BTW—Make sure you read to the end! Tricia’s
giving away a signed copy of SOLSTICE!
Tricia’s
official bio reads like this:
P. J. Hoover first fell in love with Greek mythology in
sixth grade thanks to the book Mythology by Edith Hamilton. After a
fifteen year bout as an electrical engineer designing computer chips for a
living, P. J. decided to take her own stab at mythology and started writing books
for kids and teens. When not writing, P. J. spends time with her husband and
two kids and enjoys practicing kung fu, solving Rubik's cubes, and watching
Star Trek. Her first novel for teens, Solstice (Tor Teen, June 18,
2013), takes place in a global warming future and explores the parallel world
of mythology beside our own. Her middle grade novel, Tut (Tor
Children's, 2014), tells the story of a young immortal King Tut, who's been
stuck in middle school for over 3,000 years and must defeat an ancient enemy
with the help of a dorky kid from school, a mysterious Egyptian princess, and a
one-eyed cat. For more information about P. J. (Tricia) Hoover, please visit
her website www.pjhoover.com.
And here is the quick summary for SOLSTICE – which I have
read and absolutely adore! Yes, Tricia Hoover has made global warming pretty
hot in other ways, too –and yes, I’m thinking of Shayne and Reese the two love
interests vying for main character Piper as she realizes that she is a much
different girl with a much different backstory than she realizes… and that the
increasingly hot temps in Austin are just possibly her fault…
Piper’s world is
dying. Each day brings hotter temperatures and heat bubbles which threaten to
destroy the Earth. Amid this Global Heating Crisis, Piper lives under the
oppressive rule of her mother, who suffocates her even more than the weather
does. Everything changes on her eighteenth birthday, when her mother is called
away on a mysterious errand and Piper seizes her first opportunity for freedom.
Piper discovers a universe she never knew existed—a sphere of gods
and monsters—and realizes that her world is not the only one in crisis. While
gods battle for control of the Underworld, Piper’s life spirals out of
control as she struggles to find the answer to the secret that has been
kept from her since birth—her very identity….
An imaginative melding
of mythology and dystopia, Solstice
is the first YA novel by talented newcomer P. J. Hoover.
Joy: Your
stories and even your blog title have a focus on mythology. Tell us about that.
PJ: I adore
mythology. It started back in sixth grade when I read that book, Mythology, by Edith Hamilton, and it
never went away. I love those tales of epic quests and heroes. And I find
studying and comparing mythologies from around the world fascinating. I guess
that’s why I always find a way to use it in my stories. And the blog title?
That’s because so many things in our modern society have their basis in
mythological beliefs, most people don’t know about them, and that’s just cool.
Joy: Where
did the idea for SOLSTICE come from?
PJ: Well, it
came about first and foremost from my love of mythology. So many people were
writing fairy tale retellings, but as much as I love fairy tales, I didn’t want
to jump into that playground. I wanted to hang out in a playground much closer
to home. I started thinking about myths. But instead of a retelling, I wanted
to write about what came after the myth, and that’s where the idea for Solstice came about.
Joy: Piper
is torn between two hunky guys, but those characters have a great purpose than
just the traditional love triangle. Can you tell us about Piper's love
interests.
PJ: Well, without spoilers, maybe the best
way is to contrast them.
Shayne is all about responsibility.
Reese is all about breaking the rules.
Shayne is willing to wait for what he
wants.
Reese is likely to grab whatever he
wants with no care to what happens as a result.
Shayne has a deep bond with Piper.
Reese can’t control himself around
Piper . . . and she can’t control herself around him
either.
Shayne has a temper.
Reese understands the value of
chocolate.
The guys are
so different, and that’s what made writing both of them so much fun in Solstice!
Joy: For
those unaware of the story of Persephone, could you give us the quick, down and
dirty version?
PJ: Sure!
We’ll go with the traditional version.
Girl is very
innocent. Girl never leaves her mom’s side. Until (you guessed it) one day,
girl’s mom stops watching for a moment. Evil god comes and steals girl away.
Evil god takes girl to Underworld. Never wants her to leave. Tricks her into
eating food, thus binding her to the Underworld. Mom is mad. Crazy mad. But
King of the gods, makes everyone happy, having girl split her time between her
mom and evil god. The end.
Joy: How did
you decide the near future Austin in global warming details that build the
world?
PJ: Why
Austin? Because I live here! It’s a great city and one I know well.
Why the near
future? Because of the “what happens next” aspect of the myth. There was no
other logical conclusion.
Joy: I'm
going to meet Piper for the first time and I ask you to tell me about her. What
would you say?
PJ: You
totally might think Piper’s meek, based on how her mom controls her every move.
But give her an inch of freedom, and watch out! All bets are off. Piper will
surprise you (and herself) every chance she gets.
Joy: The one
or two sentence SOLSTICE elevator pitch. Quick! What do you tell that Hollywood
movie scout!
PJ: Solstice is a futuristic story, set
amid a global-warming devastated world, about an eighteen-year-old girl who
opens a mysterious present and discovers a world of mythology she never knew
existed. And then the world really turns crazy.
Joy: What's
next for PJ Hoover?
PJ: I have a
middle grade Egyptian mythology book coming out in Fall 2014. It’s called Tut: My Life as an Immortal 8th
Grader, and it’s about King Tut who is fourteen, immortal, and living in
Washington D.C. with his one-eyed cat, Horus, when his crazy uncle from 3000
years ago shows up and is out to get King Tut. I am so excited for it to be
published!
-- M&M's
or Twizzlers?
M&Ms!
--unicorns
or zombies?
Hobbits J
--favorite
guilty pleasure TV?
Star Trek
--book(s)
for a desert island?
The
Silmarillion
--favorite
breakfast foods?
Sunnyside-up
eggs and bacon. And coffee. Never forget the coffee.
--wine or
whiskey?
Red wine,
dark and dry
--fave myth?
Cupid and
Psyche
--a song
that reflected the high school you?
D’yer Mak’er
by Led Zeppelin
AND NOW!! Want to Win a signed copy of SOLSTICE? Enter here!
8 comments:
Oh my gosh I have to read this book! THIS is precisely why my reading list is so long. The Preble blog. I need to go on an Internet ban (ha as if). I love the myth about Persephone and hades! We studied it at school when I was 11 and I've loved it ever since. And at the moment I'm loving stories set in the future, so this is just perfect for me. Hope you do bump into that Hollywood movie scout, because this sounds like it would make a film as big as The Hunger Games!!!
Joy and PJ are two of my favorite Texas women of letters! I hope I win!!
been reading lots of YA lately, and enjoying them lots. Would really like to add this one to the collection.
In addition to the fact that it's set in Austin, I'm looking forward to reading SOLSTICE because of the climate change issues. My sci-fi manuscript is set far in the future after Earth's been pretty devastated by climate change, so it's fascinating to me! Congrats PJ!
I want to read this book because we are both Star Trek fans.
Thank you so much for featuring me, Joy! You are the best!
I want to read this book because I love that it has to do with global warming and mythology. Two things that I never would have thought to put together. It's sounds very interesting and unique. I just can't wait to get my hands on it :)
I want to read this book because I love mythology, particularly Greek mythology. I've seen a few books around recently that feature gods & goddesses. Is this a new trend, I wonder? Solstice looks like it will be a unique addition.
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