Where did you get the idea for this book?
This is a little weird, but bear with
me. I think the idea for this series has been simmering for over 10
years. I actually know a set of 3 brothers from my high school who
were direct inspiration for the Grechs in MANY ways (Though if you
met the real life brothers, you'd realize they are not the
Grechs. There are just some similarities.). The real people who
inspired the Grech brother characters were/are an awesome group of
people and I found them fascinating. Still, I couldn't just write
about three brothers. I needed something else. Well, I've always
thought that if I held my hand out at just the right time, at just
the right moment, I might be able to push through to the other side
of reality – to something more or different. This is an ancient
idea that comes up in many myths and legends around the world. The
Scots call places where you can see through this veil “thin
places.” Just because we can't see these things, doesn't mean they
aren't there. From that idea, it seemed a short step to a girl with
connections behind that veil and Khloe was born.
What traits and other tidbits do you share with your main character?
Ha! Khloe and I have probably too many
similarities. The outfit she wears in the first chapter is actually
one I wore quite often in high school. We both sing. We both paint.
We both have dark hair and hazel eyes. I wrote her this way because
as a little girl I hated how many main characters, dolls, actresses
were blond or had blue eyes. I wanted someone who looked like me –
so I wrote Khloe to look like me. As far as her lack of confidence in
her appearance, I think that is not just something I shared with her
as a teen, but something that most teenage girls (and women!)
struggle with regularly, even when they're gorgeous. Beyond that, I
think Khloe's less snarky than I am and my family has always been
perfectly in tact.
Did any of your inspiration for this book originate in your real life experiences?
The high school is actually based on my
high school in Albany, NY. Anyone who went to Albany High will
probably recognize pieces of the school in the descriptions of the
place. The town is just a generic New England town. There are tons of
little places like this in New England where I spent many nights
performing in music venues or days exploring museums or other little
known attractions. The mythological references come straight out of
descriptions of myth and legend.
What made you decide to self-publish?
I wanted to finish something myself.
This was the first book I wrote and the first I published. I have
said it before, and I'll say it again, I'm an impatient person and I
like to wait for no one. Besides, the idea of doing all this work
just to have it shaved down to something not remotely resembling my
vision for the story was unappealing. I like keeping creative
control.
Are there any specific authors whose writing styles or subject matter inspired your book?
I mentioned it a few times, but this series heavily
draws from myth and legend. I've always loved the old stories –
from pretty much everywhere. Researching ancient cultures and
specific myths, gods, and goddesses was one of the most enjoyable
parts of writing THE BROTHERS. There is so much overlap between
different cultures (like thunder gods – seems everyone has a
thunder god) it made the concept of different ethnic Seelie easy to
create.
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