P.C. Cast is the author of several Goddess books including the Goddess Summoning series.  Goddess of Spring has recently hit the shelves and Elphame's Choice and Goddess of Light are due for release later this year and early next. 

It gives me great pleasure to introduce this author who has opened up new paranormal worlds for readers to the Magical Romance Website.

LB    First of all please can you tell us a bit about yourself as an introduction to the visitors to the Magical Romance website?

PCC    I am an English teacher and have taught at the high school and college level for a little more than a decade. I came to teaching comparatively late, after a couple of tours in the USAF. Teaching is in my blood – I’m from a family of teachers (I tried to “escape” but genetics won out). I’ve been writing forever, but writing seriously for about five years. I have been lucky in the fact that my first real book (versus the stutters and half-starts that were definitely unpublishable), Goddess by Mistake, brought me acclaim and attention – as well as my fabulous agent, Meredith Bernstein. The rest just grew from there.

 

LB    Goddess by Mistake was a highly original novel and the first romance I have come across where the hero was a Centaur. How did you come up with the idea of having a hero who is half horse and what sort of reactions have you had to this unusual hero?

PCC    The inspiration for my hero, ClanFintan, came from two places. First, I was raised with horses, and have grown up with a deep and abiding love for them. And then when I was researching Celtic mythology/history in preparation for writing GbM I ran across the historical account of a Catholic monk witnessing a pagan mating ritual between the chieftain of a clan and a mare. The ritual was mostly symbolic – no actual mating occurred – but, of course, it horrified the monk. Instead of horrifying me, it made me consider what ifs…and out of that my world populated with fabulous centaurs was born.

I have had an incredible response to ClanFintan and my centaurs in general. To tell you the truth, I’m more than a little in love with ClanFintan myself…

 

LB    I see that Goddess by Mistake now has a new cover. Which do you prefer and did you have any say in either of the covers?

PCC    The editions of Goddess by Mistake you are referring to are the editions published by the small press, Hawk Publishing. I had very little to do with the first cover and nothing to do with the second. Actually, for the past several years I have been actively working at getting the rights of GbM back from that small press so that I can sell them to a NY house. Just recently my agent has been successful with that! So those fans who have managed to get copies of the Hawk edition may want to hang on to them…there were very few printed, and when they’re gone there will be no more.

 

LB    I understand that Elphame's Choice is a return to the world created in Goddess by Mistake and it is set to be released in December this year. Was this book originally entitled Goddess by Choice or is that (which was rumored to be the sequel) still to come? (Love the cover for this book btw)

PCC    My answer to the last question leads right in to this. LUNA (Harlequin’s single title fantasy imprint) is releasing Elphame’s Choice in December. Yes! It is set in the GbM world (Partholon), but it is not the sequel. It takes place a little more than 100 years after the events of GbM. But GbM fans should not despair! LUNA has purchased five books set in Partholon – two of which are the LUNA edition of Goddess by Mistake and its sequel, Goddess by Choice. I don’t have definite release dates, yet, and there will be title changes for GbM and GbC, so please keep an eye on my website, http://www.pccast.net for updates. (I love the cover to Elphame, too!)

 

LB    Do you have any more books planned for that series?

PCC    Oops! I already answered that! But I will say that in plotting the climatic 5th book in the series I have discovered a thread for at least one more book. So ya never know…

 

LB    Goddess of Spring hit the shelves this summer. Can you tell us about this book please?

PCC    I love Goddess of Spring! This book was so much fun to write. It’s a retelling of the Persephone/Hades myth – with a definite twist. I take a 43 year old Tulsa woman and, through the manipulations of Demeter, her soul is exchanged with that of the Persephone, the beautiful, young Goddess of Spring. So my heroine, Lina, must impersonate Persephone in the Underworld – and Persephone must impersonate my heroine in Tulsa. I had a fabulous time letting my heroine live the fantasy of many women: “If only I could go back to being a young woman and know what I know now…” I also loved taking the foundations of Greek mythology, as in the Underworld and myths/characters attached to it, and putting my own slant on them.

 

LB    Goddess of the Sea was a wonderful tale of mermaids (and mermen). Have you any plans to return to the oceans in future novels? There are just so few mermaid tales out there the lovers of the genre, like myself, are always eager for more.

PCC    I truly enjoyed the predominately watery setting of Goddess of the Sea, and the mermaid/merman aspect of it was such a lovely fantasy to create. I don’t have anymore mer-characters in the works, but I am planning a summer trip to Ireland and I have always been intrigued by tales of the selkies…so stay tuned for more!

 

LB    Goddess of Light comes out next year. What world are you going to be introducing in that one?

PCC    Las Vegas! Most of the action of the book takes place in Vegas, where a very chic interior designer has been hired by an eccentric bestselling author to create a sumptuous vacation home for him reminiscent of Caesar’s Palace and The Forum Shops. My heroine, Pamela Gray, is from an artsy town in Colorado, and has never been to Vegas. So you can imagine her shock when she’s flown in and taken to Caesar’s Palace and then told she must recreate the “authentic Roman design” (complete with animated talking fountain) for the author’s vacation villa. Of course one thing leads to another and Pamela accidentally evokes the aid of the goddess Artemis in fulfilling her heart’s desire (which has nothing to do with decorating whatsoever). Fans of Goddess of Spring will be pleased to know that Apollo, who had a cameo in that book, is the reluctant hero of Goddess of Light. I promise a good time will be had by all!

 

LB    What other books do you have in the works? Any other series that are not goddess ones?

PCC    We’ve already talked about the Partholon books, and after Goddess of Light I have two more Goddess Summoning Books scheduled. The 2006 book is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast (I adore this book! Just wait till you see my twist on the legend), and then Aida is the subject of my 2007 Goddess Summoning. I do have a totally new series outlined, but the only thing I’ll say about that right now is that it is paranormal and it is a little on the dark side. And I will admit to having a horror novel up my sleeve, but I haven’t settled on a publisher for that book at this time.

 

LB    Of all the worlds that you have created with the various Goddess novels, which one would you most like to visit yourself and why?

PCC    Partholon! Partholon! Partholon! I love that world. Epona is a wise, benevolent Goddess who allows her subjects free will. The land itself is beautiful – a mixture of Tuscany and Ireland and Oklahoma’s Tall Grass Prairie. And then, of course, there is ClanFintan…sigh.

 

LB    Finally do you have a message for all your readers out there?

PCC    Please know how much I appreciate you! I love to hear from my fans and I promise to answer every email personally (even if it takes me a few days).


LB is very glad to hear that there are so many books in the works and I am sure I speak for the paranormal community in general when I saw we all look forward to revisiting Partholon and seeing what Goddesses are summoned next.

Thanks to P.C. for agreeing to do this interview and for opening up these new worlds for us.
 

Links to  Online Stores

Books by P.C. Cast: Goddess by Mistake, Elphame's Choice, Goddess of the Sea, Goddess of Spring and Goddess of Light

Visit P.C. Cast online