Interview with Rhiannon Paille

 

Hey all you readers and writers! Emma Michaels here to introduce our guest author of the day:

Rhiannon Paille

Hello Rhiannon and welcome to The Writers Voice!

Have you ever gotten an idea for a book or part of one of your novels from something or somewhere unexpected?

I was trying to write a Dystopian novel after reading Suzanne Collins and Lauren Oliver earlier this year. My idea fizzled, and then about six months later my editor asks me if I have an idea for a short story based on superheroes v.s. zombies. I never thought a dystopian could have gone in that direction, but it did and it worked!

Did you always know you would write a novel? Why did you finally decide to write one and when?

I decided in high school that one day I would write a book. It was on my bucket list. When it came down to it, I had all of these bits and pieces of stories in my head and one central image kept coming back to me. That’s when I decided to get serious about it and try to write something. Then it took me three years to finish a first draft.


What are five things that are must haves when you are writing?
1) Music
2) An outline
3) Scenes detailed and imagined in my head
4) Kids not destroying the house
5) Something to drink (usually juice or water actually)

Is there one book that has had an impact on not only your writing, but on you personally?

There are so many of them I don’t know where to begin, but let’s begin with Shiver by Maggie Steifvater, The Mortal Instruments by Cassie Clare, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma. All of them taught me a lot about my craft and hit me personally.

What is the hardest emotion for you to convey?

Happiness. I don’t know why but when my characters are happy I tend to go to the stereotypical and cheesy and I just feel like I’ve entered the shallow zone. I hate it when my writing isn’t deep, thought provoking and emotionally invoked.

Tell us something most people don’t know about you!

I can sing. I’m actually more confident about singing than I am about writing. In high school there was a vocal jazz group that you couldn’t get into unless you auditioned. I was the only grade 10 girl to get in that year. I stayed with the group for three years and it was one of the best experiences of my life.

Which came first for you--the characters, the idea for the setting, or the plot?

The characters, then the plot, then the setting. I had the most trouble with the setting, I always do, and so I always make sure to over detail the setting in my notes since my characters have a tendency to jump off the page, telling me who they are and what they want and what happened to them.

To all our readers out there, thank you for following The Writers Voice and happy reading!