A Conversation with Amy Braun, Author of STORM OF THE GODS (with a giveaway!)

Thanks so much for agreeing to be with us today, Amy!

Thank you for having me, Becky! And hello to all the readers joining us!

 

What 5 things should readers know about you?

1. I’m an indie author who’s looking to either write full time traditionally, or become a hybrid author. Writing is my biggest joy and I want to do it for the rest of my life. To date, I’ve self-published nine full length books, three novellas, and have had eleven short stories included in various horror anthologies.
2. Urban fantasy, steampunk, and fantasy are my favorite genres to write in. That’s not to say I won’t write other genres (I have a few sci-fi and cyberpunk ideas I want to try), but I grew up reading fantasy so it’s a staple in my life.
3. I have a serious book addiction. Depending on page size, I can go through about three books a week. And of course, I don’t have enough shelves to hold all my books.
4. I’m a huge nerd. I’m completely addicted to Marvel comics (nothing against DC because I do love Batman, Wonder Woman, and the Gotham City sirens, but Marvel is just more my style), like playing video games (the more berserk I can go, the better), am completely obsessed with Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood (of course I ship Roy and Riza—they’re already married in my eyes!), and absolutely love playing Dungeons & Dragons, even though I’m the one who always splits up the party. I mean, why look for loot when you can start slaying dragons? (FYI: Never split the party, or your character just might almost get burned alive. Speaking from experience.)
5. I was once featured on Michael J. Sullivan’s website. Long story short, I reviewed his book, he bought one of mine out of the blue, and posted about my work and his thoughts on it. He even offered tips and advice for my future work. He’s one of my absolute favorite authors, one of my inspirations, and I’m not ashamed to say that I cried a little.

Good luck with #1, and congrats on #5! (And I’ll pass your advice in #4 on to my kids—thanks!)

 

Where did the inspiration for this book come from?

I’ve always been obsessed with Greek mythology. I love legends and folklore from all cultures, but nothing fascinates me as much as Greek lore does. The Greeks knew what their gods were like and didn’t shy away from some of the terrible things they would do. They also had some of the wildest monsters in history, and I read about them every second I could. As I mentioned earlier, I’m also a huge fan of urban fantasy books. They take up half my library. I had always wanted to combine the ideas into something that was unique and my own, so after lots of trial and error finding the right story, I decided to create what felt like an entirely new world. It was a lot of effort, a lot of planning, and a lot of rewrites, but I knew I was writing the book I wanted. I think about it all the time, as well as the ideas I have for the next books and novellas. Derek and Liam’s story has been with me for years, and it’s amazing to finally tell the world about their crazy adventures.

You can’t go wrong getting inspiration from Greek mythology!

 

How long have you been writing, and what (or who) inspired you to start?

I’ve always had an overactive imagination, but I didn’t start “writing” until high school. One of my best friends wanted to work on a post-apocalyptic novel that featured familiar characters and the same setting/world elements, but had different stories and main characters every time. She wanted to write with someone, so I agreed and began working on some side stories. I was surprised at how much fun I had, even though those stories never really amounted to anything but practice. Once I was finished them, I found myself wanting to write books based on what I loved: Fantasy, horror, monsters, action, dystopia, etc. So I guess you could say my best friend inspired me to start! Thanks Kait!

That’s awesome! Thanks from us too, Kait!

 

What are you working on right now? What can readers look for from you in the next year?

I started a young adult story for Camp NaNoWriMo and am still working on it. I intend to send it to literary agents once I’ve had it Beta read and edited, so for now I’ll just say it’s a mash-up of Gargoyles, H. P. Lovecraft, Full Metal Alchemist, with a little bit of Six of Crows and The Lotus War thrown into the mix. I’m also going to be working on the second book in the Areios Brothers series, which will hopefully have a late 2018/early 2019 release. I’m also getting the rights back to some short horror stories I wrote early in my career, so I’m going to re-edit those and put them in an anthology that should be released in 2019 as well.

Woot! Shout out to the NaNo writers out there! You sound like you’re going to be pretty busy—great!

 

What are you currently reading, and what are your thoughts about it so far?

At time of writing, I’m reading These Rebel Waves by Sara Raasch and I’m really enjoying it so far! It’s still early in the book, but I’m finding the world to be very interesting and Vex to be one of my favorite characters ever. I loved her Snow Like Ashes trilogy so I’m expecting this book to be just as epic!

Great! I hope the ending lived up to your expectations 🙂

 

If you had to “sell” your book in a single Tweet, what would you say?

“Two brothers descended from the reawakened war god Ares are sent on a mission to capture other rogue descendants before they can gain weapons that will unleash the Titans, only to be drawn into a conspiracy and feel their loyalties shift.”

Perfect! Thanks so much, Amy!

 

Thank you again for allowing me to have this interview! It was a lot of fun!

Thank you for stopping by!

 

 

Author Bio:

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.

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.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

Storm of the Gods
Amy Braun
(An Areios Brothers Novel)
Publication date: August 27th 2018
Genres: Adult, Urban Fantasy

The first in a brand new urban fantasy series where gods roam and mortals fight, STORM OF THE GODS follows two brothers who are caught in a conspiracy revolving around ancient artifacts, and find themselves siding with their supposed enemies rather than the Olympian who demands their loyalty…

Thirty years ago, the gods of Greek legend returned to the world. Their return r

estored 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 descendent 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.

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