So here we go with something REALLY special! This is a book written by a mother, Jennifer Paquette and her 15 year old son, Nicholas Perrotti. They are of Greek heritage and while Jennifer was working on her Mythology she would ask her son about certain details regarding names and such as he was studying about Greek Gods in school …I think I'll let THEM tell you their story.
In the meantime, the cover is so magnificent we are able to show the whole thing, front and back…isn't this spectacular! Do me a favor and at least read the prologue to the story…if that doesn't grab your interest to go further, nothing will. It looks like a terrific read…so enjoy our interview and then head off to Amazon and read it for yourself…and then you'll see..I told you so!
And a ps…
this is Jennifer Paquette, the writing partner to our own Stephanie Greenhalgh…the author of the Truly Twisted Tale of Ruby Hood..who co-wrote with Jennifer, "If The Silver Slipper Fits" a revamped version of Glinda. Writing is what Jennifer Paquette does…
enjoy!
- Series: Myths of the Olympians
- Paperback: 160 pages
- Publisher: Write More Publications; first edition (July 4, 2013)
Again, I need to start by commenting on the cover. when you open the book flat the entire scene is exposed. really exciting! Great job. Thank you!
1. I know you talk about this in your book and bio, however, it really is the obvious place to begin for our readers...how does a mother and her 15 year old son decide to author a book together?
It didn’t start that way! I was answering a call for a fantasy submission and decided to do a Mythology story. Being Greek I have always loved Mythology and was thrilled when Nicholas became interested in it as well when he was in middle school. At the time I was writing the submission, Nicholas was reading a very popular Mythology series, so I was running all my ideas past him. He kept telling me “that’s been done already” and I was getting very frustrated. By the time I finally found something that he “approved” of, he was excited about the story and kept asking me questions about how I was going to do certain scenes. I decided to give him a scene to write, and he did it beautifully. If I remember correctly, not a word has been changed from the original copy that he wrote. After that, I starting sending him chapters and scenes and he would make comments, rewrite or redirect.
2. Nicholas, do you find you have a real voice in collaborating with your mother? Do you have any ideas you wish to move forward with on your own?
Absolutely! I remember when she sent me a battle scene – it needed a lot of work. I told her she did not know how to write a battle scene, so she told me to do it. We had a lot of fun writing it. I also helped her with the dialogue between the gods and goddesses, especially with their personalities and how they would say certain things. Right now we are working on the next book in the series, “Sea of Strangers”!
3. Jennifer, you are not new to collaboration. Some of our readers may recall our recent interview with Fantasy Author Stephanie Greenhalgh, whose partner (our same Jennifer), works with her on the Precious Gem Series, in particular, If The Silver Slipper Fits, a revamped idea about Glinda, the Good Witch. What is it about working with another author that inspires you or apparently “works” for you?
I love running ideas past a fellow author who is as passionate as I am about a certain subject or storyline. It’s quite a rush when you’re both of the same mindset and the words can’t get from your brain to your fingers fast enough. Collaboration can’t be forced! I see my fellow collaborating author as a Muse in every sense of the word. I have one other collaboration to reveal – I am working with my mother, a journalist, on a cheeky mother daughter memoir with a Grecian twist!
4. Nicholas, what do your friends think about your early career move to become a writer? Do you believe you’ll continue to write after this Mythology series is complete?
My friends all think it is really cool and it will be a unique thing to put on my college applications next year! Right now we are working on the next book in the series, but I’d love to keep writing after that as well.
5. This first story takes the idea of the Bermuda Triangle and puts it into folklore with the Greek Gods in a real twist. I really enjoyed the prologue, it truly grabbed my interest, I want to read more. It’s a very intriguing piece of mystery to change up and make your own.
How did the inspiration come to use such a place on the planet..and can we expect more mystery spots to emerge as leads in your continuing series?
I wanted to weave a story around an unexplained phenomenon, and as I mentioned, everything I ran by Nicholas had been “done already” in a very popular Mythology series. Then I thought of the Bermuda Triangle and we knew we had a great basis for our story. In the next book, “Sea of Strangers” we explain the Drake Passage, which is the tumultuous body of water at the bottom of South America that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. As we were crafting the four books in the series, we decided they would all have water as their main theme and be a little educational as well.
6. What is it about water in particular that seems to inspire you both?
We are lucky enough to spend a lot of time at the ocean, and it has always been our “happy place”. A long walk on the beach is the perfect way to let creativity flow and become inspired. And as a bonus, Nicholas’ sign is Aquarius, the Water Bearer!
7. And finally, this is the time where I bring up the dedication and ask for personal meanings in these words...however, I noticed no dedication. Why did you choose to forgo the typical inclusion of a dedication...and would you like to leave one for us now?
Instead of trying to separate a dedication and an acknowledgment I just wrote something from the heart. When it was finished, I realized it worked better at the end of the story. Here is what I wrote:
Seeing your first story through publication is like sending a rowboat out into the ocean.
Thank you Carole, mother and grandmother, your Greek heritage and love for mythology inspired us to set sail;
Thank you Nicholas, you were the compass that steered the story in so many right directions I had no choice but to have you on board;
Thank you John Sr. and John Jr., you were the seat of support as we embarked on this journey;
Thank you Stephanie, muse and dear friend, you were the paddles that propelled us, kept us moving, and cheered us on;
Thank you Write More Publications, you were the vessel that carried us safely across the ocean, into the hands of our readers.
