Happy Monday….
Today taking part of the Song of Sacrifice book tour. Janell was kind enough to answer a couple questions for me. I want to thank her for taking the time to do that.
You guys also have a chance to win a $25 gift card at with this tour. Good Luck!!!!
PSST….. YOU CAN GET A FREE COPY FOR REVIEW HERE BELOW.
Song of Sacrifice
Janell Rhiannon
(Homeric Chronicles, #1)
Publication date: December 26th 2018
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Historical
The heart of the Trojan War belongs to the women.
Mothers and daughters; wives and war prizes, whisper to us across time…
…remember our songs alongside the mighty men of myth.
As the Age of Heroes wanes, the gods gamble more fiercely with mortals’ lives than they ever have before. Women must rely on their inner strength and cunning to survive the wars men wage for gold and glory.
Clytemnestra of Mycenae struggles for control of her life after Agamemnon ruthlessly rips it apart. Leda of Sparta survives a brutal assault by Zeus, shouldering a terrible secret in silence. Penelope raises Ithaka’s sole heir alone, praying for Odysseus’ swift return. Thetis, the sea nymph, despairs of her son’s destiny and resorts to forbidden magic to save him. Hecuba of Troy mourns the loss of her second son to a dark prophesy. And Shavash of Pedasus prepares her daughter to marry the greatest warrior who ever lived.
In a world where love leads to war and duty leads to destruction, the iron hearts of heroines will conquer all.
Sing, Muse, sing their song of sacrifice…
Replaces Song of Princes as the first book in the Homeric Chronicles.
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💻INTERVIEW QUESTIONS💻
Thanks Janell for taking the time to answer these questions for BooksBooks&More.
1. What did you edit out of Song of Sacrifice?
I was writing book 3, which I’ve settled on titling Rage of Queens, when I realized where I was taking certain characters required more back story. By book three, everyone’s life is fully entwined and the Trojan War is looming on the horizon. Originally, I thought I’d make a few additions and tweaks and it would be a legit second edition. But, that’s not what happened.
I also made a discovery that I’d kept too much of the heroines’ stories in my head, because whenever I talked about the books I found myself talking really about the women. That led me to the mortifying conclusion: I’d need more than a few additions here and there. Plus, my writing itself had hit a steady stride. I’d found my voice by book 3. That led me to a complete rewrite with an additional 20,000 words (14 full chapters and sub-chapters). It was no longer a second edition. I was facing a complete re-launch, including a new title. Even though it was risky, I moved forward with new covers and a new first title: Song of Sacrifice.
2. How did you choose the name of the characters for this novel?
Most characters (and there are over 100) are already known, or at least somewhat known, characters from Greek mythology and I used those names. On occasion, a character is known by two names, and I picked the one I thought would work best for the Homeric Chronicles. But, when I created characters, I looked for Greek names, Greek words, and looked to Ancient Anatolian and Persian names for Trojan allies, because Troy wasn’t a Greek city.
3. What was your hardest scene to write?
Technically, any sex scene was hard to write. You have to consider things like, can a body do that? Where is his hand? Her hand? How do you describe that? The ones I’ve included, I hope do justice to the characters in their many ranges of relationships. Also, I found battle scenes a challenge. How to describe all the skirmishes and fighting and not bore people. The same thing that makes sex scenes so challenging also applies to battle scenes. Who’s swinging what? Where? What does it sound like? Smell like?
4. Did you find merging different Greek myths challenging while writing Song of Sacrifice?
Absolutely. That’s exactly what made me put off writing the series back in 2011ish. It was a huge story. The most challenging thing about Greek myths is that mythology isn’t worried about chronological order, even though many characters are involved with other characters. Bards weren’t concerned with the logical sequence of events. But trying to tell all the stories as one giant story forced me to make choices about who did what, when, and why.
5. Have you started writing book 2 of the Homeric Chronicles?
Book 2, Rise of Princes, is already finished and on pre-order with its second edition. It was re-edited after a few tweaks and additions to keep it relevant to the re-launch of Song of Sacrifice. I’ve been prepping for finishing the series by producing a podcast (Greek Mythology Retold) focused on characters and their story arcs from myth and in my series.
Fun Question
6. What is your favorite childhood book?
Childhood? Oh, man that was a long time ago!! There are 2 books that stand out the most to me. #1 Where the Wild Things Are and #2 Grimm’s Fairytales (this was a big giant beautifully illustrated book, which I still actually own!).
Thanks Janell.
Author Bio:
In graduate school, Janell focused on the ancient history of Greece and Rome. Hooked by the “sword and sandal” world, she studied everything she could about mythology and Alexander the Great.
The Homeric Chronicles series is dedicated to merging dozens of Greek myths, including Homer’s epics, with plays, history, and archaeology. Her intent is to raise the heroines’ voices equally alongside the heroes, opening up a traditionally male focused genre to a female audience.
She lives in CA and enjoys spending time with her children and grandchildren. She has a pack of two big dogs and two cats.
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Thanks for being on the tour! 🙂
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