I was told I didn’t have to sound intelligent, so I’m not going to bother about that. What I will do is talk about Immortals, answer some common questions I’ve gotten about the series, talk about collaborating with other authors, and other writer things.
By now probably everyone knows the gist of the Immortals series–five brothers, sons of a human father and some aspect of the mother goddess, created at the dawn of civilization to protect humans from the forces of death magic (vampires and demons), who were really bad in those early days. The Immortals more or less killed off all the most powerful death magic creatures, and the ones that survive today are not as powerful–although a few Old Ones still walk the earth.
The sexy bad-boys haven’t been Called in a long time, and have gone their separate ways. Now an Old One is making trouble, and the Immortals must be found, but no one knows the spell any more. It’s up to four witches to track them down.
Reader questions: I’ve had a couple of questions from readers about why everyone in my world is so accepting of the magical creatures (werewolves, dragons, vamps, and others), and also why there are so many paranormal creatures.
My premise is that this is an alternate history, and all the magical creatures from storybooks–dragons, witches, werewolves, pixies, leprechauns, nymphs, vampires, and others–really do exist. People have lived with them for centuries, and laws keep the darker ones under control (plus the Immortals killed off the most dangerous of them long ago).
Why did I decide to take this route? Mostly because I wanted to avoid the first book being all about “oh my goodness, these things really do exist! How can this be?” I grew up reading fantasy, and my favorite fantasies were those in which the world just was, leaving the writer freedom to get on with the characters and the story.
So that’s why there’s not a long, drawn-out explanation of why these creatures are in the world. Humans have always known about them–a few are still only legends, but the garden-variety vamps and demons and werewolves openly walk among them.
The other question I’m often asked is about the collaborativclass=”left”e process and how the three of us developed the world. Basically, I had an idea I’d kicked around for a while, and when I found out Dorchester was looking for a new continuity series, I pitched it to my editor. My editor liked it, Dorchester liked it, and away we went.
I got lucky when they picked Robin and Joy to write the other books, because they were wonderful to work with. We set up a loop and brainstormed the heck out of my original Immortals idea. All of us contributed, and the stories became much deeper and richer as we went.
For all of us, this was our first collaboration. We were nervous, worried that this would turn into a big diva fight. 🙂 Fortunately, no. I think all three of us are at about the same level writing-wise and career-wise–we had each sold well and won awards, but none of us were big bestsellers. We all have our own expertise: Robin is great at action-adventure and kick-butt heroines; Joy at Celtic lore and lush stories.
And now Robin and I have joined the ranks of bestsellers–we each hit USA Today with our books, both of us for the first time.
The other question that’s come up is, what happens to Tain? He’s the fifth brother, the rogue who’s causing all the trouble. I won’t give away what happens in The Gathering, but let’s just say I’m now working the fifth book, Tain’s book, which will be out in Fall of 2008.
The Immortals series sounds great! I have added the books to my wishlist.
I have read the first two books in the series; both are excellent. I like the “world” and the story line. I don’t like waiting for the next books to be available! This is the first time that a cover (or covers) have attracted me to a book. I usually am drawn to an author or situation. When I saw The Immortals article in Romantic Times with the interlocking covers, I knew I had to investigate further.
Thank you for creating an enthralling read.
Kay
Thanks Kay, I’m glad you enjoyed the first two books! We got very lucky on the covers. I heard that the artist got so excited about the Immortals premise that he cleared his schedule and did the shooting/work for it right away. It was his idea (I believe) to have the four covers together make the pentagram. The colors are beautiful, and more than one reader has told me she picked them up for the covers alone.
An interesting tidbit–I hadn’t written Book 4 (The Gathering) before I got the cover for it. It was nice to have that inspiring visual in front of me as I wrote. I know everyone likes Nathan (the model on Book 1), but I love the guy on The Gathering. Mmm, mmm. 🙂
It made for a very pretty RT cover, I thought.
Jennifer
This series of books is on my wishlist. I love it when authors can come up with something new and exciting like this and collaborate. Congrats on making the bestsellers list for USA Today! What an awesome accomplishment! So happy for you as well as Robin.
Jennifer, congrats on making the USA Today list!
I know I’m going to love the Immortals, since I always like books by all of you.
Thanks Pam!!
I haven’t read this series yet, but you definitely have me intrigued.
I like The Gathering book cover the best, your model is very drool worthy.
Jennifer, I’ve got a question specifically about The Calling. I don’t think these spoil it too much for anyone that hasn’t read it, actually it will probably make them MORE intrigued with it! LOL!
This is how I interpreted the scene at the ritual where Adrian and Amber become the embodiment of the god/goddess: Isis, Adrian’s MOTHER, was inhabiting Amber’s body to boink her god (still not clear on who, but I think Adrian’s father) who was inhabiting Adrian, HER SON’S, body??!!! Am I interpreting that scene correctly? Because if so, that’s the most Oedipal scene I’ve ever read in a Romance! And if not, can you clarify it for me?
Also, I just want to say that Tain’s every-third-day torture is without a doubt one of the creepiest, most f’d-up psycho torture scenes I’ve ever read. Made even more so because he submits WILLINGLY and LOVES his torturer! *meep* I can’t even guess how you will be able to save his mind from permanent damage and write a fifth book about him!
QB: LOL–No, the God and Goddess who embody Amber and Adrian in Chapter 21 are not Isis and his father. I wasn’t thinking that at all. No, no, no. 🙂
I was thinking in Wicca terms–the Goddess who takes over Amber is the universal goddess (nature, childbirth, etc.), not a specific goddess like Isis, and the God is the horned god (of virility, growth etc.) Adrian’s father was a mortal priest from Egypt, dead long ago, so it wouldn’t have been him.
At Beltane the belief is that the universal Goddess and the horned God couple for the first time–in the cycle of the seasons, it’s when they are young and first fall in love. They do this every year (and later the god grows old and dies at Samhain and is reborn at Yule, becomes a grown man around Beltane and so on around.) I’m being simplistic here, any good Wicca text will explain it much better (although you do have to be careful which ones you read).
Anyhoo–there is also a belief that on Beltane, in a coven, the god and goddess might slide into the high priestess and high priest (the coven leaders), who then have sex together. This is more or less what happens to Amber and Adrian. The goddess and god take them over and enjoy the heck out of themselves.
So, Adrian’s not with his mom. 🙂 Sorry that was confusing.
I get into the Wicca aspects of the Goddess and God more in my Dragon books as Allyson James, especially in the Black Dragon (coming up). The heroine there is half-Japanese and a witch so she’s got a cartload of mythology to contend with. 🙂
QB writes: “Also, I just want to say that Tain’s every-third-day torture is without a doubt one of the creepiest, most f’d-up psycho torture scenes I’ve ever read. Made even more so because he submits WILLINGLY and LOVES his torturer! *meep* I can’t even guess how you will be able to save his mind from permanent damage and write a fifth book about him!”
Poor Tain! Don’t want to say too much about this because I don’t want to spoil it, but… it works out. 🙂 Everything starts coming together in The Gathering, and I’m working on Tain’s book right now.
Cathy says: “I like The Gathering book cover the best, your model is very drool worthy”
Oh, I’m drooling. I got the cover last fall, and I’ve been drooling on it every since.
Oops. Guess I thought you pushed the envelope a wee bit further than you intended me to think, huh? *blushes*
Well, I do like to push the envelope, it is true … but maybe not that far 😉
Incest is best? Too much Rocky Horror Picture Show eh bev?
Actually, after the torture Jennifer thought up for Tain, I guess I wasn’t surprised that she sprang an Oedipal scene on us! Surprised that I was apparently reading one in a mass market? Uh, yeah. But I’m not familiar enough with the Wicca religion to realize that the goddess Isis has nothing to do with the Wicca goddess personification.
And then when you factor in the Mommy Dearest that Robin gave to poor Darius (Sekhmet has ISSUES!), seeing an Oedipal slant in Jennifer’s Beltane scene really didn’t seem so far fetched.