Featured Author: Rhiannon Mills + Giveaway!

Today I’d like to welcome author Rhiannon Mills to Juniper Grove! Rhiannon is here to promote her book The Demon King!

 

About the Author:

Rhiannon Mills is a West Virginia native stay at home mom with four kids, wife, doggy mom, and avid reader and blogger. She writes about all things creepy and thoroughly enjoys stories about the things that go bump in the night.

 

Rhiannon has graciously submitted to an author interview! Check it out below:

What was your inspiration to write this book?

Inspiration to write The Demon King came from a million different places.  Just for a start, though, Draken’s character came from my love for Showtime’s drama, The Tudors.  I loved the way Jonathan Rhys Meyers portrayed Henry the Eighth. In reality, Henry was actually blond and built a bit larger than Meyers, but Meyers had a presence about him that was nothing short of being an absolute leader.  Cranky, demanding, dedicated to his job as a ruler–those are the things I wanted to see in a king.

 

During one episode of the show, my mind began to wander.  I started to wonder what it would be like to see a king that had the same sort of attitude that JRM’s portrayal of Henry did, but in a much different environment.  Naturally, being a paranormal nut, I wanted my king to rule the Underworld.

 

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

I think a lot of writers can think back and remember the first book they ever read that gave them that “a ha” moment.  For me, it was a young adult vampire romance called The Silver Kiss by Annette Curtis Klaus.  The book was absolutely amazing to me.  I moved from that to reading Romeo and Juliet when I was probably eleven years old.  I hated Romeo and Juliet because Juliet was only thirteen and Romeo came across to me (then as well as now) as a pompous pedophile. I decided that if Klaus could write such amazing characters and Shakespeare, who wrote such amazing things, could fall short in just one of his masterpieces, I could tell stories that would have a decently fair chance of bringing enjoyment to other people, too.

 

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

When I’m not writing, I’m doing the Mom thing.  I have four kids at home that range from ages 4-10 and they are an absolute riot!  My kids and I are video game fanatics and we often have little Mario tournaments and play Sims games together. We also do a lot of baking at my house.  Another one of my passions is baking. I’ve recently began to design a Marie Antoinette cake that will feature one of her gowns in detail and also one of her world famous powdered wigs (that will be made of cotton candy and sit right on her severed head). I’m an amateur baker, but I figure I’d better just go big or go home!

 

What advice would you give to someone who wants to become a published author?

For anyone who wants to become an author, I always say the same things.  If nasty words hurt your feelings, reconsider unless you know for a fact that you can grow a thicker skin.  If you can write and you believe in your abilities, move forward and do it. If you can weave a story in your head, but can’t write, learn to write and THEN do it.

 

What genre do you find the most difficult to write in and why?

Non-fiction would be the most difficult genre for me.  I feel an overwhelming need to take a story and make it my own when I’m writing.  I wouldn’t last five seconds writing a non-fiction piece!

 

Do you have any writing projects you are currently working on?

I am working on the second Demon King book. Eventually, there will be three of them.  Also, I have been researching and writing and fighting myself through an Elizabeth Bathory novel.  This project wasn’t something that I’d always wanted to do and wasn’t even something that I had even dabbled in or around until an artist named Danny Kelly created a really nice Elizabeth Bathory piece.  When I saw his art, I felt an amazing pull towards her.  After I did some research and bought a few books about her, I knew that it was meant for me to write about her.  Aside from blood bathing and mass murder, she and I are a lot alike.

 

If your book became a movie, who would be your first choice to play the lead roles?

I love this question!  I would love to have Jonathan Rhys Meyers or Gerard Butler to play Draken.  The two are total opposite in physical characteristics, but I think both of them carry an intensity about them.  Naomi Watts would be a dead ringer for Uli.  I always saw Michael Clark Duncan as Thrack. I really don’t know who I would want to play Willow’s part, though, because Willow is a direct incarnation of me. That being said, if Gerard Butler or Jonathan Rhys Meyers played Draken, I’d be happy to fill Willow’s role!

 

If you had to compare yourself to an animal, which one would it be? Why? 

I’m such a cat!  I have all sorts of feline qualities.  I’m smart, I’m somewhat full of myself, and I’ve relied on my abilities to always land on my feet all through my life.

 

What is the best advice anyone has ever given to you?

My grandma once told me that you should carry three things in your purse, no matter what.  Lip balm, tissues, and chewing gum.  For so many reasons, I believe her to be completely right.  For what may seem to be just harmless banter rather than advice, it’s always stuck with me and she’s always  been right!

 

What is the last book you read?

The last book that I read was the Thirst No. 4 by Christopher Pike.  It may be labeled as YA, but there is absolutely nothing young adult about that series!  Pike is amazing and his characters are so life-like. Even the dead ones. I’ve just started reading Badass Zombie Road Trip by Tonia Brown.  Thus far, loving it.

 

Are you a Morning person or Night Owl?

I’m definitely a night owl…I can’t function during the daytime while my kids are at school.  The house is so empty and lifeless without them.

 

Thank you Rhiannon for that insightful interview! I think Gerard Butler would play an amazing Draken!

 

Synopsis:

Draken needs a soothsayer to help him keep his kingdom under his own rule and not that of his twin brother. What he doesn’t count on is that his bewitching soothsayer, Willow, could possibly be the fall of the entire Underworld without trying to do so. One small twenty year old secret could destroy everything Draken has ever held dear. Through battles, both political and emotional, the King must do what is best to destroy his brother and hold his kingdom in the right hands, although nothing is ever what it seems and no one can be trusted in the Underworld.

 

Because I loved reading it so much, one lucky reader will win a KINDLE ebook copy of The Demon King!

 

I will be gifting the eBook through Amazon.com so you must be able to download and read books in Kindle format.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Happy Reading,

Jaidis