I’m super excited to welcome Erin Rhew, author of the forthcoming YA fantasy The Prophecy. I have had the pleasure of reading it, but I haven’t posted my Goodreads review yet (I’m waiting until a little closer to the November release). I will tell you it will be getting 5 stars! Welcome, Erin!
What inspired you to write The Prophecy?
At the time I started writing The Prophecy, I’d been reading and watching a lot of Game of Thrones and stories of Arthurian legend. I don’t know that they inspired the story, per se, but they definitely influenced the feel and time period of the world.
What books had the most influence on you while growing up?
Growing up, I loved Charlotte’s Web. I wanted to name a child Charlotte because I loved it so much. LOL! I also enjoyed most books by Judy Blume and Beverly Cleary. As I got older, I fell in writing love with Shakespeare. I prefer the depth of his tragedies though I traditionally like happily ever after endings. My favorite Shakespeare plays are Romeo and Juliet and Othello.
At what moment did you truly begin to feel like an author?
I think I started to really feel like an author when I began doing interviews and people started to “know” me. I’ve always defined myself as a “writer,” but the definition “author” feels like it comes more from the outside. The moment someone buys and reads The Prophecy, I will truly wear the “author” label…and proudly. 😉
You’re a bit of a grammar nerd. What is your biggest grammar pet peeve?
Awwww…you’re sweet to say “a bit.” I’m a major grammar nerd. 😉 I’d say my biggest grammar pet peeve, that spazzes me out the most, is less and fewer. If a quantity can be counted, always use fewer, with the exception of time, money, and distance. Don’t you love the English language—that ALWAYS do such and such just with this exception? LOL! The checkout lines at Wal-Mart, Target, and similar stores should read “10 items or fewer.” I get a nervous tic every time I see “10 items or less.”
What is your favorite literary love triangle?
I’d have to say Tessa, Will, and Jem in The Infernal Devices series. Tessa never reduces herself to the whiny, sniveling, torn girl, and I love that. Will and Jem are both upstanding, and I honestly had trouble choosing between them. Cassandra Clare set the bar very high for a good love triangle.
If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
I’m super nosey, so I’d like to be invisible. If I had a dime for every time I said, “I’d love to be fly on that wall,” I’d be rich. Invisibility would give me the power to do that without having to turn into a yucky fly! 😉
The Prophecy excerpt:
Even though she knew she had no chance to escape now, Layla shoved the Elder with all her might. The blow sent him flying into the baker’s door, which splintered under the force, and she darted forward. The Vanguard soldiers moved to block her.
“We are all Vanguards,” she pleaded. “Please let me go.”
For a moment, they hesitated. Layla used the opening to slip around them. She ran as fast as her legs would carry her, but they proved to be too slow. Within moments, the soldiers leapt upon her, knocking her to the ground. Wrenching Layla up by her hair, they dragged her back to the Elder, whose face now bled from his encounter with the baker’s door.
“I see you’re going to be trouble.” He brushed the dirt off his robes. “You can’t escape your destiny, girl.”
About the Author:
Erin Rhew is an author and fitness trainer. Since she picked up Morris the Moose Goes to School at age four, she has been infatuated with the written word. She went on to work as a grammar and writing tutor in college and is still teased by her family and friends for being a member of the “Grammar Police.” In her free time, Erin enjoys acting, running, kickboxing, and, of course, reading and writing.
Find Erin on her website, Goodreads, Facebook, and Instagram.
