writing

Character Interview with Hades and Persephone

/ kaitlinbevis / 2 Comments
These fun interview questions were written by Martha. It was my first “live” interview and it was a blast! You can see the interview where it was originally posted, here:
Character Interview with Hades & Persephone!

 

Welcome Persephone and Hades to booksbooks&morebooks! I am very stoked to have you both here with me to answer a few questions. I loved your story of love, coming into your own and life in the Underworld.
Now Hades lets start with you. When you figured out that Persephone was in danger from those very evil souls, what was the first thing that crossed your mind?
Hades (souls): The very first thing? I had to save her. I was worried she’d get hurt and I was afraid I wouldn’t get there in time. I don’t get scared very often. Pretty much never until I net her. And as weird as it is, that made me mad. I knew I had to save her of course, but she had the whole Underworld to roam safely and she ends up in Tartarus? It’s literally the only place in the entire Underworld that she could get hurt.
That makes sense. It’s hard keeping a stubborn person out of danger. *cough cough* Persephone!
Now Hades, why did you think that making Persephone your wife would be the best way to keep her away from Boreas’ reach? Was that really the only reason at the moment or was there another reason? *Quizzical face*
I don’t know. I think about that a lot. On the one hand I didn’t exactly have a lot of time. Boreas’ last victim nearly drowned herself in the Lethe trying to escape the memories of what he did to her. Persephone wouldn’t have had the luxury of dying. Cassandra told me what was happening and taking her to the Underworld was the easiest way to make sure she was out of harms way. My “plan” was just to pop up to the surface and evaluate the situation. Had it not been her… I don’t know, I might have tried harder to find another way.
Persephone: but even in retrospect, there wasn’t another way. I’m not exactly complaining about the arrangement.

 

Hehehehe I wouldn’t mind either Persephone. *blushes*
So Persephone how does it feel to be married to the Hades? I mean he’s the master of the Underworld. And at so young an age?
Hades: Marriage with the gods is mostly political. It’s not like–
Persephone: We’re not– I mean we haven’t– Erm what I mean is–
Hades: there’s a pretty significant age difference–
Persephone: I guess you could say its weird. It’s really really weird. We’re kind of figuring this out as we go.

 

*trying not to laugh* Ohhk.
Persephone describe Hades.

 

He’s not what I expected…
Hades: *groans* thank the gods, what was it you said? Something about expecting me to be all disfigured and twisted like my dark and evil soul?
Persephone: you were supposed to have flaming blue hair too. But I don’t just mean the way he looks, which incidentally… Wow!
Hades: *grins*
Persephone: he’s also really full of himself. Its pretty annoying. But He’s nice. He cares about people. He works really hard to make the underworld nice for the souls and he cares about his friends…. He’s gone above and beyond for me, and he’s honest. I mean beyond the not being able to lie thing. I trust him. Absolutely.
Trust is very important! Especially when two people are married. Now Hades it’s your turn. Describe Persephone. Be honest now.
Well she’s blonde, about five foot, has green eyes, and wears lots of skirts.
-.- very descriptive Hades. No really what is Peraephone like?
She’s… I don’t know, good. Better than the lot of us anyhow. She cares about people, not how she can best use them, and I don’t have to try to interpret everything she says. She’s like… light or air or something necessary. I can’t imagine– anyway, you get the idea.

 

Hades and Persephone. This question is for the both of you: what is next? What is going on with you two at the moment?
Hades: We’re going to be pretty busy dealing with… Something we’ve just discovered
Persephone: *under her breath* you have no idea…
Hades: I don’t want to go into too many details, but that… Project is going to take precedence over anything else.
O.O ahhhh I’m so excited! And very intrigued!
Thank you Hades and Persephone for answering my questions! I hope to read more from you two soon.
Thanks! 🙂

Original Prologue to Persephone: Hades’ Perspective

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Prologue

She was beautiful. Hades hadn’t expected that. Silly really, the daughter of Zeus and Demeter would hardly be plain. He wasn’t sure what he had been expecting as he tore his way through the earth. He hadn’t taken the time to think, had only been advised of what was happening above his realm, and acted.

She held her head high as the ice retreated. Her fists clenched in defiance as her white dress swirled around her petite frame. She had to be frightened. He could almost see her pulse hammering in her throat. Still, she stood calmly facing his chariot as he drew to a halt.

He felt as though he was seeing the sun for the first time. Had she only been beautiful, he would have been able to tear his gaze away from her. He had seen no shortage of beauties in his long and lonely existence. Helen of Troy, Andromeda, even Oreithyia could not have matched this girl for beauty. It was the purity and intelligence sparkling from her cypress green eyes that held him captive. That she was still standing spoke of immeasurable bravery to say nothing of that defiantly clenched fist.

He loomed over her, in his black chariot. He was trapped in her gaze, unable to move forward. His mind kept repeating an endless refrain of thanks that he had not been too late. Another thought kept edging to the forefront of his brain. He tried to shove it back unsuccessfully. He had to have her.

That she would complicate his life beyond measure was of no importance. Demeter would be furious. If this begat a war with the few gods left, so be it. Cassandra had warned him this would happen one day. Gods help him, he’d thought she was kidding.

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

POV Issues

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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.

Blog Tour

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So today begins the Persephone blog tour. Click the link above to view all the stops.

Here’s the stops that have already happened, be sure to drop in and comment if you want to win a free copy of the book.

The very first post was with a Musa author named Sharon. Sharon is an amazing author and just seems to have endless energy. Seriously, she writes, she runs her blog, and she’s ALWAYS posting great resources for the rest of us. You can read my guest blog here

My book was also of course featured on my publishers blog here.

The users over at Truu confessions were given an extended excerpt and had a chance to win a copy of Persephone here.

The first chapter of Persephone is available here along with another chance to win!

There’s a blog about MY favorite character here

And a blog from another fantastic Musa author, Dusty Crabtree here. She even made me a book trailer! I’m so excited!

And last one for the day is on Kayla’s blog here about how I became a writer.

Most days won’t be quite so busy, but expect a new blog a day for the next two weeks. There are personal interviews, guest posts, reviews, excerpts, and character interviews. Enjoy!

The winner is in

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So I took all of the comments from Facebook, twitter, and the blog and put them in a random number generator, and the winner is….Amber! Amber please send me an email or a fb message with your email address and ebook reader file type, and I’ll send you a copy of Persephone. Congrats!

It’s live!

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Check it out, my book is now live on amazon.com!

It’ll hit the rest of the ebook stores soon. They all have longer waiting periods. Want to win a copy? Post a comment on my blog, facebook page, or twitter page sometime today or tomorrow and you’ll be entered to win.

Release Party! Win a copy of Persephone!

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I’m having a release party! Since Persephone is an ebook, having an erelease party made sense to me. To “attend” just share this blog and post a comment on my blog, facebook, or twitter Friday at 5 pm, through Saturday at 5.

You can post questions or comments. I’ll reply, and one lucky commenter will win a copy of Persephone in whichever format they prefer. At 5:30 I’ll be bringing snacks to my writers group for an in person celebration, and they’ll help me choose a random winner.

Spread the word!

One week to go!

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I can’t believe my release date is a week away! For so long I’ve been playing hurry up and wait, and now it seems like there’s no shortage of stuff to do.

I’m doing a blog tour (the details will be posted soon) the week after my release, so I had to make sure all the bloggers had an arc, and make sure to have all my blog posts written. Writing about myself is painfully hard. Clearly. I have three blogs, and I write about just about anything but me. I don’t know why that is, but I’m glad to be done with the blogs for the blog tour,

So keep a look out, I may even have a release party with a book giveaway. 🙂

Second Set of Edits, done!

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This has been such a busy week writing wise! I finished my second set of edits and sent them off to Musa. My book is ready for copy edits. When I get that done, it just has to be uploaded as a final version and then it’ll be ready to send out advanced reader copies. I finished answering all my interview questions for my upcoming blog tour. I’ll post the dates and info on that a bit closer to my release date. I sent my press release out to all the local newspapers. Now I just need to get a list of the local radio stations and send it to them.

Daughter of the Earth and Sky has gone through several drafts, two of them have gone through my writers group. One of the few drawbacks to having SO many people look at your book is that you get a lot of different grammar advice, so one of the people in my writers group is taking a last look at my story to make sure A. all the changes make sense, and B. my grammar is consistent throughout. Then that story will be submitted to Musa and I can start this whole process over again.

I already have my tagline for the sequel. Some vows can never be broken. I’ll worry about my blurb after my story is released. I’ve heard middle trilogy blurbs are horribly hard to write because you don’t want to post spoilers for your first story and ruin it for people who haven’t read it, but you still need to put what it’s about.

I’ll cross that bridge later. I’m glad to be done with edits, but I don’t get people who don’t like edits. I LOVE them. My books get so much better with feedback. There’s so much that’s crystal clear in my head, that doesn’t really make sense to anyone else.

All thats left to do this week writing wise is work on book 3. Wish me luck.