Winner Announced at the Bottom!
Historical Figures and Ancient Myths make for Fascinating Characters
As a writer, I tend to fly by the seat of my pants more often than not, trusting my gut and my characters to show me the story the way it should be revealed. Occasionally I get a good sense of where things are going, and those are the periods of time that I spend staring at the ceiling in bed, while my mind whirs through possible scenes and exchanges of dialogue. Usually it means a couple of sleepless nights, so I try not to get too terribly far ahead of myself, if I can help it.
Of course, when working with myths and history, there’s a certain amount of the story I already know. I know, generally, the outline of the god’s lives. I know when cities fell and wars started. I know who won and who lost. I know Thor has a reputation for drinking a lot, and Athena was a virgin goddess, and Odin and Loki are kind of two peas in a pod when it comes to being wily. I know that Adam and Eve have a very complex relationship, and it all revolves around one very special piece of fruit in a very unique Garden at the dawn of time.
The trick then, is to fold these traits and these historical elements into the story in an unexpected way. Explore it from a new angle, and see what happens. You follow the skeleton of the story, and explore where the gods fit into history. Why did they let Alexander become Alexander the Great? Why did Rome rise, and Athens and Sparta fall if they all worshipped the same gods and goddesses? Are the gods as anxious to expand their territories as men?
I don’t outline, but I think a lot about my characters, their relationships, their struggles. And that’s really what storytelling is about – those conflicts. Sure, external conflict too. The pressure of a war looming, or some bigger threat coming to a head, but the internal stuff, the struggle between doing what’s right and following the impulse of desire; the interpersonal stuff, making friends and enemies and trying to determine who is your friend and who isn’t, that’s what really fascinates me. And once you get into it, and see the relationships your characters are building, it isn’t hard to find the big, external problems that they’re fighting against on top of it all. My characters, by virtue of their natures, tend to go out and find the trouble for me.
And if you are wondering why Thor has a reputation for drinking, or maybe about Athena’s choice to avoid the intimacies of relationships, or you just wonder what else besides Lucifer made Eve take that first bite of the fruit of knowledge – you might find some interesting answers in Forged by Fate!
I'm kind of obsessed with mythology, history, animal behavior, and comic books. I love exploring how story becomes history becomes myth, and often wonder what future generations are going to make of the most famous of our modern literary heroes. Will they one day look back and wonder if we worshiped at the altar of Superman? How many years until Sherlock Holmes is rooted firmly into the realm of living historical person and people start claiming him as an ancestor? Or, has the digital revolution and the dawn of the internet interrupted the natural evolution of story into memory into fact into truth? We, and the people who came before us, have such a complex relationship to our myths. They are both living and dead, growing and unchanged, history and fiction.
I try to always keep in mind that once, however long ago, or maybe even just yesterday, somewhere and somewhen, people believed mythology was truth. It's only fair, after all.
After Adam fell, God made Eve to protect the world. — Adam has pursued Eve since the dawn of creation, intent on using her power to create a new world and make himself its God. Throughout history, Eve has thwarted him, determined to protect the world and all of creation. Unknown to her, the Norse god Thor has been sent by the Council of Gods to keep her from Adam's influence, and more, to protect the interests of the gods themselves. But this time, Adam is after something more than just Eve's power — he desires her too, body and soul, even if it means the destruction of the world. Eve cannot allow it, but as one generation melds into the next, she begins to wonder if Adam might be a man she could love.
Every god, from each of the world's pantheons, mythologies, and religions — they’re all real in this enthralling fantasy romance that spans centuries.
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Thanks for sharing! This sounds awesome :)
Thanks for the giveaway. This book sounds really good. Tore923@aol.com
Thanks for the giveaway!
I'd love to read FORGED BY FATE thank you. It looks wonderful.
Thanks for the chance to win! This sounds like a great book.
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