My dad is in North Carolina, so I can’t celebrate with him every year, so this year I decided to do a Father’s Day blog post and I’ll email him the link and also give him a call, too. I’m faced with the question of what exactly goes into a Happy Father’s Day blog post because this is a first for me.
When I was born, my dad was in the US Navy, so I was born on a naval base in Portsmouth, Va. While I’m sure that was loads of fun for my mother (sarcasm, there), it’s a neat story to tell.
The first movie I saw in theaters was Gremlins…I’m sure that was my dad’s influence more than my mom’s, and I sometimes wonder if that first film I saw (while still in diapers) didn’t have some sort of effect on me through the years. I think it probably did. My dad taught me how to pitch a tent by myself, how to make tuna salad sandwiches, how to ride a bike, how to race trucks across a field (a story my kids don’t know and don’t need to know…lol), how to always buy a camera case when you buy a new camera, how to bargain shop (and I’m not sure he even realized he did this), and lots of other things.
My dad was one of the coolest dads a kid could ever want. My weekends with him were always fun, regardless of what we did, but an evening with just the two of us typically began with a trip to Burger King for a kids meal–and, more importantly, a kids’ meal toy–followed by a trip to the grocery store and the video store. We rented movies and I ended up with every single Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Burger King toy ever made…I think. And, the remarkable thing about that is that I’m pretty sure he still has most of those old toys.
When I spent summers with my dad, though, we got to do a whole lot more than that. He took me camping and that’s where I learned to pitch a tent and sleep in a sleeping bag on the ground and I really loved it. I always had something to complain about (I’m bored, it’s hot, there’s nothing to do, the lake is too cold, the lake is too hot, etc…), but I always had fun and the memories made have always stuck with me because a few years ago, I was able to (sort of) teach my kids how to pitch a tent, too. Unfortunately, they were little and don’t remember, but the gesture was made and past down and we’ll do it again soon anyhow.
A dad is one of the most influential people in a kid’s life, even if the kid’s parents are divorced like mine are. I got my taste in music more from him than my mom. I got my taste in books and movies more from him than anyone else, too. My dad loooooooves Batman and I like Batman, but not nearly as much as he does. Instead, I looooooove a movie called Labyrinth (Jim Henson Films, 1983, starring David Bowie and Jennifer Connolly), but the fanatic way I love Labyrinth is the same fanatical way he loves Batman. As a matter of fact, the first time I ever met my step mom, she brought me my very own VHS copy of Labyrinth because he told her it was my favorite.
When I was a teenager, I’m pretty sure my parents both wanted to strangle me, but luckily they didn’t and I’m still alive to tell the tale of my growing up. Well, some of it, anyhow. Without my dad being who he is, I wouldn’t be who I am, either. My oldest daughter is a lot like him, too, probably more than me and probably more than she realizes. Genetics are weird in that way.
So, to just wrap this up, Happy Fathers Day, Dad. Wish I could be with you, but the state of Virginia is in the way. We all love you. The kids say hi.
Love, Kel.
**ALSO**
In case you missed the memo, THE DEMON KING is on sale in both the US ($2.99) and the UK (£1.49) Amazon sites. There is also a guest post about the book at Fringe Works you can read if you’d like to read a little more about it, beyond the Amazon description, before you buy. However, you should buy it.
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.
Read this review of THE DEMON KING at Proserpine Craving Books!
Read this Rhiannon Mills interview by author Rebecca Besser!
And in other Rhiannon news… In case you missed this memo also, THE BONES OF WILLOW LAKE (formerly titled “Willow Lake”) will be published by KnightWatch Press, an imprint of Fringe Works Press sometime this year. Stay tuned with my blog to find out more details as they come!
Rhiannon Writes On 