A Midsummer Night’s Blog Hop – Interview with the God of the Sea

Happy midsummer! The blog hop has finally arrived, so without further ado, let’s get right to our interview with Poseidon, of Medusa, A Love Story. Will Sydney gain any insight into the God of the Sea? Or will egos get in the way?


The Interviews!


Gregor Caine + Circe
(Christine Ashworth & Claire Gillian)

Sydney + Poseidon
(Cindy Young-Turner & Sasha Summers)

Caleb + Arland and Kate
(Kinley Baker & Krystal Wade)

Leigh Baxton + Micah Fuller
(Lindsay Loucks & Diane M. Haynes)

Shayla Dormyr + Kara Magari
(Raven Bower & S.M. Boyce)

Kellyn O’Brien + Julianna
(Louann Carroll & Siobhan Muir)

Ivory + Sara Wiley
(Rebecca Hamilton & Sandra Bunino)

Xylia and Landon + Avant
(Avery Olive & Kary Rader)

Asar + Matty Ducayn
(Jean Murray & Wendy Russo)

Our interview is set in a dimly lit tavern called the Silver Eagle. This place is the closest thing to a home Sydney has ever known. But the familiar mismatched tables and chairs and ceiling blackened with years of hearth smoke do little to put her at ease when faced with the prospect of interviewing the god of the sea. A tankard of ale helps, and she’s well into her second when by the time the interview begins.

Her friend, the wizard Vadnae, whose elegant green gown looks out of place in the seedy tavern, just shakes her head. She nudges Sydney. “Why don’t you ask the questions? I’m sure Poseidon is a busy man. Er, god.”

Sydney takes one more swallow of ale. He’s not going to intimidate her. She gives Poseidon her most charming smile and begins asking the questions she’s been mulling over. 

Sydney: So, Poseidon, what kind of special powers do you have as a god? You control the sea, right? Anything else you can do?

Poseidon: Arching an eyebrow and shooting Sydney an amused smile. Anything else? You are amusing. Anything else? Shakes his head. My domain and abilities are beyond mortal comprehension.

Sydney: Do you actually live in the sea in an underwater palace or something like that? Where do you call home?

Poseidon: Tapping his fingers upon the table. I am an Olympian. Home is wherever I so choose. Olympus, the crest of the waves, the bottom of the ocean. He shrugs. Home is a relative term for a deity.

Sydney: What’s the biggest challenge of being a god?

Poseidon: Can a God be challenged? He smiles tightly. My beloved brethren can… vex me from time to time. But such trivialities are hardly challenging.

Sydney: Ever lost a fight then? Lost anything of value? Surely your life isn’t perfect ALL the time. Wouldn’t that be boring?

Poseidon: I am not the God of War – battle is not my domain. And nothing that’s been lost has troubled me overmuch… He pauses, his face hardening. He glances between the women and continues.  Adventure, mischief – these offer me relief from any boredom, I assure you.

Sydney: Since I’m sure you’re going to ask about MY relationships, let’s talk about yours. Anyone special in your life?

He laughs, loudly and for a long time. Do you have any other questions?

Sydney looks amused. Okay then. Gods or mortals. Do you have a preference when choosing that special someone?

He smiles. Mortals are too preoccupied with this sentimental… nonsense. I take what I want. When I am done, I move on. The only thing special about them? I chose them for my affections – however briefly. That is a special honor indeed.

Sydney snorts. You sound like someone I used to know. I’m sure the women feel honored by your brief affections.

Poseidon: He smiles broadly. You remind me of someone as well. Your sharp tongue and bitter words resemble Athena.

Sydney: You must have an interesting family. How well do you get along with the other gods?

Poseidon: He glances at Sydney, then Vadnae, his face blank. We manage well enough, I suppose.

Sydney: If you could be mortal for a brief time, would you do it? Why or why not?

Poseidon: Staring at Sydney in horror. What question is this? A mortal? Why would I wish to be a mortal? He laughs. You are a weak species that is only occasionally entertaining. Next question.

Sydney: How about an easy one. What’s your favorite food? You must have some pretty amazing food in wherever it is you live.

Poseidon: The Gods partake of ambrosia and drink sweet nectar. We do, on occasion, feast on mortal fare, but it – like mortals themselves – is bland in comparison. He sighs then stands. His pale blue eyes rake over the dim tavern, clearly disdainful. I leave you now, enjoy your mortal drudgery.

Sydney looks at Vadnae. Think you can conjure up some of that ambrosia?

Vadnae sighs and shakes her head. How about I just buy you another ale? And next time you want to interview a god, let me talk you out of it.

Now hop along to Sasha Summers’ blog for the second part of the interview, where Poseidon puts Sydney on the spot. You don’t want to miss this one! And then be sure to check out the other participating authors and their character interviews!

To read more about Poseidon and Sydney, check out their respective books!

Thief of Hope


Coming soon: A Midsummer Night’s Blog Hop

I’m so excited to be participating in the Midsummer Night’s Blog Hop, coming on June 21 and organized by soon to be published CMP author Wendy Russo! This blog hop features characters interviewing characters! Wendy threw names into a hat and this is what she came up with:

Cindy Young-Turner + Sasha Summers

Sydney has survived on the streets of Last Hope most of her life through pickpocketing and prostitution. Nineteen now, she’s a resistance fighter supporting a bastard prince. Whatever will she think of Poseidon, the sexy-and-he-knows-it God of the Seas? Hmm….

Do you think Sydney can hold her own against Poseidon (featured in Sasha’s novel, Medusa, a Love Story)? Check back on Thursday to find out!

Balticon here I come!

Balticon starts tomorrow! This will be my biggest author event yet. I’ve never been to a con before, so I have no idea what to expect. I just hope I will sound coherent on my panels, meet some people, and who knows, maybe even sell a few books. It helps that friend and fellow author Alan Zendell and I are on a couple panels together. I think I picked some fun panels (yes, I did choose a Cthulhu out of the hat!) and aside from making sure I have books and flyers and promotional materials together, there’s not much prep to do. Just take a few deep breaths and hope I can sleep tonight!

Here’s my schedule. If you’re in the area, please come by and say hello!

R-4. Stories We Like to Hear Out Loud
Friday at 4:00 pm in Belmont
Panelists read excerpts from some of the favorite stories they like to have read to them. The audience offer the names of some of their favorites.
Moderator: Alan Zendell
Speakers: Elektra Hammond; Cindy Young-Turner; Roxanne Bland; Norm Sherman

Autographing: J. Sherlock Brown, III, Cindy Young-Turner and Alan Zendell
Friday at 5:00 pm in Maryland Foyer

R-58. Fantasy Title Chain
Friday at 7:00 pm in Salon C
It’s a game! The audience provides the words for a fantasy story or novel’s title, the panelists arrange them in a more or less coherent order. Then each panelist and an audience member who is not an author come up with a descriptive synopsis. The audience votes on the synopsis they like best.
Moderator: Joshua Palmatier/Benjamin Tate
Speakers: Danny Birt; Cindy Young-Turner; Michelle D. Sonnier; Walter H. Hunt

Author Readings: Laura Nicole Spencer, Cindy Young-Turner and Alan Zendell
Saturday at 9:00 am in Pimlico

F-15. A Cthulhu Out of the Hat — Writing Prompts for the Deranged
Saturday at 2:00 pm in Salon B
Panelists and audience write science fiction stories based on the items pulled out of a hat. Panelists will read their stories at the end, audience members will share their resulting stories at noon in the Con Suite.
Moderator: Andrew Fox
Speakers: Larry A. Reclusado; Gabe Fremuth; Cindy Young-Turner; Hildy Silverman; Brandon (Brand) Gamblin

Happy book anniversary!

It’s been exactly a year since Thief of Hope was published. A whole year as an official author. I can’t say I’ve made enough to quit my day job, but I never expected to do that. Okay, I hoped I might and I still hope maybe someday that will happen.

I wrote a guest blog about five things I’ve learned during this past year, which was perfect timing: http://gelatisscoop.blogspot.com/2012/05/cindy-young-turner-5-things-i-have.html. Marketing has been the biggest challenge by far. I’m not sure anyone has figured out the secret or we’d all be best-selling authors. I think a lot of work and a lot of luck are involved. And what I’d much rather be doing is writing because that’s what I do best. Although I haven’t sold a ton of copies, I’ve earned two award nominations and had some really good reviews. I’m also taking heart in the fact that so many people keep asking me when the sequel is coming out. (I’m working on it, I promise!)

And if you don’t have Thief of Hope yet, get it here:

Amazon: Paperback | Kindle

Barnes & Noble: Paperback | Nook

Kobo: ebook