Welcoming a guest: Samantha Lehane

I'm thrilled to have fellow Musa author, Samantha Lehane visiting today.  She has a new book out, and I thought it would be fun to ask her a few questions.

Hi Sam!

Welcome to Fiction and Film.  I hope you have time to answer a few questions for me.

-If you could swap places with one of your fictional characters for 24 hours, who would you choose to be?

                 

If I could, I would switch places with Neptune. I have always loved the sea despite only seeing it a few times and being a poor swimmer. In my story, Neptune has a unusual stable filled with animals made of water. I could spend hours riding a water horse and exploring under the waves. I'd chase fish and swim with sharks. My favorite animal is the great white shark so I would be fascinated to watch them in the wild as an immortal being. Plus, it would be awesome to have a palace for a day! That God knows how to live!

-Which of your characters is most like you?

Cupid is the most like me in terms of spunky humor. He has a quick wit and a gentle heart. We both love animals. I have rescued my fair share of critters. I also loved writing his voice because it was so fun to think of quips that would drive Neptune nuts.

If you could have one superpower, what would it be and how would you use it?

If I had a superpower, I'd want to have Batman's. Does being obscenely rich count as a superpower? I would use it to invest in my old hometown, in the rustbelt, to try and revitalize the area. I'd also give to libraries to help bolster vital services like homework help, computer labs, and resume workshops.

-How do you research for your books?

My fiction ranges into the realm of the fantastical which means that I have acquired a interesting reference collection. I have at least three spellbooks, two vampire encyclopedias, a treasury of royal scandals, and more. I still have most of the monographs from my history courses as well.

Research for Kidnapping Cupid has a interesting backstory as I took a temple tour of Greece during a study abroad. I traveled around the Pelopenese from Athens to Delphi to Olympia to Sparta to Kalamata to Mykonos with a number of small towns along the way.

It was a wonderful trip taken during the 2010 Fifa World Cup. I spent my mornings in museums and ruins, my afternoons journaling in cafes, and my evenings watching football in tavernas. Kidnapping Cupid is based on Roman mythology, but I took my real life experiences walking through ancient temple ruins and museums to create the atmosphere in the story.

-Which authors do you enjoy reading?

The list of authors that I find inspiring is very long, but at the moment, my favorite author is China Mieville. He writes brilliant gritty speculative fiction that is so out of this world yet so grounded. His prose is so rich but it doesn't bog down the reader. I wish that I could write as lightly and intricately as he does.

-Do you have a nervous habit when writing?  A guilty pleasure when writing?

My nervous habit is a bad one. During difficult passages, I end up smoking cigarettes and writing on my porch. I'm one of those smokers who is always quitting, but hopefully I'll air out completely one day. I suppose my nervous habit is also my guilty pleasure.

-Tell us something we’d be surprised to learn about you.

Despite working as a librarian, I haven't read a single (non-textbook) book this year. Grad school is a bitch. I have to get my literary kicks through reading flash fiction and serials because I get an odd sense of guilt when I read for fun during the school year. 

Thanks for answering my questions and for stopping by to visit!  Now, down to the important stuff: the book...

Synopsis: 

Cupid is embroiled in the Olympian scandal of the century when he makes the wrong gods fall in love. He ends up on the pointy side of Neptune's trident before being dragged under the sea. To get back to the surface, its either sink, swim, or seduce. When wedding bells chime, the love god has to decide if he is truly brave enough to put his heart on the line.

"Kidnapping Cupid" is a sexy tale of modern mythology, golden arrows, and wedding crashers.

Author Bio:

Samantha Lehane is a librarian by day and a writer by night. She lives in the middle of the desert with too many cats and books. Her long-suffering partner is jammed in there too.

Her writing ventures into the fantastical with a pulp flair. She writes about gods, hedgewitches, bloodsuckers, and steampunk archivists. She likes her heroines/heroes to be badass and more than a little queer. Samantha Lehane is a pen name inspired by one of her favorite characters from the Whedonverse.

When her pen is idle, she appreciates zumba, art, and local music. She also never turns down a plate of enchiladas.

Social Links:

 Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Manic Readers, Blogspot, and WeHeartIt. My website is Samantha Lehane.