Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!
All week long I’ve been introducing my readers of Jorie Loves A Story and the participants and blog travellers of #WyrdAndWonder to the Indie Fantasy novelists who are published via Odyssey Books! This afternoon I am bringing to you the final guest author feature I have for Odyssey Books – which is both a wonderful celebration of the publisher I’ve come to find has many authors I now desire to gather to read and a sombering finality to knowing #WyrdAndWonder is about to end.
These authors helped make my 3rd Year of Wyrd And Wonder wicked wonderful! Each of them has brought a different perspective on #amwriting Fantasy, reading Fantasy and breathing a fantastical world to life – as they are a diverse group of authors who are offering new & dynamic voices in Fantasy which hopefully will become our next wicked #mustreads!
I have become increasingly aware of Mythological Re-tellings in Fantasy and other genres through my pursuit of Speculative Fiction stories which parlay into the back-histories of Mythology ever since I first participated in @Mythothon! This wonderful celebration is hosted by a dear friend of mine (Louise @foxesfairytale) in September – wherein this year we’re tackling Celtic Mythology! This will be my 3rd Year of participating and I am hopeful between then and now, I can read some of the lovelies I’ve discovered from past #Mythothon’s! As it is a self-directed intuitive study of the folkore and Mythos of each group of Mythology which is the focus of the events.
Thereby, the whole concept of “Cassandra” by Ms Gossow truly excited me because it was my next ‘Mythological Re-telling” to uncover and discover! The fact I had the chance to interview the author asking her questions about this world she’s crafted and how she wanted to entice readers into the story behind ‘Cassandra’ was a gift of joy. I am hopeful through this conversation – others might consider reading more Mythologically inspired works of Fiction as much as Louise & I and the rest of the #Mythothon community have appreciated these past few years!
Speaking of #Mythothon – similar to #TheClassicsClub – this is OPEN to everyone who reads and loves sharing their readerly lives with others. You can have a blog, a Twitter feed, a #bookstagram or #booktube or being active on GoodReads, LibraryThing, Litsy, etc – wherever you share your bookish life, welcome to the #Mythothon community!
I didn’t get a chance to gather a copy of this novel during #WyrdAndWonder – however, this conversation we’ve shared has definitely left me with a solid connection to the world within “Cassandra” and I will be looking forward to reading this when I’m able to bring the book home.
Brew yourself a cuppa and enjoy what I have to share with you,…
Cassandra (Author Interview)
by Kathryn Gossow
On a remote farm in Queensland, Cassie Shultz feels useless. Her perfect brother Alex has an uncanny ability to predict the weather, and the fortunes of the entire family hinge upon his forecasts. However, her own gift for prophecy remains frustratingly obscure. Attempts to help her family usually result in failure.
After meeting with her new genius neighbour Athena, Cassie thinks she has unlocked the secret of her powers. But as her visions grow more vivid, she learns that the cost of honing her gift may be her sanity.
With her family breaking apart, the future hurtles towards Cassie faster than she can comprehend it.
Places to find the book:
ISBN: 978-1922200785
Also by this author: Cassandra
Published by Odyssey Books
on 6th February, 2017
Published by: Odyssey Books (@OdysseyBooks)
About [ “Cassandra” ] by the author:
My book Cassandra is a reimagining of the myth of Cassandra, set in Australian in the 1980s. It was a finalist for Best Fantasy Novel in the Australian Aurealis Awards.
Converse via: #Fantasy, #YAFantasy, #Cassandra
as well as #OdysseyBooks & #WyrdAndWonder
As I am co-hosting Wyrd And Wonder I wanted to talk a bit about what drew you into writing Fantasy and which concepts within Fantasy as a genre and as theme of interest overall curates a passion of joy for you? Especially as Fantasy can take-on different facets of life from art, music, fashion, gaming, theatre, film and traditionally how they’ve been housed in literature.
Gossow responds: The truth is, I am promiscuous when it comes to genre. I think the best of every genre is worth reading and I can’t stick to one in either my writing or my reading/viewing/consumption.
That said, I have a special place in my heart for fantasy. My favourite fantasy to read has one foot in fantasy and one foot in reality; like Toni Morrison’s Beloved or Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders. My current favourite to watch is Westworld.
But why am I drawn to fantasy? It’s a deep question. I think most people would say they love fantasy because it is escapism but I think fantasy lets up tap into our mythic minds, the collective deep part of our souls that knows there is more to the world than what we see if front us. When I am writing fantasy I am stirring the mysteries and unknowns in the universe to see what I can discover and finding the truth is always elusive.
You’d like to know I regularly talk about ‘dancing through genre’ because of my firm appreciation for multiple voices in Fiction as this cross-applies to my readings in both mainstream and INSPY markets as I’m a hybrid reader of both. Whilst I also move betwixt and between Major Trade, Indie Publishing and Self-Published works of Fiction and Non-Fiction. For there is far too much to be curious about chasing after than to limit oneself when it comes to pursuing literature! I definitely can relate to that statement! I also, like you write in different genres though the foundation of where I began was Speculative Fiction – in particular Science Fiction.
When it comes to Fantasy, I am as particular about what I want to read as I am with Science Fiction and Cosy Horror (*my term). I think each of us are like this because we’re seeking something specific out of what we want to find inside of a story and/or a series. It keeps us challenged to find writers whose giving voice to characters and of whom are building worlds which ignite and invigorate our imaginations.
I haven’t really bought the idea that reading (of any kind, much less genre fiction) is an escape. For one thing – there is so much realism in the craft of storytelling – and like you, I like to see deeper and think deeper whenever I am transporting myself through a writer’s vision for their story/stories. I find stories lift us to a different plane of understanding – where we can see with keener eyes things which we might not have seen or considered otherwise. Like you, my pursuit of Speculative Fiction is because of my innate joy of feeling the suspension between what I have known as being plausible with the new innovative storylines which seek to elevate what we know now by what is curiously probable and plausible either in the future or in a different time variant of space. In essence, reading opens doors and renews our hope and imagination.
A fellow book blogger and friend of mine developed a reading event called #Mythothon (@Mythothon) wherein I started to read Mythological-based stories in after canon sequences by authors like yourself who found inspiration in the Mythos & Legends of the past. The first year we studied the Greeks and the second year we studied Norse Mythology whilst the third year (September, 2020) we’ll be focusing on Celtic Mythology. This has developed into a cross-interest in the stories I seek out during #WyrdAndWonder which also parlay into Mythological Fantasy – therein what appealled to me about the premise of your novel “Cassandra” is the how anchoured the story is set against the known facts of what came between Cassandra and Apollo. In that regard, what I wanted to ask you is how did you go from what is written about Cassandra to developing your own voice for Cassandra in “Cassandra”?
Gossow responds: Oh! Mythothon sounds wonderful. Can I join your Celtic studies?
I am just now trying to get my head around Celtic Mythology. But, to answer your question. I knew very little about Greek Mythology when I was inspired to write about Cassandra. I was mostly intrigued by the idea of being able to predict the future and how awful that would be. I researched and read some retellings and got a sense of the characters (Gods!) and Cassandra then I imagined they were reincarnated in Australian in the 1980s.
They don’t remember who they once were but they have the traces of the traits of their former selves, therefore, relive some of their old patterns in their new lives. If Athena was reincarnated now, she would be a feminist, Zeus would still be seducing every woman and not caring about the harm he does to families. I wanted people who did not know the myths to be able to read Cassandra and enjoy the story. People who know some mythology pick up the connections and maybe that is like trainspotting. Like how Athena bring Cassie olives. Of course, it would be olives.
As I’ve highlighted in the top anchour of this interview – yes! You can join us for the 3rd Year of #Mythothon! Louise will make formal announcements about the event and what is involved closer to September – however, there are no hard requirements – everyone is able to become active and involved! This is going to be 3rd Year sorting out Mythos (origins) and Retellings – as I have a substantial list of stories and authors I found threading Greek & Norse stories – I cannot wait to undertake seeking out Celtic stories as I happen to love everything to do with the Irish!
I love this hidden bits of trivia interwoven into your novel for “Cassandra” – I might not be able to pick up on all those subtle nuanced inclusions as I’m still getting my Geek on as they say! However, just the fact they are there – if I could find them and contemplate their origins and their deeper meanings, I’ll consider that a win! I am hopeful one day I can get copies of all the stories I’ve been highlighting this week from Odyssey Books – because each of the guest features has led me so intuitively close to the characters and the stories, I cannot wait to experience them for myself. This is another ‘bonus’ if you will to get into Cassandra!
As you’ve re-developed the story of Cassandra to befit a contemporary and modern teenage life and the cycles of choice, angst and coming-of age moments therein – what do you think was the most challenging part of drawing the essence of ‘Cassandra’ into Cassie? How did you want readers to see a reflective mirror of the former in the new incarnation of the woman Cassie would become?
Gossow responds: My high school art teacher read Cassandra and said he thought Cassandra was me as a teenager. He knew me better than I thought he did. I can’t predict the future just so you know. The thing about my Cassie is she is just an ordinary girl living in the middle of nowhere trying to be happy and fit in. Being a teenager can suck. Boys were bastards in the 1980s. Girls can be mean. Families fall apart. Cassandra of Troy goes mad. My Cassandra does not go onto womanhood easily. There is a short story about her in my collection The Dark Poet.
I had a good laugh and smile how your teacher intuited whose inspired the character of Cassandra because sometimes we are too close to ourselves to see what inspires us to create. It didn’t surprise me at all that they understood a version of yourself which could be seen in the story because as a writer you would naturally write an essence of yourself into the story even if it wasn’t fully intentional because we all do this in one way or another. However, how you’ve described life in the ’80s brings back memories – being a GenX book blogger, I’d say you nailed it. I was thankful my family was one of the few who stuck together and I had hoped others in my class would have been equally blessed but sadly most were from broken homes where they were either with grandparents or Aunts/Uncles or even elder siblings.
Hmm… I hadn’t caught this in time to redirect a question – is the short story in “The Dark Poet” a prequel story for this novel? If so, I wish it could have been re-published in the novel – or is this also available in print? I’ll have to check!
How important was it to show a layer of realism and immersion within the dream and vision sequences Cassie has within the story-line in order to showcase not just her innate gift but the level of what her gift puts her through as she tries to understand what is happening and why?
Gossow responds: Dream sequences are hard to write because they need to make sense and not make sense. Cassie’s awake visions also come at her like dreams. Dreams rush through your mind when it is least able to be logical and analytical and you only retain snippets of them, the most powerful images, the feelings the dream left behind.
The threads of her dreams and visions weave through the whole book. They may not make sense when you read them but when you know how the book ends, if you go back and read them, you will see the future that Cassie could not remember well enough to articulate or interpret. She knows there is something important in her visions but, how frustrating, that she can pin them down. Just like our own dreamlife.
I love the complications this involved for you as a writer but also the challenge you gave the reader to undertake to read the novel like an amateur sleuth who needs to process the information but also assert the information they are consuming in a way that leads to contemplative thought – I will have to remember that each of the dreams could potentially be a new clue towards how the story ends and the path Cassie had to walk to fully understand who she is as ‘Cassandra’.
The story moves through different elements of Gothic, Fantasy and Paranormal stories – how did you find the creative bridge you needed to fuse everything together visually for the reader who might not read these kinds of stories all the time? How did you want to visually represent the ‘otherness’ in this world and still make it appeal to those who do not regularly read Fantasy?
Gossow responds: Good question. I think my book as a clear sense of place and time and this grounds the novel in a reality that is palatable to people who think they don’t like fantasy. I paid attention to details, what is growing in the garden, what is on TV, what are people eating, what does Cassie want for her birthday.
Quite a few people have told me how much the book reminded them of their childhood and teenagehood. The world I have built is one they can recognise. The fantasy elements make an appearance in the real world and perhaps they remind people of how more open they were to ‘otherness’ to ‘mystery’ when they were young. When you are a child you look at the stars and marvel at the possibilities in the universe, the things that could be out there that we don’t know about. When you are an adult you forget the stars are even there. Cassie reminds people there are stars and there are mysteries in the universe.
We forget the stars are there? Seriously there are people who forget to look at the stars? I must be an enigma! I have never forgotten to seek out the constellations which I have followed through the heavens since I was a young girl who grew up in her local Science Center (this predates where you had to ‘qualify’ to attend their classes as many have become embedded into school districts now) and also attended Space Camp.
To say I had a cosmological curiosity as a young girl is putting it mildly. Whenever I feel especially stressed or have a crisis or adverse situation to live through – nothing is more comforting to me than looking skyward, seeing the stars and knowing that despite the chaos – I still have grounding. My spirit is renewed for the moments I breathe and gaze at those stars — a re-balance when my soul needs a break. I have never lost that innocent wonderment about the stars and about the mysteries of the universe — this might be why I still read Children’s Lit and in particular, I have a fascination with Middle Grade & Young Adult Speculative Fiction; especially Fantasy!
Seriously wow though – people forget this?
I think you’ve created your own unique niche of Urban Fantasy, too!
Athena who is meant to be Cassie’s friend in the story appears to be more interested in contrasting Cassie’s good with bad intentions. How did you want readers to view Athena especially if they are not as well versed in Greek Mythos?
Gossow responds: I love Athena. She is that smart-alec girl who is too big for her boots. Too sophisticated for the little people and too smart for us all. Hence when she gives us any attention we will bask in it. We want her to like us because that would mean we are special too. But, ultimately Athena is selfish and knows she is better than us all. She is a goddess after all, even if she does not remember. She also never had a mother. She popped fully formed out of Zeus’s head. The tarot card reading Cassie does for Athena is a real reading – in that I read Athena’s cards. That is where I discovered that Athena wanted a mother. I don’t think she knows she wants a mother, but she does, and that also drives some of her actions.
When you were describing Athena just now – I was thinking she was a motherless child who is aching for a Mum of her own. It is easier to understand her actions if you look at her as someone who doesn’t know what to do with her emotions and her feelings and chooses to act out and disrupt the life of her peers. Sometimes personalities which are that aggressively in your face have something ‘fuelling’ it and in this case, I found it most interesting how you unrooted what was causing her the most pain. Talk about channelling close to your characters!
I love how your novel tackles an introspective tone throughout the journey Cassie must undertake. How did you want Cassie’s internal and external journey to showcase how difficult it is to recognise and accept sometimes fate gives you a twist you’re not expecting and the only way forward is to reconcile what you cannot change but can learn to compensate and adapt into your life?
Gossow responds: Oh yeah, life throws terrible things at us, like pandemics! I have been doing yoga for many years and my teacher has been trying to teach us to let go of attachment to outcomes. Cassie is obsessed with the future. Her head is always there. We can all be a bit like that sometimes. Planning, imagining but it will be like when we get what we want in the future, worrying about something that may or may not happen.
When Cassie’s head is not in the future she is regretful about the things in the past she predicted and could not change. Some of us also live this way too (without the physic gifts!). The lesson Cassandra has to learn is to be in the moment. I can’t say I have mastered this practice, but I know the contentment of being there when I find it. It is something yoga has taught me. It is the best future I could envisage for a girl who will always see the bad things before they happen.
Very, very true! The worst thing we can do is to get locked inside our own headspace – as sometimes you can percolate over your thoughts to the brink you cannot see through them or find a route past them. Living in the moment can be difficult if you don’t allow yourself the joy of the spontaneous moments which seek to give us the most happiness. We all have strife and adversities to shift through but if you can find the small joys and celebrate what makes you laugh and constantly seek out the humour as life evolves you’ll be better for it. This combined with my faith is what gets me through even the darkest storms of life.
Who is your favourite secondary character and what did you enjoy the most in developing them into the story?
Gossow responds: I have a real soft spot for Poppy and Aunty Ada. When I was very young we lived with my grandparents and later moved a house onto our farm so we lived next door. Many of the things I love to do are the influence of my grandmother, Poppy and Aunty Ada; which let me pay my respects to her and her generation’s influence on my life.
I also have to acknowledge Alex whose ability to predict the weather forced me to read a whole lot of books about the weather. It was such a rabbit hole but I am weather obsessive. Not much of weather detail made it into the book but I learned about local weather legend, a real weather prophet, Inigo Jones. People used to write to him for long-range weather forecasts before they chose their wedding dates. He had some crazy theory about how the planets influence the weather that has been entirely discredited. He died in 1954, but somehow still predicted the massive flooding that happened here in 2011. Alex is my Inigo Jones.
Laughs. I think in another life I was a storm chaser – I have the tendency to chase after newsfeeds for severe storm alerts and broadcasts! With Roku you can get localised newsfeeds from across the country so if Weather Nation (or the Weather Channel) are mentioning there is a tornado or hurricane warning in a (specific) state or city – I can go through Roku to find that specific place’s news app and see the news as it is being shared with those viewers the weather is impacting. It opens your eyes to how weather is studied in different regions of the states but also how important it is to have technology which can track the weather with the accuracy we have now vs what we had even twenty or thirty or even forty years ago. I can see the rabbit hole because every Spring and Summer I seem to disappear inside it myself! lol
Wow. What an incredible back-history on your character! Also – all that wicked information and its not in the story? I wonder if you could re-direct it into a different one? You must have massive notes and notations of ideas… especially if you wrote a storm chasing mythological heroine story! Hmm.. did Poseidon have a daughter?
What do you love the most about genre-bending your stories – by pulling from different concepts and rebuilding them into a visual landscape which is enriched by the imaginative tones and hues you bring into it through descriptive narrative?
Gossow responds: I have been teaching myself to draw – trees mostly. I will never be good at it and that is okay. I have discovered drawing is like writing. To draw something you have to observe so closely, where the shadows fall, the angle of a branch. The better you can observe the more likely the drawing will be realistic. Writing is about observation too. The colour of storm clouds, the sound of a bird, the nuances of a person’s movements. If I can put those observations into the story, hopefully, it will be realistic. Genre bending…I don’t think I tried to do that, I just think sorting books into genres can be limiting for the imagination of the reader and the writers.
I don’t like limitations myself – in regards to themes and genres I hadn’t even really considered them until I became a book blogger seven years ago wherein I had to cross-index and cross-reference my readerly inclinations as much as I had to organise my blog’s Story Vault (ie. review archives). I completely agree about how you’ve approached drawing and writing – both also have an organic method of progress about them. You will find your pace and rhythm with both but you have to listen and feel your way forward because both cannot be rushed or forced. The beauty of both is what comes when your not focusing on technique but are simply following your muse and your own instincts.
Are you inspired to tackle other characters from Mythological origins and if so, whom would you like to develop into a story next if I can ask? Do you know how you’d like to shape the story – would it be another coming-of age like “Cassandra” or would it be completely different?
Gossow responds: I am working on a novel about a librarian who is modelled on the goddess Brigid (hence the interest Celtic mythology). Bridie’s book recommendations have a magical effect on people and the novel will be a mosaic of their stories, some of which are influenced by European fairy tales. Myths and fairy tales are our oldest stories and it fascinates me that they are old and can be new again. It says to me there is a universal truth in these stories that we still need to hear, that they come from a deep place in our psyches.
OOh I love the sound of this one! I am so thankful you’re staying in this wheelhouse of influence because I have truly loved hearing about ‘Cassandra’ and was hoping you might pen more stories in this vein of interest! Now I have to keep my eyes peeled on this one – maybe I could re-interview you after its released? Eek.
Being a fellow Whovian (as my favourite Doctors are: David Tennant, Matt Smith & Peter Capaldi (or rather Doctors 10-12) what drew you into the universe of Who and what kept you rooted there? For me it was the curious effect of seeing how the Doctor in his different incantations learns through his experiences how to grow and develop as a person – he’s intuitively curious but he has so much to learn about others. In many regards I felt he was akin to Q from Star Trek: The Next Generation as they share a bit in common in that regard.
Gossow responds: I will give away my age when I say my Doctor is Tom Baker. My evening ritual was to watch the Doctor before tea time. Before the reboot, all of the old episodes were reshown on Australian television and my children had an evening ritual of watching the Doctor before tea time. Despite the dodgy old sets my kids still leapt about yelling “Run Doctor Run”. The Doctor is like a broken God for us mere earthlings. He has power and wisdom and knowledge, but he’s also lonely and has the weight of saving people on his shoulders. I used to dream I was one of the Doctor’s companions, I could be braver and better if we were facing challenges together. Perhaps that is why I have never let him go. After Tom, my next favourite Doctors and David Tennant and Christopher Eccleston. I think people forget how good Eccleston was because he only did one season. I would watch any of their episodes at the drop of a hat.
I admit, I haven’t seen Eccleston’s episodes – he came before Tennant right? I think that’s the Doctor I was borrowing via serial dvds (via my local library’s inter-library loan services) and they came to me a bit unreadable to where I couldn’t watch any of the episodes! I was able to get Tennant and Matt Smith instead – I was inspired to explore the series in a pre-determined route of episodes for @SciFiMonth (ie. what I refer to as Sci Fi November). I had this wicked route of where I would move in/out of the series and Doctors seeking certain key episodes everyone had rec’d to me was the best way to understand who the Doctor is and they were right! I was properly addicted. I followed the series through to Capaldi.
Likewise, I haven’t moved into Classic Who yet – I would think though the Classic Doctors might be akin to how we look back at Classic Star Trek episodes. I still watch Classic Trek and I still get caught up in their adventures – so I think some of these things are simply timeless in their appeal! (big smiles)
I love the fruits of gardening but I’ve not been able to tackle it as it takes the right kind of soil and/or climate to get things to grow properly. I wanted to ask you what kinds of things you personally love to grow and see develop in your garden? Do you focus on flowers and plants; fruits and veg, herbs or a combination of them all?
Gossow responds: We just had the worst summer. The temperature was 40 degrees celsius most days (that’s 104 Fahrenheit) and it would not rain. Just would not rain. I live in the subtropics so summer should be hot and wet. On top of that, the country was on fire and fire came within a few hundred metres of my house. The best I could do was try and keep things alive. Now it is winter, I am still cleaning up the dead trees and plants. I think I am a little shell shocked and reluctant to plant anything new. Herbs are a staple though. I always have basil and parsley and oregano and thyme. There are also a lot of Australian natives in my garden. They are effortless.
My sincere apologies – I started the year (2020) glued to newsfeeds coming out of Australia this past Winter knowing full well the chaos and devastation affecting your country. The amount of prayers my family sent to Australia is too numerous to even count. I used to find direct feeds from news anchours out of Sydney and Melbourne or on location. I have a soft spot for Australia – from my years of watching and supporting in spirit the Australia Zoo and the friends I used to have there wherein I exchanged postal letters. Australia is never really far from my heart in other words. Those fires… I have no words. Who could? I should have remembered this might be a hard question to ask… I was just inspired by your blog.
When your not researching and writing your stories what uplifts your soul the most?
Gossow responds: When this pandemic is over, the first thing I am going to do is go to my favourite art gallery. My soul misses seeing art in the flesh. My property backs onto many acres of bush and I love to walk there. Since the fire, there is less undergrowth and I can get to gullies and places I could not get to before. It is like exploring it for the first time all over again. Otherwise, I like to sit and watch the bees and listen to the birds. Nature is good for my soul.
I couldn’t agree more – the natural world is where my spirit thrives and it is why I am a self-taught wildlife and nature photographer. I love being in the tucked in places others might not walk or on trails where if you are still enough the animals come out to you because of your light energy is not in the negative like others who are always in a rush to be elsewhere. There is a beauty within the natural world – in their rhythms and in their symphonies which renews us and gives us a different dimension of understanding as well. I miss those walks myself – and I miss visiting galleries too. Art and nature are key components of my life – however, with a new set of cookware and bakeware – I’ve re-fallen in love with experimenting in the kitchen. A local farmer’s market has been able to stay open and I am eating through the seasons again – much to my own blissitude and my family’s. It is those little joys you don’t expect that can mean the world.
This guest author feature is courtesy of: Odyssey Books
I’d like to extend a thank you to Odyssey Books and to Ms Gossow for helping me put together this guest feature during #WyrdAndWonder! It was a gift of joy.
This author interview is part of my showcases during #WyrdAndWonder: Year 3:
This is part of my showcases for a Fantasy event I am co-hosting during our 3rd Year of #WyrdAndWonder – follow us socially via @WyrdAndWonder – stalk our tag (across social media) and/or join us in a month long celebration of how the fantastical realms of Fantasy give you wicked JOY.
Ideas of how you can participate – an initial welcome post by my co-host Imyril as well as the first Quest Log (map into the book blogosphere for #WyrdAndWonder) and the first Roll Call Log by my co-host Lisa!
Read our Creative Roulette #WyrdAndWonder Interview!
Be sure to visit my Announcement & TBR List!
Read through all my reviews & posts showcased during #WyrdAndWonder!
NOTE: Similar to blog tours wherein I feature book reviews, book spotlights (with or without extracts), book announcements (or Cover Reveals) – I may elect to feature an author, editor, narrator, publisher or other creative person connected to the book, audiobook, Indie film project or otherwise creative publishing medium being featured wherein the supplemental content on my blog is never compensated monetarily nor am I ever obligated to feature this kind of content. I provide (98.5%) of all questions and guest topics regularly featured on Jorie Loves A Story. I receive direct responses back to those enquiries by publicists, literary agents, authors, blog tour companies, etc of whom I am working with to bring these supplemental features and showcases to my blog. I am naturally curious about the ‘behind-the-scenes’ of stories and the writers who pen them: I have a heap of joy bringing this content to my readers. Whenever there is a conflict of connection I do disclose those connections per post and disclose the connection as it applies.
{SOURCES: Book cover for “Cassandra”, book synopsis, author biography and author photograph of Kathryn Gossow were all provided by Odyssey Books and are used with permission. Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Tweets were embedded due to codes provided by Twitter. Wyrd And Wonder 2020 banner created by Imyril (Image Credit: Flaming phoenix by Sujono Sujono from 123RF.com) and is used with permission. Blog graphics created by Jorie via Canva: Conversations with the Bookish banner and the Comment Box Banner.}
Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2020.
I’m a social reader | I tweet my reading life
?NEW! #WyrdAndWonder Interview
feat. @KathrynGossow author of “Cassandra”Where #Mythology meets #YAFantasy – Gossow brings to life Greek Mythos which excites Jorie as ever since #Mythothon she’s wicked addicted to these stories!
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— Jorie (#WyrdAndWonder) ?? (@joriestory) May 31, 2020
I love the idea of a cosy horror. I’d love some examples. I might be inspired to make one. Thank you again for the interview and yes, The Dark Poet is available from Odyessy Books. Cassie is about 30 years old in the story so it is a little sequel.