Recreated Q & A with Colleen Houck

[Indira]

Given the fact that Tia, Lily and Ashleigh are all in the same body, will the three brothers have to take turns spending time with their chosen mate? (AstenXTia, AmonXLily, AhmoseXAshleigh).

[Colleen]

Johanna wrote: "Hi. Mrs. Houck!! How did you find out so much about Egypt??? Through research or visiting or friends?? Sorry I'm just naturally curious. Also where in the world did Amon even go?? Is he connected t..."

Thank you! Mostly research. I'd love to go to Egypt on tour. I was planning one but it fell through. Someday I will go though. You should be able to pick up Recreated now and figure out where Amon has gone. Yes, he is connected to the heart scarab. You'll learn a lot more about that in book three.

[Colleen]

Nikita wrote: "What will we be expecting to see in Recreated? Will Amon's brothers be in it more compared to Reawakened? Will Lily gain any special abilities like Kelsey did in the Tiger Saga? What do you have in..."

You will definitely see more of the other two boys in the next books. In fact, Recreated is a book I consider to be Asten's and Reunited is more Ahmose's book. Lily does get some super powers. You'll have to read the book to find out what she can do though. =)

[Colleen]

Louise wrote: "will lily still be a main character, or do you have another one for this particular book and also, will any major gods like Amun-Ra be appearing, or even Seth."

Lily is still the main character. However, in Recreated, there are a lot of new characters added in, including Amun-Ra! I think you'll love the addition of the new gods and goddesses.

[Colleen]

Cyci wrote: "Did Amon flee from the judgement because he didn´t have his heart or he had planned it? How will it affect his brothers? Will his brothers appear in this book?"

His brothers are definitely in the next book. He did flee from judgement. This is partially a misunderstanding and partially because he's missing Lily and tired of the constant sacrificing he is asked to make.

[Colleen]

Shaelynn wrote: "Are you planning on doing a BIG love triangle? Just like you did in tigers curse? Like Lilly and Amon have a fight and she falls in love with one of the other brothers?"

Yes and no. This love story is a VERY complicated one, though Lily is very certain of her own heart.

[Colleen]

Trudy wrote: "Have you ever been to Egypt and seen everything you describe in your books? Do you like writing Indian or Egyptian mythology better?"

I would love to go but I haven't yet. I really enjoy writing both. I didn't delve into Indian mythology nearly as much as the Egyptian. Because of that, Egypt was way more complicated.

[Colleen]

Shaylee wrote: "Hey Colleen, are the Tiger's Curse or Reawakened books something that you started in high school/college? If they are, were they for research or something else?"

Nope. I didn't start writing until I was in my 40's. My first career was an American Sign Language interpreter.

[Colleen]

Trisha wrote: "Are you already thinking of a new series, or do you want to finish these two first? Also, why India and Egypt? Don't get me wrong, I love them both, even more so now thanks to you, but what made yo..."

Egypt was what my publisher chose next. I'd love to write something with China and Japan. I'm fascinated by a lot of different myths and cultures. My next project is something I've had in mind for a while and it goes in a different direction so I might leave off mythology for a bit.

[Colleen]

Tyler wrote: "If you could live in either Kelsey's world or Lily's world, which would you pick? Would you ever be open to writing about Greek or Norse mythology? What are your favorite and least favorite parts about getting to write stories based on mythology? Do you think that, if they ever met, Kelsey and Lily could become close friends? "

I think I'd rather live in Kelsey's world. I love Oregon and since she practically lives down the street, I'd be very comfortable. ;) I have a Greek story in mind already. We'll see when I get to that one. I love being able to draw from myths and explore different stories. The downfall is when I get feedback that the story didn't happen that way. Part of writing fiction is reimagining how something might have happened. I definitely think Lily and Kelsey could be friends. They have a lot in common.

[Colleen]

Trudy wrote: "How many pages do you think Recreated will be? Will it be on the longer side, or be shorter to leave us wanting more?"

My books are typically around the same size with the exception of the novellas. I write much more than my publisher wants to print. ;) I often have to negotiate to keep chapters in the books. I think you'll be pleased by the size.

[Colleen]

Cally wrote: "So, I've read Rick Riordan's books and they are to die for. (Yours too of course!) And I just gotta ask, are we gonna see any of the minor gods/goddesses? Like Bast or Bes? We so saw Anubis and I j..."

You will see Isis, Anubis, Nephthys, Seth (a bit), the Devourer, Ma'at, Osiris, Amun-Ra, and Horus. If you pick up Reignited you'll get to see the origin story of the gods.

[Colleen]

Milena wrote: "I loved Reawakened and cannot wait for Recreated! My question is would you ever consider writing a book in a different genre? What other genres, other than YA, do you like to read?"

I read YA almost exclusively now. If I was to go in a new genre, I probably wouldn't go far. Most likely paranormal romance or sci-fi or fantasy.

[Colleen]

Kate wrote: "I just got ahold of a copy of Recreated via a friend who had an ARC. I am only about 20 pages in-- but how did you come up with the idea for where Amon is at in the beginning of this book? Did it c..."

At the end of Reawakened Amon disappears. I spent a few weeks thinking about where he went. Believe it or not, sometimes I don't even know what happens next. I knew I wanted a villainess and when I saw pictures of the Devourer in the Afterlife, I knew that was where I'd be headed.

[Colleen]

Makeit wrote: "What was your inspiration to write the Tiger's Quest series and the Reawakened series? What introduced you into writing or what was your inspiration to start writing? How many books will be the Reawakened series?(if you ever mentioned it I missed that.) Have you ever visited any of the places that you've written about? Which destination would you choose next if you decided to do, yet, another series? Which literary genres are you most likely to find yourself reading most of the time? Which book was your first read? (If you remember) Is it that books your all time favorite or you have others? Also, tea or coffee? "

For Tiger's Curse I was inspired by Beauty and the Beast. For Reawakened it was the number three based on the pyramids. I started writing after reading the Twilight series. I read up on Stephanie Meyer and discovered she was a woman my age. She inspired me to give writing a try. I haven't been to any of the places I write about except New York and Oregon. The Reawakened series has three books and a novella. I think the first book I remember reading is Big Red by Jim Kjelgaard. Love stories about animals. My current project is book five in the tiger series and then I'll start a new book in January or so. It's top secret so I can't give out anything about that right now. Definitely tea.

[Colleen]

Louise wrote: "Colleen wrote: "Kylie wrote: "What are your biggest tips for a new writer?
What do you want the cover of Tiger's Dream to look like?
What is it like living in Oregon? (I have lived in WA, TX, NE, ..."

Those are very beautiful covers! I was first inspired by the pyramids, the triangles, and the number three. That's why you'll find three villains, three princes, three mummies, etc.

[Colleen]

Milena wrote: "I just finished ARC af Recreated and what a roller coaster ride it was! This maybe a spoilerish question so I hope you can answer it. The first book is called Reawakened- we have Amon and his broth..."

Yep Recreated refers to Lily. The lion and the unicorn was supposed to be in the middle of the book but we compromised and instead of cutting it, but it in the back. I made it up but it is based on an image I found on Pinterest of a lion fighting a unicorn. I loved the idea of it.

[Colleen]

Alyssa wrote: "Hello, Colleen! I'm curious. If you can choose one song to be the theme song of Recreated, what song will it be? And why?"

I'm not sure of any one song. You can always find the playlists for each book on my website. Do you have a favorite?

[Colleen]

Natalie wrote: "did you have other names for your characters that you came up with before landing with Lily and the brothers?"

Nope. Once I choose a name it sticks. =)

[Colleen]

Natalie wrote: "when you wrote Recreated, did you have other endings or beginnings, change of scenes, that you had in mind but had to re-work it like the Tiger series?"

Not with this one. There was no major reworking here. The only big piece that was shifted slightly was the Unicorn and the Lion chapter but its still in the book as bonus material.

[Colleen]

Natalie wrote: "who's is your favorite prince in the series? for some reason, i find myself not drawn to the first guy like Ren, but I fell for Kishan. Now in this series, I didn't fell for Amon or Asten, but I di..."

I fall for all my guys. I sort of love the one I'm with. =)

[Colleen]

Natalie wrote: "of all the characters in Recreated, is there one you see yourself as? like do you see yourself in Isis, Lily, Ma'at, etc?"

I'm probably more like Lily than anyone else. Though I am less like Lily than Kelsey.

[Colleen]

Natalie wrote: "when you were working on Recreated, did you use Pinterest to find inspirations of settings, characters, and fantasy creatures?"

I do. Pinterest is a big help for me.

[Colleen]

Natalie wrote: "who is your favorite villain?"
I have a lot of favorites. I really like Ming the Merciless in Flash Gordon!

[Colleen]

Natalie wrote: "are the gods and goddesses of Egypt friendly? like are we as the readers gonna like them? i think there was a book i read once that one of the characters was creepy, but wasn't an antagonist"

For the most part, mine are friendly.

[Colleen]

Natalie wrote: "if you could describe one word about each of the brothers, what would they be?"

Well, they each represent either the sun, the moon, or the stars. Asten is a bit misunderstood and cheeky. Ahmose is quiet and steady. And Amon is confident and makes decisions quickly.

[Colleen]

Veray wrote: "I think you have the trickiest love "triangle" if you can call it that. I have ever seen. In fact I have a feeling it's going to get even trickier. Where did that idea even come from?"

I'm not sure exactly. It will get even harder later in book three. I like happily ever afters and this one was a challenge to pull off ;)

[Colleen]

Natalie wrote: "for the creatures in the series, did you watch shows that explain about each of the creatures? I didn't know that you used the Mongolian Worm for Reawakened and I remembered watching an episode fro..."

The worm kind of went with the birds. I liked playing with the idea of the early bird gets the worm and the worm evolved from that. The only giant worms I've ever seen are on Dune and Tremors.

[Colleen]

Natalie wrote: "judging by the pins you saved in Pinterest for "Recreated," would we come across some mermaids/sirens?"

Yes but evil ones. ;)

[Colleen]

Natalie wrote: "in Recreated, do you have a favorite mythology creature?"

I really like Cherty a lot. He's based on the Ferryman who takes souls to the underworld. Other than him, I have a fondness for my unicorns.

[Colleen]

Natalie wrote: "what can we expect about the Devourer? would we be able to read about her backstory?"

I haven't written much of her backstory. It would be fun to explore though. Maybe for a YA Scavenger Hunt bonus material, I might write some.

[Colleen]

Indira wrote: "How did Seth know about the impossible triangle?"

Good question. His wife is Nephthys and she is the one who sees the future and listens to the whisperings of the stars. She is the one who knows the most about it and Seth listens.

[Colleen]

Indira wrote: "Given the fact that Tia, Lily and Ashleigh are all in the same body, will the three brothers have to take turns spending time with their chosen mate? (AstenXTia, AmonXLily, AhmoseXAshleigh)."

Yes and no. There are a lot of mixed feelings among the group but all of the interested parties are very sensitive to the fact that Lily's body belongs to Lily. You'll have to wait until book three to see how that plays out.

[Colleen]

Thanks for all the great questions! The chat winner is Milena. Check back in on my book club for a chance to win a book prize every month and stop by when I answer questions for Reunited next year!