Backing Books: Coiled Blog Tour and Giveaway

Welcome to the Coiled blog tour: a collection of posts celebrating the release of the new YA Mythological Romance from Uncommon Universes Press and author, H. L. Burke. Via the links below you will find interviews, informational and entertaining posts about the story behind the story, and of course, sneks.

Seven stops on this blog tour contain special Scavenger Hunt Clues, presented by #TheodoretheDragon and #PistachioSnek. Look for a photo of either or both of those little guys holding up a note. Each note is part of our secret phrase. When you have all seven pieces of our secret phrase click here and tell us. All correct entries will be put into a random drawing for a signed paperback of Coiled. The winner will be drawn at our Facebook party on June 23^rd^.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1760193520938571

Coiled Facebook Launch Party

I am so excited to host this author on my blog today. I love Greek myth and can't wait to see what comes of this novel.

In the vein of Eros and Psyche, two cursed souls find each other on a forsaken isle and together must shed the darkness inflicted upon them–or else live as monsters forever.

About the Book

A healing touch. A hideous face. A looming curse.

As the ugly twin to a perfect sister, Princess Laidra lives her life in the shadows—until her parents offer her as bait for a giant serpent.

Her escape attempt leaves her shipwrecked on a secluded island with only one inhabitant: Prince Calen, who lives under a curse. If anyone looks upon him, he turns into a giant serpent. Speaking to him in the darkness, Laidra sees past the monster to Calen’s lonely soul, and she determines to free him from the magic’s hold.

But if Laidra can’t break the curse in time, Calen will become a mindless creature of scales and fangs forever.

The Gods of Coiled

H. L. Burke

“Do you not pray to the Olevan gods?” A voice as smooth as spiced wine made Laidra jump.

She whirled around to face a tall woman in a gray cloak and veil. Laidra dropped her chin towards her chest, hoping her hood hid her face. “I do not prefer them.”

The woman tilted her head. “And why not?”

Laidra swallowed. No one had ever asked her opinion on anything of such weight before. She closed her eyes long enough to gather her thoughts. “In the stories, the gods behave much like humans. Jovan seduces maidens, betraying his wife, Mira. In turn, she is spiteful and cruel. The goddess of love is vain; the goddess of the hunt, cold; the god of war, arrogant. Even Ethna, our patron goddess, has been known to incite war over mild insults to her beauty.” She sighed. “I have experienced enough pettiness at the hands of people; I don’t need it from the gods.”

“Interesting. Do you believe the gods exist?”

She hesitated. “I don’t know.”

“Well, they do, but perhaps ‘gods’ is not the best name for them. So you choose to believe in other gods?”

“I believe that something put a desire for good in my heart in spite of people trying to train it out of me.” She bit her bottom lip. “If that something is out there, I would worship it.”

One of my favorite books growing up was D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths. The book was beautifully illustrated, and it had a lot of stories in it, all the classic Greek myths (though most made a little more PG. Greek gods are a raunchy bunch). I absorbed those stories. I can't spell or pronounce most of the names, but I can tell you the tales backwards and forwards.

The decision to put Coiled in a world similar to ancient Greece both gave it an aesthetic unlike my other books (which are kind of all over the place anyway. I have some Steampunk tales that are very Victorian in setting, several fairy tales set in that familiar “faux-medieval” world we see so often in fantasy, and of course Cora and the Nurse Dragon is set about 1920s as far as culture/technology go … but with dragons). However, it had an unintended consequence of opening up some interesting philosophical questions.

Because Greek gods are nothing like the traditional Judeo-Christian God, who I believe to be the true God, that I know so well. They are fallible. They are occasionally foolish. They are vindictive. They get drunk, they cheat on their spouses, they throw temper tantrums … it's kind of a mess. They're less like “gods” and more like nuisances. What would it be like to live in a world where they aren't just rumored, but all too real? Where mortals interact with them? Would some of them be good, some of them bad, and some indifferent? Or would they still be petty creatures, taking sides in mortal squabbles based on who gave them the best sacrifices or built them the prettiest temples?

I don't know about you, but faced with that sort of being, I might feign deference (just to avoid being turned into a spider or something), but I wouldn't feel much like worship. I'd be searching for more.

Laidra, my heroine, also looks for more. Having been treated with cruelty her whole life, she feels called towards kindness and healing. She'll need all her strength, for her journey will not only take her through hardship but into direct confrontation with the gods.

If you'd like to find out more about the gods of Laidra's world, definitely pick up a copy of the book, but I also recommend reading up on your Greek mythology. I think you'll enjoy the parallels and references I sneaked into the story.

Author Bio
Born in a small town in north central Oregon, H. L. Burke spent most of her childhood around trees and farm animals and was always accompanied by a book. Growing up with epic heroes from Middle Earth and Narnia keeping her company, she also became an incurable romantic.

An addictive personality, she jumped from one fandom to another, being at times completely obsessed with various books, movies, or television series (Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and Star Trek all took their turns), but she has grown to be what she considers a well-rounded connoisseur of geek culture.

Married to her high school crush who is now a US Marine, she has moved multiple times in her adult life but believes that home is wherever her husband, two daughters, and pets are.

Follow her personal blog at www.hlburkeblog.com.