Month: August 2012

Sharon interviews me about Persephone

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This blog was originally posted on Sharon’s website here. Sharon interviews several young adult writers, and has written an amazing book called The Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantas.

I want to thank and welcome author, Kaitlin Bevis for sharing her personal writing journey with us on my blog today. Her book, Persephone, can be purchased fromMusa Publishing, Amazon, and other on-line bookstores.

How long have you been writing, Kaitlin?

I’ve been writing all my life. Before I could write I played pretend. I’ve always loved writing and loved reading. I’ve never been shy about revising. If something I read or watched didn’t end the way I wanted it to, I’d rewrite it. I’ve taken every creative writing class I could find in high school and college, and spend a good chunk of my weekends with my writers group.

Where did you get your idea and inspiration to write Persephone?

Oddly enough the Clash of the Titans trailer. The tag line “damn the gods” somehow got my Brian thinking about Persephone. The trailer was awesome. The movie was so bad that I actually managed to get the entire book drafted in my head while watching it.

What sets Persephone apart from other books in the same genre?

For one thing the gods themselves are the main characters. Not Demi-gods, not humans caught in the crossfire. The myths aren’t back story, they are in the process of happening. Also, Hades isn’t the bad guy. He’s not even a bad guy that the power of love can change. He’s a genuinely decent guy, who was just trying to help save a damsel in distress.

As an author, Kaitlin, what is your writing process?

I get a very rough outline and then start writing. My first draft reads a lot like a synopsis with short bursts of description and dialogue. Then as I start fleshing out my plots, subplots and characters the story gets longer and longer and longer. My next draft deals with details. I’m really bad about getting all of the details into place for a strong setting, so I tend to overcompensate. That’s my longest draft. After that I cut all the places I went overboard on details, submit the draft to my writers group, revise, and submit again. Then I let a different group of friends read it, revise based on their suggestions and sent it to my good friend who’s also a copy editor for a final look over before submitting it to my editor.

How long did it take for you to start and finish Persephone?

I started the summer of 2009 and submitted it December of 2011. I didn’t really count it as finished until after it went through two rounds of content editing with my editor and copy editing. That just got finished this summer. So three years?

Do you have any advice for other writers, Kaitlin?

Join a writers group, and listen to their critique. No matter how awesome your story is you don’t know more than they do because you’ll always be the writer of your story, not the reader. You know why everything is the way it is, so really you can’t tell if you did a good enough job conveying it. They can. If only one or two people in a group suggest a change, you can take it or leave it. But if the entire group is telling you “yeah, I really don’t get this scene” don’t get all smug and act like they’re idiots. Because that’s the exact scene that’s going to stop your book from getting published when a slush reader (who is still not you and is not in your head) reads it and goes “huh, I don’t get this.” and rejects it.

What’s next for Kaitlin Bevis the author?

Books two and three. Book two has gone through the whole process, so it’s just waiting for my editor. Book three just got started. Once I finish with the third book, I’ve got another trilogy in mind, set in the same universe, and a single book in mind that’s set in a different universe. I can’t decide which one I want to work on next. It’s a moot point until book three is done anyway. I’m very excited about the direction the third book is taking.

Okay, here’s one for me, since I’m writing a time travel series – If you could time travel anywhere into Earth’s past, where would you go and why?

That’s a tough one! I like Jane Austin times, because of all the pretty clothes and dances and the nice manners. I wouldn’t want to stay too long though. I really enjoy indoor plumbing, and air conditioning, and having rights. Then I would travel a bit further in the future, make some deposits in high yield savings accounts, invest in some stocks and such. Otherwise I’m really happy where I am.

Blurb:

The “talk” was but enough, but how many teens get told that they’re a goddess? When her mom tells her, Persephone is sure her mother has lost her mind. It isn’t until Boreas, the god of winter, tries to abduct her that she realizes her mother was telling the truth. Hades rescues her, and in order to safely bring Persephone to the Underworld he marks her as his bride. But Boreas will stop at nothing to get Persephone. Despite her growing feelings for Hades, Persephone wants to return to the living realm. Persephone must find a way to defeat Boreas and reclaim her life.

Links:

Musa Publishing: http://musapublishing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=5&products_id=326

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kaitlin-Bevis/224768864266454

Twitter: @kaitlinbevis

Sick

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I am sick. It’s just a cold, but I feel like I’m on deaths door. It’s amazing how easy it is to wave off colds. How quickly I forget. Scratchy throat, headache, stuffy nose, ugh. Luckily my cold waited until the end of my super busy week to smack me down. Unfortunately it didn’t notify my daughter that Mommy needs rest. It also doesn’t care all that much about the book I’m working on.

I’m experimented with the point of view in the third book. I was torn between a dual narrative between Hades and Persephone, or Aphrodite and Persephone. Now I’m thinking of doing all three. Crazy? Probably, but I’ll get the official verdict from my writers group next Saturday. IF I can get over this cold long enough to write. 

Ugh…

Bonus Excerpt

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Just an excerpt from the young adult novel, Persephone. You can buy it here if you like it:

“How beautiful.”
I jumped, spinning around to face the man on the other side of the counter. “I’m sorry?”
“The flowers.” He gave me a strange look. “They’re beautiful. Poppies and daffodils, right?”
I made a noncommittal noise, and he smiled as if pleased to have guessed right. “It looks great. You have a real gift.”
“Thank you.” I was sure my face was bright red. I’d jumped like the devil himself had patted my shoulder. Now this guy probably thought I was crazy too.
That would be a tragedy. His eyes were the precise shade of liquid gold as Orpheus’. With the exception of his angular face, short haircut, and leaner physique, he could be Orpheus. I wonder if they’re related.
Horrified, I realized I was staring. “Oh…uh…how can I help you?” I tucked a wavy strand of hair behind my ear.
His eyes twinkled in amusement. My cheeks heated as I realized a guy as hot as him must be used to shop girls getting flustered for different reasons than being caught off guard. I glanced at the antique golden bell against the door, cursing myself for being so wrapped up in the stupid flowers that I hadn’t heard it ring when he came in.
“…arrangement to be delivered next weekend,” he was saying, leaning on the counter.
“Of course.” I took a breath to pull myself together. I fished the pen and ordering pad from the pocket of my apron, gathering confidence from the familiar routine. “Can I get your first and last name?”
“Pirithous,” he answered, spelling it for me. He looked down to read the name emblazoned on my chest. “Pleased to meet you, Persephone,” he said, pronouncing it Purse-a-phone.
I ground my teeth together. My mother refused to change the monogrammed name on my apron to Kora. It was getting to the point where I was thinking of getting it fixed myself.
“It’s Persephone,” I corrected. “Kind of like Stephanie. What’s the occasion?” I held the pen poised over the paper.
He grinned and ran his fingers through his golden hair. “My mother’s birthday.”
My eyes widened as I realized why he thought I’d asked. With more emphasis than the situation called for, I wrote “mother’s birthday” on the appropriate line to show him I’d been asking professionally, not fishing to see if he was single.
My face stayed red throughout the ordering process because Pirithous kept teasing me or misinterpreting my questions. I grew angry when I realized he was enjoying seeing me so flustered.
I gave him an innocent smile and dropped his change into his open hand. Pirithous closed it as the cold quarters touched his skin. His fingers brushed against mine. He grinned and, for the first time since he’d walked in the flower shop, looked into my eyes.
His pupils widened and he quickly closed his eyes, looking away from me. “I don’t believe it.”
“No, really,” I babbled, so fast the words ran together. “I just turned sixteen this March. My mom’s a bit paranoid, but you can’t blame her with the university down the street and frat boys all over town.”
“He was right! A daughter of Zeus. I didn’t think there were any left.”
Speaking of frat boys…“Isn’t it a little late in the semester for pledging?”
His hand wrapped around my wrist like an iron vice. “Let me go,” he demanded, eyes glittering.
“After you!” I struggled to pull my hand free.
He laughed. “You have no idea, do you? What you are? What you’ve done? Oh that’s right, you can’t lie. You’re really sixteen.” He shook his head as though in disbelief. “Even better. I thought he’d sent me on a fool’s errand. Everyone knows Zeus is dead, but here you are—” his eyes glittered maniacally “—my chance at immortality.”
I yanked my arm back but he didn’t let go. Panic flooded my chest. “Are you high? Let me go!”
I struggled against his grip as he pulled me around the counter. “You’re mine. I found you first. You belong to me!”
I grabbed the counter with my free hand. My fingers closed around a pen, and with more strength than I thought possible I slammed it into his arm.
He howled in pain and I ripped my arm free and scrambled back behind the counter. I yanked open a drawer, spilling the contents, searching for the small knife I used for cutting wires and flower stems. I caught a glimpse of the green handle and grabbed it.
“Stay back!” I waved the arrangement knife in his direction.
“Persephone?” my mother called, throwing open the storage room door. “Is everything—” She looked from Pirithous’ bleeding arm to the knife poised in the air.
I moved between him and my mother. “I’m calling the cops!” I fished my cell phone out of my apron pocket.
That seemed to penetrate Pirithous’ maniac rage enough for him to look up at me, eyes saturated with hate. “I’ll be back for you,” he hissed, then ran out the door.
“Like hell,” I muttered, locking the door behind him.

POV Issues

/ kaitlinbevis / 8 Comments

So I’m writing the third Persephone book and hit a huge roadblock. POV. For reasons I can’t get into here without some major spoilers about book two, the book demands a split point of view.

Point of view is the person telling the story. My stories are generally first person, and Persephone and Daughter of the earth and sky are both narrated by Persephone. Book three required Persephone AND someone else. My plan was to use Hades.

I loved writing from Hades’ point of view. It’s fantastic being in his head, mostly because it’s SUCH a different voice. We’ve seen him only from Persephone’s point of view and she interprets some of the things he does differently than how he intends them. But there were a couple of issues writing from his perspective.

It’s hard enough to channel a man. I’ve got another book I’m working on that has a dual POV between a girl and a boy, so I thought I could manage. But there’s a big difference between a teenage boy, and a God that’s been around for all eternity. I found myself second guessing everything. Would he care about this? Would he react like that? Your characters can only be as mature as you are, and lets face it, if channel teenage girl a better than ancient and wise god there’s probably a reason for that.

Plus I’m getting reviews and fan mail (yes, I have gotten fan mail, 😀 how awesome is that) talking about how awesome Hades is. He’s been nominated for hottest supernatural hunk on goodreads. I don’t want to mess him up. Right now he’s appealing and nice and romantic. Book three is already way darker because of events I can’t delve into. And while writing angry Hades makes me ridiculously happy, it’s different reading it through the lens of Persephone and being in his head.

So I’m experimenting with a different gods point of view. You won’t meet her until book two, and she might not be very well liked due to the events of book two, but she offers an entirely new perspective. One that isn’t so Persephone- centric.

Plus my readers should get used to her because she’s narrating the next trilogy. The series is called DaughterS of Zeus after all.