Tuesday Toolbox - READ! @kings_falcon delivers her Summer Book Report

SUMMER BOOK REPORT

The summer of “can’t put down” books

by Nancy DiMauro

Back to school is around the corner and I’m helping my two boys, who waited until the last minute (again) to complete their book reports. I decided to lead by example. I’ve already confessed to being a not-so-closeted romance reader and writer. You also know that my favorite time for reading romance novels is at the beach, and we’ve just returned from our family vacation to the Outer Banks in North Carolina. So, I thought I’d share 10 books from my summer reading list. It’s also a bit more eclectic than normal since I’m researching my next novel, Schrodinger Effect, which features Vonna from Paths Less Traveled. In no particular order:

1. Neil Gaiman – The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Fantasy.

Neil Gaiman started out writing a short story, but ended up with this lovely little novella. A suicide releases a supernatural creature into our world. In trying to send the creature back, Lettie Hempstock unwittingly allows it to lodge inside a 7 year old boy. Years later, that boy returns home for a funeral and discovers he’s forgotten about that summer day and the magic at the end of the lane.

This is a great little story. I fell into the narrator’s voice, spellbound. I finished it in one sitting, pausing only grudgingly to get a plate of food before the teenagers at the beach ate it all. The only criticism I have of it is the price-point. At $15.00 it’s expensive for a novella, and at $9.99 it’s a really expensive e-book. Now, I bought my advanced copy through Barnes and Noble because it was a signed copy. Still, I think the price is well worth it.

2. Kevin J. Anderson – Veiled Alliances – Fantasy.

In my opinion, Kevin is one of the greatest world-builders writing today. Veiled Alliances is a prequel to his Saga of the Seven Suns series. One hundred and fifty years after the Earth sent out its generation ships, Earth’s government has given way to a puppet king controlled by the Hanseatic League. The generation ships are found and given safe harbors by an alien race. With the gift of FTL (Faster Than Light) engines, Earth is poise on the brink of becoming a major player in the universe.

I “read” this one on audio book. The 4 plus hour recording got me most of the way to the beach. Unlike some prequels this one wasn’t forced or awkward. A large part of that is likely due to Kevin’s detailed outlining. Before Kevin had written the first word for the series, he would have already known the events set forth in this prequel. Whether you’ve read the other books in the series, or Veiled Alliances is your first journey to the Seven Suns, it’s definitely worth reading.

3. Jeaniene Frost - Halfway to the Grave. – Urban Fantasy with Romance.

Cat, the kick-butt heroine, is half-vampire. She hunts the undead in an effort to find and slay her father for destroying her mother’s life. Then she's captured by Bones, a vampire and vampire bounty hunter, and is forced into an unholy partnership. Cat agrees to help Bones cull the undead population in return for his help finding and exterminating her father. Life and unlife is never that simple though, and Cat finds Bones more tempting than any man with a heartbeat.

I also finished this one in a day. The tone and take no prisoners heroine reminded me a lot of Gini Koch’s Alien Series. One of my friend loaned me this book at the beach when I’d run out of other stories. It was the first time I’d read anything by Ms. Frost. I’m definitely looking up the rest of the series.

4. Sloane Taylor – French Tart (Naughty Ladies of Nice) – Erotic Romance.

Donatienne Dubois pins her hope for a “normal” life on an exclusive cooking school in Nice, France. But one by one her expectations are shattered. Donni’s lifesaver is a bad boy too hot not to handle. For his part, Mark Anderson, is incognito, hating every moment. To pose as a student while keeping tabs on a rich wild child is his version of hell, until he partners with the dish of Crème Brulée good enough to eat.

I love Sloane’s writing and her ability to transport a reader to the exotic locations she sets her stories and her characters. French Tart, a novella, lived up to all my expectations for Sloane’s work. I especially loved the foul-mouthed parrot that develops a crush on Donni.

5. John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker – The Cases that Haunt Us – Nonfiction.

Certain homicide cases maintain an undeniable, almost mystical hold on the public imagination. This analysis of seven of the most notorious murder cases in the history of crime -- from the Whitechapel murders to JonBenet Ramsey -- often contradicts conventional wisdom and legal decisions. Using modern profiling techniques, the book reexamines cases we all know, and sometimes reaches fascinating and haunting results.

This is one of the many resource books I’m using for Schrodinger Effect. The writers take you through the criminal investigative process for each of the cases, noting how preconceptions or just investigative mismanagement affected the ultimate outcomes. A great resource and well-handled and sensitive narrative given the topics.

6. Brenda Novak - Whiskey Creek series – Romance

Brenda Novak’s romances are great examples of the genre. One of the things I like about this series is that the first book, When Lightning Strikes, introduces us to a group of high school friends approximately 10 years after graduation, and each book in the series (so far) has focused on one character’s happily ever after. The world Brenda Novak builds has a high degree of continuity and characters from the other books continue to interact as they really would have in any small community.

7. Lee Child – Jack Reacher series, Books 1-5 – Thrillers.

Jack Reacher is a retired Military Police officer with a monster case of wanderlust. His travels seem to leave him in the right places at the right time to become enmeshed in kidnapping, murder and mayhem. Given his military background and specialized MP training, Reacher’s highly competent in many areas, and more than holds his own against FBI and Secret Service experts. I’ve listened to these books on audiotape. Dick Hill is a fabulous narrator.

8. David Farland – Drawing on the Power of Resonance in Writing – Nonfiction.

A must read for every writer. Dave has long spoken about by drawing power from stories that came before; resonating with their readers' experiences, and by resonating within their own works. Frankly, Dave could sell this book for LOTS more and it would still be worth every penny. He teaches you exactly what resonance is and how to use it to make your stories more powerful with examples of how it is used in literature and other art forms, and how one writer, J. R. R. Tolkien, mastered it in his work.

9. John Scalzi, Editor - METAtropolis – anthology – Post-apocalyptic fantasy

Audible was running one of its book specials, and out of the audiobooks I could get for $4.95 was this anthology. I have to admit I picked this one because it had one of the longer run times (I drive about 3 hours a day), and the high quality writers who contributed to the work.

METAtropolis is a shared-world anthology, where all the stories take place in the same created urban fantasy world, but it’s more than that. A typical anthology has a common theme – ex. Humorous horror stories – and the writers have little direction beyond that. A braided anthology has a through line and character. This is another step up in continuity. The five writers collaborated on the world. They all had the same blue print when they set their characters free and let them interact with this world.

10. Harlan Cobin – Six Years – Thriller/ Suspense

Grammar Girl, Mignon Fogarty, recommended Six Years on her podcast. I met Mignon several years ago at Superstars Writing Seminar, and have often liked the books she’s recommended. She didn’t let me down. Again, this was an audiobook for me.

Six years have passed since Jake Fisher watched Natalie, the love of his life, marry another man. Six years of hiding a broken heart by throwing himself into his career as a college professor. Six years of keeping his promise to leave Natalie alone, and six years of tortured dreams of her life with her new husband, Todd. Then Jake comes across Todd’s obituary. At the funeral, Jake gets the glimpse of Todd’s wife…but she’s not Natalie. As Jake searches for the truth, his picture-perfect memories of Natalie begin to unravel. His search for the woman who broke his heart, who lied to him, soon puts his life at risk as it dawns on him that the man he has become may be based on a carefully constructed fiction.

This is another “can’t put down story.” It’s not a romance since the love story plays second fiddle to the mystery Jake’s trying to unravel. Cobin handles both the romance and the mystery with a deft touch. The characters are believable and I was rooting for Jake to solve the mystery, find the girl and live happily ever after. But you’ll have to read it to find out if he did.

Here's another book that will stand the test of time.

To restore Daphne to her nymph form, Apollo must bargain with treacherous Hades, but Death may demand too high a price.

Shot by a golden arrow, Apollo has only truly loved Daphne. He visits her each eclipse, and longs for reunion. He seeks the Fates’s advice and learns he may finally restore Daphne to her true water nymph form by enlisting other gods’ assistance.

If Apollo fails Daphne will be lost to him forever. To regain Daphne’s soul, Apollo must deal with the devil, King of the Underworld. Love-torn and treacherous, Hades would slay the pantheon to remain with his wife for the full year. Apollo’s quest might just give Hades the leverage he needs to do so.

Will Pheobus Apollo surrender the sun to try to reclaim love? Can he break Daphne’s curse or will his attempts destroy her forever? Will she still love him after millennia as a soulless tree? With the end of the quest see Apollo rising, or in sunset?

To read an excerpt from Apollo Rising please click HERE.

To read excerpts from Nancy DiMauro's other Musa Publishing books, please click HERE.

Learn more about Nancy DiMauro and her impressive work on her website Falcons Fables and blog. Stay connected on Facebook and Twitter.

Friday Friends - Interview with Nancy DiMauro's Daphne from Apollo Rising

For today's Friday Friend, I'm interviewing the heroine of Nancy DiMauro's mythology-based romance novel Apollo Rising.

Thank you for coming to chat with us. Why do you think Nancy DiMauro choose you to represent her?
We had a bonding moment. She was driving to work in the sleet back in January and was thinking that it must suck to be a tree. Well, I’d been a tree for . . . far too long. I asked Apollo to have a Muse whisper in her ear. The rest you can say is mythology.

Tell us a little about yourself?
I’m a water and forest nymph. My parents were the Earth Mother and the river god, Peneas. I was an only child.

What do you wish people would know about you?
Even though nymphs have a reputation we’re not all like that. blushes Or at least I wasn’t. I’d decided to follow in Artemis’s footsteps and never take a husband. Much to my father’s chagrin, I dedicated myself to hunting. You would have thought he’d have been happy when I fell in love… looks away, but I guess you know that story.

Will we be seeing more of you or are you stepping out of the lime light?
I suspect you’ll see me again.

Do you feel you were portrayed fairly?
Mostly. I was pretty active before Cupid shot me with a golden arrow. I don’t think I turned into such a love-sick fool afterwards. But then, maybe I did.

Tell us about Apollo and what drew you to him?
Tell you the truth, I hated him at first. My friend, Clytie, had died because of him, and he never noticed her. I always feel a bit guilty that I fell in love with him in spite of what happened to her, and that he loved me back. I mean, why me and not her?

But that’s not what you asked. For all his pretty looks, there’s a wild heart beating in that broad chest of his. Just being around him warms me to my core. There’s the music. I could listen to him play, have listened to him play, for hours. And the rest blushes, well that’s private.

What’s your favorite sports team?
The Spartans. Not only were they fearsome on the battle field, you should have seen them wrestle.

What are your biggest turn off?
Being trapped in a tree for millennia. Do you know how tired your arms get when you have to hold them upright for that long?

What’s your perfect day and why?
Any day there’s a solar eclipse because I get to spent time with Apollo without his attention being fractured over thousands of aspects.

What your favorite Ice cream flavor, Chocolate, Vanilla, or Strawberry?
Chocolate. Definitely chocolate.

Why should the readers be interested in your story?
It’s really Apollo’s story more than mine. It’s a love story. Don’t you just adore love stories?

I’m going to steal what Apollo said in his interview since he did such a good job answering this question.

Like most of the Greek myths, Apollo Rising is about so much more than whether he can break the curse and restore me to my true form. It’s a story about accepting responsibility for our mistakes, and what we’re willing to sacrifice for love. Would you make a deal with Hades, the devil himself, if it was the only way to free your love even at the cost of everything else? That’s the choice Apollo has to make. I won’t tell you anything more about it so I don’t wreck the story.

What about the woman on the cover is that a fair representation of you?
She’s beautiful, but she’s not a laurel tree. Although I think Kelly Shorten did a fabulous job of portraying my spirit and the fact that, even while cursed, Apollo and I were linked. Trees need the sun to grow after all.

Thanks for joining us. I look forward to reading about your story.

To restore Daphne to her nymph form, Apollo must bargain with treacherous Hades, but Death may demand too high a price.

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Learn more about Nancy DiMauro and her impressive work on her website Falcons Fables and blog. Stay connected on Facebook and Twitter.

Friend Friends - Nancy DiMauro

Today I have the delightful and effervescent Nancy DiMauro as my Friday Friend.

Welcome, Nancy, and thanks for coming out. Tell us about yourself.

I’m a mommy, writer, lawyer, and farmer. Wow, that’s a mouthful.

My condo-raised husband agreed to move out to the country with me 12 years ago (almost to the day) because living on a horse farm was my dream. So, we have two horses in our front yard, and two dogs, three hermit crabs and four cats in the house. My dear hubby has managed to resist the pleas for a partridge in a pear tree so far. But, he doesn’t realize I planted a pear tree this last spring.

Anyway, I am lucky enough to have two boys (soon to be 14 and 12). I’ve been a practicing trial attorney since 1995, and in my free time, I write. Actually, I’m pretty regimented about when I write – between 9pm and 11pm 4-5 nights a week. After all, being a writer is one of my jobs.

Tell us about your book.
My newest release is Apollo Rising about Apollo’s quest to break Daphne’s curse and restore her to her true form. In seeking to enlist the aid he needs, Apollo bargains with Hades for Daphne’s soul. But the god of the underworld may demand too a high price.

Here's the official BLURB:

Shot by a golden arrow, Apollo has only truly loved Daphne. He visits her each eclipse, and longs for reunion. He seeks the Fates’s advice and learns he may finally restore Daphne to her true water nymph form by enlisting other gods’ assistance.

If Apollo fails Daphne will be lost to him forever. To regain Daphne’s soul, Apollo must deal with the devil, King of the Underworld. Love-torn and treacherous, Hades would slay the pantheon to remain with his wife for the full year. Apollo’s quest might just give Hades the leverage he needs to do so.

Will Pheobus Apollo surrender the sun to try to reclaim love? Can he break Daphne’s curse or will his attempts destroy her forever? Will she still love him after millennia as a soulless tree? With the end of the quest see Apollo rising, or in sunset?

You can find Apollo Rising on Amazon.

Who is your favorite character from one of your books and why?
Has there ever been a question designed to cause more strife? It’s like asking which child is your favorite. I love them all.

Vonna, from the Flashes of Life story in Paths Less Traveled, is probably my favorite to play with right now. While I have other characters with supernatural powers, Vonna’s ability to recover memories from the dead is pretty out there. Also, Vonna sees emotion as color so I’ve had to create a color wheel of emotion. That was really challenging. The other neat thing about Vonna is she’s living in a near future Washington, D.C. so I get to mix in politics with the vampires, psychics and weres. Oh my!

Vonna’s talents also make her a target for anyone wanting to get away with murder.

What are you working on now?
I’m in different phases on three novels.

I’m editing/ rewriting The King’s Falcon, which follows Falcon from Lightning Strikes in Paths Less Traveled. I’m hoping to turn that in for consideration by the end of the year.

I’m almost done with the first draft an erotic romance called New Bohemia: Just One Night in which May has a favor to ask of her best friend and housemate, Pete.

I’m outlining The Nocebo Effect, which follows Vonna as she tries to solve a string of murders that initially appeared to be natural deaths before the killer finds her.

Do you listen to music when you write, if so what?
I don’t listen to music, but I tend to have the TV on for background noise. I notice silence, but I can ignore the TV if I’ve seen the show before. So, my DVR gets a lot of play while I’m writing.

Which of your covers is your favorite?
Wow. That’s tough. Kelly Shorten did all the covers for my four Musa books. They are all really wonderful and tie in so well with the stories. Since I have to pick, I think the Shots at Redemption cover is my favorite. I love the ghost ship.

Check out the cover and blurb at Amazon, Musa Publishing, or Barnes and Noble.


Where do you find inspiration?
My family. My boys (all three of them) do and say the most outrageous things. My youngest son also loves telling stories so he and I will spend hours talking about worlds that only we can see.

Name 5 things that are on your desk right now?
Pictures of my boys as babies; The Describer’s Dictionary by David Grambs; The Character Naming Sourcebook by Sherrilyn Kenyon; a list of e-mails from Dave Farland’s Novel Rewriting workshop participants; and a stack of business cards I still need to scan into my contact list.

What is your biggest distraction when it comes to writing?
The need for sleep. Because I write so late in the day, there are times when I just can’t stay awake long enough to get the words on the page. I’ve learned just to give up and try again the next day.

When did you discover the need to write?
Back in high school. I’d been writing poetry for years, and wrote my first novel when I was a sophomore. Of that fan-fic novel, let’s just all be glad that the changes in technology since the 1980’s have made the story unrecoverable.

How do you handle writers’ block?
I don’t really believe in writers’ block. For me, when I hit a point I’m struggling to find the words, it generally means one of a few things. Usually, it means I haven’t taken the time I need to pre-write the scene. Because my keyboard time is limited, I spend a lot of time daydreaming scenes before they ever hit the page. The ones I struggle with are often the ones where I haven’t spent the time visualizing them first. I’ll log off for the day and imagine what I’m missing. It might take another day to get to the point where I can write the scene, but my high word count days are ones where I’ve been daydreaming a lot about the story.

Another reason I can’t write is because sometimes I need more research. In New Bohemia, I have a significant section of the story in the Swiss Alps. When it came time to write it, I realized my visualization of the area came solely from my memories of The Sound Of Music. So, not so good. I spent about two weeks researching locations, building construction, and most importantly snow rescue techniques. When I went back to the keyboard, the scenes were much easier.

The final reason I can’t get words on the page is exhaustion. My other jobs (mommy and lawyer) are demanding. Sometimes they take everything I have. When that happens I have to give into the inevitable and use my writing time for sleep.

Where can readers find you?
On my website and blog. I’m also on Facebook and Twitter.

I have to run now. Thank you for interviewing me, and thanks to everyone who took the time to read it.

~Nancy DiMauro

Life as a God

Today we’re talking to the Sun God himself, Apollo, about his story Apollo Rising.

Thank you for coming to chat with us today. Why do you think Nancy DiMauro choose you to represent her?
I think it’s the blonde curls. [Absently flicks a lock of his hair.] She’s got a thing for them, and being the Sun god and all, I traded an extra hour of sunlight for the opportunity. She wanted to give her kids one last day of summer. Fair trade.

Tell us a little about yourself?
The family thing’s a bit complicated. I have a twin sister, Artemis. You so don’t want to see her when she’s mad. When we were children we had to protect our mother, Leto, a Titan, from Hera’s wrath since Zeus is our father. When Hera sent her pet, the Python, after Mom, I killed the beast when I was only four days old. We gods grow up so quickly. [Smiles.] We celebrated Python’s death with games. It was there Cupid shot me with a gold arrow. [Runs hand through hair and furrows brow.] I’ve never been what you would call lucky in love.

What is your birth date?
We didn’t really have calendars back then, and the passing of the years doesn’t mean as much to an immortal as it does to you. I have a number of feast days but tend to think of my “birthday” as the summer solstice, the longest day of the year.

Where do you live? What is it about that area that drew you there?
I have houses all over the world, and of course, my palace on Olympus. The place I consider home is just outside Old Towne Alexandria in Virginia. I love that it’s so close to the Potomac River, which reminds me a bit of the Styx. Olde Town is an eclectic mix of old and new, and that appeals to me.

What do you wish people would know about you?
That I’m not my father. I’ve only ever loved Daphne, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t care about my lovers through the eons, and most of them didn’t end with bad fates. The ones that did. . . they still haunt me.

If you loved Daphne so much, why did you wait until now to try to break the curse?
Fate is a funny thing. It unfolds as it will. A person needs to be ready to embrace whatever Fate has planned for him. For me, that means a few thousand lessons in humility and asking for help. Arrogance, you see, [Shrugs.] it’s my fatal flaw. I wouldn’t be part of the Greek Pantheon without one.

What music do you listen too?
God of Music, remember? I listen to all of it. I just love when one of the Muses prods someone into doing the unexpected.

Will we be seeing more of you or are you stepping out of the lime light?
I’m hoping to step out of the lime light, but I doubt the Fates will allow it.

What is your perfect evening?
Evening is Artemis’s time. She’s the moon goddess. Now, my perfect solar eclipse? That’s a different story.

Why?
I’m an aspect of the sun, and light refracts. This means at any given moment, I can actually be in two thousand places at once. While, I’m sitting here with you, some of my other aspects are driving the sun chariot, inspiring artists, listening to a symphony, and having a discussion with my oracle.

 Sounds exhausting. What do you do to relax? I play my lyre, and spend time with Daphne.

Is there anything you wish Nancy had kept her mouth shut about?
[Gaze wanders to the ceiling.] I wish she hadn’t mentioned my collection of art that depicts Daphne. Alex, my oracle, is right. It makes me look more than a bit stalker-y.

Tell us about Daphne. What drew you to her?
Do you have an eternity? For me, it started long before Cupid shot me with that damned arrow. From my chariot, I look down on the world. I saw Daphne running through the fields and hunting game. The way the light flashed on her throat was entrancing. Her slender wrists and ankles begged to be caressed, and the sinuous lines of her body drove me mad with desire. Then, my rival Leucippus disguised himself as a girl and hid within Daphne’s troop of nymphs. I told Daphne that she had an intruder in her ranks, and that the nymphs should bathe naked and thus expose him. They tore him apart. She was… remarkable in her fury. I would have seduced her then, but I knew she swore to follow Artemis’s path and take no lovers. I intended to honor Daphne’s choice. Then Cupid shot me with a golden arrow, and reason had no place in my heart. I had to make Daphne mine.

What really pushes your buttons?
Cupid. Enough said.

You’re not on the cover. How come?
Did you see how beautiful Daphne looks? Besides I am there in the way the sunlight and the rainbow bathe her skin. I’m really very happy with the cover.

What’s you biggest turn ons?
Daphne. [Laughs.] Could I be any more predictable? Music is also wonderful. It’s kept me sane through the eons Daphne’s been trapped in the laurel tree.

What are your biggest Turn offs?
Wow. There’s really not much that can ruin the mood. I’m a very sensual being.

What your favorite Ice cream flavor, Chocolate, Vanilla, or Strawberry?
Yes.

Do you believe in ghosts?
You’re kidding, right? I’ve seen, and talked with spirits of those long past from the mortal realm in the Underworld. Hades rules over what you would call ghosts. So, yes, I believe in ghosts.

What is your biggest fear?
Losing Daphne forever.

Why should the readers be interested in Apollo Rising?
Who doesn’t like a good love story? Cupid once said that the reason heroes go on quests is to prove that they deserve the prize. The winged freak was right about that. Even for the gods, love extracts a terrible price. Like most of the Greek myths, Apollo Rising is about so much more than whether I can break Daphne’s curse and restore her to her true form. It’s a story about accepting responsibility for our mistakes, and what we’re willing to sacrifice for love. Would you make a deal with Hades, the devil himself, if it was the only way to free your love even at the cost of everything else? I have to tell you, my uncle’s not a fun man to barter with, and he hates giving up the souls in his care.

Thanks for joining us. I look forward to reading about your quest.
My pleasure.

EXCERPT:
A soft glow beckoned from around a corner. While Hades pretended to be a traditionalist, he indulged in modern conveniences every chance he could. Ultra-violet panels, the ones mortals used to simulate sunlight, glowed from inside the walls. They brought day into the vaulted cavern. Hades had encrusted the ceiling with aquamarines since Apollo’s last visit. The light played off them simulating a summer sky. Another token of Hades’s love. Stalactites wider than a city bus hung from the ceiling. Others met stalagmites to form fluted columns reminiscent of the Pantheon. Stone draperies served as curtains, which separated Persphone’s chamber, and Hades’s media room from the main audience hall.

Reaching the center of the room, Apollo dropped to one knee.

“Lord Hades, I come to you as a supplicant.”

Hades could have passed for one of the stalagmites with his sharp and jagged features. His skin held a bluish cast from lack of sunlight. Obsidian color hair hung loose to his shoulders. Flint hard eyes glared at Apollo.

Persephone, on the other hand, reminded Apollo of a spring breeze. Sunshine colored hair swept away from olive skin, slightly pales in her time in the Underworld. Her bright ginger-colored tunic broke the unrelieved grays and blacks of the great hall.

“What brings you here?” Hades’s voice reverberated through the chamber.

Apollo raised an eyebrow. “I seek information, and possibly a trade.”

“Rise.”

The few times Apollo had needed something from Hades, he’d been treated as an honored guest. But not this time.

Enraged to the point of incivility by Persephone’s upcoming desertion, Hades was likely to vent his temper on any target. Sadly, Apollo provided him with one that could give him a decent fight. Daphne’s soul might cost more than Apollo could pay.

“What do you wish of me?” Hades asked.

“I wish to barter for Daphne’s soul.”

“I never said I had her.”

They’d never been friends, but then, they hadn’t been enemies either. There really wasn’t any reason for Hades to oppose Apollo’s attempt to rescue Daphne.

“Does that mean you are going to vie her to me?” Apollo asked.

“Give? Give? Now why would I do that?” Hades’s laugh grated in Apollo’s ears.

“What do you want, Hades?”

His gaze went hard. “A boon.”

“What kind?”

“Unlimited. To be provided when I demand.”

Apollo choked. If he agreed Hades could demand anything from him. Even the sun. The God of the Underworld had never been happy with his lot. Hades had helped his brothers, Zeus and Poseidon, wrestle the cosmos from Cronus. The brothers then drew lots for their domains. Zeus chose the sky, which is why Apollo as his son, was the Sun God. Poseidon chose the sea. But the brothers tricked Hades into becoming Death. In choosing the underworld, Hades lost the ability to walk comfortably in the sunlight. But if he took the sun from Apollo, Hades could remain above ground with Persphone.

Could Phoebus Apollo lose the sun?

Who would he be without it?

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Learn more about Nancy DiMauro and her impressive work on her website Falcons Fables and blog.

Stay connected on Facebook and Twitter.