My friend Amy Braun has a new release. I've read snippets on Weekend Writing Warriors (#WeWriWa) and was intrigued by this fine urban fantasy. Often, we writers look back on our career and speculate on what we would've changed. Here's Amy to tell you her perspective. Be sure to click on the Rafflecopter link to enter a fantastic giveaway.
If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
Keep going.
When you’re younger, it’s hard to know what you want to do with your life. I spent a couple years not really being sure what I would do, going back and forth between careers until I realized that writing was the only thing I wanted to do, that suited me. I spent my first few writing years working on short stories and my two first independent novels, Demon’s Daughter and Path of the Horseman.
In hindsight, I would have told myself to focus on a single project and perfect it to send it to literary agents. Writing and publishing is not an easy thing to do, especially for someone who didn’t go to school for it. It takes dedication, trial and error, and above all, patience. I would have told myself to take more stock in all those things.
Finally, I would have told myself the same thing I tell myself every single day, and more importantly, after every mistake I’ve made: Keep going. Keep writing and creating and trying. There are countless authors who have been in the same position I’m currently in, who’ve made similar mistakes and have overcome them to become intensely successful. I know there will be more query rejections, more mistakes, and more disappointment in myself. But I also know that it will be worth the struggle, and that literally creating magic and monsters for a living will be worth every moment of it.
Storm
of the Gods
An
Areios Brothers Novel #1
by
Amy Braun
Genre:
Urban Fantasy
Thirty
years ago, the gods of Greek legend returned to the world. Their
return restored their powers, which had been spent in a cataclysmic
battle with the Titans. With the ancient deities imprisoned in
Tartarus, the Olympians now reside in Néo Vasíleio, formerly known
as California.
Twenty-four-year-old
Derek Aerios is a war scion, a descendant of Ares, the God of War. He
and his brother, eighteen-year-old Liam, capture mythological
creatures and rogue scions as part of Ares's elite military force. As
he struggles to cope with his violent powers and the scars of a
traumatic childhood, Derek tries to keep the two vows he has made:
protect his brother, and never kill a human again.
But
when Ares forces him to hunt and kill four rogue scions under
Athena's control—by threatening Liam's life—Derek chooses to go
after the scions in order to save his brother and keep his promise to
himself.
Yet
the closer Derek gets to the scions, the more he realizes that his
orders are part of a deeper conspiracy that put him at odds with his
mission and his conscience. Athena may not be the enemy, a traitor
could be in their midst, and the Titans could be closer to freedom
than ever before.
Amy is a Canadian urban fantasy and horror author. Her work revolves around monsters, magic, mythology, and mayhem. She started writing in her early teens, and never stopped. She loves building unique worlds filled with fun characters and intense action. She is an active member of the Weekend Writing Warrior community.
When
she isn't writing, she's reading, watching movies, taking photos,
gaming, struggling with chocoholism and ice cream addiction, and
diving headfirst into danger in Dungeons & Dragons campaigns
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the tour HERE
for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!
5 Stars
If you grew up reading Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series, watched your kids/grandkids enjoy reading modern stories based on Greek mythology, or (as I did) read it yourself, Amy Braun's new series is a great transition to an adult view of those gods.
Derek Aerios could've gone to Camp Half-Blood with Percy, Annabeth, and Grover. Now, he's an adult. Percy's adventures are child's play compared to the crises he and his brother Liam are forced into.
This story is fast-paced, fight scenes so well done the reader feels right there. Characters are well-drawn, although since this is the first book in a series, I'm sure the reader will learn more about Derek and Liam. With one confrontation after another--battles with scions, monsters, and gods--the reader keeps turning the page to see what's next.
Between battles and confrontations with Ares, we get glimpses into Derek's psyche. His vulnerability is his brother. He will do anything to protect Liam. Despite being a war scion (disciple of Ares), Derek will fight but refuses to kill. Ms. Braun forces him into situations where his ethics vie with his sibling obligation. She makes the reader feel his torment, his anguish.
Get set for a fascinating read, one that captures your imagination and doesn't let go.
