5 Questions: Rhiannon Hart (Blood Song) & GIVEAWAY!!!

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You have no idea how excited I am to be able to interview my (internet) friend Rhiannon! A few days ago I posted my review of her first YA fantasy novel, Blood Song and then I thought, why not make her suffer through my 5 Questions feature! She owes me something after starving her characters through that book. ha! Also, since I was surprised with two copies of this book, I wanted to do something special for my North American readers since Blood Song is only available in Australia for the moment. (Boo!) Be sure to read to the end of this post for a chance to win a copy of Rhiannon's debut novel!Without further ado, Internet, may I present to you, Rhiannon Hart!__________________________________________________1. I know you're both a fantasy and dystopian genre fan, was there ever an internal battle over which genre to choose when writing your story? Or did you always know you wanted to write a fantasy novel?I love reading dystopian novels as well as fantasy novels, but I regard them with a sort of reverence. (That's not to say I don't have respect fantasy novels too. I do, but I don't approach reading them in the same way.) My favourite dystopian authors take something that they are truly scared about, extrapolate it to (logical) extremes and then write it down. For me the best ones are political, not sensational. I think that's why Cold War-era dystopian fiction is my favourite. The writers were truly terrified of nuclear war. Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale is a favourite too. If I write a dystopian novel it will probably be something with a feminist bent. I wanted to write a fantasy series first because those were the books I fell in love with in high school. I wanted to recreate that feeling of being enraptured with a story.2. How has your life changed since becoming an official published author (if at all)?Not a great deal! It's probably changed more in my head than in my way of life or any other tangible evidence. I love knowing that my book is out there being read by people, and being able to engage with them online. (Fan mail is the shiz. It really makes my week to get even one email, no matter how short it is.) And the sense of accomplishment is an enduring one. I do fret over things still, but rather than "Am I ever going to get published" it's "Oh god will they like the next book, and what the hell should I write next?!"3. Is there any news about a North American pub date for Blood Song? I know many Canadians and Americans who would love to get their hands on a copy of the book!No :( If anyone wants to lobby their local publishing house on my behalf, feel free! Hopefully the series will perform so well that they can't NOT publish it in North America. (I'm thinking the Canadians will come around first. They seem particularly awesome.)North Americans! We must, must, MUST start a letter writing campaign! NA publishers! Listen up! This book needs to be available in Canada & the US. (Especially since us Canadians are awesome!)4. What is your favourite part about the writing process? (Character creation? Edits? World building?)Writing dialogue! I love banter. The humorous parts of my writing are almost always found in the dialogue. It's also the first thing that flows easily when I'm writing a scene from scratch. (I've really struggled with the opening of book three, BLOOD QUEEN, for instance, because nobody opens their mouth for several chapters! I think I've nailed it now, though.) Then I add the details later: the surroundings, the "choreography", ie who's doing what and where. I really love it when a lovely bit of description comes out of nowhere, too. I just got my notes back from my editor, and she's told me how much she loves the descriptions of the cities that Zeraphina and Rodden visit. I am so happy that I've managed to create a sense of place in the book, and enjoyed doing it, seeing as world building isn't my forte or passion. (Which is practically treasonous for a fantasy author to say!)5. What is your favourite questing food? (Blood doesn't count. =P)Oh dear, I knew you'd ask me this! My poor, underfed characters. Hmm. Questing food is so spartan. I would say roasted rabbit would be my favourite on-the-road food for Zeraphina and Rodden. Leap likes it too, and Griffin, though she prefers it raw. I love drinking chai, myself. I have drunk a big glass of milky chai almost every day since I started writing the series (in 2009), and I couldn't help but put in a reference to a chai-like drink in BLOOD STORM.BONUS QUESTION: For those of us who might be out of the loop when it comes to amazing Australian authors, do you have any recommendations for us? I have already gushed about Kate Forsyth and Isobelle Carmody (as you well know ;)) but whom-else should we be looking for in the Fantasy section of the store - YA or adult?Yes! The Monster Blood Tattoo books by D. M. Cornish for starters. Fantastic series, and he illustrates them too. Also Marianne de Pierres, Lili Wilkinson (for Scatterheart), Melina Marchetta (for the Finnikin of the Rock books), Michael Pryor, Margo Lanagan, Leanne Hall and James Moloney.Thanks so much for having me, Cat! I'll make sure I give Zeraphina and Rodden a decent meal soon.You'd better, lady! I like to eat everything that I read about in fantasy novels, but I'm not about to start wolfing down blood. So give me beef stew and hunks and bread. Maybe even paté. heh__________________________________________________I'll bet you all can't wait to read this book, right? RIGHT? Well, if you live in North America, then you're in luck, because I'm giving one copy away! *throws confetti*Here's the dealio:

  • Contest ends: February 23, 2012
  • I'm trying out Rafflecopter because apparently it's easy to use.
  • Open to Canada & US ONLY
  • I will not be using your email address for anything other than notifying you if you win.
  • Winner has 72 hours to reply with mailing address, or I pick another one.
  • Do not leave your email address in the comments. If you do, I will delete the comment.
  • I'm only asking for FB page likes because, well, I want to feel loved. heh No pressure. It's just another way to follow the blog if you don't have a feed reader.
  • **NEW** If you don't actually complete the task you say you did, that entry will be disqualified. Cheaters never prosper. ;)

Please feel free to promote the heck out of this, since I really want people in North America to be able to get a chance to win a copy of the book. It's awesome! It's FANTASY! And it's YA. And it has ARCHERY (if not food).