Author of Themis
Today I am chatting with Fantasy author, RA Winter about her contribution to the Realm of Darkness boxset, Themis which releases on October 4th, 2022 and is currently available on preorder.
Helen: I am delighted to welcome you to my blog today, and I am so looking forward to chatting with you about Themis. To start please tell us a little about your book.
RA Winter: My contribution to the Realm of Darkness Boxset is Themis. I’ve been wanting to write about Greek Mythology for a while and Themis fit my idea of a strong woman and one who wouldn’t take any sass from the other Olympian gods. It’s a fantasy/mystery/adventure that will take you on a journey into the underworld of Hades, Tartarus, and beyond.
Helen: Strong heroines on an adventure, sounds exciting! Your cover is striking. The colours remind me of the fires of hell, which is sounds like we get to visit. How did you come up with your cover?
RA Winter: A friend of mine designed the cover. I gave her the model and the background but she really made it pop! I just love the colors and the vibe the covers gives off. It tells a story-and brings you into the feel of the novel.
Helen: It is striking. What made you write a book for an anthology?
RA Winter: I’ve done a few anthologies and enjoyed the creative process and the behind the scenes action. It also pushes me to be a better writer-and stick to deadlines. I need a rigid schedule to force me to finish. Otherwise-I’d be editing for years and would never hit publish.
Helen: Deadlines are good motivators, though they can also be quite stressful. What made you write this specific book?
RA Winter: Themis is the prequel to a four book series. (The other three books are available for preorder or will be shortly). My father read mythology and history books to me when I was young. There were a couple of stories-and historians- that were my favorites. The Illiad, the Odyssey, and Herodicus. I would sit and listen to my father’s voice while gazing at a painting of a scene (or photos of statues) and wonder why those stories were translated in such an incomprehensible translation. (I was young!) Then I’d look at the painting and think-why didn’t they describe the monsters better?
Helen: I love that you were absorbed in mythical history so early and can use it now. What genre do you usually write?
RA Winter: Magical Realism has always been my go-to genre to write. Now, MR isn’t all about magic and wands. It’s anything that the ‘normal’ world can’t see or interact with or more precisely- everyday life with ‘otherworldy’ events. Most of my novels revolve around Native Americans and the unseen world of the ancestors. I’ve dipped into paranormal too, and added in lots of humor.
Helen: Tell us about the other books you’ve written.
RA Winter: The Spirit Key Series. It’s five novels that follow one Native American family as they deal with the ancient spirits that inhabit their land. Each book follows a romance of one member-and a ten thousand year old spirit that is just as ornery as he can be.
Helen: That sounds really interesting, especially the ten thousand year old spirit! What made you fisrt start writing?
RA Winter: My cat, Dingle, passed away. I’ve always wanted to write but I wanted to share his special personality with everyone. Dingle is a major character in my Spirit Key Series. He’s the ten-thousand-year-old spirit who finds himself inhabiting the body of a cat and is always causing trouble-in a lovable way. He’s unable to articulate his needs with words but he certainly can with actions. He was funny, loveable, ornery, cute, and didn’t like my husband at all. He was constantly fighting with my husband over a chair and my affections. I’m not going to tell you what happened when my husband came near me. Yeah, it’s a whole story. I loved that cat. Miss him horribly.
Helen: He sounds adorable, and I am sorry you lost him, but I am so glad you managed to capture his personality in your books. I am excited to meet him through your stories. Tell us about what you are currently working on?
RA Winter: Currently, I’m getting ready to release the other three books in the same series as Themis. The other books in the Queens of the Underworld series are Demise, Death, and Bane. I’m at the end stages of editing and once I’m finished-I’m thinking about a series where the Death Takers are given a vacation and the Greek gods have lost their power. So-imagine Zeus running into a restaurant and demanding food-or ‘service’ from a woman. Or-a grim reaper is on earth for the first time and able to interact as a human. I think I could have a lot of fun with those stories lines.
Helen: Oh yes, you could have a ball! When writing, do you listen to music or do you prefer silence?
RA Winter: I love every type of music from classical, to heavy metal and everything in between. My character decides the music to play and it’s based on their needs. In the 2nd Spirit Key book, RedHorse, he’s in a war zone and I listened to Diamond Eyes over and over while writing and editing. Then when the female MC was being written she asked for Garth Brooks. Dingle likes the flute.
Helen: Writing about Greek mythology, I imagine you had to do a lot research to get your facts right?
RA Winter: With Themis and the rest of the Queens of the Underworld series I really did a lot. I wanted to keep the characters close to the ‘oldest’ form of the Greek myths. I took three classes in mythology at the university and did a lot of my own research. It was harder to find information about the earlier myths than I thought!
Helen: And research can be so time consuming, taking you down all those rabbit holes. When not researching or writing, tell us what you do to relax.
RA Winter: Genealogy. I love solving mysteries and finding secrets! ok, so I have written a couple of genealogy books under my married name! I also love libraries and dark rooms with old books. Something about it calls to me.
Helen: Thank you so much for joining me today. It’s been such fun chatting with you. Writing a book for this anthology has been a great experience, and I can’t believe the launch is in a few days. It has come around so quickly! You can preorder the anthology here for the insane price of 99c! You can also enter the competitions and claim free gifts if you buy a copy on Apple or Barnes and Noble here.
Make sure you can check out some of my other posts as I spotlight the authors as they reveal their covers!
About the Author:
I started writing under my married name, writing genealogy books as history was my first love. Now I write stories that give me joy-be it fantasy, magical realism, ghosts, urban fiction, or romance. All my novels contain strong females with sass, sarcasm, and humor. You know, women exactly like me. I love animals and it doesn’t matter what kind either. I’ve even petted a crocodile in Egypt-tried to take him home too. Apparently, that’s not allowed.
For all the latest news:
Other books by RA Winter
Demise, Book one of The Queens of the Underworld series
Link to ebook on Amazon UK | Amazon US
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If you enjoy fantasy romance books then you will love my new release SoulBreather, part of the Realm of Darkness Anthology, and my epic fantasy Sentinal series. As a new threat against Remargaren is discovered, only one man can wake the ancient guards who can protect them, only he doesn’t know how. Start the adventure and stay for the journey. Sign up to my newsletter and download a free novella called Sentinals Stirring and get notified when my next books are published.
Helen Garraway 
Reblogged this on Ra Winter Writer and commented:
Thanks for the interview!!
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