Cheri Lasota has now released the paperback of her YA historical fantasy, Artemis Rising. The story is unusual, mixing two different mythologies into a complex love story exploring the nature of belief and self-discovery.
The e-book is on Amazon,but if you’re interested in winning a paperback copy, please fill out the form at the end of this post!
The Story
On the voyage home to the Azores Islands, Eva accepts the pagan name of Arethusa but learns too late that her life will mirror the Greek nymph’s tragic end. Her mother reveals that her destiny lies with Diogo, the shipowner’s volatile son. But Eva has a vision of another…
When the ship founders in a storm off the coast, Tristan, a local boy, saves her life and steals her heart. Destined to be with Diogo yet aching for Tristan’s forbidden love, Eva must somehow choose between them, or fate will choose for her.
A Conversation with the Author
Q: How did you conceive of Artemis Rising?
A: This is a difficult question. How does anyone come up with a creative idea? I generally don’t understand the mechanism which allows me to breathe life into characters and weave plots and develop universal themes within the context of a historical setting. I am truly only grateful that I’m paying attention long enough to write it all down. Some days it comes easily, some days I think and think and nothing comes to me. But Artemis Rising? Wow, it is a mish- mash of all my longings and fears. It is an amalgam of all my hopes for the future and my memories in the pleasures of the past. It is a laundry list of my most treasured interests and passions. It is also complete and utter fiction. Does that answer your question?
Okay, something a bit more specific. I used to live in the Azores Islands, a profound privilege that went by far too quickly. But the place and its people have stayed with me some fifteen years later, and I knew that no matter what my book would eventually be about, I would set it on Terceira Island, one of the great loves of my life. The setting being carved in stone, I wondered what to write about for the plot. No answer forthcoming, I played on the Internet (what else is a writer to do?). I remember looking up the meaning of my favorite name in all the world, Tristan. That’s when I stumbled upon the Arthurian legend of Tristan and Isolde. Ooh, did I revel in this delicious story! Mad love and longing, knights and ladies, treachery and tragedy—what’s not to love? And then another day, perhaps months later, I was researching mythology. Can’t recall why. I came across the story of Alpheus and Arethusa and noticed strange similarities to the Tristan and Isolde myth. Something just clicked in my mind. I thought, what would happen if I squished those two myths together? What if they became the subtext to my own story. . .? And my mind went racing on with the possibilities.
Q: Is there a genre that you enjoy reading that you would never attempt writing? (Mine’s Steampunk.)
Occasionally I read scifi, but I don’t think I’d ever attempt it myself. I’m a little terrified of the research involved in the science of scifi. I’d secretly love to write a space opera, because astronomy endlessly fascinates me. But oh! I can’t imagine trying to create an interplanetary drama complete with spacecraft and lightspeed. Just the thought—gah!
Q: How has being an editor helped/hurt your writing?
Sigh. I really wish I could turn off my Inner Editor. She’s been a living hell for me for years, stymying my creative endeavors and enabling my procrastination. So it’s been a detriment in many ways. On the positive side, it’s been incredibly useful when it came time to editing the novel. My knowledge of grammar, punctuation, rhythm, and structure has been a wonderful asset through the long process of creating this novel.
Q: When did you start skiing?
During the winter season, I work out my writing frustration with a little downhill skiing. Or rather a lot. I slalom race now and my obsession is now speed. If you knew me well, you’d find this amusing given how slow I am in all other aspects of my life. Well, except driving. But that’s another story. I started skiing when I was a shy thirteen. I was terrible then. And terribly afraid of going too fast. I took a break for a decade and picked it back up when I moved to the Northwest. Now I ski most every weekend during the season. Love it!
Watch Dr. Veronica Esagui’s interview of Cheri Lasota on the Author’s Forum:
The Artemis Rising Blog Hop Giveaway: Enter to win one paperback copy of the newly released Artemis Rising! (US residents only please.)
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