Posts
Please Welcome
Aimee Carter
Author of
The Goddess Test!
1) Could you tell us a bit about yourself.
I'm Aimée, and I write too much for my own good. I love dogs, books, music, and I got a degree in screenwriting and film from the University of Michigan. I've been writing since I was eleven, and I got my start in fan fiction. The Goddess Test is my first published novel, but I wrote roughly two dozen manuscripts before it. I'm represented by the lovely Rosemary Stimola. The Goddess Test will be released on April 19th, 2011, from Harlequin Teen.
2) Could you tell us a bit about The Goddess Test?
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...
3) What was the inspiration for writing The Goddess Test?
4) Were there any personal experiences that went in to writing The Goddess Test?
Funny you should ask. In the story, Kate's had to face the reality that her mother, who is her only family, will die very, very soon - she's suffering from cancer, and she's at the end. They return to her mother's hometown, and Kate is essentially her caretaker, being thrust into this very adult role that she's trying so hard to handle. But she's eighteen, and this is a lot for an adult to go through with support, let alone a teenager who's in a strange place where she doesn't know anyone.
About four months after Harlequin Teen made an offer to publish The Goddess Test, my father had two heart attacks and wound up having to have heart surgery. Those few weeks and the months after were so much like what Kate was going through - not exactly by any means, since my father was recovering (and has since recovered). But it was setback after setback, and I think that gave me a lot keener insight into what Kate was going through. Because I was still in the editing stage of the book, I went through and added some of those aspects in, trying to make the story more authentic in that regard.
5) Was Kate's character based on anyone or was she a purely made up character? What is she like?
Kate is purely fictional, though like I mentioned, in later edits a lot of what she was going through with her mother and some of her feelings on the matter were taken from my experience taking care of my father. She's gone through a lot, but she doesn't let it get to her - she does what she has to do when she has to do it. It's hard for her to open up to new ideas, and she's a very closed-off person based on the life she's lived so far, particularly with her mother so sick. But she really develops throughout the story, and I hope she's someone you can root for.
6) What was your inspiration for Henry's Character? Could you tell us a bit about him?
7) What was your inspiration in the cover art for The Goddess Test?
I have nothing to do with the cover art - most authors don't have any input. The fantastic artists at Harlequin Teen did an outstanding job, and I adore the cover to pieces. I had no idea what to expect, had no mental image of what it might look like, so that was a great day, that first glimpse of their vision for the cover.
8) Do you plan to have The Goddess Test as a stand alone novel or part of a series?
Originally I wrote it as a standalone, and it can stand on its own as a story. However, once it was over, I realized there was still so much story to tell, and it became a trilogy. I've written the sequel, Goddess Interrupted, which will be out in January 2012, and I'm about to start writing the third book as well.
9) Who is your favorite character in the book? And why?
That's kind of like asking who's my favorite child! I love them all, even the baddies. Nothing's worse, in my opinion, than being asked to follow a boring character around for four hundred pages, and I tried not to do that. I think if I had to pick...my first instinct is to say Ava, who is a classmate of Kate's and somewhat of a bully. But then I have to say Henry, and then I have to say James (another classmate of Kate's), and it's all one big mess. So let's go with my top three instead: Ava, Henry, and James. As for why, I'd say it's because all three of these characters surprised me in the writing and editing process. I love their voices and how they interact with others, and each of them has a story that I really enjoyed creating.
10) If The Goddess Test was made into a movie, Who would be your dream cast?
I just did a blog post on this! I almost never picture actors as characters in my head when I'm writing them, but I do have a few firm contenders:
Kate - She would be by far the hardest to cast. I think I'd prefer a newcomer. Someone brunette and not stunningly gorgeous, but other than that, her face has always been fuzzy to me.
James - I've never run across an actor who looked exactly like my mental image of James, but Mitch Hewer (from the UK version of Skins) is fairly close. As far as personality goes, however, Darren Criss (best known from playing Blaine from Glee) would be a perfect fit. I'm willing to sacrifice hair color for Darren. :)11) Do you write to music? If so, what is your favorite?
I used to for a long time, but I found I paid more attention to the music than to the writing. Now if I listen to music while writing, it's because I'm in a public place and trying to drown others out. Right now I've been listening to Apocalyptica's version of Nothing Else Matters on repeat. No words, so it works out well.
12) What do you plan on doing in the future?
That depends entirely on how many people buy my books. I would love to keep writing and publishing novels for the rest of my life, but I'm only 25, so who knows what the future brings? If I had a choice though, writing novels would be it.13) What are you reading right now?
14) Who are a few of your favorite authors?
15) Anything you would like to add?
Thanks for having me, and I can't wait to hear what you think of The Goddess Test!
Where to find Aimee:
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It's always been just Kate and her mom—and 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.
