I'm delighted to have author K.C. Simos stopping by today to chat about her YA series, Ambrosia Chronicles! Plus, you can win all three books...
Book 1: Ambrosia Chronicles: The Discovery
When Alex is reunited with her high school crush, Ian, she discovers that he is part of a suspicious organisation that she herself becomes involved with. Suddenly entrusted with a heavily sought-after little pouch, she must go on the run. Alex must let go of the frustrations of ignorance at her new circumstances with the knowledge that the less she knows the safer she'll be, while she relies on the protection of her arrogant and mysterious rescuer in order to reach the organisation's headquarters in one piece.
Book 2: Ambrosia Chronicles: The Initiation
Now that Alex is officially the Protector, she embarks on a road trip through Europe together with Ian. But will Ian ever be able to get past Alex’s assent up the Muse ladder? What will happen when the two of them run into mysterious Lucas again? And what role does Emma’s Sight have in all of this?
Join Alex and Emma as they start to untangle the web of secrets that revolve around Muse…
Book 3 Ambrosia Chronicles: The Curse
The thrilling conclusion of the Ambrosia Chronicles trilogy. Alex and Emma prepare for the inevitable face-off with the Rogue Queen Regina, after uncovering some truly shocking secrets...
What three words best describe your Ambrosia Chronicles series?
Fantasy, road-trip, adventure
Can you give us your best one sentence pitch to convince readers, especially reluctant readers, to give the Ambrosia Chronicles a try?
“Percy Jackson” meets “Twilight” or “Vampire Diaries” - the main characters are thrust into a modern day plot that has mythology weaved into it…
Grab a copy of book one in your series, The Discovery, and answer the following:
-favorite chapter? Chapter 23: Light in the Dark
-favorite page? Since it’s an e-book, I can’t really provide a page – it’s the first section of Chapter 25, I guess it would be the second or third page of that chapter, just towards the end of the first section…
-favorite place/setting? Alex’s garden in Athens, Greece
-flip to a random page and give us a 1-2 sentences teaser:
“Lucas is the only one whose Powers were not granted by the Guardian,” Sarah explained.
Alex slowed down, confused. “Then how did he get them?”
“The question you should be asking is who granted Lucas his Powers, if not the Guardian.”
What inspired the Ambrosia Chronicles? How did the story come to be?
I think I just got a little fed up with all the Hollywood films based on Greek mythology – there was a trend a few years back – where everything was altered so much that you could only tell it was based on a Greek myth because of the characters’ names and nothing else. I started toying with the idea of a world where these myths actually took place once as that world’s history, and what it would be like to discover something like that – my version of incorporating life in the world we live in today with fantasy elements from the world’s myths.
Can you tell us a bit about your heroine, Alex? What makes her special and sets her apart from other YA heroines?
Alex is nineteen when the story takes place. She’s at that age where she’s supposedly already meant to behave as though she’s an adult, but she has no idea what she wants to do with her life, and she’s unsure of who she really is. I believe what sets Alex apart from other YA heroines is that she’s more realistic. She’s dealing with what many go through at that age, but few talk about. When she’s thrust into a dangerous situation that she doesn’t understand and requires rescuing from, she’s not the damsel in distress type by nature; despite having a desire to be rescued she nevertheless adopts a DIY approach. She’s self-conscious but strong-minded, shy but will stand up for herself and others. She enjoys a constant stream of sarcastic commentary in her head that she rarely voices. She’s practical and intelligent, and a realist who hopes the unreal exists so as to change her mundane life.
What kinds of cool mythology and lore can readers expect to find in the Ambrosia Chronicles?
The wickedest mythological names make an appearance; names I myself only learned about during my research so a couple are obscure but pretty darn intriguing. My aim was to breathe modern life into ancient individuals. There are loads of characters from Ancient Greek & Norse mythology who either make a small appearance or play a role in Alex’s adventures, as well as references to the scariest, creepiest stories I encountered during my research.
The mythological elements serve more as a backdrop while Alex’s struggles are at the forefront. Because I nevertheless did a lot of research on mythology, I decided to create a blog called “The Mytholian Corner” where there are entry posts that provide a little info about each character whose roots are from mythology; I describe this person as in my trilogy, but then also share some of my research and provide info on his/her mythological background in a little more detail for anyone who might be interested in knowing a little more.
What is the best thing about being an author? The hardest thing?
The best thing is that this is my story, my own. I work as a freelancer in film & TV production, which involves working on other people’s ideas and manuscripts. The best thing about being an author is that I can create something myself.
The hardest thing is the practical knowledge that, since I’m not making a living from my books, I need to also work in a different field. It’s hard to do when you know that what you love to do can’t be your full time job. I’m happy that the other work I do is also story-related. It’s why I chose it – I can’t get enough of stories in every shape and form.
Let’s play This OR That:
-morning OR night Night
I am NOT a morning person.
-the hero OR the villain
The hero as long as he isn’t a goodie-two-shoes; the dark hero
-stay in OR go out
Go out… I stay in way too much.
-switch places with your favorite fictional character OR switch places with your favorite celebrity?
Definitely picking the favourite fictional character. It means I can take part in a world of dragons and magic! Who’d pick dodging paparazzi over that?
Fill in the blanks
I’m really awesome at sarcasm.
I’m really embarrassed to admit when I’m wrong. I’ll do it, but I’ll feel my cheeks get hot.
The last great book I read was “Harry Potter” – I recently reread the whole series ☺
If you were to create and bake a cupcake inspired by the Ambrosia Chronicles, what would it look and taste like, and what would you call it?
Since this is a trilogy, I’m allowing myself 3 cupcakes (any excuse for more dessert with me):
“Fresh Discovery” –dark chocolate cupcake with a green mint icing & white choc shavings on top
“Bittersweet Initiation” – blueberry cupcake with buttercream icing and blueberries on top
“Cursed Temptation” – red velvet cupcake with buttercream icing (not the biggest fan of cream cheese icing) & dark choc shavings on top
My mouth is watering now…
Thanks so much for stopping by! Those cupcakes sound AMAZING and YUMMY!
K. C. Simos was born and raised in Athens, Greece. She studied law and marketing before pursuing her passion for film. She works as a freelancer in film & TV production. The "Ambrosia Chronicles" trilogy surfaced through her fascination with fantasy and mythology, and her desire to incorporate them into a world of her own. website * author facebook * series facebook * blog
Win an
Ambrosia Chronicles ebook bundle!
K.C. Simos has generously offered one ebook bundle, which includes all three books in her series, for one winner.
DETAILS
-open to anyone who can read Amazon ebooks
-ends 9/7
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