Yes, This Will Be On the Test

Writing, Reading, Laughing

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Time to Go Greek with PLAYTHINGS OF THE GODS

I am honored today to have author Lisa Gail Green as a guess star.  She is one of several contributors to the anthology PLAYTHINGS OF THE GODS, which gives us a new twisty POV on the classic Greek myths.  Cue the spotlight…

Leslie: Lisa, tempt me with the anthology, especially your story.

Lisa:  PLAYTHINGS OF THE GODS includes retellings of Greek myths for a modern young adult audience.  Some of the stories are a bit edgy - which I love.  Mine is called CURSED, and is the story of Cassandra and Agamemnon, if Cassandra were a modern day teenager.  Not familiar with it?  Cassandra was cursed to see the future, but have no one believe her.  That's enough to drive anyone insane if you think about it.  

Leslie: What was your path to being included in this work?

Lisa:  Some writers don't try to go the short story route, but I've always been eager to publish in any form, and in fact my first publications were poems and short stories in E-zines.  It's a great outlet for writing, and I really do credit it with helping give me enough confidence to pursue writing as a profession.  This particular opportunity came via our critique partner, Julie Musil, who passes on any paranormal calls to me.  Thanks, Julie!!  I remember being really intrigued by the idea of retelling a Greek Myth, and didn't have a whole lot of time before the deadline.  But I work well under pressure, and saw it as a challenge.  It never hurts to try, if you don't you can't succeed.  I chose this particular story because it is one of the lesser-travelled stories lately, and I worked on the play Agamemnon in college, which really left an impression on me. 

Leslie:  How can we get our hands on the anthology?

Lisa:  Why through the amazing interweb of course! Here's the link:


It will soon be available via Amazon, Apple, and B&N as well.  But if you want a chance at winning a free copy come visit my blog http://paranormalpointofview.blogspot.com/  and enter.  I'm throwing in a critique too, so it's a pretty good deal.  

Leslie:  What are you thoughts on the e-book format?

Lisa:  Good question!  E-books have taken off in an unbelievable way, so there is no longer any doubt as to their legitimacy.  Traditional bookstores are in danger, and Amazon has reported greater EBook sales than paperback sales.  I think it's fantastic that teens are discovering new ways to enjoy reading.  Whatever gets books into their hands I'm in favor of.  Heck - I LOVE my Kindle.  I still have a special spot in my heart for paper books, and collecting those that are my faves, but I also see E-books as an exciting step forward in the publishing industry.

Thanks for having me on your blog, Leslie!  Nice place...

THANK YOU, Lisa and congratulations.

Okay everyone, let’s hit that link and go Greek!  For another tasty treat go visit Lisa’s blog:  PARANORMAL POINT OF VIEW.

13 comments:

  1. Yay Lisa! This was a fun interview, especially since I'm not too familiar with eBooks. Thanks for hosting, Leslie!

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  2. Thanks for having me, Leslie! It was fun. - and thanks to Jess too!

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  3. My two favorite celebrity authors in one place! Lisa's so right about publishing in smaller markets. It's a great way to spread our wings and get familiar with the whole process. After all, we love writing and want readers, no matter the format.

    I bought my own copy of PLAYTHINGS last night, and Lisa's story rocks!

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  4. My pleasure, Lisa. May I say you are a very interesting interview. Good point about the smaller markets, Julie. Thanks for stopping by, Jess.

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  5. Congrats again Lisa. And interesting to see that you and Julie are critique partners! I also agree with you about the opportunities and excitement with the e-book market. Did you see the news about Borders today? Sad.

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  6. SP, I was shocked by the Borders news. It'll be interesting to watch that drama.

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  7. Nice interview ladies! Abt Borders - not surprised, actually. I read an article recently that their demise is largely due to the fact that they have not entered the ebook market, as B&N has. Also, I think their location stinks. You have to park in that multi-level structure (if you're lucky to find a spot near the elevator) and then walk all the way over! B&N parking is way more convenient. But that's just me.

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  8. Hey Laurie, thank you. I think I still have ten dollars in Borders Bucks. I better get cracking and spend it.

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  9. Thanks for the interview!! I love to know more about books that are coming out soon :D

    About Borders? Yeah, it's sad... but I can't say much, because, yanno, I live in Chile and Borders wasn't here.

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  10. Thanks for stopping by, Monica. Too bad for Borders, but I was always more of a Barnes and Noble/Amazon girl myself.

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  11. Joining in the conversation again because I can't help myself! :D So many Borders closing is a sad, sad thing for us as both writers and readers. I'll never stop loving paper books, but I'm also glad E-books are popularizing reading with young people. It's just a time of transition, but I doubt real books will ever truly go away.

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  12. Great to catch an interview with Lisa here! I love myth, but greek retellings best of all. Thanks for sharing a bit of yourself here, Lisa!

    Angela @ The Bookshelf Muse

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  13. Thank you for visiting, Angela. I'm deep into the anthology and getting a real kick out of the retells. LOVED Lisa's.

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