How Greek Myths Inspire Us to Be Heroes

Jordan Dane
@JordanDane

My ADR3NALIN3 guest today is Eva Pohler. She is a lecturer in writing and literature at the University of Texas at San Antonio and also a teen and adult fiction author. We met online through social media with a face-to-face meet at one of my books signings. I’m honored she could join us. I’ve had the pleasure of reading the first book in her Gatekeeper’s series and loved her passion for Greek mythology. Here’s Eva to share that passion with you.
 
 

Synopsis

In The Gatekeeper's Sons, Therese and Thanatos, the god of death, met and fell in love. In The Gatekeeper's Challenge, they did everything they could to be together, even break an oath on the River Styx. But the Olympians don't tolerate oath-breakers.

In this third book in the saga, The Gatekeeper's Daughter, Therese may have finally succeeded in becoming a goddess, but if she wants to remain one, she'll not only have to discover her unique purpose, but also make some allies among the gods. Artemis sends her on a seemingly impossible quest across the world, while Than searches for a way to appease Ares. To make matters worse, her baby sister's life depends on the outcome of her quest

***

I fell in love with Greek myths in the eighth grade, when I read Edith Hamilton’s Mythology. Later, after studying Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud, I better understood why most people are drawn to myths: They help us to project and symbolically play out our own fears and desires. Carl Jung wrote of universal archetypes—such as the Madonna, the soldier, and the rogue. Sigmund Freud wrote that art was the opportunity for adults to continue childhood play in a socially acceptable way. Joseph Campbell built upon the works of both Jung and Freud to describe The Hero with a Thousand Faces, which inspired George Lukas in the creation of Star Wars.

As a writer, I, like Lukas, wished to tap into that universal consciousness where fears and desires are shared. Myths make it possible to project universal fears, or what we often call our inner demons, into monsters that can be externally fought and defeated. The most universal fear is death. I created a saga for young adults in which death is not only faced and, in some ways, battled, but also embraced and transcended. 

In the first book of this contemporary fantasy, The Gatekeeper’s Sons, fifteen-year-old Therese Mills meets Thanatos, the god of death, while in a coma after witnessing her parents’ murder. She feels like the least powerful person on the planet and is ready to give up on life, but the story forces her to fight. As she hunts with the fierce and beautiful Furies (the deities responsible for punishing the bad souls) to track down her parents’ murder and avenge their death, she falls in love with Thanatos and symbolically accepts her parents’ and her own mortality. 

In the second book, The Gatekeeper’s Challenge, Therese has the opportunity to transcend death by accepting five seemingly impossible challenges issued by Hades, the god of the Underworld. All five challenges represent the universal fears of rejection, culpability, disorientation, death, and loss in the forms of a box not allowed to be opened, an apple that shouldn’t be eaten, a labyrinth meant to confuse, a Hydra that wants to destroy, and the allure of bringing back the dead. These same myths are recycled again and again through the centuries because they help us to recognize our inner demons and inspire us to defeat them. 

The third book of the saga, The Gatekeeper’s Daughter, forces Therese to look inward. All gods and goddesses serve humanity or the world in some way, and in order to remain at Thanatos’s side, she must discover her unique purpose while protecting her loved ones against antagonistic forces. Throughout mythology, heroes have gone on long quests, often seeking an object. The object is not without importance, but self-actualization is the true victory in any hero’s quest, and Therese’s is no exception. 

The fourth book, The Gatekeeper’s House, begins with an attack on the Underworld, and now that Therese is just like any other god, she is without the special favors afforded to humans. She’s on her own in this epic battle to rebind the unleashed souls and save the House of Hades while helping the Furies discover the identity of the attacker. She has to learn to put her big girl goddess panties on and run with the big girl goddesses if she’s going to be relevant. Think of Odysseus when he returns to Penelope after his long journeys. Heroes must remain relevant when they return home. 

The fifth and sixth books of the series, The Gatekeeper’s Secret and The Gatekeeper’s Promise, depict Therese transcending from the status of rookie god to become a key player among the Olympians. Her journey parallels those of the demigods in the ancient myths; however, unlike them, she has managed to become fully god, an immortal among the Olympians, and that is not without consequences. 

As young adults negotiate through adolescence and adulthood, they struggle with the same universal conflicts portrayed by the ancients. As modern readers, we should revisit those stories to help us with our own epic battles—both internal and external ones.
 


Eva Pohler loves to interact with people. Here are a few places you can find her:

Website, Facebook, Amazon Buy Link, Goodreads, Twitter


The first book of her saga is free in all ebook formats and is also available in audiobook!

Close Encounters with my Overactive Imagination - Guest Post YA Author O'Dell Hutchison

Hosted by Jordan Dane


I really excited to have O'Dell Hutchison as guest on ADR3NALIN3 today. O'Dell is a busy guy. He's the head TWIRP at BOOKTWIRPS book blog, he's a new YA author, a theatre director, actor, book trailer maker, systems geek, dog rescuer, and he can probably cook and clean windows too. I'm reading his debut book THE WEEPING now and am totally hooked. Bwah Ha HAAA! Welcome, O to the Dell!


I have a very overactive imagination, especially when I’m scared. It really kicks into high gear when I’m lying in bed at night. I can easily take a small thump, which is more than likely something harmless such as the refrigerator kicking on, or the house settling, and turn it into a full-fledged zombie attack in a matter of seconds. As I lie frozen in my bed, I’ll quickly run through my plan of attack:


1. Grab the old wooden rocking chair in my room and smash it to pieces against the wall.


2. Take one of the wooden legs and use it as a weapon.


3. Run to the living room, wielding said wooden sword and grab my keys, phone and dog.


4. Fight off the zombie who managed to break in through the window.


5. Barely make it to the garage, open the door and prepare for the horde of undead waiting to eat my brains.


6. Start the car (praying it actually does start), then plow my trusty Nissan backward, mowing over the flesh-eating monsters trying to get to me.


7. Flee to safety.


Once I have my plan, I eventually fall asleep, surrendering myself to a barrage of crazy dreams.


About five years ago, I was at a local theatre painting the set for a show I was directing. It was over the Christmas holiday and my entire crew was out of town. It was the perfect time for me to get the painting done without any distractions. I locked all the doors, turned on the stage lights so I could make sure the woodgrain effect had the proper shadowing, and set to work.


About an hour later, as I stood on the ladder painting away, I heard what sounded like footsteps walking up the stairs to the tech booth. I glanced up and thought I saw someone walking through the booth. I called out, asking if anyone was there, but received no answer. A few seconds later, the stage lights went out. Luckily, I still had the work lights for the stage, so I wasn’t totally left in the dark.


I climbed down from the ladder and walked out to the lobby, my mind racing with who it could possibly be. It was well after midnight, and very unlikely that anyone other than my stupid self would be at the theatre that late. The doors were locked and firmly closed and all the lobby lights off, just as I’d left it. I walked up to the booth, calling out for someone, but no one answered.


I walked into the booth, checking both spot lofts and found no one up there. I turned the lights back on and went down to finish painting.


No sooner had I climbed the ladder when the footsteps came back. This time I glanced up to see the shape of a man standing in one of the spot lofts watching me. The stage lights were so bright I couldn’t see who it was. I climbed down from the ladder, shielding my eyes and walked to the edge of the stage. I was both a little freaked out and a little pissed that someone was messing with me. When I got to the edge of the stage, the figure was gone.


I decided I was done for the night, and walked back to put the lid on the paint can when suddenly, all the lights went out - stage lights, work lights - everything. Thankfully, I had a small light on my keychain to help guide me out of the theatre.


Since that night, I’ve had other encounters. One night, several of my crew members for another show I’d directed claimed to see a man standing in the second floor scene shop watching them during the show.


During a sold-out performance of yet another show I’d directed, I went upstairs to watch the show from the spot loft. I was up there alone, but after the show, several of my cast members asked me who was in the loft with me. I insisted that I was there alone, but they all claimed someone was standing behind me.


My logical self has many explanations for what could have happened on those occasions: The power went out the night I was painting and the thumping noises I heard were probably just the ice machine or the building settling. My crew probably just saw a piece of wood in the shape of a man standing in the scene shop, or maybe a homeless person wandered in and got lost (It could happen). Whatever the case may be, I had plenty of inspiration for “The Weeping”. Thanks to my overactive imagination, and maybe even a little help from a wandering soul, I was able to take all of these events and mold them into a tale that combines two things I love the most: Ghost stories and theatre.


Have you ever had a close encounter with a ghost? I’d love to hear about it.


THE WEEPING Trailer & Synopsis:

Twenty years ago, Catherine Whitley was the victim of a horrible crime. Betrayed by her friends, including the boy she loved, she was left to die when the Rock Harbor Opera House caught fire, taking a disturbing secret with her to her grave. Seventeen-year-old Heath Ingram was driving the night his Jeep careened off the road, killing three of his closest friends. His parents send him to live with his uncle for the summer, hoping he can move past the tragedy. When Heath starts working at the newly renovated Rock Harbor Opera House, he meets Molly, a young dancer who awakens in him a desire to start over and move on. But, when he begins having visions of a half-burned girl in a white dress, he starts to think he may be slipping even further over the edge. As the apparent hauntings become more intense, Heath begins to fear for his safety. With the help of his friend Josie, Heath discovers an unsettling secret that ties the mysterious girl to both their families. When two of their friends die unexpectedly, Josie and Heath realize that something, or someone, is after the children of those who wronged Catherine…and they are next.

 
O’Dell Hutchison resides in Katy, Texas. By day, he is a business systems analyst in the medical field. When not working or writing, O’Dell spends most of his free time acting and directing at local Houston theatres. O’Dell enjoyes reading (a lot!), blogging (booktwirps.com) and hanging out with his rescue husky, Gia.



Visit his website at otothedell.com or catch him on tumblr at otothedell.tumblr.com, or on Twitter @otothedell

Get Yourself Out There - Guest Post YA Author Trisha Wolfe

Hosted by Jordan Dane

I'm excited to have debut YA author Trisha Wolfe on ADR3NALIN3 today. I had the honor of reading her debut book DESTINY'S FIRE in advance and loved it. I know readers will get hooked on her futuristic steampunk world building and compelling (yummy) characters. Welcome, Trish!!!!

Hello ADR3NALIN3 followers! Thanks so much to Jordan Dane for inviting me to guest post and the ADR3NALIN3 authors for letting me hijack their blog. My debut YA Destiny’s Fire recently debuted, and I’ve been asked a few times in interviews and random conversations how I got published. I believe most people think I went at it the normal, traditional way. 1) Get agent 2) agent submits to publishers 3) publisher makes offer…BAM. Book deal.

But I had a long and hard road to publication, and the agent came afterward. See, I had penned three books, and I’d submitted book number three, tentatively titled at the time The Crystal Pendulum, to over a hundred agents. I have to say, this book came close. I actually had two agents on the fence. I don’t mean that sweet rejection letter you get where the agent is nicely brushing you off. I mean they were truly tossing an offer around, but in the end, they felt the story wasn’t marketable. I remember talking with one of my critique partners and saying, I just can’t shelve this one. I didn’t think twice about shelving the first two books, even though I loved them. I put them away and started book three. But I just couldn’t do that with TCP. I felt it in my bones, I’d worked hard, and it may not be New York material, but I felt possibly a few readers would enjoy it.

I began researching small publishers. I sent out queries and sample chapters to four presses. Within two weeks I had two requests for the full. I didn’t get excited, I’d been there before. Agents had requested the full and passed, so I sent and forgot about it. Okay, tried to forget, which was reading mounds of books and pacing. A lot. Within another two weeks, I had an offer from one. First thing I did was call my mom and scream. Then a few days later, an agent that I’d sent TCP to, who I’d written off, got in touch with me and asked if the manuscript was still available. She wanted to represent me. Now, I battled this for a while. A lot of people might think I’m silly for not jumping on the offer from the agent, but I had a sure publishing contract in my hands. I loved this agent, and I knew going with her meant a shot at New York, but sometimes you have to start small. Instead of being on submission for months, maybe years, and my book never making it in the end, I felt like this story should take its shot with the readers. I went with the small press, but kept in touch with the agent.


A month later, the agent contacted me and inquired if I was working on anything new. I honestly didn’t expect her to want anything to do with me after I’d turned her down to go with a publisher. But, I took a chance and sent her a partial and synopsis for book number four. She loved it right away, and offered me representation that day. And we’ve been close friends ever since.





It’s the year 2040, and sixteen-year-old Dez Harkly is one of the last of her kind—part of a nearly extinct race of shape-shifters descended from guardians to the Egyptian pharaohs. Her home and her secret are threatened when the Council lowers the barrier, allowing the enemy race to enter the Shythe haven.



As the Narcolym airships approach, Dez and her friends rebel against their Council and secretly train for battle. Not only is Dez wary of war and her growing affection for her best friend Jace, but she fears the change her birthday will bring. When Dez’s newfound power rockets out of control, it’s a Narcolym who could change her fate… if she can trust him.


Dez’s guarded world crumbles when she discovers why the Narcos have really come to Haven Falls, and she's forced to choose between the race who raised her and the enemy she's feared her whole life.

Available Now - Omnific Publishing
 
 

Trisha Wolfe is the Young Adult author of the Steampunk/Paranormal Romance novel DESTINY'S FIRE. Her short stories have appeared in literary journals, Fantasy magazines, and anthologies. Her first novelette UNVEILED can be found anywhere ebooks are sold. She's represented by Lauren Hammond of ADA Management. For more, visit: http://www.trishawolfe.com/

Other Links: Blog, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads