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The gods are at war and only a farmer’s daughter can save the world from Armageddon.

The village magician has gone missing.  His four pupils think he has left a clue to his whereabouts in the Magicalis Bestialis–the book of magical creatures.  They must seek the help of the elusive Simurgh, the mythical birds who know all the secrets of the universe.

However, this is not an easy camping trip into the mountains.  Spirits, gods, and demons confront the four friends, who are not aware they’re being set up by otherworldly forces for a much larger task.

A farmer’s daughter, Faizah is chosen to lead the humans in the battle. She must persuade a slave, an orphan, and a rich merchant’s son to join in the battle on the side of good. Although divided by Dev, the evil god of war, the teens must band together to find the Simurgh, rescue their teacher, and stave off Armageddon.

Excerpt:

The Boys Have Their Say

*** Leave a comment for a chance to win a free ecopy of “Faizah’s Destiny.” ***

(Marva Dasef) I am the author of “Faizah’s Destiny” and decided the three boys in the story might like to share their views while Faizah isn’t in the room.

(Marva) I’m pleased to have Faizah’s three male companions here today for the interview. How are you doing?

(Parvaiz) Sure, make us out as secondary characters. Typical. Snorts in disgust.

(Marva) A little testy aren’t you? After all, the book is titled “Faizah’s Destiny” not “Parvaiz’s Destiny.”

(Harib) Sorry about Parvaiz, ma’am. He’s a little touchy since he was a slave all his life. He’ll loosen up the longer he’s free.

(Parvaiz) Easy for you, Harib. Your father is the richest man in the territory. He owns slaves!

(Bahaar) Hey, Parvaiz, lighten up. Harib or his father weren’t ever mean to slaves. His dad has even freed most of his workers, and they chose to stay on.

(Parvaiz) mumble…

(Marva) Hey, sorry to hit a sore spot Parvaiz. Maybe if you talked it out a little. Don’t you feel a little grateful to your father for adopting you as his son and heir?

(Harib) What’s that, Parvaiz? I don’t hearrrr youuuu!

(Parvaiz) Yeah, yeah. I am grateful to Ahmadj, but at my age it’s a little hard to adapt to having a father.

(Bahaar) I wish I had even a fake father to get used to. Me and my brother are all on our own. We don’t carry a chip around on our shoulder.

(Parvaiz) All right! I’m grateful! Now can we just drop it?

(Marva) Of course. Tell the readers about your search for Master Wafai.

(Harib) Jabs his hand in the air. Oh, me, me!

(Marva) Go ahead, Harib.

(Harib) One day, we all went to school in the morning at Master Wafai’s house. But he was gone and the room was a mess! We couldn’t think of anything other than he was kidnapped.

(Bahaar) You see, his herb bag was still there. He wouldn’t go anywhere to treat anybody without that. It had to be a kidnapping.

(Parvaiz) But Faizah doesn’t accept that story. Well, she didn’t say Wafai wasn’t kidnapped, but she thought he left a sign we were supposed to find the Simurghs to find out where he was.

(Marva) Why did she think that?

(Harib) His book of magical beasts was open to the page about the Simurghs and a big X was chalked on the page. She figured he’d never mark up a book except for good reason.

(Marva) So you all set out to search for the Simurgh?

(Parvaiz) No way! I thought it was an idiot idea. Faizah being a girl and all…

(Bahaar) interrupting Hey! Faizah can take care of herself. She made that pretty clear when she caught up to us.

(Harib) Yeah. She never hid behind her skirts or us. She always jumped in and started swinging. Remember when Raziq and his gang were beating you up?

(Bahaar) Huffs I could of taken them. But it was nice you and Faizah showing up to help.

(Marva) So, you’re saying at first that you all didn’t want Faizah to go along on the search, but you changed your mind.

(Parvaiz) Well, yeah. I didn’t know her like these guys. She pulled her weight once we got going. She even saved the rest of us from Pazuzu’s ill wind.

(Marva) Ill wind?

(Parvaiz) Yeah, it’s a demon who makes everybody sick. Most of the time, people die, but Faizah knew what plants to use to cure us.

(Marva) Speaking of demons, what was that all about?

Bahaar and Parvaiz turn noticeably red.

(Harib) That jerk demon didn’t take me over like these two.

(Bahaar) We apologized for that! It wasn’t our fault.

(Parvaiz) Right. Harib didn’t even have a very good demon try to tempt him to Dev’s side.

(Marva) Who’s this Dev?

(Parvaiz) God of war. What could we do? Both Bahaar and I wanted to be warriors, and the demons promised we would be great heroes.

(Harib) Yeah. All Nanghaithya did was try to make me feel bad. Not a good way to convince somebody to join the dark side.

(Marva) I know there’s plenty more to tell the readers about your search for Wafai, the battle with the demons, and so forth. But since I’d like to sell a few books, we’ll leave it for now and let folks read about it themselves.

Thank you, boys. You’ve been a great interview.

(Boys) Sure. Anytime. Hey how about a story starring me?

Purchase at: MuseItUp (all ebook formats): http://tinyurl.com/faizahsdestiny

Also available at Amazon, B&N, Nook, and other on-line stores

Marva Dasef lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two ungrateful cats. Retired from thirty-five years in the software industry, she has now turned her energies to writing fiction and finds it a much more satisfying occupation. Marva has published more than forty stories in a number of on-line and print magazines, with several included in Best of anthologies. She has several published books, including six since 2011 with MuseItUp Publishing. 

Website: https://sites.google.com/site/mdasefMarva/home

Blog: http://mgddasef.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/MarvaDasef

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/?tab=wX#107073845875601488093/posts

Twitter Handle: @Gurina

Book Trailers: http://www.youtube.com/user/MarvaDasef/videos

 

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Cover Shot! is a regular feature here at the Café. I love discovering new covers, and when I find them, I like to share. More than anything else, I am consumed with the mystery that each new discovery represents. There is an allure to a beautiful cover. Will the story contained under the pages live up to promise of the gorgeous cover art?

I love Carolyn Meyer, and I love Ancient Greece, so Beauty’s Daughter is high, high, high on my wish list. 

In stores October 2013

   

 

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Oh, my gosh, this was a hard book to review. Maybe because I kept kind of having to shudder, because I knew what was going to happen - what had to happen. I mean, hello, title. It's clearly there. The. Summer. Prince. People who read enough... Read the rest of this post

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Category: Young Adult Fantasy
Keywords: Myths, Retellings, Series, Gods and Goddesses
Format: ebook, Hardcover
Source: NetGalley



Kimberly's Review: 

Last year, I finally got around to reading The Goddess Test, book one. Which I LOVED, and immediately grabbed for book two. Then I had wait, like forever, to get my hands on book three, the final book. And I'm still not sure what I think about it.

This review will contain some spoilers from the first two books so if you haven't read books one and two, maybe you should stop reading now and grab a cup of tea.

Spoilers below

Without giving too much away, Kate has been captured by Calliope and held for nine months, waiting to give birth. Henry doesn't know anything is wrong and no one is searching for her. That is, until all hell breaks loose. Cronos is ready to blast through, starting a war he intends no one to survive. Not his children, not humanity. Calliope at his side has one goal, to make Kate miserable, and she plans on doing that by stealing Kate and Henry's baby.

There are some really wonderful things about The Goddess Inheritance. This book is a fast paced thrill ride. So much happens, I can't even begin to go into everything. Action packed. Calliope morphs into an even more sinister version of herself, and she is pretty terrifying and gross. We see Cronos a little differently in this book and get a closer look at his motivations. Together, these two are bent on destroying the world, and for most of the book, I really thought they would do it. No one is safe and it's hard to see who is on whose side and why.

There's also a lot of open questions at the end of the book and this makes me... happy! (See, you thought I was going to say something else, didn't you?) I hope this opens the road for spin off books.

Now some not so great things. I liked Kate in books one and two, but that didn't hold true for me in book three. Kate whines a lot, complains, feels helpless and whines some more. A lot of the conversations between her and Henry are about sacrifice, who is willing to give up what. I love Kate's compassion and love, but halfway through the middle of the book, she becomes this wet mop. Where is the Kate from the beginning? Who passed the tests? Who fought for Henry's love? She's in there somewhere, but it takes a while for her to get back to herself so most of the book I kinda wanted to slap her across the face.

Another thing I loved in the series was Henry and Kate together. Their trials and victories as a couple, as a unit, facing real relationship problems and lack of communication. Their fights and struggles nearly killed me in the first two books. Killed. Me. That wasn't really evident in this book. Their problems were more circumstantial and the heat and love I felt between them earlier wasn't as strong. Don't get me wrong, I love Henry and Kate. But I was expecting more from them as a couple, and was disappointed by the course of their relationship.

Here's a non-spoiler for those who have read it already:

Yeah, that whole thing that happens on the island? and then there's little-to_no discussion about it afterwards? None? NONE? What?! One line? We get one line about not talking about it? (slaps forehead) I call foul!

Overall though, The Goddess Inheritance is a solid end to a captivating trilogy. I'm sad it's over, I still want more and while I'm disappointed by some of the events that happened in book three, I still think it's one of my favorite series out there and would totally read it again.

---

For more about the author, visit aimeecarter.com and tweet @aimee_carter.

You can find more reviews by Kimberly at The Windy Pages and tweet her @thewindypages.

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Reader Gut Reaction: I enjoyed the first book in this duet, Trickster's Girl (reviewed here) a lot more than I expected to, so I was pleased to find the second book was available in my library so soon after I read the first one (no waiting ages for... Read the rest of this post

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Category: Young Adult Fantasy/Fairytale Retelling
Keywords: Robin Hood, Fairy Tales, Myths
Formats: Hardcover
Source: NetGalley

This is the third book in the series, the last one, the story to tie up all loose ends. Seeing as I haven't read any of the other ones before, I was afraid I might get lost. Thankfully, the history and mythology is carefully explained and it's a twisted history indeed!

Petunia, the youngest of the twelve dancing sisters, is abducted by a "wolf" in the forest, a young man with the mask of a wolf. She finds him to be Oliver, an earl who has lost his land, and has been reduced to robbing passing coaches. Oliver swears to get her to her destination, but when he drops her off at the gates, he realizes that something is wrong and Petunia is in more danger than she realizes. Fairy tales and myths combine for a very cute story.

I really liked the mythology and the history. I think it would have been better to follow the journey from book one, but I didn't have any problems following the thread. It was interesting and imaginative, these interwoven fairy tales. I like Petunia, but she is sixteen so a couple times I rolled my eyes at her. A lot of the book is spent with her eleven sisters, all named after flowers. I'm sure it is hard to write a story about the twelve dancing princesses, but honestly, most of the time I was confused by them. None of them really stood out with a distinct personality. They all blended together.

This goes the same way for Oliver, his band of thieves, and the sisters' husbands. I didn't feel a real connection to any of them. I may have had a different experience if I had read the series from book one.

Overall, The Princess of the Silver Woods is fun and a clever twist on the stories of the Twelve Dancing Princesses, Robin Hood and Little Red Riding Hood. Fans of fairy tale retellings will enjoy this romp through the forest.

---

Find out more about the author at www.jessicadaygeorge.com and follow her @JessDayGeorge

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I have read and enjoyed a few of the Goddess Girls books, so I’m happy to participate in this book blast for the latest, Pandora the Curious.  This is the 9th book in the series. Enter below for a chance to win a $100 Amazon or Paypal Gift card!

Goddess Girls #9 – Pandora the Curious

Is Pandora about to open up a box of trouble?

One of the few mortals at Mount Olympus Academy, Pandora is famous for her mega quizzical nature—not that she thinks there’s anything wrong with being curious, of course!

Her curiosity kicks into high gear when a godboy named Epimetheus brings a mysterious box to school. Epimetheus is the nephew of an MOA teacher in whose class Pandora once opened another box that sent a few weather disasters to earth. Still, Pandora can’t help but take a peek inside this new box when it unexpectedly lands in her lap. What could be the harm in that, right? Little does she know that opening the box will open up far more trouble than she ever expected!

Authors Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams put a modern spin on classic myths with the Goddess Girls series. Follow the ins and outs of divine social life at Mount Olympus Academy, where the most privileged godboys and goddessgirls in the Greek pantheon hone their mythical skills.

• Athena the Brain Finding out she’s a goddess and being sent to Mount Olympus brings Athena new friends, a weird dad, and the meanest girl in mythology—Medusa! 
• Persephone the Phony Hiding her feelings works fine for Persephone until she meets a guy she can be herself with—Hades, the bad-boy of the Underworld. 
• Aphrodite the Beauty Sure Aphrodite is beautiful, but it’s not always easy being the goddessgirl of love. 
• Artemis the Brave She may be the goddess of the hunt, but that doesn’t mean Artemis always feels brave. 
• Athena the Wise Zeus says Heracles has to do twelve tasks or he’ll get kicked out of MOA! Although she’s not sure it’s wise, Athena agrees to help out. 
• Aphrodite the Diva Isis claims she’s the goddess of love? Ha! But to keep the title all to herself, Aphrodite has to find the perfect match for Pygmalion, the most annoying boy ever. 
• Artemis the Loyal It’s time for the annual Olympic Games, and Artemis and her friends are not happy. It’s boys only. Not fair! 
• Medusa the Mean Medusa wants to be more like her two sisters and the other kids at Mount Olympus Academy — immortal. Is that too much to ask? 
• The Girl Games (Goddess Girls Super Special) Listen in on what all four goddess girls are thinking as Mount Olympus Academy hosts visitors from many lands–including an adorable kitten!The first-ever standalone superspecial in the Goddess Girls series! 
• Pandora the Curious
• Pheme the Gossip (Apr. 3, 2013) 
• Persephone the Daring (Aug. 7, 2013) 

The Goddess Girls

Author Suzanne Williams

Suzanne Williams is the award-winning author of nearly 40 books for children, from picture books and easy readers to chapter books and middle grade fiction series. A former elementary school librarian, she lives near Seattle. Her picture book Library Lil (illustrated by Steven Kellogg) won the New Mexico children’s choice award in 2000 and was on several other state award lists. She is co-author (with Joan Holub) of the popular Goddess Girls series(for ages 8 – 12) and Heroes in Training (ages 6 – 11). Other series include Fairy Blossoms and Princess Power.








Author Joan Holub

I graduated from college in Texas with a fine arts degree, and then freelanced as an art director at a graphic design firm for eight years. I dreamed of working in children’s books, so I moved to New York City and became associate art director in Scholastic trade books, where I designed books for children and worked with editors and illustrators. It was a great job.

I illustrated my first published children’s book in 1992 and soon began illustrating full time. I began completing manuscripts and mailing them out to publishers in the early 1990s. In 1996, I sold my first two manuscripts — Boo Who? A Spooky Lift-the-Flap Book (Scholastic) and Pen Pals (Grosset & Dunlap). Yippee!

Now I write full time and have written and/or illustrated over 130 children’s books. Creating books that entertain, inform, and interest children (and me) is a fabulous job that I truly love.

Book Blast Giveaway
$100 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
Ends 12/16/12
*You need not enter your twitter name for each entry. Simply enter it when you follow Joan and leave the others blank.

Open to anyone who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent’s permission. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.


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Summary:
Seventeen years old and agoraphobic, Psyche Middleton vows her dad will never see the risque photos she took during a summer modeling stint abroad, but one of them ends up on a billboard in her Montana hometown. Suddenly, she is a hometown celebrity.

At a street carnival she is rescued from a mob by a guy who has the ability to make himself invisible. He takes her to a palace in an idyllic kingdom, and she is swept into the beauty and culture of his world, but his affection has one condition: she may not see him.

Psyche must decide if she is brave enough to love him blindly, and if she's not, will she lose him forever?

My thoughts:
First, I love the Cupid and Psyche myth. I've read other retellings of it, and I have to say this one is different in such a great way. I really identified with Psyche. Hansen shows Psyche come into her fame, which is totally unwanted. It really made me cheer Psyche on as she became the center of attention and struggled to have a normal life. 

When Eros rescues her from the crowd and brings her to his world, she's rightfully uncertain. But he wins her over, and Psyche loves being with him. The dynamic between the two is really well done. I also loved the world Hansen created. I could see the gorgeous gowns and the palace. I almost felt like I was flying on Pixis, Eros' winged horse.

And for those of you familiar with this myth, the trials Psyche has to endure to be with Eros were extremely well done. Hansen made them her own.

If you like mythology, Painted Blind is well worth your time.

Just for fun: Could you love someone if you could never see their face?

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Poseidon and the Sea of Fury

A young Poseidon must triumph over aquatic terrors in this Heroes in Training adventure. The merciless Cronus and his Titan buddies are in hot pursuit of Zeus, Hera, and Poseidon, who plan to travel across the treacherous boiling sea in order to save a fellow Olympian. They have a boat, but they also have a problem: Poseidon can’t swim and is terrified of the water (well, really of the creatures that lurk in its depths). The group faces danger after danger as they battle singing sirens, a fishy and ferocious Titan named Oceanus, and people-eating monsters sent by Cronus himself. Can Poseidon overcome his fears and help his fellow heroes escape Cronus and his cronies?









Heroes in Training by Joan Holub & Suzanne Williams
Authors Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams deliver fun, adventures, and a few surprises as ten-year-old Olympians go on a journey of a lifetime to discover their true identities and defeat their Titan enemies.


Praise for Heroes in Training
"Readers will gobble this down and look for more, make no mythtake."
~ Kirkus

“This is a fun read, casting Zeus in the role of relatable kid, and there is a nice balance between his primary goal of survival and his sense of destiny and adventure. . . Share this title, and likely more to come, with those still too young for Percy Jackson’s adventures.”
~ School Library Journal



The Series

#1 Zeus and the Thunderbolt of Doom
#2 Poseidon and the Sea of Fury
#3 Hades and the Helm of Darkness
#4 Hyperion and the Great Balls of Fire

Aladdin Paperbacks (ages 6-9)
http://series.simonandschuster.com/Heroes-in-training



Zeus and the Thunderbolt of Doom (Book 1)


After pulling a magical thunderbolt from a stone, ten-year-old Zeus goes on the adventure of a lifetime in this thrilling start to a brand-new series! The terrible Titans–merciless giants who enjoy snacking on humans–have dominated the earth and put the world into chaos. But their rule is about to be put to the test as a group of young Olympians discover their powers and prepare to righteously rule the universe….
   
     Ten-year-old Zeus is mystified (and super-annoyed) by the fact that he keeps getting hit by lightening. Every. Single. Year. He also longs for adventure, as he has never been far from the cave where he grew up.

     Zeus gets his wish–and a lot more than he bargained for–when he is kidnapped by dangerous, giant Titans! In self-defense, he grabs the first thing he sees–an actual thunderbolt he pulls from a stone that is covered in mysterious markings. Zeus is the only one who can decipher the markings, and sets off on a quest to rescue his youthful fellow Olympians from the evil Cronus. Armed with his trusty thunderbolt (named Bolt, of course), Zeus is on an adventure of a lifetime–and a journey to fulfill his destiny as King of the Gods.



Hades and the Helm of Darkness (Book 3 coming April 2013)


The Heroes in Training are entering the Underworld—if Hades can conquer his canine fears, that is.

The Underworld usually isn’t really meant to be a fun place—but tell that to Hades! He loves the dark and the stinky smell of sulfur. However, there is one thing that Hades is not a fan of: dogs. And when Zeus and his fellow Olympians encounter Cerberus—a snarling, three-headed dog—Hades must conquer his fears and tame the hound so everyone can continue into the Underworld and deposit their Titan prisoner, Oceanus, back where he belongs!

But with magical water that causes forgetfulness, hot beds of lava, and another epic battle with two more Titans standing in their way, will Zeus and his heroes make it out of the Underworld with everyone intact?



Author Suzanne Williams

Suzanne Williams is the award-winning author of nearly 40 books for children, from picture books and easy readers to chapter books and middle grade fiction series. A former elementary school librarian, she lives near Seattle. Her picture book Library Lil (illustrated by Steven Kellogg) won the New Mexico children’s choice award in 2000 and was on several other state award lists. She is co-author (with Joan Holub) of the popular Goddess Girls series(for ages 8 – 12) and Heroes in Training (ages 6 – 11). Other series include Fairy Blossoms and Princess Power.








Author Joan Holub

I graduated from college in Texas with a fine arts degree, and then freelanced as an art director at a graphic design firm for eight years. I dreamed of working in children’s books, so I moved to New York City and became associate art director in Scholastic trade books, where I designed books for children and worked with editors and illustrators. It was a great job.

I illustrated my first published children’s book in 1992 and soon began illustrating full time. I began completing manuscripts and mailing them out to publishers in the early 1990s. In 1996, I sold my first two manuscripts — Boo Who? A Spooky Lift-the-Flap Book (Scholastic) and Pen Pals (Grosset & Dunlap). Yippee!

Now I write full time and have written and/or illustrated over 130 children’s books. Creating books that entertain, inform, and interest children (and me) is a fabulous job that I truly love.

Book Blast Giveaway
$100 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
Ends 12/9/12


a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Madeline Miller is the author of The Song of Achilles, a retelling of the Iliad.  I love Greek mythology, so I was delighted when Madeline dropped by the virtual offices to tell us more about her book.

[Manga Maniac Café] Describe yourself in 140 characters or less.

[Madeline Miller] Teacher, writer, director, reader, in any order. Flusterable yet determined, a hang-on-I-need-to-think-about-it type. Adventure lover.

[Manga Maniac Café] Can you tell us a little about The Song of Achilles?

[Madeline Miller] The Song of Achilles is a retelling of the myths around the Greek hero Achilles, narrated by his closest friend and lover, Patroclus. The story begins with the two meeting as boys and continues up through the events of Homer’s Iliad and beyond.

[Manga Maniac Café] What drew you to Patroclus and made you want to tell his story?

[Madeline Miller] What initially got me interested in Patroclus wasn’t the man himself—he’s actually a very minor character in the Iliad—but Achilles’ intense and shocking reaction to his death. The great hero, when he hears that Patroclus has been killed, is plunged into utter, grief-stricken despair. I was very moved by that, and also intrigued. Why does Patroclus mean so much to Achilles?

The more I learned about him, the more interested I was. He is a fascinating person, from his disastrous childhood, to his devotion to Achilles, to his characterization as “always gentle.” I became determined to give him the chance to speak for himself.

[Manga Maniac Café] Did you feel any apprehension when you started to tackle this project?

[Madeline Miller] I should have! But at the time I was too entranced with the story. I felt almost like a scribe, sitting down to take Patroclus’ dictation. Little did I know that it would be ten years of writing and re-writing before I would be finished.

[Manga Maniac Café] What was the most challenging aspect of writing The Song of Achilles?

[Madeline Miller] Finding Patroclus’ voice. From the beginning Patroclus’ personality and perspective were very clear to me—they were the bedrock of my story. But figuring out his diction and speech patterns was very challenging. I actually wrote a full draft of the story and ended up throwing it out and rewriting it from scratch, because I wasn’t happy with how I had him speaking. Finally, after lots of blundering around, I found something that felt right.

[Manga Maniac Café] Why do you think Homer’s works have endured over the centuries?

[Madeline Miller] Homer is timeless because his work is built on the universal truths of human experience. Take away the trappings of divinity and royalty and his characters emerge as utterly real—just like us in their flaws, follies and virtues. And, of course, they are also great stories, full of adventure and action.

[Manga Maniac Café] What three things do you need in order to write?

[Madeline Miller] Though I do sometimes jot down a sentence or two on paper, I need my computer for serious writing. My longhand isn’t fast enough to keep up with my thoughts, but my typing is!

I have never been one of those people who can listen to music while I write. I need total quiet to be able to hear my own thoughts.

No internet. If my browser is open, it’s so easy to fall down the internet rabbit-hole rather than work. I do best when I just turn off the house’s wifi for a while.

[Manga Maniac Café] Other than The Iliad and The Odyssey, can you share some books that turned you on to reading?

[Madeline Miller] I absolutely loved and read to pieces this old series of books by Wa

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Jessica Therrien is the author of Oppression, her debut YA novel and the kick-off of her Children of the Gods series.  I am a sucker for anything based on Greek mythology, so I excited when  Jessica dropped by the virtual offices to discuss her new series.

[Manga Maniac Café] Describe yourself in 140 characters or less.

[Jessica Therrien] I’m a closet goofball, T.V. addict, pajama lovin’ YA book fanatic. I married my crush. I’m 26. I enjoy writing and singing in the shower.

[Manga Maniac Café] Can you tell us a little about Oppression?

[Jessica Therrien] OPPRESSION tells the story of Elyse, a seemingly young woman with an extraordinary ability and a unique destiny. Elyse ages five times slower than the average human, which means that even though she appears to be almost eighteen, she’s nearly a century old. When her parents died, she believed herself to be the only one in the world with such a condition. But after moving to San Francisco, determined to keep herself hidden and alone in the middle of the big city, she quickly discovers she’s not alone. On the contrary, there’s a whole society of people just like her, who age five times slower than normal people, and who have strange, almost magical abilities.

Overall it’s a love story full of heartbreaking conflict and that last shred of hope.

[Manga Maniac Café] How did you come up with the concept and the characters for the story?

[Jessica Therrien] The concept was just an intriguing thought I had after realizing that some of the places in Greek Mythology are actually thought to exist. What if other parts of mythology were real? What if there was some explanation for the myths, like the Greek gods were never really gods, just a supernatural race of people whose abilities were embellished?

The characters started off being based on people I know. I was falling in love with my husband as I was writing Oppression, so he was my inspiration for William. Once the book got going, though, the characters developed into themselves and my creative brain just sort of took over.

[Manga Maniac Café] What was the most challenging aspect of writing the story?

[Jessica Therrien] Editing was the hardest part for me. I had to do some re-writes. It was extremely difficult for me to tear into my manuscript after I had already considered it “finished.” Little did I know, I had yet to write the best parts. The rewrites were well worth it.

[Manga Maniac Café] What are three things Elyse would never have in her backpack?

[Jessica Therrien] A ball gown. Make up. A banner that says, “I’m going to save the world.”

[Manga Maniac Café]  What are your greatest creative influences?

[Jessica Therrien] Most of my creative influences are people….My mother and sister, my husband, my critique partner Holly, Molly the Magnificent (as I call her) with ZOVA Books. Also, amazing authors such as JK Rowling, Stephenie Meyer, Suzanne Collins, Veronica Roth, & Moira Young.

And…I really have to say the writers of The Vampire Diaries T.V. show. They are masters of plot.

[Manga Maniac Café] What three things do you need in order to write?

[Jessica Therrien] I need to be in the mood to write, and that’s it.

I’ll write on a napkin in a noisy restaurant if an idea strikes. Eventually, I do need my computer so I can put it all in my manuscript, but that’s obvious.

[Manga Maniac Café] If you had to pick one book that turned you on to reading, which would it be?

[Jessica Therrien] Harry Pot

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Title: Oppression Author:  Jessica Therrien Publisher: ZOVA Books ISBN: 978-0984035045

 

May Contain Spoilers

From Amazon:

Review:

I love Greek mythology, so when I first saw Oppression, I immediately added it to my TBR.  Jessica Therrien is a debut author, which added even more weight to my desire to read the book.  I love discovering new titles and new authors, so I was definitely eager to start reading this.

I love the premise.  Elyse is a Descendant, a race of people once considered gods.  She ages much slower than normal humans, and her blood can heal.  Since the death of her parents, she has been alone, keeping her abilities a secret.  Her only friend is Anna, a woman she has known since childhood.  Elyse knows nothing about her background or her people.  All she knows is that she is different.  When she meets William, a mysterious and handsome young man, she is suddenly thrust into a strange and dangerous new world.  William is also a Descendant, and he holds the answers that Elyse is desperately seeking.

While I liked Elyse, I did not feel much affection for William.  He knows all about Elyse, and at first, he refuses to divulge his knowledge.  There is a scary girl stalking her, so I thought that telling Elyse what was going would have been the gentlemanly thing for William to do.  But, no, William flat out refuses to tell her.  He throws little tidbits of information to her throughout the book, which put him in a position of power over her that I did not like.  I did not think he was cute or sexy, and I was hoping like heck that some other guy would suddenly appear and treat her like an equal, instead of like a child.  No such luck.  I can’t tell you how irritating it was for me when he called her “adorable”  because she was confused and apprehensive about her safety.  It didn’t endear him to me. It was mean and patronizing, and it made me wish that Elyse would fall for some other guy.  This particular trope is used far too often in YA, and it drives me batty every time I encounter it.

Other aspects of the story did work for me, though.  Elyse must keep her bloodline and abilities a secret, and she can never help ordinary humans.  This causes one heck of a dilemma for her when her best friend, Anna, is diagnosed with a

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[Manga Maniac Café] Hi, Joan and Suzanne!  Thanks for dropping by!

[Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams] Hi, Julie! Thanks so much for hosting our Goddess Girls 8: Medusa the Mean blog tour!

Medusa insists on speaking for herself in your Character This or That. We hope that’s okay.

[Manga Maniac Café] Perfectly fine! I am not about to argue with a girl who has snakes for hair! 

Hi, Medusa!  Welcome to This or That! Would you like a cup of tea before we get started?

[Medusa] Don’t forget the cookies.  It’s a long journey from Mt Olympus.

[Manga Maniac Café] Of course!  Here you are, and let’s start This or That!

[Medusa] I guess…

[Manga Maniac Café] Water or Sand

[Medusa] With a sea monster mom and a seahog dad, I can swim like a fish. So, water! Definitely.

[Manga Maniac Café] Blue or Red

[Medusa] Hmm. Blue is pretty close to my favorite color, green. And red is the complement of green. So, neither. I choose green.

[Manga Maniac Café] Sun or Stars

[Medusa] Stars, like the ones I have in my eyes when I look at my supercrush, Poseidon.

[Manga Maniac Café] Walking or Running

[Medusa] Running. I’m a mortal at an immortal school. I’ve got to move it to keep up. At times, it’s hard for me. But that’s my little secret.

[Manga Maniac Café] Birds or Fish

[Medusa] Fish, because I can swim like one. And Poseidon is godboy of the sea. Duh. We are so perfect for each other. Why can’t he see that?

[Manga Maniac Café] Hot or Cold

[Medusa] Cold. It’s better for my pet snakes. I have a dozen on my head. Did you notice? I used to think they were a pain, but now they’re my pets. I even gave each of them names.

[Manga Maniac Café] Food or Drink

[Medusa] Drink, because it reminds me of water, which reminds me of swimming, which I’m good at.

[Manga Maniac Café] Singing or Dancing

[Medusa] Dancing. If I win a chance to be in Principal Zeus’s wedding, I’m going to dance the night away!

[Manga Maniac Café] Naughty or Nice

[Medusa] I never play nice!

[Manga Maniac Café] Thank you, Medusa! 

---

Goddess Girls: Medusa the Mean is available now!  You can order a copy from your favorite bookseller, or by clicking the widget below:

Thank you {teen} Book Scene for arranging this meeting with Joan, Suzanne, and Medusa!

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Now, THIS is what I'm talking about. No werewolves. No vampires. No British isles fairytale constructs. No Arthurian legends, creaky with age, being unfolded and poorly cleansed of the dust of ages for the nth, nth, nth time. No. This is neither... Read the rest of this post

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Title:  Goddess Girls: Medusa the Mean Author: Joan Holub & Suzanne Williams Publisher: Aladdin ISBN: 978-1442433793

 

May Contain Spoilers

From Amazon:

Review:

I have been interested in The Goddess Girls for a while, but I was reluctant to go back and try to catch up on the series.  Medusa the Mean is the eighth installment, and when I had the opportunity to be part of a blog tour, I jumped at the chance.  I ‘m glad that I did, too.  I had no problems following along with the plot, and found this to be a very fun MG read.

Medusa has a few issues.  She wants to be popular, and she wants super hottie Poseidon to notice her.  The problem? Nobody is tripping over themselves to be her friend.  Who wants to be BFFs with a mortal girl with snakes for hair?  Her own parents don’t even seem to care for her, so it’s easy to see how Medusa developed an Olympus sized chip on her green shoulder.

I was extremely sympathetic toward Medusa.  She is one of the only mortals to attend Mount Olympus Academy, and she feels that she doesn’t fit in.  She longs to be immortal and to have powers like her sisters.  It’s hard being the only triplet  without special powers!  Medusa is so desperate to obtain immortality that she falls for gimmicks that keep getting her into trouble.

Despite her desire to have friends, Medusa is wary of her peers.  Being the object of ridicule will do that, and Medusa is often the butt of jokes and teasing.  It seems that only her snakes accept her for who she really is.  With her trust issues, she keeps rejecting the friendly overtures from the girls she longs to be friends with.  I could relate to Medusa and her social awkwardness.  It’s hard to make friends when you worry constantly that people are only setting you up for a joke.  Instead, she reacts with snarky comebacks, or worse, ignores everyone in the vicinity.  While she keeps finding fault in herself, she feels that she must also find fault in others.

Medusa the Mean is a quick, feel good read.  Though I was starting to worry that Medusa would never catch a clue, she eventfully learns that being friends is a two-way street.  She learns that if she wants people to like her, she can’t be selfish and self-absorbed.  Most importantly, she has to accept herself for who she is, and stop judging people based on their looks, instead of their personality.  I enjoyed the characters and the setting, and wouldn’t hesitate to read more books in the Goddess Girls series.

Grade: B

Review copy provided by {teen} Book Scene

 

 

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A little of this and a little of that, as I'm ahead in reading and behind in writing!

(short stories, novel, audiobook)

Kibuishi, Kazu. 2012.  Explorer: The Mystery Boxes. New York: Amulet.

This book is an unexpected little gem, something of a mystery itself. From the cover, I was expecting a graphic novel mystery, a la The Box Car Children infused with a bit of magic.  What I found instead, was a themed, graphic, short story collection.  Mystery Boxes contains seven stories by noted graphic artists including Raina Telgemeier (Smile).  What ties these disparate illustrators and authors together is that each story features a mysterious box, contents unknown.  The stories range from amusing ("Spring Cleaning by Dave Roman and Telgemeier) to profound (Jason Caffoe's, "The Keeper's Treasure") to social commentary on war (Stuart Livingston and Stephanie Ramirez', "The Soldier's Daughter").

Judging from the way  my Advance Reader Copy was scooped up by a child in my book club, I'd guess this will be popular if it can find the right audience.  I'm also assuming that we can look forward to more collections in the Explorer series. I, for one, would like to see more interest in short stories.  They don't seem to be required reading for middle schoolers - a pity.  (Another good short story series, though not in graphic novel format, is Jon Scieszka's Guys Read Library)

Doyle, Roddy. 2012. A Greyhound of a Girl. New York: Amulet.

Advance Reader Copy

I chose to read this one because it features a multi-generational Irish family.  It's hard not to like Ireland - a beautiful country full of "lovely" people.  In fact, you will hear people in Ireland describe nearly anything as "lovely" --friendly people they are in general, but I digress.

This is the first Roddy Doyle book that I've read and I wasn't sure what to expect. I thoroughly enjoyed it once I stopped looking for some artificial contrivance or tricky plot twist and settled in to enjoy a simple yet touching story of 12-year-old Mary O'Hara, and three of her female relatives, one of whom happens to be dead.  A Greyhound of a Girl covers a short span of time in a short book (208 small pages)  about life and death and family. Being of Ireland, of course it is not without humor.

Riordan, Rick. 2011. The Son of Neptune, The Heroes of Olympus Series, Book 2. Read by Joshua Swanson. Listening Library.
12 hours, 27 minutes.

0 Comments on This and that - 3 reviews as of 5/9/2012 6:07:00 PM

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Title: Endure Author: Carrie Jones Publisher:  Bloomsbury USA ISBN: 978-1599905549

 

May Contain Spoilers

From Amazon:

Review:

I have mixed feelings about the final volume of Carrie Jones’ NEED series.  Endure is a page turner, but despite the rapid pacing, there was something missing for me.  The earlier books in the series introduced a scary new paranormal creature to me – Pixies.  Prior to reading Need, when I conjured pixies in my mind, they were little impish creatures, hardly worthy of concern.  This series charged that vision into a nightmare.  Large, powerful pixies, ruled by an all consuming need, turned out to be pretty frightening after all, especially when paired with an isolated, snowy landscape.  I loved the Maine setting, and the pixies,whispering enticingly from the shelter of the woods, freaked me out.

In Endure, Zara has sacrificed her humanity to save Nick from Valhalla, and here is my major dislike of this story.  Nick has turned his back on Zara, and now considers her a monster.  I just wanted him to get over himself!  Dude, Zara gave up everything to bring your sorry butt back to life, so the least you could have done was thank her.  Geez!  Instead, Nick puts on a pout, tells Zara he doesn’t know who she is anymore, and treats her like…well, a pixie.  Really?  This is how you display your love to the brave young woman who was willing to give up everything for you?  Who was willing to face her nightmare opponents head on, to save you? So disappointing!

I liked Astley better than Nick, and that surprised me.  Up until this volume, I loved Nick.  He is so bad ass.  He’s a werewolf, and until his visit to Valhalla, he would have done anything to protect Zara and his friends.  Just like she was willing to do for him.  Until all of that turned out to be a lie.  Then Zara was left with Astley, a kind and good pixie.  A kind and g

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Are you looking for an awesome summer read?  Do you like YA paranormal romances?  Want to win a copy of Goddess Interrupted by Aimee Carter?? 

Goddess Interrupted is the sequel to The Goddess Test.  Here’s a plot synopsis:

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 who is the greatest threat to her future.

Henry’s first wife, Persephone.

Sounds good, huh?  If you enjoy Greek mythology, this is the summer read for you!

To enter for your chance to win, just fill out the widget below! You can earn extra entries by following. Contest ends June 13th.  Contest open to US and Canadian addresses.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Category: Young Adult Fantasy
Keywords: Siblings, family, mythology
Format: Hardcover, eBook
Source: Library


Thuy's Review:

I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I picked up Sweet Venom. It had a great cover and I couldn’t resist picking it up. I’ve always been a fan of Greek mythology though my memory for the myths and the many gods is rusty at best. But the idea of monster fighting triplets descended from Medusa sounded too fun to pass up.

And fun it was! With a good mix of Greek mythology, action, romance, and humor, Sweet Venom is an entertaining and fast read. The book is told from the three POVs of Grace, Gretchen, and Greer. I am often wary of books told in multiple POVs. In this

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Title: The Seduction of Phaeton Black Author: Jillian Stone Publisher:  Brava

May Contain Spoilers

From Amazon:

Review:

The Seduction of Phaeton Black is like An Affair with Mr Kennedy on steroids.  I have to admit that I was a little leery before I started reading Jillian Stone’s latest release.  How could it live up to my high expectations?  I loved Mr Kennedy, a sexy romp with a Scotland Yard detective who could easily give Remington Steel or James Bond a run for their money.  He is gifted in everything that he does; he’s a magnificent rider, a crack shot, and can hold his own in a fist fight.  Best of all, he’s a wonderful lover and partner.  Guys like Mr Kennedy don’t exist in  real life because the pressure of being that perfect would quickly cause a seizure.  Cassie had me pulling my hair out a few times, because for such an intelligent lady, she could be so dumb, but Zak needed  to be a hero, and a woman with more common sense wouldn’t have needed rescuing.

In steps Phaeton Black.  I admit that it took me a while to warm up to this guy.  He is rather juvenile and thinks with his crotch instead of his brain.  Probably because most people thinks he nuts due to all of the paranormal sightings he has, but still.  He showed an appalling lack of discretion and caution, but I did finally start to appreciate his character.  He’s a flirt and a player, with no plans of ever getting shackled to one woman.  He doesn’t want kids, either, because he’s afraid that they will be as messed up as he is.  After the death of his mother when he was a young lad, his father had no patience for Phaeton or his supernatural abilities, and q

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Kelly loves ancient history, fantasy, and mythology. She dreams of one day attaining magical powers, discovering the secret to immortality, ridding her home of pet hair, and being crowned Mardi-Gras queen. As Kelly Gay, she writes the popular adult urban fantasy series, Charlie Madigan, for Pocket Books. While she calls Raleigh, NC, home, she can also be found chatting about books and life on Facebook and Twitter.

What is your favorite myth? 

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Myth: A Very Short Introduction

By Robert A. Segal

It is trite to say that one’s pet subject is interdisciplinary. These days what subject isn’t? The prostate? But myth really is interdisciplinary. For there is no study of myth as myth, the way, by contrast, there is said to be the study of literature as literature or of religion as religion. Myth is studied by other disciplines, above all by sociology, anthropology, psychology, politics, philosophy, literature, and religious studies. Each discipline applies itself to myth. For example, sociologists see myth as something belonging to a group.

Within each discipline are theories. A discipline can harbor only a few theories or scores of them.  What makes theories theories is that they are generalizations. They presume to know the answers to one or more of the three main questions about myth:  the origin, the function, or the subject matter.

The question of origin asks why, if not also how, myth arises. The answer is a need, which can be of any kind and on the part of an individual, such as the need to eat or to explain, or on the part of the group, such as the need to stay together. The need exists before myth, which arises to fulfill the need. Myth may be the initial or even the sole means of fulfilling the need. Or there may be other means, which compete with myth and may best it. For example, myth may be said to explain the physical world and to do so exceedingly well — until science arises and does it better. So claims the theorist E. B. Tylor, the pioneering English anthropologist.

Function is the flip side of origin. The need that causes myth to arise is the need that keeps it going. Myth functions as long as both the need continues to exist and myth continues to fulfill it at least as well as any competitor. The need for myth is always a need so basic that it itself never ceases. The need to eat, to explain the world, to express the unconscious, to give meaningfulness to life – these needs are panhuman. But the need for myth to fulfill these needs may not last forever. The need to eat can be fulfilled through hunting or farming without the involvement of myth. The need to express the unconscious can be fulfilled through therapy, which for both Sigmund Freud and his rival C. G. Jung is superior to myth. The need to find or to forge meaningfulness in life can be fulfilled without religion and therefore without myth for secular existentialists such as Albert Camus.

For some theorists, myth has always existed and will always continue to exist. For others, myth has not always existed and will not always continue to exist. For Mircea Eliade, a celebrated Romanian-born scholar of religion, religion has always existed and will always continue to exist. Because Eliade ties myth to religion, myth is safe. For not only Tylor but also J. G. Frazer, author of The Golden Bough, myth is doomed exactly because myth is tied to religion. For them science has replaced religion and as a consequence has replaced myth. “Modern myth” is a contradiction in terms.

The third main question about myth is that of subject matter. What is myth really about? There are two main answers: myth is about what it is literally about, or myth symbolizes something else. Taken literally, myth is usually about gods or heroes or physical events like rain. Tylor, Eliade, and the anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski all read myth literally. Myth taken literally may also mean myth taken historically, especially in myths about heroes.

The subject matter of myth taken symbolically is open-ended. A myth about the Greek god Zeus can be said to symbolize one’s father (so Freud), one’s father archetype (so Jung), or the sky (so nature mythologists).  The religious existentialists Rudolf Bultmann and Hans Jonas would contend that the myth of the biblical flood is to be read not as a explanation of a supposedly global event from long ago but as a description of what it is like for anyone anywhere to live in a world in which, it is believed, God exists and treats humans fairly.

To call the flood story a myth is not to spurn it. I am happy to consider any theory of myth, but not the crude dismissal of a story or a belief as a “mere myth.” True or false, myth is never “mere.” For to call even a conspicuously false story or belief a mere myth is to miss the power that that story or belief holds for those who accept it. The difficulty in persuading anyone to give up an obviously false myth attests to its allure.

Robert A. Segal is Sixth Century Chair in Religious Studies at the University of Aberdeen.  He is the author of Myth: A Very Short Introduction and of Theorizing about Myth. He is presently at work editing the Oxford Handbook of Myth Theory. He directs the Centre for the Study of Myth at Aberdeen.

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Who Was Who online, part of Who’s Who online, has granted free access for a limited time to the entries for the philosophers and scholars mentioned in the above article.

Image credit: Thetis and Zeus by Anton Losenko, 1769. Copy of artwork used for the purposes of illustration in a critical commentary on the work. Source: Wikimedia Commons. 

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In Indonesia they think each grain of rice has a soul.
Casein paint and gouache. 21cm x 21cm. Click to enlarge.

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Ingrid Paulson is the author of Valkyrie Rising, a book I am chomping at the bit to get my hands on.  Ingrid very kindly took some time out of her busy day to answer a few of my questions.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] Describe yourself in 140 characters or less.

[Ingrid Paulson] Science nerd and avid reader turned young adult writer. Former Olympic athlete (not really).

[Manga Maniac Cafe] Can you tell us a little about Valkyrie Rising?

[Ingrid Paulson] I’m a huge fan of girl power stories, so I set out to write the kind of book I would want to read. In a nutshell, Valkyrie Rising is about a girl (Ellie) who comes into her own while visiting her grandmother in Norway. Boys start mysteriously disappearing, including her brother, and it’s up to Ellie to save them all and overthrow an ancient power. And along the way learns a few unexpected things about her family history.

But I think the copy on the back of the galley says it best:

Deadly legends, hidden identities, and tentative romance swirl together in one girl’s astonishingly epic coming-of-age.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] How did you come up with the concept and the characters for the story?

[Ingrid Paulson] A few years ago, I went on a trip Norway with the Paulson women, and I was so inspired by the mountains and fjords that I wanted to write a book based on the setting alone. I knew right away it would include Valkyries—I’ve always loved the idea of strong warrior women.

I was actually working on a different book, but Tuck and Ellie captured my imagination so suddenly and completely that I sat down and started sketching out scenes. The rest of the story came together around those two characters and the setting.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What was the most challenging aspect of writing the story?

[Ingrid Paulson] There are about a million challenges in writing a book–it’s hard to pick just one! But I think I struggled most with the ending and ended up re-writing it several times. I’d set up big stakes in the first three-quarters of the book and it was hard to tie everything back up together in a satisfactory way while keeping the action fast and light. Fortunately, I had an amazing editor who helped me work through those issues.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What three words best describe Ellie?

[Ingrid Paulson] This is hard because Ellie changes a lot during the course of the story. But the girl she becomes by the final scene is determined, resilient, and brave.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What are three things Tucker would never have in his pocket?

[Ingrid Paulson] Tucker is the type to always travel light. It’s not likely he’d have anything but his cell phone and a credit card or two. But he’d definitely never have another girl’s number, even if he’s likely to be slipped more than a few. He also wouldn’t be caught dead with anything relating to school or homework. Part of his casual confidence thing is never admitting he puts work into anything.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What are your greatest creative influences?

[Ingrid Paulson] I love reading and that definitely inspired me to start writing. And this might sound creepy, but I also really enjoy people watching (I’m a shameless and painfully obvious eavesdropper). I think that contributed a lot to creating the other people who reside in my head.  In the case of Valkyrie Rising, travel was also a huge influence—I was fortunate enough to stumble across incredible vistas in Norway that made me itch to describe them on paper.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What three things do you need in order to write?

[Ingrid Paulson] I need coffee and silence. When I hit a tricky scene or plot issue, I often work it out on a long run, so I guess I need running shoes too.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] If you had to pick one book that turned you on to reading, which would it be?

[Ingrid Paulson] That is a hard question! I think the biggest contributor to my love of reading was a father who would sit and read to me for hours and hours on end. His love of books is infectious. However, I was a huge fan of Dr. Seuss and Shel Silverstein and can still recite embarrassing amounts of their works.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What do you like to do when you aren’t writing?

[Ingrid Paulson] Lately, I feel like I’m always either writing or secretly thinking about writing while pretending to pay attention to something else. But I live in San Francisco, pretty close to the bay, so I just love being outside and wandering the city with my daughter. I love to travel (who doesn’t) and spending time with my friends.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] How can readers connect with you?

[Ingrid Paulson] My websites is: www.ingridepaulson.com

I’m on twitter @ingridepaulson.com

Facebook:  Valkyrie Rising

[Manga Maniac Cafe] Thank you!

You can purchase Valkyrie Rising from your favorite bookseller or by clicking the widget below. Available in print and digital.

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The motto "Art and War," under imposing statues of Minerva and Mars, has graced a cartouche over the entrance to Stockholm's Riddarhuset — the House of Nobles — since 1647. Those words struck a powerful chord while doing research for my novel, The Stockholm Octavo. Providing a factual core for the story was Gustav III, [...]

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