Monday, October 24, 2011

Guest post with Stephanie Draven

Every author can tell you what’s awesome about her book--and I can tell you what’s awesome
about mine. Greek mythology, adventure, hot sex scenes on a train, page-turning plot and a
layered story about breaking free of slut-shaming. All that’s in my new romance and I’m proud of
it. But now I’m going to tell you about some of the things I’m not as proud of.

1. My Hero Isn’t Muslim Enough. I wanted to create a multi-cultural hero, and wow, the Greek-
Arab immigrants from Aleppo was a rich place to mine for culture. But as I was writing the story,
I found it more difficult--and even a little hazardous--to get too much into the religious aspects.
Like other paranormal authors who have to deal with mythology and its clash with modern
religion, I’m afraid I punted a little. Rayhan Stavrakis is certainly culturally Muslim, but he’s a
doubter.

2. My Heroine Takes a Long Time to Be Worthy of the Hero. I like bad girls; there’s no
secret about that. But Layla Bahset isn’t a bad girl. She’s the ultimate good girl. So good, so
stilted, that when the hero enters her world, she becomes a hot mess. She’s hot, she’s cold, she
means well, but she inflicts more damage on an already damaged man. It takes a long time for
her to be lovable, but in the end, I think she was.

3. My Secondary Characters Almost Steal the Show. Oh, I fell in love with the secondary
heroine in my novel--a sassy Aztec goddess of prostitutes with a heart of gold. And she, in turn,
falls in love with the villain, Seth, the dark god of Egypt. These two larger than life personalities
take over on every page. I probably should have used them a little more sparingly.

So, what do you think, readers?



Wrongfully accused and broken by torture, an American soldier transforms into a mind-controlling minotaur bent on revenge…

Escaping a hellish Syrian prison, U.S. serviceman Ray Stavrakis emerges with uncanny powers and an eerie ability to morph into a mythical Minotaur, half-man, half-bull. Only one woman can prove his innocence and soothe the savage beast inside–the same woman who’d driven him to the brink of insanity with her cool-eyed interrogation and her hot-blooded sensuality.
But Vegas psychologist Layla Bahset has no memory of Ray or her past. Only a feeling of being stalked by a nonhuman predator. Is it Ray…whose eyes condemn her soul even as his hands ignite her body? Or is another evil force hunting her down like prey?
Now nothing can stop Layla from remembering what she really is…and what her evil creator has planned for her and her soldier lover…

Available November 2011
Other books in the Mythica series:


Author website:

1 comment:

Carrie said...

I really like that you told me what you didnt like. For that i must find the book. Thank you