Guest on the Blog: Amalia Dillin talks Tempting Fate

Hey guys! Today I have a special treat for you.

My good friend, critique partner, and the author of the awesome Fate of the Gods trilogy, Amalia Dillin, has come by the blog to answer a few questions. I’ve shared my excitement about Amalia’s book series on the blog before, but I’ll say again: if you haven’t checked out Forged by Fate, the first book in the series, you really need to. There’s something for everyone: fantasy, romance, mythology… You know how much I like mixed genres

And now, on to the questions!

Let’s start with an easy question: Batman or Superman?

Superman. Batman so often gets too dark a treatment, and I am way more interested in Bruce Wayne than Batman under the best of circumstances, so there’s that, too. Superman absolutely fascinates me though, both AS Superman, and Clark Kent. I love that Superman is his mask, and Clark Kent is his reality and that even as powerful as he is, he struggles so hard to just be HUMAN, because he admires humanity so much.

Now that we’ve cleared up the big issue…

Your Fate of the Gods series is a great blend of Fantasy, Romance, and Historical Fiction. Do you consider yourself a writer of one particular genre, or do you go wherever the story takes you?

I am definitely not wedded to one genre, but I will say that I am more interested in characters and the relationships between them (not necessarily even all romantic relationships, just relationships in general) so, I think I end up leaning a bit more toward romantic themes in my books, regardless of genre. But they don’t all have Happily Ever Afters, either, so as a romance writer, I would be a failure.

Your new novella, Tempting Fate, stars Mia, a side character in your Fate of the Gods books. Was Mia’s story one you always planned to tell?

It wasn’t! I mean, when I first met her, I had no idea what her role would be in the story, so I definitely had no idea she’d even HAVE a story to tell. But once Forged by Fate played itself out, and Mia’s place in the book made itself clear, it seemed like it would be fun to see what happened in Paris, and what led Mia to make the choices she made.

What’s one thing we absolutely have to know about Mia?

She’s a little bit self-involved. And by a little bit, I actually mean a lot. But. I still think her story is important, self-involved or not.

If we found Mia’s iPod on the beach at random, what would her number one, most played song be?

Oh man. Um. Hm. She strikes me as a Kate Voegele fan — someone who would love shows like One Tree Hill or Vampire Diaries or whatever the British Equivalent would be.  Maybe “Inside Out” though, it might be a little bit more self-aware than Mia tends to be. Still, maybe she doesn’t even know why she loves it.

The scope of the Fate of the Gods series is truly epic, spanning continents and generations. Do you find that kind of complexity and research daunting, or do you enjoy it?

Sometimes I do. Mostly I think it’s fun, though. I love being a writer because it gives me an excuse to learn about pretty much anything, and Fate of the Gods has definitely been an excuse for researching history and mythology. It’s really fascinating to discover the history and historical/mythological figures who are off the beaten path, and kind of just run with it. For Adam especially I got to do a lot of this, and for Eve I had a lot of opportunity to look up women in history I might not have known anything about. The mythology has probably been the most rewarding though, for me personally. It’s really been a journey of self-discovery as much as anything else.

What would you say your favorite period in history is? 

I think the Bronze Age. Greek and Scandinavian, both. That period is so full of discovery, still, and there’s enough of an understanding to provide a framework, but not so much that it becomes a cage. There’s a lot of freedom in writing within that period and I love exploring it.

Mythology is a big part of your writing. Do you have a favorite mythological creature? Remember: Thor doesn’t count as a creature!

Oh ugh. No. Maybe. Let me think. The Creature part of mythology is not particularly my favorite, but I guess if I have to pick one then I’ll go with Thor’s goats — they pull his chariot, and they provide a ready meal on the road, AND they can be resurrected to pull the chariot again the next day. Or else maybe the goat that can be milked for mead. That’s pretty awesome, too.

Do you have a favorite sentence or paragraph from Tempting Fate you’d like to hit us with before we sign off?

Sure!

Everyone loved Abby. Every boy of any worth who ever laid eyes on her was instantly smitten, and Mia was sick of it. Abby moving to France had been the best thing that had ever happened for Mia’s social life. She wouldn’t have had to be half so determined a flirt if she had been an only child.

All right! Thanks so much for taking the time to talk with us here,Amalia.

Hey again, guys! I hope you all enjoyed the interview and I hope you’ll check out the books. One look at Amalia’s twitter or blog will tell you how passionate she is about mythology, history, and telling great stories and all of that really comes through in these books.

Mia’s lived in her sister’s shadow long enough. Now that Abby is getting married to a Frenchman, Mia scents freedom. In fact, Jean DeLeon, the groom’s too-charming cousin, seems like the perfect place to start. But the House of Lions is full of secrets, and what started out as an exciting fling is quickly becoming more frustration than fun. Mia wants answers, or she wants out, and it isn’t like she doesn’t have other options. Ethan Hastings, for example. Tall, handsome, and gray eyes like nothing she’s ever seen before.

The fact that Jean seems to hate him is just a bonus.

Tempting Fate is an e-novella that takes place during the events of Forged by Fate, the first book in the Fate of the Gods trilogy! Learn more about the series by following the links, or check out www.amaliadillin.com! You can also find the author on twitter (@AmaliaTd) and Facebook

Filed under: Book Talk, Writing