Please welcome Marlene Perez to The Qwillery. Marlene is the author of the Nyx Fortuna series for adults from Orbit and the Dead Is series for teens from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Her most recent novel is Dark Descent (Nyx Fortuna 2).
TQ: Welcome to The Qwillery. When and why did you start writing?
Marlene: I've always been a writer, but I couldn't finish a novel I became inspired after hearing Norma Fox Mazer talk about her "fedora method" to block out the internal editor. I went home and wrote a first draft of what became my first novel, which came out in 2004. Before that, I wrote for educational publishers.
TQ: Give us the elevator pitch for Dark Descent (Nyx Fortuna 2).
Marlene: Nyx Fortuna is still reeling from Elizabeth's betrayal, but Nyx's cousin Claire has run away and he has to find her and bring her back or Elizabeth will suffer at the hands of his aunts, the three Fates. Claire has gone into the underworld of Minneapolis, where no one, not even the Fates, can follow. But Nyx must journey to a place where Hecate's dark magic has Claire in her thrall. Saving his cousin means releasing Hecate from her underworld prison and perhaps fulfilling the prophecy foretelling the Fates' downfall.
TQ: Tell us something about Dark Descent that is not in the book description.
Marlene: Things don't necessarily go well for Nyx in Dark Descent. The title is apt and not just because Nyx journeys to the underworld.
TQ: What sort of research have you done for the Nyx Fortuna series?
Marlene: The Nyx Fortuna books are inspired by Greek mythology, which I love. There are four Fates in the Nyx Fortuna series, his three aunts, and his mother, Lady Fortuna. The genesis of the idea of four original Fates instead of three was inspired by research I found linking the three Fates to the goddess Fortuna. There's also a lot of juicy relationship stuff in Greek and Roman myths. The gods had a pretty dysfunctional family. I also researched Minneapolis, because the Nyx Fortuna books take place there. I love research, but sometimes, I stop writing to look up one thing and find that three hours have passed and I'm reading about something else entirely.
TQ: In the Nyx Fortuna series so far, who is the character that surprised you the most? Who was most difficult to write? And do you have a favorite good guy or bad guy?
Marlene: I was surprised by Nyx the most in the beginning. I think the Fates were the most difficult to write because they are full of shades of grey. They're not entirely bad or entirely good, which makes things complicated. I love the quote (don't know who said it) about the bad guy doesn't know he's bad. I adore Nyx and he's definitely my favorite character, but I really like writing the naiad Willow.
TQ: What's next?
Marlene: I'm finishing Fortune's Favors, the third book in the Nyx Fortuna trilogy. After that, I have several ideas I want to work on, including a contemporary romance, a teen science fiction trilogy and a stand-alone fantasy novel. I think I've been on deadline since 2006 so I'm looking forward to a little time to catch up on my reading, too.
TQ: Thank you for joining us at The Qwillery.
Nyx Fortuna
Dark Descent
Nyx Fortuna 2
Orbit, December 2, 2013
Trade Paperback and eBook
The second in a line of three exciting new urban fantasy novels where the son of the Fates must travel to the underworld...
Nyx Fortuna, still reeling from Elizabeth's betrayal, has no time to rest. His cousin Claire has gone missing and his aunts, the three Fates, are threatening that if he doesn't find her, Elizabeth will suffer.
Now, despite how he may feel, Nyx must venture into the underworld of Minneapolis to find his wayward cousin, lost to the thrall of Hecate's dark magic. But releasing Claire is not without its consequences. While it might fulfill the prophecy foretelling the fall of the Fates that have plagued him for so long, it would also mean releasing Hecate from her dark prison... and into our world. Nyx now must decide. How far would he go to save the woman he loves... the woman who betrayed him?
Strange Fates
Nyx Fortuna 1
Orbit, March 5, 2013 (eBook)
March 19, 2013 (Trade Paperback)
Greek myth and forbidden romance meet in this exciting new urban fantasy.
Brooding, leather jacket-wearing Nyx Fortuna looks like a 20-something, and has for centuries now. As the son of the forgotten fourth Fate, Lady Fortuna, he has been hunted his entire life by the three Sisters of Fate that murdered his mother.
Fed up and out for revenge, Nyx comes to Minneapolis following a tip that his aunts have set up a business there. His goal - to bring down his mother's killers and retrieve the thread of fate that has trapped him in the body of a twenty year old unable to age or die.
But when a chance meeting with the mysterious, dangerous and very mortal Elizabeth Abernathy throws off his plans, he must reconcile his humanity and his immortality.
Coming in 2014:
Fortune's Favors
Nyx Fortuna 3
Orbit, August 2014
To save his cousin Chloe, Nyx Fortuna has set free the goddess Hecate, who is now threatening to destroy the world, starting with anyone in the Wyrd family. Nyx and company must join forces with the Fates to defeat Hecate and return her to the underworld. During the battle, magical and mortals take sides and Nyx finally discovers the identity of his father.
About Marlene
She grew up in Story City, Iowa and is the youngest of twelve children. She lives in Orange County, California with her husband and children. Visit Marlene at www.marleneperez.com or follow her on Twitter @MarPerez, Tumbler at http://www.marlenedperez.tumblr.com/.
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