#NAMEthatBUTT is BACK!

Hermes, from NGA
(1st Annual NTB)

It's the post you've all been waiting for -- The Second Annual #NAMEthatBUTT challenge is coming your way! 

The game begins October 7th, with all new butts and all new mythological figures! (There may or may not be some abs and midriffs thrown in for funsies along the way, too.) So let's rehash the rules to prepare ourselves, shall we?

• COMMENTS WILL BE MODERATED UNTIL THE END OF THE GAME. This means that all comments will sit in the queue until I approve them, AFTER the name of the butt has been revealed. You will NOT see your comment appear immediately after posting! No point in letting everyone ride the coattails of the person who guesses right first!
• I post a butt and clues, you guess who that butt belongs to in the comments. If you guess right, you get 5 points. 
• If you CORRECTLY identify the artistic work (title/artist) in question, you earn a bonus 5 points total: 2.5 for title, 2.5 for artist. (Provided of course, that it differs from the subject's name alone and the artist is known at all)
• The following Friday, I reveal the full backside image of the sculpture in question! If at this time you can correctly identify artist/title/subject of the piece, you can earn up to 3 points (total -- 1 point for artist, 1 point for title, 1 point for subject) 
• You may guess artist/title/subject until the next round of NAME THAT BUTT begins. (Usually the next Tuesday -- I'll reveal the previous week's sculpture and offer the next butt for guessing!)
• I'll keep a running tally of correct answers/points, with occasional updates of who is "winning."
• For Olympians, Greek AND Roman names are acceptable for the subject guesses. For example, if the butt belongs to Mercury, I will also accept Hermes as a correct answer.
• The game will continue for as long as I have photographs of backsides to share, but a new NAME THAT BUTT may not be posted every week, depending on Things. 
• There will be Prizes at the finish. They will be shipped internationally. I have not yet decided what they will be, though for sure there will be #NAMEthatBUTT postcards because they are beautiful. Maybe possibly there will be some kind of #NAMEthatBUTT... accessory or apparel. Suggestions and ideas will be taken into consideration!

SO!
Who is ready to play?! Sound off in the comments and let's get this party started!!

(Also don't forget to share the news that BEYOND FATE is here, and enter to win a giftcard and other prizes! There's still time!)

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BEYOND FATE Blogtacular!

Paperback | Kindle | Nook

BEYOND FATE is in the wilds, and I'm talking about it pretty much nonstop around the blogosphere -- so just in case you missed any of the guest post action, here's what we've got so far:

• 9/16 - Talking about Wrapping Up a Trilogy on Rebecca Roland's Spice of Life
• 9/17 - The Goddess Elah gets a post at Michelle Lowery Combs' Through the Wormhole
• 9/18 - Discussing the Political and Geographical Landscape of the FUTURE at The Fairy Tale Magazine.
• 9/19 - BEYOND FATE excerpt/teaser at Elise Forier Edie's blog!
• 9/19 - Crafting Beyond Fate (and Writing the Trilogy Out of Order) over at World Weaver Press
• 9/19 - Book Spotlight and Excerpt at Belle's Book Bag
• 9/20 - Beyond Fate and the Long Goodbye: Saying Farewell to Thor and Adam on Ketch's Book Nook
• 9/22 - My Beyond Fate playlist! at Howling Turtle
• 9/24 - Book Boyfriends of BEYOND FATE at Breathless Ink
• 10/18 - The End is The Hardest Part to Write at Reading Between the Wines Book Club
• 10/20 Cover and Excerpt at Cover Reveals

Did I mention also, that you can get FORGED BY FATE, book one in the Fate of the Gods trilogy, for just 2.99 right now? So if you have a friend who might like the series, it's the perfect time to give the gift of Thor! (Or Adam, if you prefer to consider it that way.)

But don't forget there's still time to join in on the fun yourself! Spread the word and enter to win awesome stuffs!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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PonyFest14! And Fate of the Gods Ponies!

When I was a little girl, I loved My Little Pony (there was a girl named Molly, or Mollie, or something, and as a little girl, my family nickname was Molly, so it was a big deal and I could IDENTIFY with her pony adventures!) I loved playing with the pony toys (with my action figures and barbies, naturally.)

Now that I'm all grown up, I am really enjoying the My Little Pony reboot, Friendship is Magic. El Husband and I watch it together when we need a fun pick-me-up after a stressful day! So I am VERY excited to take part in #PonyFest14, hosted by the awesome Rebecca Enzor, because My Little Pony is awesome, and the only thing AWESOMER than My Little Pony, generally, is being able to make CUSTOMIZED ponies for your characters with the Pony Creator.

Now, I learned about PonyFest too late last year to participate, but this year, I am throwing my ponies in the ring. And in honor of BEYOND FATE's release, I'm offering up some Fate of the Gods ponies -- Thor (the one I'd really love to win in the plastic!), Adam, and Eve.

So let me tell you a little bit about my Thor pony, as per the rules:

He's the God of Thunder, so it only seemed fitting that he should be a unicorn, because MAGIC, and of course his cutie mark *has* to be Mjolnir, his magic war hammer (which I styled out of lightning for funsies). I paired Thor with Eve, because he's devoted his immortality to keeping her safe, and Eve's cutie mark is the symbol for her House of Lions -- her family descended directly from her first marriage to her first husband, Reu, at the dawn of Creation. They're French in the modern world, so she got a beret, too. Adam and Eve have similar coloring because they're genetically identical, aside from sex and personality. Adam's cutie mark is the apple -- the golden-crimson fruit from the tree of knowledge, which he was so desperate to find.

And the main tagline for FATE OF THE GODS:

After Adam fell, God made Eve to protect the world.

PonyFest has a bunch of prizes -- including your own custom pony, and lots of books! -- so if you want to enter to win, check out Rebecca's #Ponyfest14 blogpost for more info and the complete rules!

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BEYOND FATE Is Here!!!

And today is the big day -- BEYOND FATE's release day!! More than 10 years in the making from the first seed of an idea to publication of the final chapter in the trilogy, and I am so excited to share the conclusion of Adam, Eve, and Thor's journey with all of you at last!!

Here's the cover copy, to refresh your memory:

Amazon | B&N 

When Adam left Eve, abandoning his wife and their newborn daughter Elah, he thought he was saving the world. But he hadn't counted on the influence of Michael, twisting Elah's love for her parents into paranoia, or the slow, leaching death of the world she rules. How could he have known the blame for the world turning barren would fall on Eve?

Eve only had two years to teach her daughter love, to cement Elah's sense of morality and ensure the safety of all Creation. Even with the help of Raphael, Elah is becoming her father's daughter, a master manipulator, and she's determined to have her way, even if it means betraying her own mother's trust.

With Loki and the Aesir gone, Thor thinks he’s protected Eve from the ravages of Ragnarok, but there are forces in play even the gods can’t see. When Thor arrives in Eve's next life, offering her everything she ever wanted from Adam, and more — eternity without death or rebirth, and the freedom to live outside of her daughter's reach — Eve is more than tempted. Being part of the world has grown physically painful. If she can escape to Asgard, maybe she can live again. Maybe she can love again.

But can the world survive with only Adam to protect it?

So what are you waiting for? Grab your copy in ebook or paperback and find out what happens to Adam, Eve, and Thor when a young Goddess takes over the world!

And as a bonus, for helping me spread the word -- assuming you take part in that sort of thing -- I'll be giving away your choice of #NAMEthatBUTT or Postcards from Asgard postcards! If you want, Thor, Adam, or Eve will even personalize them! I'll also be giving away a 10 dollar Amazon giftcard and an annotated print copy of TAMING FATE (US only) with some extra swag (and a postcard of course) as a grand prize!

Postcards are open to international winners. If an international entrant is drawn for the grand prize, they will win a postcard and I will draw a new name!



a Rafflecopter giveaway

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The Thor in Norse Mythology Masterpost!

Continuing the trend from last week, to get you all ready for BEYOND FATE's release on the 16th (ONLY ONE WEEK AWAY AHHH!!!), here's a master post of all my MYTHOLOGY* Thor posts!

The Essential Thor

In which I discuss what I believe is the heart of Thor's character! Hint: it is not his muscles or related to the thunder and lightning elements, either.

Thor vs Odin in the Hárbarðsljóð

In which I discuss this most epic of poems and the relationship between Thor and Odin which it implies. Hint: I don't think it was very healthy. Poor Thor! But the poem is seriously amazing generally, and the exchanges between Odin and Thor are fascinating!

Thor in Drag

Because everyone needs to hear the story of Thor dressed up as a bride at least once. It's important.

Thor and Loki

This is maybe one of the most important relationships to understand when it comes to Norse Mythology -- second only, perhaps, to Odin and Loki. But their relationship in the myths is definitely different from the common (Marvel) interpretation, and I think it's even more interesting and fascinating in its original form.

The Goats of Thor

Seriously, this is an instance of the animal companions being fundamental to the understanding of the God in question.

Snorri's Agenda in the Prose Edda

Because for some reason Snorri thought it was necessary to claim that Thor is actually Hector, and it makes me so irate, I had to rant somewhere. But also because it's important to know that these sources are totally post-Christianization and biased, so don't believe everything Snorri writes.

The Story of Thjalfi

As Thor's bondservant, Thjalfi's story is completely and totally intertwined with Thor, start to finish. And it's also a really fun story, generally, about one of Thor's more memorable adventures with Loki, when he bit off a little bit more than he could chew... or um, drink, anyway.

For the Love of Thor

My guest post over at Kevin Hearne's blog gives a pretty great overview of Thor in the myths if you want a quicker version, with a line or two about where my FATE OF THE GODS interpretation differs!

Pantsless Thor

This is maybe more focused on the artistic representation of Thor, than the mythology, exactly, but you should probably know that Thor wore a belt which doubled his strength, and um... what kind of art that resulted in.

And to wrap it all up --

Thor in Comics, Myth, and Film, and the Christianization of Myth

I think this is something worth a lot of consideration and thought -- as I discuss above, most of our sources regarding Norse Myth and Thor are drawn from a post-Christian world, and even written BY Christians. But myth is a living thing, and those stories are still evolving, and so are our interpretations of the characters. These new interpretations and retellings have value!

*look if I linked to all the posts, we'd be here until next year. There are so many, guys. So. Many.

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Talking about Eve in the Fate of the Gods trilogy and Beyond!

In honor of BEYOND FATE's forthcoming release on September 16th, I thought I'd point you all to my previous posts on Eve, just in case you missed them somewhere along the way, and to set the mood for the EPIC CONCLUSION to her story.

More on Eve! Inspired by BBC4's Beyond Belief 

You remember when BBC4 gave me five minutes to talk about Eve in my books? Well, I probably could have talked for an hour, but here are some of the things I discussed that didn't make the cut into the program -- points which I think are very important, in regard to how we interpret and reinterpret Eve and the Creation story itself.  Just a teaser here:

"Eve as sinner/temptress, is so often used as a convenient scapegoat for, if not outright architect of, all the woes of man, which itself is problematic (not unique, mind you, as Helen of Troy is another example of a woman put into this same position, we just haven't based the entirety of western culture upon her "mistakes"), but it becomes a very troublesome interpretation when it is compounded with a more literal and conservative approach to Biblical Myth, which places Eve as the archetype of all women, painting us all with the same brush and giving us all the same perceived "weaknesses" as a result."

My most favorite Eve -- maybe because it looks
like Adam is the one doing the seducing!
by Peter Paul Rubens
via an older upload from wikicommons

Images of Eve (and why I loved Rodin's)

Oh, Eve. So often the seductress in her imagery! But we don't give much thought to her pain or her suffering -- to her loss, even her sacrifice. But Rodin did. And his sculpture is both heartbreaking and beautiful in its perfection. I'm really glad I had the opportunity to see it for myself, and share those images with you all, on the blog!

Guest post on Vicky Alvear Shecter's blog
Vicky asked me to really dig in to why I chose to reinterpret Eve's character and particularly the Creation story in Forged by Fate, and I was happy to oblige her with a guest post on the topic, but here's a taste to lure you, if that isn't reason enough:

"So what if Eve had agency? What if she understood what she was doing, and all the ramifications, all the consequences? And what if, even knowing all that, eating the Fruit was still necessary? What if what was happening around her compelled her to consider that option and make that choice, eyes wide open and heartsick?"

Fate of the Gods: Regarding Eve
A little bit more about why I wanted to retell Eve's story -- it all goes back to a pamphlet I photocopied on a long ago day. Eve has an understated strength, I think, more often defined by the choices she chooses not to make than the actions she takes. But restraint is worth its weight in gold, imho! 
And last but not least:
The (Norse) Genesis Story, Part II: Man

In which I compare and contrast the Norse genesis of the first man and the first woman to the Biblical account -- it's interesting that both traditions kind of tell the story twice. Complete with quotes from the source material! For your reference and information (and mine!)

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