The Books:
Ms. Cast coauthors a paranormal young adult series with her daughter, Kristin. TEMPTED, the sixth book in their HOUSE OF NIGHT series (St. Martin’s Press) debuted as the #1 book in the nation according to USA Today, as well as the #1 book in Canada and the #1 YA book in the UK. Please check out the series website, www.houseofnightseries.com.
In September 2009, Ms. Cast helped launch the new young adult imprint for Harlequin TEEN with ELPHAME’S CHOICE, the first of a fantasy series set in the world of Partholon. BRIGHID’S QUEST will follow in March 2010.
Continuing the adventures in her world of Partholon, Harlequin’s fantasy imprint, LUNA, is re-releasing Ms. Cast’s trilogy DIVINE BY MISTAKE, DIVINE BY CHOICE, and DIVINE BY BLOOD (available exclusively through Borders until November 2009, then available everywhere). Ms. Cast also writes for Harlequin’s Nocturne line.
Ms. Cast writes the popular Goddess Summoning Series for Berkley Publishing. The seventh book in the series, GODDESS OF CAMELOT, will be released in 2010.
Notes from PC on the Goddess Summoning Series:
In GODDESS OF THE SEA I retell the story of the mermaid Undine. In an act of desperation, the mermaid switches bodies with a female Air Force sergeant who needs to do some escaping of her own.
In GODDESS OF SPRING, I turn my attention to the Persephone/Hades myth, and send a modern woman to Hades! Who knew “Hell” and its brooding god could be hot in so many wonderful, seductive ways?
GODDESS OF LIGHT takes us on a lovely vacation to Las Vegas with the divine twins, Apollo and Artemis. What happens when two of the immortal Olympians get stuck in Sin City with no powers?
My favorite of all fairy tales is Beauty and the Beast, and in GODDESS OF THE ROSE I created my own version of this beloved story, building a magical realm from whence dreams originated— good and bad—and bringing to life a beast who absolutely took my breath away.
GODDESS OF LOVE follows Venus to Tulsa as Love herself aids a young woman in need of a makeover. But what happens when Love falls for the wrong guy?
WARRIOR RISING is my loving retelling of the Trojan War, the way Homer would have reported it, had he been a modern woman. Or at least I like to think he would give me a nod and a smile. Achilles is our unexpected hero. Do you think that doomed warrior can possibly find a happily ever after?
Notes from PC about the Luna Series:
My award-winning world of Partholon is rich in goddesses, centaurs, magic, and passion. The books can be read alone, but they are best enjoyed in this order:
1) *DIVINE BY MISTAKE
Dear Fabulous Readers, I love this book! It’s a planned love. When I sat down to write DIVINE BY MISTAKE I told myself I was going to write The Book I’d Most Want to Read, and that’s exactly what I did. I created a heroine who made me laugh and sent her to a world straight out of my favorite daydreams, to live a fantasy filled with wine and sex, adventure and true love, and all of that is great fun. But I have to be honest with you. The most important reason I love this book so much is because in it I created ClanFintan, who will eternally be my favorite hero. Of course he’s strong and handsome and sexy – those qualities are part of the hero blueprint – but ClanFintan has two other things going for him that make him stand out from the hero pack. First, his sense of integrity is deeply moving. His word is more than his promise; his word is who he is. Second (and this might be what I like most about him) is the sense of fun and innocence that awakens within him when this otherwise very worldly and tough guy falls in love with my heroine. His joy at discovering love will always keep him close to my heart. So curl up with a glass of your favorite wine and enter Partholon, but beware! Like me, you may never want to leave…
Happy reading,
PC Cast
2) DIVINE BY CHOICE
Dear Lovely Reader, Right now I’m writing my twenty-first novel, and I can tell you without any hesitation that out of all those books the heroine with whom I most easily identify – the heroine I like the very best – is Shannon Parker. I’ve been thinking about why that is and, oddly enough, it isn’t her strengths that endear Shannon to me. She’s certainly funny and smart and honest. That’s nice – but that’s also like a zillion other heroines. What I like best about Shannon are her flaws. She messes up. More than once. She gets pissed off and says things she’s sorry about later. She gets over confident and stubborn, all of which makes her delightfully real. I’d like to have a glass of wine (or twelve) with Shannon. If someone’s made me mad, I’d like to call her and have her get pissed on my behalf. Shannon would be a loyal friend, and she damn sure would never be boring or spineless. In DIVINE BY CHOICE Shannon has several very difficult decisions to make, and while she doesn’t always make the perfect choice, she makes the real choice, and she does it with a sense of humor and an exuberance for life and love that I hope you, too, will find endearing.
Welcome to DIVINE BY CHOICE, and another grand adventure in the magical world of Partholon.
Cheers!
PC
3) DIVINE BY BLOOD
Dear Lovely Readers, DIVINE BY BLOOD may very well be the most difficult book I’ve ever written. And that’s not because I had to complete Shannon’s story – explain about Rhiannon – and tell the daughters’ stories, too. All in one book! The reason this book was tough for me was because in finishing it I felt like I was saying goodbye to my family.
It’s no secret (sometimes much to my embarrassment) that I peopled the Divine books with characters based on friends and family. One character in particular is so close to the living man that it makes me smile just thinking about him. Unquestionably, Richard Parker was fashioned after my dad. And while he, and/or his ghost, show up in all the Partholon books, it is in DIVINE BY BLOOD that his character’s words and actions hold particularly true to my dad, Dick Cast. So while I poured a lot of love, and maybe even a piece of my heart, into the Divine trilogy, this last book will always be special to me – so special that it was difficult to see it end. I hope the spirit of it touches you, as it did me.
And who knows, Partholon is a big world. Perhaps there are more stories there just waiting for me to tell… Wishing you happy reading and the brightest of blessings, PC
*DbM Note: DIVINE BY MISTAKE was first published by a small press under the title of Goddess by Mistake in 2001. PC rewrote the novel, updating pop references, etc., for the LUNA edition.
Notes from PC about the Harlequin TEEN books:
ELPHAME’S CHOICE (release date Sept 2009) and BRIGHID’S QUEST (release date March 2010) are also books set in my award-winning world of Partholon, but Elphame and Brighid are more coming of age stories than the Divine books. They each follow a young heroine who must deal with universal themes of growing and maturing while living in a world peopled by fantastic beings and torn by a supernatural war that has left one hundred year old scars.
ELPHAME’S CHOICE
Worshipped. Set apart. Unable to connect with others.
Though most girls believe they are different, Elphame knows she is. Odd. Strange. Unique. No one in Partholon has her abilities – or her connection to their goddess. And she has a destiny she is about to discover…
A restlessness ha infused her, leading her to the other side of her country. There, the remnants of an evil war still linger. Will Elphame be able to redeem both her country and her soul mate, a survivor of that war? The choice she makes now may bring disaster – or a future in which she may never again be alone.
THE AVENGER (Silhouette Nocturne – 1 Oct 09):
It was an honor to be asked to write a novel in a series conceived and written by women who have served their country in the armed forces. Time Raiders is a rich world in which to play, and it was fun to bring my prior active duty USAF alter ego to the sandbox.
I particularly love this period of history. Boudica and her amazing story have intrigued me for hears. I love that she was a strong secondary character, and I hope I kept true to her historical spirit in my rendition of her.
Cover copy:
Join New York Times bestselling author PC Cast as the Time Raiders continue their desperate quest for the key to peace…by casting one more of their own into the dangerous unknown…with passionate results.
For Alexandra Patton, the Time Raiders project sends the reluctant psychic back to 60 AD Briton – a world where she can barely understand the accents, let alone its culture of brutality and superstition. Armed only with her “freakish” ability to talk to the dead, Alex must use all her gifts to entice Caradoc, a savagely sexy Druid warrior, into helping her succeed in her mission.
What they discover along the way is pure passion.
Now, torn between duty and the man of her dreams, should Alex return home if given the chance? Or dare she risk everything to begin anew in this strange and mystical land?
MYSTERIA and MYSTERIA LANE:
Hunky werewolves, delicious demons and, drop-dead sexy witches all have the same address...Hundreds of years ago, in the mountains of Colorado (just close enough to Denver for great shoe shopping), the small town of Mysteria was "accidentally" founded by a random act of demonic kindness. Over time, it has become a veritable magnet for the supernatural-a place where magic has quietly coexisted with the mundane world. So check out Mysteria, where magic sometimes comes back to bite you…and that can be a very, verrrry good thing!
IMMORTAL: LOVE STORIES WITH BITE: I helped compile these wonderful stories and wrote the introduction to this group of fascinating YA vampire tales. Be sure to check out the new short story by Kristin Cast!
HOUSE OF NIGHT:
MARKED: The HOUSE OF NIGHT novels are set in a world much like ours except in Zoey Redbird's world vampyres have always existed. Kristin and I have created a new vampyre mythos where our vamps have a biological reason for their existence. They have established a complex matriarchal society ruled by High Priestesses who give their allegiance to the vampyre goddess, Nyx. Sixteen-year- old Zoey steps into this mystical society after being Marked to begin the Change from human to vampyre a Change that takes about four years to complete. But not everyone who is Marked will Change. Many fledglings cannot survive the physiological adaptations and will die. As if that's not stress enough, Zoey has been Marked as special by Nyx and given powers never before seen in a fledgling. When all she really wants is to fit in her new life, Zoey comes to understand that she must assume the leadership of the school's most elite club, the Dark Daughters. Will Zoey have the strength to do what Nyx asks of her? Will Zoey even survive the Change? Check out MARKED (St. Martin's Press) and find out!
BETRAYED: Fledgling vampyre Zoey Redbird has managed to settle in at the House of Night finishing school. She finally feels like she belongs, even gets chosen as the Leader of the Dark Daughters. Best of all, she actually has a boyfriend or two. Then the unthinkable happens: Human teenagers are being killed, and all the evidence points to the House of Night. While danger stalks the humans from Zoey's old life, she begins to realize that the very powers that make her so unique might also threaten those she loves. Then, when she needs her new friends the most, death strikes the House of Night, and Zoey must find the courage to face a betrayal that could break her heart, her soul, and jeopardize the very fabric of her world. BETRAYED, the second book in the HOUSE OF NIGHT series, is dark and sexy, and as thrilling as it is utterly shocking.
CHOSEN: Bloodlust and dark forces are at work at the House of Night and fledgling vampyre Zoey Redbird's adventures at the school take a mysterious turn. Those who appear to be friends are turning out to be enemies. And, oddly enough, sworn enemies are also turning into friends. So begins the gripping third installment of this highly addictive series (Romantic times BOOK reviews), in which Zoey's mettle will be tested like never before. Her best friend, Stevie Rae, is undead and struggling to maintain a grip on her humanity. Zoey doesn't have a clue how to help her, but she does know that anything she and Stevie Rae discover must be kept secret from everyone else at the House of Night, where trust has become a rare commodity. Speaking of rare, Zoey finds herself in the very rare position of having THREE boyfriends, a situation with the potential to spell social disaster. Then vampyres start turning up dead. REALLY dead. But as Zoey and her friends find out, things are not always what they seem at the House of Night...
UNTAMED: Life sucks when your friends are pissed at you. Just ask Zoey Redbird – she’s become an expert on suckiness. In one week she has gone from having three boyfriends to having none, and from having a close group of friends who trusted and supported her, to being an outcast. Speaking of friends, the only two Zoey has left are undead and un-Marked. And Neferet has declared war on humans, which Zoey knows in her heart is wrong. But will anyone listen to her? Zoey's adventures at vampyre finishing school take a wild and dangerous turn as loyalties are tested, shocking true intentions come to light, and an ancient evil is awakened in PC and Kristin Cast's spellbinding fourth HOUSE OF NIGHT novel.
HUNTED: What if the hottest guy in the world was hiding a nameless evil, and all he wanted was you? At the start of this heart-pounding new installment of the bestselling HOUSE OF NIGHT series, Zoey’s friends have her back again and Stevie Rae and the red fledglings aren’t Neferet’s secrets any longer. But an unexpected danger has emerged. Neferet guards her powerful new consort, Kalona, and no one at the House of Night seems to understand the threat he poses. Kalona looks gorgeous, and he has the House of Night under his spell. A past life holds the key to breaking his rapidly spreading influence, but what if this past life shows Zoey secrets she doesn’t want to hear and truths she can’t face? On the run and holed up in Tulsa’s Prohibition-era tunnels, Zoey and her gang must discover a way to deal with something that might bring them all down. Meanwhile, Zoey has a few other little problems. The red fledglings have cleaned up well. They’ve even managed to make the dark, creepy tunnels feel more like home. But are they really as friendly as they seem? On the boyfriend front, Zoey has a chance to make things right with super-hot ex-, Eric, but she cant stop thinking about Stark, the archer who died in her arms after one unforgettable night, and she is driven to try to save him from Neferet’s sinister influence at all costs. Will anyone believe the power evil has to hide among us?
TEMPTED: So…you’d think after banishing an immortal being and a fallen High Priestess, saving Stark’s life, biting Heath, getting a headache from Erik, and almost dying, Zoey Redbird would catch a break. Sadly, a break is not in the House of Night school forecast for the High Priestess in training and her gang. Juggling three guys is anything but a stress reliever, especially when one of them is a sexy Warrior who is so into protecting Zoey that he can sense her emotions. Speaking of stress, the dark force lurking in the tunnels under the Tulsa Depot is spreading, and Zoey is beginning to believe Stevie Rae could be responsible for a lot more than a group of misfit red fledglings. Aphrodite’s visions warn Zoey to stay away from Kalona and his dark allure, but they also show that it is Zoey who has the power to stop the evil immortal. Soon it becomes obvious that Zoey has no choice: if she doesn’t go to Kalona he will exact a fiery vengeance on those closest to her. Will Zoey have the courage to chance losing her life, her heart, and her soul? Find out in the next spectacular installment in the HOUSE OF NIGHT Series, TEMPTED.
Q&A:
Q: What sort of advice would you give to someone who has a passion for writing but has difficulty getting down words that would make sense to anyone else?
A: Honestly I'd tell you to focus on the mechanics of writing (spelling, grammar, structure) before you go further. What you're trying to say will never be heard or taken seriously if you can't say it in a literate manner. So read and read and read and write and write and write. Practice doesn't make perfect, but it can come close.
Q: What advice do you have for aspiring authors?
A: Remember that writing is a job, which means you need to do your own research into the business of being a published author. Don’t romanticize it. Don’t think someone can give you a magic pill that will tell you how to write a book and/or get it published. It’s work – a lot of work. You need to educate yourself about it just as you would any other career. For more specific information please go to my blog post on advice for aspiring authors.
Q: What is it like to write with your daughter/mother? How do you write with someone else?
A: Being an author is usually such a solitary job that it's nice to have someone else in it with me. Plus, knowing that Kristin is going to go over everything I write (I write the draft of an entire novel before I send it to Kristin for her to rewrite) takes a lot of stress off me. I don't have to worry about sounding too old or too young – Kristin will fix that. I just write the story.
Q: Do you have any hobbies that you enjoy doing in your spare time?
A: Kristin and I love to travel together. We've been road tripping since she was little. We also like to watch trash TV and go to the movies. I like to hike with my Scottie dogs! Both of us go to the gym a lot, but that's not really a hobby. It's more of a necessity because our other hobby is eating out at cool restaurants.
Q: Are you inspired by other authors?
A: Lots: Ray Bradbury, Anne McCaffrey, Robin McKinley, Tolkien, Jane Austin, Shakespeare...Right now I'm reading Philippa Gregory’s THE WHITE QUEEN and loving it, and I can’t wait to dive into Diana Gabaldon’s newest book!
I feel strongly that an author (as well as intelligent, independent women) should read widely of many different genres.
Q: What is your favorite part about being an author?
A: My favorite part of being an author is that I'm my world's God(dess) and I can make whatever I want happen happen! (If I can talk Kristin into it, but since she's my kid I can always threaten to beat her...)
Q: Will you answer questions for my book report/essay/interview?
A: If you would like to interview me, you may contact my St. Martin’s publicist, Katy Hershberger, at katy.hershberger@stmartin.com, or if the interview isn’t specific to my YA series, my personal assistant, Camden Clark at camdenclark.pa@gmail.com. I don’t answer book report/school assignment questions. If I did I wouldn’t have time to write, but there are many, many interviews with me available on the internet, and I answer tons of questions on my blog.
Q: Will you read my manuscript/book/short story/idea?
A: No. If Kristin and I read your work we wouldn’t have time to write our own. We can not get you published, so it would do no good for us to read your work, though we wish you all the best with your writing.
Q: Who is your agent?
A: Meredith Bernstein – you can find out how to query her through THE AGENTS’ MARKET.
Q: Are you going to write another young adult series?
A: Maybe, but right now we’re focusing on the HOUSE OF NIGHT.
Q: Why did you choose the spelling vampyre?
A: No deep, dark, mysterious reason. I simply prefer that spelling. Actually, Kristin prefers the traditional vampire spelling, but I’m the mom so I got my way.
Q: What are you religious beliefs?
A: Our religious beliefs are private, but we will say that we don’t adhere to the ideology that says there is only one right answer to the question of how a person should believe.
Contact PC: PC welcomes emails from her fans, but please make sure your question hasn't already been answered, either in her Q&A section here, or on her blog, facebook and myspace. As much as she would love to respond to everyone's emails, the high volume of questions does not enable to do so. PC makes every effort to respond to emails, but you will have a better chance of getting a response if your question has not already been answered.
If you have searched our sites and have not found the answer to your question, please feel free to email PC via her personal assistant, Camden Clark, at camdenclark.pa@gmail.com.