Book Info-
Title- Aphrodite’s War
By- Donna Milward
Genre- Paranormal Romance
Published On- September 7, 2013
Published By- Staccato Publishing
Blurb-
Aphrodite despises Aries and when Zeus proposes a contest, the prize being expulsion of her enemy from Olympus, Aphrodite cannot resist. The catch: Aphrodite despises Aries and when Zeus proposes a contest, the prize being expulsion of her enemy from Olympus, Aphrodite cannot resist. The catch: should Aries prevail it is Aphrodite who must leave her home. Risks aside, she cannot refuse the possibility of a future without her former lover.
The challenge: two mortals must fall in love. It is simple. However, the players could not be more ill-suited. Poetry, a free spirited artist and Adrian, a defense attorney would not normally choose one another. But when gods interfere anything is possible.should Aries prevail it is Aphrodite who must leave her home. Risks aside, she cannot refuse the possibility of a future without her former lover.
Excerpt:
If I were the pretty-boy offspring of a prissy, naïve love-goddess-whore where would I be?
To her left were more businesses: a dental office, nail salon, and a florist on the end. Her head throbbed with his presence.
She remembered Hermes carrying his basket of roses, not to mention the golden logo seen around the world representing flower delivery bore a strong resemblance.
Eureka. Some people never changed tactics. Predictability will get you killed, Hermes.
Strife yanked the door open, nearly tearing it from the hinges. Chimes jangled in protest.
A pair of scissors flew past her head. She heard the loud chunk as they embedded themselves in the wall.
“Is that so, Strife?” Hermes crouched behind the till. He’d recognized her as well, now he had her at a disadvantage. “So will barging into a man’s domain when he knows you’re coming.”
“This ends here.” She pried the blades from the wooden frame with a tortured squeal. “You’ve interfered with my work long enough.”
“Are you sure that’s wise?” A small paring knife sliced the air, but Strife dodged before it could strike her left eye. “I am Ares’s son, after all.”
Strife snorted. She aimed the scissors for Hermes’ face but missed. “He donated his seed, nothing more. You are a disappointment to him. He won’t protect you from me.”
“I don’t need protection from you.” Hermes edged backward, and Strife made ready to strike. “You’re just his whipping-bitch underling, begging at his feet for scraps and cock. Ares only kept you because my mother had more respect for herself than to tolerate his abuse. “
Strife shrieked, vaulting onto the counter in a single leap. She perched like a gargoyle, hissing her rage as Hermes fled.
She pounced on his back before he could escape.
“I’ll kill you,” Strings of spittle flew from Strife’s mouth. “I’m going to snap your neck.”
About the Author
Donna Milward lives in Edmonton, Alberta in a tiny house with a huge yard. She’s been writing all her life, but decided to put writing on hold to get ‘a real job’ as a meatcutter and build a future with her beloved troll, Dan and her cats Freya, and Spartacus Jones.
Twelve years later, an invitation to a Romance Writer’s Conference in Washington D.C. led not only to new friends and new knowledge, but to the inspiration to write again. Thoeba was completed the following year.
Donna likes to mix her fascination with reincarnation and all things paranormal with her love of mythology in her work, and has even written her own myth ‘The Sacred Truth” (on earthtothoeba.blogspot.com) as the lore behind Thoeba and future novels to come.
Donna enjoys fishing, gardening and canning. Despite these hobbies, she much prefers city life.
Links-
Twitter- http://www.twitter.com/DonnaMilward
Website- http://earthtothoeba.blogspot.com/
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/DonnaMilwardAuthor
Interview:
Please welcome author Donna Milward who has stopped by to answer some questions and
share some details about her book, Aphrodite's War .
What
inspired you to write your first book?
I
don’t really know. I just remember the love of reading and the love of phonics
and the written word. It was fun and it felt right. I was in grade two when I
wrote my first novel, lol! It was about the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,
based on the Gordon Lightfoot song of the same name. I even drew and colored
pictures for it.
What
is your favorite book that you wrote and why?
My favorite book that I’ve written so far is ‘Aphrodite’s War’. It was
one of the fastest and easiest things I’ve done. It just worked. Several of the
characters evolved into completely different people from what I planned. The
whole book transformed right before my eyes when I changed ONE SCENE. I
couldn’t kill the cat. I suffered from six weeks of writer’s block before I
figured that out. I couldn’t kill the cat, so I worked around it and the entire
novel took on a different tone. It also inspired me to get a cat of my own. I
named her Freya, and she changed my entire life.
If
you were stranded on a desert island which of your characters do you want by
your side?
I would want Peter Mason
from Thoeba. He’s a military man who loves to fish. Not only would I be safe,
but I’d be well fed. Besides, he’s hot!
If
you could be best friends with one of your characters, who would it be?
Poetry Manousakis from ‘Aphrodite’s War’.
I’ve always loved her sweetness and her imagination. Plus she’s definitely a
nonconformitist, and proud of it. I love that too.
Who
or what inspired you to be a writer?
What finally inspired me to write novels and
stick to it no matter what was a RWA conference in Washington D.C. I went with
a friend who had published her first novel and she’d been trying to talk me
into writing ‘Thoeba’. At first I attended the lectures she was interested in.
Then I branched out to try the ones I wanted by myself. I’d made the decision
to write again before we left for home, and THIS time I was going to keep
plugging away at it until I succeeded.
What
books have most influenced your life?
Dr.
Suess! Well, that IS how it started. I
would have to say Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. I read it in grade 12 and was
awestruck by his genius and insight. I think about that book constantly,
because so much of it applies today. He even predicted reality TV! It’s like he
saw the future.
Who
is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their
work?
Besides Ray Bradbury, there’s Dean Koontz. The
first book I read of his was ‘Lightning’. When I decided to start writing
again, I analyzed what it was that I loved so much about his work. I realized I
wanted to write character driven novels like his.
What
is your typical day like?
I like routine. I goof off on Facebook
during breakfast, and then I write. Everything else depends on how the writing
is flowing. I like to do everything else in the afternoon—stuff like gardening,
running errands, cleaning house, more goofing off on Facebook, etc. I prefer to
write my blogs and other correspondence in the evening. And then more goofing off on Facebook.
How
do you overcome writer’s block?
I’m very
fortunate that writer’s block doesn’t usually hit me that badly, and I don’t
freak out over it. I overcome it by letting go. I know the next lines will
come, just not right away. I walk away from the computer and do something else
like eat lunch, go for a walk, go for a nap. I mull it over in my head.
Sometimes I find that I have writer’s block because the things I’ve written
don’t work. I’ve dropped locations, ideas and characters because they were the
cause of my writer’s block. The main character in my current work had a little
brother and I had to get rid of him. He didn’t add anything. In fact, he
complicated the plot, so he had to go. After I erased him, the words began to
flow again.
Can
you share a little of your current work with us?
I’d love to! Here is an excerpt from the Prologue of ‘Chasing
Monsters’. (Rough Draft).
Nequam trembled so hard his teeth rattled. He gulped air as his stomach
knotted into a nauseated ball. He must find shelter. The beatings he endured at
the hands of his ‘brethren’ required constant cowering in corners, lest he be
found and tortured, again and again.
He wondered why he bothered to flee from them. Why play this cruel game?
His existence held nothing more than eternal suffering in a hideous place. The
endless black abyss in which he lived housed only demons like him and denizens
too grotesque and foul to die .
But Nequam knew he only resembled those creatures. He never understood
why, but he differed from them. He did not enjoy killing or inflicting pain. He
wanted existence without conflict. He wanted to swim freely through the murk,
to make friends and live in tranquility. A demented fantasy perhaps, but he
clung to it.
What
book are you reading now?
I’m
reading Red Velvet Cupcake Murder by Joanna Fluke. It’s pretty good so far! I
LOVE how she includes the recipes from the treats her character makes. She
makes me so hungry!
What
do you prefer paperback, hardcover, or ebooks?
I
love the convenience of ebooks, and I definitely see the need for them, but I
prefer paperbacks. They just feel better in my hands, so wholesome and
tangible. They smell good. They’re prettier in your library. I’m a little old
school that way.
Do
you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
Just ‘thank you’. Thanks for reading. And
thank you too, for having me on your blog J
Giveaway:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I love mythology. Putting this on my reading list.
ReplyDeleteNice interview. it is always fascinating to me to see how the author develops ideas and overcomes hurdles
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