INTERVIEW - AIMEE CARTER

      What inspired you to write The Goddess Test?  

I love Greek mythology, and I’ve always been fascinated with the myth of Hades and Persephone. It was very much a process rather than a moment of inspiration, and the plot came to me in a lot of different pieces over the years. It wasn’t until about a year before I sat down to write the novel that I figured out how to put them all together to create a story I was very excited to write.

      Out of the book who is your favourite character? 

This is tricky. I love them all for various reasons, and while certain ones may not get much page time, so to say, they’re fleshed out in my head, and I love seeing how they react to situations. Henry, James, and Ava are my top three, and I think they all bring something a little different to the page. Either way, they’re never dull to write, that’s for sure.

      Are any Characters based on people you know?

Nope! Though after I wrote the book, I realized that one of the characters (Nicholas) vaguely resembles a good friend of mine who also happens to be called Nick. There are enough differences between them though that I’m pretty sure this is a coincidence.

      If you could spend a day with one god who you it be?  

Hades for sure. I would love to see the Underworld and visit my departed loved ones.

      Also, any sign of a film in the works? 

Not at the moment, but if there’s ever any breaking news, I always post about it on my Twitter account (@aimee_carter). I absolutely love films – I majored in film and screenwriting at university, actually – and would love for it to be made into a movie someday. I don’t have my hopes up, but you never know!

      If you could create a new god what would they be called and what would they be the god of? 

 I think the Greek and Roman pantheon (and Celtic, and Nordic, and the countless different religions throughout the world) pretty much have it covered. Maybe a god of publishing. We could call him/her Austowlingway. (Austen/Rowling/Hemingway)

      Can you give us any spoilers on Goddess Interrupted? 

I will tell you exclusively that the book starts in the September following Kate’s holiday. And that you will meet a new character on the very first page.

      How many books will be in the full series? 

Right now I have two written, and while I could go on, though not necessarily from Kate’s perspective, there are no solid plans to do so just yet.

AND DON'T FORGET TO LOOK OUT FOR 

GODDESS INTERRUPTED

SEQUEL TO THE GODDESS TEST

COMING SPRING 2012

THE GODDESS TEST - AIMEE CARTER - REVIEW

Book: The Goddess Test

Author: Aimee Carter

Publisher: Mira Ink

ISBN: 9781848450400

Rating: A+

"It's always been just Kate and her mom--and now her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won't live past the fall. Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld--and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests. Kate is sure he's crazy--until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride, and a goddess. If she fails..."

The Goddess Test was one of these books that I had heard so much about from blogs around the world, but when I went to buy it I found that at the time it was only available in the USA so when I got an email regarding a blog tour for the UK release I was absolutely thrilled. So I read through the book in little less than a day and it didn’t disappoint me! Not once, the fantastic book sucked me to its depths of the pages and when the end came I was and still am desperate for Goddess Interrupted.

Now one of the striking things about this book is the story line. It’s just so brilliant. The only word to use I suppose is Unique... and a load of other complimentary words. It just has such a simple, yet so different story line, and I suppose it what I needed for my Greek fix. The plot follows, Kate Winters who has moved back to Eden in the wake of her mother’s last days, only to find that she can save her by making a deal with a mysterious boy. And then... she is sucked into a magical Greek world. The plot is based on the original myth of Hades and Persephone but it has a unique, modern, and magical twist I suppose that gives it all the sparkle.

The writing was brilliant as well. The first person worked well, and was good because Carter managed to work other people’s feeling into the prose as well. That’s other thing. It had a magical prose. There was no forced reading of the type because one I had started it flowed smoothly through the full way.

The characters were so incredibly formed, and so definitely not what they seemed, as you find out at the end of the book and I have to admit the ending was incredibly surprising and was most definitely my favourite part of the book, filled with shock, suspense and surprise. The character were all described into so much detail that you became friends with them. Even the ones who turn out to be enemies. My favourite character would have to be Henry though, mainly because he was so incredibly awesome but when you studied him in detail he was really nice. He cared about everyone but himself, doing all he could to make others happy unless of course the deserved to go and spend time with all the people they brutally murdered.

Overall though I really did Love the Goddess Test. It’s is a beautifully written book, a tale of love, and an anciently old myth sparkling with a magical twist.