GIVING AWAY BOOKS!

Adopt an ARC! Check out this list! (PH Only)
  • ARC Review: Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia
  • ARC Review: The Secrets We Keep by Trisha Leaver
  • Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
  • Review: Karmic Hearts by Jhing Bautista
  • Review: The Conspiration of the Universe by Kenneth Olanday

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Q&A with Aimee Carter + Goddess Interrupted Giveaway!

Hi everyone! I'm sorry I haven't been on much, but I'm trying to catch up with my reading but here I am with a new feature!

Today I am hosting an amazing author, one of my favorites actually! And her books are some of the most amazing I've read in a while. Henry is still one of my most favorite Gods in Greek mythology.

Follow Aimee: Twitter | Facebook | Website

How familiar were you with Greek myths and folklore before writing the Goddess Test series? Was a lot of research required?

+ I first fell in love with Greek mythology when I was a kid learning how to read, and my infatuation only grew from there. I’ve studied various kinds of mythology for years, sometimes for class and always for fun, but even then I put a great deal of research into the Goddess Test series. Mostly as a refresher to make sure I was getting my facts right, but I also researched the various myths looking for ways to tie the plots and characters together in unexpected ways.

Was Goddess Interrupted any easier or harder to write than the first book in the series, The Goddess Test?

+ It was both easier and harder, in a strange way. I rewrote The Goddess Test multiple times, and I’ve never edited a book more heavily in my life. Goddess Interrupted did require some editing, of course, but it was much easier.

However, the pressure to deliver a sequel worthy of the series made the writing process for Goddess Interrupted more difficult than I’d anticipated. There’s something called the “sophomore slump”, where sequels or second books generally don’t quite match up to the second, and I wanted to avoid that at all cost. So that added a lot of stress, but in the end, I was very happy with the results.

You give the gods and goddesses in the series “ordinary names” – Zeus is named Walter, Aphrodite goes by Ava, Hermes is named James. Why did you do that and do the more contemporary names have any significance?

+ This was something I went back and forth on multiple times. Initially the characters Kate encounters weren’t council members at all – I changed that very, very quickly though. By the second draft, I had a place for each of the Olympians, and I did some heavy rewriting to replace my first draft characters with the gods. I wanted to find a way to keep their names the same, but since they’re supposed to live among us in secret in the modern world, it didn’t really make sense. How many men named Zeus do you know, or women called Aphrodite? On top of that, keeping the council’s identities secret was incredibly important to the plot. So eventually I decided they would have changed their names when Western civilization stopped
worshipping them as gods, allowing them to live freely among us.

I did choose each name for what it means, some more than others – Walter, for instance, means “army leader”, while James means “supplanter”. The exception is Calliope, which in the story was chosen by her counterpart for its Greek roots. The reason the gods changed their names – and why Artemis didn’t wind up with the name Diana – is explained throughout the series, but you get to actually see this
happen in The Goddess Legacy (July 31).

Goddess Interrupted begins with the main character Kate Winters adjusting to her new life as an immortal. Given Kate’s innate strength and stubbornness, was it difficult to switch gears to portray her as a bit more vulnerable and unsure of herself in her new role as goddess AND wife?

+ Not so much, to be honest – her progression felt natural to me. While Kate is very tough in certain ways, she’s extremely vulnerable as well. She’s emotionally dependent on the people around her (her mother in the first book, Henry in the second), and that in and of itself carves the path she takes in the sequel. She’s spent six months with Henry, falling in love with him and forming a relationship she thinks is going to last for eternity. But Henry is battling his own demons and isn’t ready to be the person she needs him to be, and because Kate is so stubborn, she has a hard time coming to terms with that. In the sequel, Kate really is her own worst enemy emotionally – her entire world has changed, after all, and that’s a lot for anyone to take – but it’s all part of her development into a goddess and queen.

Kate finds herself trying to work through her rather complicated relationship with James, as well as her relationship with her new husband, Henry (Hades). Neither seems to be black and white, but rather varying shades of gray. Were any of Kate’s feelings or situations based on any relationship struggles you’ve
been through?

+ Not personally, no, but I did try to make Kate’s relationships with the people in her life as realistic as possible. She isn’t perfect, and neither are they, and that’s something they all have to work through at varying points in the series. None of the relationships in the books are based off of specific experiences I’ve been through though.

What is your favorite part of the writing process? Least favorite?

+ Outlining is by far my favorite part of the process. I love the idea stage, where anything’s possible, and it’s such a shiny place. All of that comes crashing down when I write the first draft though, which is the hardest part for me. I tend to get mentally exhausted about two thirds to three quarters of the way into the manuscript, and it’s always a struggle for me to push through it, especially if I’m on a deadline. And inevitably there are a ton of problems I didn’t notice in the outline stage that have to be fixed for the story to work. I’m a perfectionist, so in order for me to continue writing the story, everything I’ve already written has to make sense.

Do you have a favorite quote or line from a poem or book?

+ I love so many quotes that I couldn’t possibly pick a favorite.

How did you get your first publishing deal and how did that feel?

+ My agent, Rosemary Stimola, sent the manuscript out to various publishers, and after a long submission process, Harlequin TEEN offered to publish it! I was stunned at first, but that quickly gave way to giddiness. It was an incredible feeling to know I’d be published, and to this day, I still can’t quite believe it.

When is the next book in the series due out? Any hints on what will happen in
book 3?


+ Goddess Interrupted, the sequel to The Goddess Test, came out in late March. The next book in the series, The Goddess Legacy, will be out July 31. It’s a collection of five novellas told in the perspectives of Calliope, Ava, Persephone, James, and Henry, and together they form one story.

The third book in the series, The Goddess Inheritance, is currently scheduled to be released in March 2013. Unfortunately I can’t say too much about it, but the challenges that Kate will face are pretty clear by the end of the sequel!

After the huge success of The Goddess Test, Goddess Interrupted is on many, many TBR lists for this summer. What’s on your TBR list?

+ I’m so excited for a slew of books coming out – The Girl in the Clockwork Collar, Grave Mercy, The Selection, The Serpent’s Shadow, Philippa Gregory’s YA novel, and a ton of others. I never have as much time to read as I want, but I’m definitely making time for all of those and more!

Yearbook Superlatives! If you went to high school with the Greek gods and
goddesses, who would you vote for? 


Most likely to succeed? - Hera
Class clown? - Hermes
Nicest? – Demeter or Hephaestus
Best dressed? - Aphrodite
Best dancer? - Apollo
Most school spirit? - Iris
Most likely to attend summer school? - Ares
Teachers pet? - Athena

-----


About the book:

Goddess Interrupted (Goddess Test #2)
by Aimee Carter


Kate Winters has won immortality. But if she wants a life with Henry in the Underworld, she'll have to fight for it.

Becoming immortal wasn't supposed to be the easy part. Though Kate is about to be crowned Queen of the Underworld, she's as isolated as ever. And despite her growing love for Henry, ruler of the Underworld, he's becoming ever more distant and secretive. Then, in the midst of Kate's coronation, Henry is abducted by the only being powerful enough to kill him: the King of the Titans. As the other gods prepare for a war that could end them all, it is up to Kate to save Henry from the depths of Tartarus. But in order to navigate the endless caverns of the Underworld, Kate must enlist the help of the one person whom she would really rather not meet. Henry's first wife, Persephone.

BUY A COPY: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Harlequin | Indiebound

Book trailer:


GIVEAWAY TIME! 
WIN A FINISHED COPY OF GODDESS INTERRUPTED!

Open to US/Canada Only (sorry International peeps, publisher request!)
Ends May 5th, 2012.
Must be 13 or older to enter.


a Rafflecopter giveaway



23 comments:

  1. I still haven't read The Goddess Testyet but I want to soo bad! Thanks for the giveaway =)

    ~Paige @ Comfort Books
    http://paigebradish1996.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm such a fan of Greek mythology. I find this series really refreshing. Definitely looking forward to this one.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I haven't read this series yet but I'm dying to!

    ReplyDelete
  4. been dying to read goddess interrupted

    ReplyDelete
  5. i just purchased the goddess hunt (as reserve) i need to read the first book ^_^ excited!...awesome giveaway

    ReplyDelete
  6. I want to know how Persphone is still alive to help Kate. Isn't she dead?

    ReplyDelete
  7. I have been so excited to read this book ever since I finished the goddess test!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I haven't read it yet but am looking forward to reading it. Thanks for the opportunity to win a copy!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I've heard great things about this series but I haven't had a chance to read either book yet.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I'm really looking forward to reading Goddess Interrupted!

    Thanks for another amazing giveaway!
    elizabeth @ bookattict . com

    ReplyDelete
  11. I haven't read it yet but I plan to. I just need to get my hands on a copy!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I haven't read the first book (Goddess Test) yet.
    I found different reviews about the book that's why I wanted to try reading it to see whether I belong to the one-star-ers or five-star-ers. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  13. i am really looking forward to reading it and thx for the giveaway!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I just started The Goddess Test but I can tell you so far I can't wait to start GI!

    ReplyDelete
  15. No I haven't read it yet! I've read Goddess TEst and CAN'T wait to get my hands on this book! Great stop!

    ReplyDelete
  16. The world-building in the series really appeals to me. It's different and yet I can see it happening. I have read the Goddess Test but loks like I need to.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I haven't read this series yet but I have been dying to get into it! I love the whole goddess story!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Great interview. I'm looking forward to reading the book. It sounds very good.

    ReplyDelete
  19. I love new books! This series looks great!

    ReplyDelete
  20. I haven't read any books from this series yet but I love Greek mythology and I really want to try this series!!!

    ReplyDelete
  21. I haven't read this series, but I've been blogs talk so much about it, not to mention the covers are just...GORGEOUS. I am a fan of greek mythology, and it sounds like Aimee spent a lot of time developing her characters..so I delve into the series and meet them. =)

    ReplyDelete
  22. I haven't read this series yet, I've been holding off on The Goddess Test so I can read these both together. I heard good things though, so I'm anxious to get started!

    ReplyDelete
  23. The book was awesome but the end left you hanging. Everybody who likes romance should read this one of a kind book.....
    visit website for Rockaway Beach Oregon Hotels

    ReplyDelete

I love getting comments from my readers and fellow bookworms, and I try my best to respond to all of them. Feel free to give me a piece of your thoughts. Also, this is an award-free blog. I simply don't have the time to highlight them anymore, but thank you for thinking of my blog!

Related Posts with Thumbnails