will take the chair next so I am afraid the meanderings of workaholic, sleep-deprived, got confused. I love you both! Please correct…and forgive!