Colleen Houck Book Club discussion

Welcome to the group! Bree will be answering questions on Thursday, May 29th in this thread only. In the meantime if you have a question for the author or just want to introduce yourself feel free to do so in this thread.

My name is christine hatfield and I'm 27 years old and I work at the riverside elementary school where I help little kids that are handicapped and I play the piano and I'm making bracelets for the make a wish foundation of New Jersey and I have a medical problem

I don't have any questions but I just wanted to say how I felt about the book. I just finished The Shadow Prince and I enjoyed it a lot. At first, I wasn't really feeling the characters. Haden and Daphne were more annoying than anything. Once Daphne found out the truth about Haden, the book became interesting to me. The action was awesome but there wasn't enough of it in the book. I'm hoping for more action in the second installment of the series. The last third of the book was the best part and made me excited to read more.

Fantastic book! I loved going on the journey with Haden and Daphne. There are so many amazing characters in this book my question for you is who spoke to you the most? Sometimes it's the least expected that can teach us the most. Who was that for you?

Yet another book for me where I liked the guy better than the girl. Perhaps this is an effect of dual-perspective books! Was it difficult to switch back and forth?

Is a hellcat really a mythical creature or did you just make it up? Loved the book, by the way!

Are you yourself musically talented like Daphne?

Is there any musician that you imagined Daphne's singing voice sounding like?

Is Daphne's rock star father based on a real rock star? And if you could choose a rock star to be your dad, who would you choose?

I really notices how Haden developed a personality as the story went on. Was that development difficult to write?

Is the disorder to hear music in everyday things real or is it something you made up?

What genre of books is your favorite to read?

Is there really a thing where you sing together and it connects two people?

Tobin reminds me of Ryan from High School Musical. I watch Switched at Birth now and the same actor plays a character named Toby now. Any connection? I can't help picturing him mostly due to the hats. =)

I'm beyond excited for Bree's book!!! I love greek mythology, and Bree sounds like she's adding some great "skeletons-in-the-closte" type characters with an interesting storyline.
QUESTION: there are a lot of myth adaptation and character "types" set for greek peronnas (hades=angry,misunderstood,rough around the edges etc.) were these other versions of the greek personnas something you thought about when writing?

Hi Bree, mu name is Abdulazeez Henry Musa, I am the author of Cybersex: A Nightmare of the 21st Century. I am based in Amsterdam and it is my great pleasure to be part of this forum.

I hope I didn't arrive late for the forum?

Dear Bree

What's your favorite movie and book and drink and holiday and tv show and food and color and book and weather season and song?

I loved The Shadow Prince. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and their stories. I loved the music aspect as I love to sing. I felt so bad for her dad when his real story came out. I loved the Hell Cat. Quite a useful pet to have in dangerous situations. I can't wait to see what happens next. Will Daphne's parents get back together now that the truth is known?

I was wondering where you got the idea for The Shadow Prince and if you could be anybody in the book who would it be and why?

I loved the idea of stripping away Persephone's victim status by exploring the idea that she made the choice to follow Hades "of her own free will in order to fulfill a greater purpose" and that it was the patriarchal societies that couldn't handle the idea of young women taking their futures into their own hands that changed her story. And how this is ideology still permeates our culture. Great to see this concept explored in a story. We need more strong young women characters.

I was fascinated by the teacher's perspective on the Rape of Persephone. How many different versions of the story did you end up reading for your research?

Do you think the short "dating time" Haden has to find a girl to bring to the underworld gides him towards girls with more problems and more unhappy? If so didn't he know from the start that Daphne was a huge risk for his short stay here? It seems risky?

If you had a choice would you rather live with Daphne's father where she would have more musical opportunities? Or with her mom where she could grow up feeling loved and secure?

Is it easier writing about Utah since you live there? Is there a place you would love to visit for a few months and just relax and write? Hawaii? A secluded cabin? A stormy beach?

Karli wrote: "Is a hellcat really a mythical creature or did you just make it up? Loved the book, by the way!"

I am also fond of the hellcat. ;)

Colleen wrote: "Welcome to the group! Bree will be answering questions on Thursday, May 29th in this thread only. In the meantime if you have a question for the author or just want to introduce yourself feel free..."

Hi all! I am happy to be here to answer all of your questions!

Bree wrote: "Hi all! I am happy to be here to answer all of your questions!"

Yay! Virtual hot cocoa and cookies for everyone.

Christine wrote: "My name is christine hatfield and I'm 27 years old and I work at the riverside elementary school where I help little kids that are handicapped and I play the piano and I'm making bracelets for the ..."

Nice to meet you, Christine! When I was in college I worked as a special needs nanny for a handicapped boy. He just graduated high school yesterday (in his 20s) and I am so proud!

Tiffany wrote: "Fantastic book! I loved going on the journey with Haden and Daphne. There are so many amazing characters in this book my question for you is who spoke to you the most? Sometimes it's the least expe..."

Hi Tiffany- Haden was the character who spoke to me the most even though I have the least in common with him (he is a prince from the Underworld and all) but his voice was the one I could hear most clearly. I love writing him.

Colleen wrote: "Bree wrote: "Hi all! I am happy to be here to answer all of your questions!"

Yay! Virtual hot cocoa and cookies for everyone."

MMMMM. I want those cookies!

Bree wrote: "When I was in college I worked as a special needs nanny for a handicapped boy. He just graduated high school yesterday (in his 20s) and I am so proud! "

In my other life I worked with people with disabilities as well. We have that in common!

Suki wrote: "Yet another book for me where I liked the guy better than the girl. Perhaps this is an effect of dual-perspective books! Was it difficult to switch back and forth?"

Switching back and forth is very hard as a writer. It made me feel kinda schizophrenic. I ended up outlining the book scene by scene so I could write several chapters at a time from one character's POV and then go back and fill in the other's.

Which POV was your favorite to write from, Daphne or Haden?

Karli wrote: "Is a hellcat really a mythical creature or did you just make it up? Loved the book, by the way!"

Thanks, Karli. There are real mythological tales about hellcats, but I kind of made up my own species for the book. Brim is based on Cerberus, Hades's giant 3 headed dog--but to have fun with it, I made her a tiny cat instead.

Bree wrote: "Switching back and forth is very hard as a writer. It made me feel kinda schizophrenic."

Which is different from your Dark Divine trilogy right? That was mostly in Grace's perspective if I remember correctly.

Karli wrote: "Are you yourself musically talented like Daphne?"

I have absolutely no musical talent (I can't sing AT ALL) but I love, love, love music! It was easier for me to write from Haden's POV (because he is clueless about music) than it was Daphne's. I had to do a lot of musical research for her.

Karli wrote: "Is there any musician that you imagined Daphne's singing voice sounding like?"

She has a deep voice like Adele.

Colleen wrote: "Is Daphne's rock star father based on a real rock star? And if you could choose a rock star to be your dad, who would you choose?"

He's not based on a specific rockstar--but I like to think of him as a mix between David Tennant's character in Fright Night and Matt Berninger from the band The National.

I don't think I'd want a rock star for a dad!

Bree wrote: "Karli wrote: "Is a hellcat really a mythical creature or did you just make it up? Loved the book, by the way!"

Thanks, Karli. There are real mythological tales about hellcats, but I kind of made u..."

I loved that Brim was so fierce in such a small package. Fun character.

Bree wrote: "Suki wrote: "Yet another book for me where I liked the guy better than the girl. Perhaps this is an effect of dual-perspective books! Was it difficult to switch back and forth?"

Switching back and..."

I agree with Suki. I think since we can't get inside the mind of the men in our lives it's great when an author explains what in the world is going on in there. So a dual perspective has it's good points.

Colleen wrote: "Is there really a thing where you sing together and it connects two people?"

Yes, I heard a segment about psychology and group singing on NPR and I was like, "Yes! That's perfect for my book!"

Bree wrote: "Suki wrote: "Yet another book for me where I liked the guy better than the girl. Perhaps this is an effect of dual-perspective books! Was it difficult to switch back and forth?"

Switching back and..."

That is a fascinating way to handle it. Were you still able to keep the storyline fairly straight this way?

Bree wrote: I loved that Brim was so fierce in such a small package. Fun character. "

I, too, have an animal in my book that doesn't ever speak but she just feels like a complete character to me. You must be an animal lover since you have them in both series. Do you have any pets?

Colleen wrote: "Tobin reminds me of Ryan from High School Musical. I watch Switched at Birth now and the same actor plays a character named Toby now. Any connection? I can't help picturing him mostly due to the ha..."

I've only seen High School Musical once (many years ago) but I was watching a lot of Switched at Birth while writing this book so maybe the Toby thing was subconscious! I got the name Tobin from the author M.T. Anderson (that's his real name) who I happen to have a huge writer crush on.

Karli wrote: "I really notices how Haden developed a personality as the story went on. Was that development difficult to write?"

Haden was the easiest character to write. Exploring his changes as a character was so much fun!

Colleen wrote: "Bree wrote: "Switching back and forth is very hard as a writer. It made me feel kinda schizophrenic."

Which is different from your Dark Divine trilogy right? That was mostly in Grace's perspective..."

Yes, that was almost all from Grace's POV. It was a lot of fun to get to tell more than one character's side of the story in this book.

Colleen wrote: "Bree wrote: I loved that Brim was so fierce in such a small package. Fun character. "

I, too, have an animal in my book that doesn't ever speak but she just feels like a complete character to me. ..."

I have three cats. They keep me company while I write. Brim is kind of a mix of all their personalities.

Based on all the comments and questions, I really want to read the book! It seems interesting!

My question would be: Do you have a favorite TV show? (To watch for fun or a show that inspires your writing)

Bree wrote: I've only seen High School Musical once..."

Okay we seriously need to schedule a HSM party.