Saturday 14 April 2012

A guest blog with Rhonda Dennis

Rhonda Dennis
I haven't done a guest blog for a long time, but I found this lovely series and have since become good friends with the author, so I want to share her books with you. So if you haven't already read this series, here's a little bit of an insight into the books and the characters.

Welcome Rhonda! So what’s your background if any with the paramedic industry that’s so relevant throughout this series?
I spent several years working as a medic in rural South Louisiana. It was supposed to be a temporary thing until I got into nursing school, but I ended up staying longer than I intended. My partner and I hit it off so well, I married him!

Now there's a story right there!!! Were any or many of the strange calls your character, Emily, goes out on based on real life experiences?
I can say that the calls described in my books are mostly fiction. As I write, I might take little bits from actual calls and then I challenge myself to twist it up to make it more intense or even funny. I had some really strange calls during my time on the ambulance, but I’d feel funny writing about them. Good or bad, the actual events are someone else’s story, not mine.
Tell me about Alphonse- I adore this character- how did he come about? Was he based on a particular person you’ve known? Give us Alphonse’s happy ever after in a brief bio (if it isn’t going to be a spoiler for the rest of the series)
Alphonse is one of my favourite characters to write for! I think everyone knows their own personal “Alphonse”. His character is a conglomeration of several people I’ve run into or met over time. Alphonse’s happy ever after will come in Unforeseen: A Green Bayou Novel Book Four. If you’re an Alphonse fan, you’ll definitely want to read it! Alphonse plays a major role.

I am so reading book four the minute it comes out!
What kind of genre do you usually read for enjoyment?
I think it all depends on what kind of mood I’m in. I’m all over the place as far as genre is concerned. One of my favorite books is “A Confederacy of Dunces” by John Kennedy Toole. If a story entertains me, I’ll read it.
What prompted you to say “this is it- I’m going to write a book!”
That’s a funny story. I was sitting around one afternoon and felt this overwhelming urge to write. I intended to type out a short story and move on, but the story kept flowing. A few days later, I realized I had a book. My aunt is an avid reader and one day I confided to her that I had written a manuscript. She asked if she could read it, and although I was leery, I handed it over. The next morning, she showed up at my office looking like a mad woman! Her eyes were bloodshot from reading all night and she kept telling me that I had to do something with it. I owe so much to her for encouraging me to pursue my passion.

What are you working on at the moment?
Book four of The Green Bayou Novels series, Unforeseen, is pretty much done. I’m about to start work on book five! I’m often asked how many books will be in the series, but I can’t honestly say. As long as Emily has a story to tell, I’m going to keep writing!


you can find Rhonda on face book and twitter too @GreenBayouBooks   


No comments:

Post a Comment