Today, I have invited Cherie Reich to my site as part of the blog tour for her newly released novel, "Reborn". I asked Cherie a few questions relative to her new release and she kindly answered them, allowing me to share her answers with you.
Some of her answers allow us to understand a little of who Cherie Reich is....and how she developed some of the names and landmark titles in this story.
Please join me and together we may learn how the characters and settings of "Reborn" came to be.
Don't forget to take the time to enter the Rafflecopter draw attached to this post to try your luck in winning some great prizes!
Carolyn
1. From the blurbs of
Reborn, which I have read, I can see that you have researched the book
intensely. Would you mind sharing your starting point and where you found the
most helpful information? I guess you could say my
higher education was my research. I majored in Classics (Ancient Greeks and Romans)
and minored in the Ancient Near East. My studies led me to various mythologies
and ancient histories, which I pulled from when I wrote Reborn. Outside these studies, I researched mythological creatures
(learned about karshiptas and woodwoses) and distances/travel (boat, horse,
people, birds).
2. Apenth, is a very
unique name for the temple connected to your MC. Did you invent the name, or
does it have a mythological tale attached to it? If so, would you like to share
the story? Apenth’s name comes from three gods’
names squished together. “Ap” for Apollo (Greek/Roman mythology), “en” from
Enki (Mesopotamian mythology), and “th” from Thoth (Egyptian mythology). I
wanted a name to showcase who Apenth is, which is a joining of these three
gods.
3. Yssa, is also an
unusual name, very fitting for a prophetess. Would you explain how you decided
upon it? The idea behind Yssa’s story originated
with a roleplaying character I had named Clarissa. I wanted to keep a part of
the RPG character linked with Yssa, so I debated between Issa and Yssa. I ended
up preferring the “Y” spelling, so Yssa’s name was created.
4. I love the cover
art! Laura Sava has done a wonderful job. Is this the first cover she has
designed for you, or have you two worked together before? Did you find her easy
to work with? Before Laura designed the cover art
for Reborn, she designed the cover
art for People of Foxwick and Their
Neighbors (Forthcoming Fall 2014). I love working with Laura. I told her
what I wanted. She did a few quick sketches to get a feel for what I wanted. I
selected a sketch, and she took about a week to get me the cover art. She’s
reasonably priced for original cover art and pretty fast. I feel very lucky to
get a chance to work with her since she’s not taking on too many new clients,
and I plan to use her expertise for Reforged
(Book Two) and Redestined (Book
Three)—and maybe Remarked (Book 1.5)
if I can afford it.
5. So Cherie, what is
next for you? I’m working on Repledged, a prequel story taking place 800 years before Reborn. Repledged was originally titled Magna’s
Plea and a short story I had published but decided needed to be longer. I’m
enjoying spending time in Magna’s version of Amora, although I’m eager to get
back to Yssa’s timeline too once I finish the first draft of Repledged. I am also in final edits for People of Foxwick and Their Neighbors, a
collection of seventeen short stories.
To
save a kingdom, a prophetess must challenge Fate.
On the day of Yssa’s death
and rebirth, the god Apenth chose her as the Phoenix Prophetess.
Sea serpents and gods
endanger the young prophetess’s journey and sour the omens. Yssa is cursed
instead of blessed, and her duties at the Temple of Apenth prove it. She spends
her days reading dusty scrolls, which does nothing to help her forget Tym, the
boy back home. But the annoying yet gorgeous ferryman’s son Liam proves to be a
distraction she can’t predict, even though he rarely leaves her alone for two
sand grains.
Her boring temple life
screeches to a halt when visions of her parents’ murders consume her. Yssa
races across an ocean to stop the future. If she can’t change Fate, she’ll
refuse to be the Phoenix Prophetess any longer. Fate, however, has other plans
for her and the kingdom.
Yssa must either accept her
destiny or fight to change Fate.
Available in Ebook and Print!
The authors of Untethered
Realms and I are giving away over $50 worth of books to one lucky winner. The
giveaway is open internationally.
Author Bio:
A self-proclaimed
bookworm, Cherie Reich is a speculative fiction writer and library assistant
living in Virginia. Her short stories have appeared in magazines and
anthologies, and her books include the horror collection Nightmare, a
space fantasy novella collection titled Gravity, and the fantasy series The
Foxwick Chronicles and The Fate Challenges. Reborn is her
debut novel. She is Vice President of Valley Writers and a member of the
Virginia Writers Club and Untethered Realms. For more information, please visit
her website.
You don't want to ruin the book for others! 
e
