Monday, March 2, 2015

Last List Blog Hop: Q&A with Bree Despain!!



Hello guys!

Today I'm extremely pleased to take part of the Last List Blog Hop for the Egmont USA authors organized by the awesome ladies at Cuddlebuggery! Isn't that banner a beauty? Done by the Cuddlebuggery ladies too!

When I heard about the closing of Egmont USA I was extremely sad because so many authors were gonna be left high and dry with books they had worked so had end up unpublished, so when I found out that this blog hop was taking place, I didn't want to miss it.

I'm hosting Bree Despain for a Q&A session and I'm also showcasing the two books of her Into the Dark series, one published, one to be published if all goes well on May 12th!

And I'll have have a giveaway for a signed copy of The Shadow Prince open international by then end of the post!!



The Shadow Prince by Bree Despain

Haden Lord, the disgraced prince of the Underrealm, has been sent to the mortal world to entice a girl into returning with him to the land of the dead. Posing as a student at Olympus Hills High—a haven for children of the rich and famous—Haden must single out the one girl rumored to be able to restore immortality to his race.

Daphne Raines has dreams much bigger than her tiny southern Utah town, so when her rock star dad suddenly reappears, offering her full tuition to Olympus Hills High’s prestigious music program, she sees an opportunity to catch the break she needs to make it as a singer. But upon moving into her estranged father’s mansion in California, and attending her glamorous new school, Daphne soon realizes she isn’t the only student in Olympus who doesn’t quite belong.

Haden and Daphne—destined for each other—know nothing of the true stakes their fated courtship entails.  As war between the gods brews, the teenagers’ lives collide. But Daphne won’t be wooed easily and when it seems their prophesied link could happen, Haden realizes something he never intended—he’s fallen in love. Now to save themselves, Haden and Daphne must rewrite their destinies. But as their destinies change, so do the fates of both their worlds.

A pulsating romance of epic proportions, Bree Despain’s The Shadow Prince will leave her fans breathless for the next book in the Into The Dark series.


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16150914-the-shadow-prince



The Eternity Key by Bree Despain

Scheduled for release on May 12, 2015
Fan-favorite author Bree Despain continues her modern-day romance trilogy inspired by the Greek myth of Persephone and Hades with this second book in her Into the Dark series. 

Haden Lord, the disgraced Prince of the Underrealm, has chosen love over honor and will do everything in his power to protect Daphne Raines, the human girl he was supposed to bring to the Underrealm. Haden’s choice is put to the test as the Skylords and a figure from his past arrive in Olympus Hills with a plan that could destroy all of the realms.

Embracing her destiny as the Cypher, Daphne begins to understand the immense power of her musical ability to control the elements, but she must come to terms with her feelings for Haden and what she must sacrifice in order to protect him and her friends.

Believing the Key of Hades is the only thing that can stop the Underrealm Court from releasing the monstrous Keres on the mortal world, Haden, Daphne, and their friends set out to find the Key before Persephone’s Gate opens again on the spring equinox.


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18053984-the-eternity-key?ac=1





 Q&A with Bree Despain


1.- Greek mythology has been used as inspiration many times before, but how did you choose to go the route with the lords of the Underworld and finding the Oracle? It was such a great mix of Hades & Persephone and also Eurydice & Orpheus! Did you choose the myth first? Or did the idea for the story came first?

 The idea for the book came from the Death Cab for Cutie song "I will follow you into the dark." I used to be obsessed with the song and would play it on a loop. To me, it's a song about following someone into the unknown for the sake of love. I found myself pondering over who would do such a thing. I'm a big mythology buff so it was only natural this line of thinking led me to both the Persephone and Hades myth and the story of Eurydice and Orpheus. Both are about people who ventured into the unknown. And then I started thinking about what it would be like to be someone who had to ask someone else to follow them into the dark. What a difficult task! This brought me to my main character, Haden, and the rest of the story came from there.


2. - How did you choose music to be Daphne's main motivation and the way for Haden to connect with her? I really enjoyed to see their relationship developing with music as common ground.

 The musical aspects of the story came from the Orpheus myth. I love that Orpheus was able to use music as a superpower and I wanted to explore that with Daphne's character. She's also partially based on a relative of mine who relates to the world almost completely through music and sound--it's kind of like a form of musical OCD. My relative is very talented and passionate about music and I wanted to find a way to use this aspect as an advantage rather than a disability. On the flip side, Haden comes from a world where music is forbidden, but in order for him to get to know Daphne, he needs to "meet her where she is" so to speak, and has to delve into her musical world in order to get to know her. I liked the idea of adding a forbidden aspect to what he is doing, even though to us, learning how to sing or play a guitar would seem pretty innocent. In order to get close to Daphne, he has to slowly turn his back on the way his world has taught him to be a man.


3.- The way the Lords of the Underrealm are structured reminded me a lot of the Spartan society, was that a conscious choice on your side or something that developed organically?

 Yes, I definitely drew on the Spartan society for influence when creating the Underlords. I really loved the idea of writing about a character who has been trained to be a warrior from a very young age, and taught to suppress his emotions in favor of being stoic. It was even more fun to take that character and plunk him down in the middle of a modern day high school and see what happens!  


4.- I have the ARC of book 2 in my Kindle and I'm really looking forward to read it since I cannot wait to see what's in store for the characters since they're now on the run from two factions! Are they meeting any new allies to balance things out a bit? Any new Greek myths being introduced?

 Yes to both! Let's just say that I had some fun with the myth of Psyche and Cupid in this book.  (I couldn't resist since there is a Valentines dance that plays an important part in the plot.) 


Thank you so much for your answers, Bree!

 Thank you for the great interview questions! Each one was very thoughtful!


 About the author:

Bree Despain is the author of the Dark Divine trilogy and the upcoming Into The Dark trilogy.  Bree rediscovered her childhood love for creating stories when she took a semester off college to write and direct plays for at-risk, inner-city teens from Philadelphia and New York. She currently lives in Salt Lake City, Utah with her husband, two young sons, and her beloved TiVo.









Giveaway

I'm gonna keep things very simple this time for the giveaway! It's offered by Bree herself and it's a signed copy of the first book: The Shadow Prince.

And YES! It's open INTERNATIONAL! 

All you have guys to do is answer the following question in the comments!:

What is your favourite Greek Myth? And why?



 

36 comments:

  1. Oh wow I guess I'm way out of the look - I had no idea Egmont USA was closing! That's so sad! This sounds like a really intriguing and unique series! I love Greek mythology ever since I read Percy Jackson and I'm always fascinated by how the authors use it - usually with a dash of originality or by perceiving certain personalities much differently (like what Kendare Blake did). Great post, ladies! :)

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  2. What is your favourite Greek Myth? And why? Mine would be the Birth of Athena. Mostly because Zeus follows in his fathers footsteps and swallows people in it. And also how Athena is born form Zeus's head and is fully dressed in Armour when she is "Born"

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  3. Yay :D Gorgeous post Pili. <3 But aw, I'm still so sad about these news :( Egmont closing is just too sad. Sigh. I haven't read books by Bree yet, but I want to :D These two books sounds all kinds of awesome. <3 Thank you for sharing sweetie :D I would love to win, hih :) But.. well.. I don't really know any greek mythology (A) Though I have read Percy Jackson. Though I don't really remember that much of it, ack! o.O So I'm going with Hades, the god of Death. I think ruling the underworld sounds pretty interesting and scary and I would love to read more about that :D

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  4. Sad about Egmont. =(
    Favorite Greek Myth? Pandora's Box.

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  5. Fave Greek Myth? Oh there have been too many!! I think Eros and Psyche was a favorite! If I am remembering correctly that was like an early version of Beauty and the Beast! So naturally, a fave! ;)

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  6. GREEK MYTHS YOU SAY?!!!!! Sold. I love all things Greek mythology, and I don't know much about Eurydice and Orpheus or Psyche and Cupid, so I'm super excited to learn more about them. Hades and Persephone I'm pretty familiarwith, but I never tire of retellings/reimaginings!

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  7. My favorite Greek Myth would have to be the story of Perseus. I mean he cut off Medusa's head so that was pretty cool!

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  8. I know it is a bit macabre, but I have been fascinated by Phaedra, the wife of Theseus, for many years. Her fate seems to be one of sadness and death. But the various tales leave the reader with plenty to consider.

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  9. I'd have to say my favorite Greek Myth would either be Eurydice and Orpheus because I love the way it used music or Psyche and Cupid because my older sister first told it to me when I was young and that first got me interested in Greek Mythology and it always sticks in my mind the way she told it. :)

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  10. One of my fave authors, Kristen Lippert-Martin was affected by this. Her sequel had just been picked up. I am heartbroken for her. I didn't see her name on the sign-up list for this hop, so I asked about it. They told me it was an author opt-in, but I was afraid to ask Kristen about it in case she didn't sign up for a reason. :(

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  11. Oh wow! I love Greek mythology in general, but some of my favorites are Persephone and Poseidon. :)

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  12. Oops, and why is because I love the sea and the retellings I have read about Poseidon are always really cute. And Persephone because I really enjoys stories of strong women and forbidden relationships.

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  13. I like the new covers! I LOVED The Shadow Prince, and I have The Eternity Key on deck. Best of luck with book three, Bree! :)

    My favorite Greek myth... hmm, I have a lot of favorites. Eros and Psyche was always favorite, because their story is a happy one (whereas most myths are sad). Daphne and Apollo's story is a nice one too (though bittersweet).

    Alyssa @ The Eater of Books!

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  14. Apollo and Cassandra because Apollo is my favourite god.

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  15. My favorite Greek myth is Hades & Persephone because it tells the story of how the seasons were created.

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  16. I really like the story of the Titan Prometheus because of the self-sacrifice :)

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  17. My favorite is Persephone, queen of the underworld, but all Greek mythology fascinates me. Appolo is one of the most interesting gods for me too. If I could choose which god I want to be, I would choose him. It would be great to be a god of light, sun, knowledge and art - all great things :)
    On the other hand, I hate Gorgon sisters because a lot of people which saw me with freshly washed hair said, that my hair looks like their ..
    What´s your fave Greek myth if I could ask? :)
    BTW, thank you for this amazing giveaway. The Shadow Prince sounds like an interesting read and I can´t wait to read it :)

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  18. Im so sad about Egmont! They had some amazing authors and I hope they all find a new home!!!! My Favourite Greek Myth is the Creation of Man by Prometheus. Its such a fascinating take on man :) Thanks so much for the chance. I love Brees' books.

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  19. My favorite myth is about Paris and the Apple of Discord. I like the story of beauty competition between the three goddesses. Thank you for the chance!

    spamscape [at] gmail [dot] com

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  20. Eros and Psyche because the trials that Aphrodite makes Psyche go through to find Eros I can totally relate to. And Eros secretly helping her to find him. In a way, they are both fighting to find each other.

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  21. I've always liked Eros and Psyche, but I'm also partial to Persephone and Hades. I like them because they're both stories of people overcoming something, whether it's to find romance or to gain freedom (even for part of the year).

    Thanks!

    emsreviewsbooks (at) gmail (dot) com

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  22. My favorite Greek Myth? How could I pick just one! If I had to, though, I'd say the myth about Perseus. Thanks!
    TheAvengerOfBooks@aol.com

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  23. It's so sad what's happened to Egmont :( Lovely interview though, hun <33

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  24. Orpheus & Euridce, that's why I loved The Shadow Prince, there isn't a lot of book about them.

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  25. I haven't heard of these books before, but I would love to read them. It's sad to see Egmont USA leaving us, especially as I have enjoyed some of the books they have published. I think my greek myth so far would have to be the one about Medusa and how it came to be. It doesn't put my favourite greek goddess Athena into good light, but oh well xD

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  26. Perseus, because he had a long and happy life.

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  27. I'd say Oedipus and Antigone. I'm not extremely into Greek myths because in where I live, they're not exactly easy to find and not very popular, but I'd love to read more! I find it extremely tragic and sad about how Oedipus digs his eyes out after he realises he has committed incest and Antigone dying for her brother- A lot of the things that happen in their story still applies to our nowadays world- and a lot of the things that happened- sexism, dictatorship- they still occur in our world. Which makes it really sad.

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  28. I love Greek mythology and my favorite myth is probably the one about Perseus!
    sienkiel1821 at yahoo dot com

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  29. My favorite has always been Persephone and Hades.
    Thanks for the chance to win!
    natasha_donohoo_8 at hotmail dot com

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  30. Icarus because he thought he could fly

    bn100candg at hotmail dot com

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  31. One of my favorite myths was Perseus, because unlike so many other Greek heroes, he got a happy life.

    yunakwak14(at)gmail(dot)com

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  32. Oh, I love Eros and Psyque! I read every story I find about them... Though, I love all greek myths to be fair!

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  33. Orpheus and Eurydice.
    He goes through everything to get her back, only at the last minute to have her snatched from his grasp forever. It is both beautiful and tragic.

    Thank you for the chance!!!
    Artemis
    artgiote at gmail dot com

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  34. It's changed so much over the years. I think know I love Hades and Peresphone

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  35. Hi Pili. <3 I was just wondering if you have picked a winner for this giveaway? :) You didn't say when it ends.. <3

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    1. Thank you so much for the reminder sweetie! I've been a bit out of it! I'll be picking a winner next Tuesday!!

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¡Muchas gracias por vuestros comentarios, leerlos me alegra el día!/ Thanks a lot for all your comments, reading them brightens my day!!