celiabreslin

I’m delighted to welcome back a special guest today, my chapter mate from the Fantasy, Futuristic, and Paranormal Chapter of Romance Writers of America, Juli D. Revezzo. She last visited my blog in May of this year, to tell us about herself and Dark Things II: Cat Crimes, an anthology of dark tales whose proceeds are donated to cat charities.

Juli returns today to chat about the Celtic gods and her latest fantasy release, The Artist’s Inheritance.

Celtic Gods for Authors by Juli D. Revezzo

I’ve got a bending shelf full of books on mythology from the Iliad to the Odyssey; the Arthurian legend retellings, a retelling or two of the Welsh mythological tome The Mabinogion, and a handful of Irish myths. These last were particularly inspiring. Why? Instead of espousing the journey and the massive battle, in these, every once in a while, the underworld comes home to roost. And those tales were just as interesting. Rhiannon comes to Pwyll, and Rhonbwy watches ravens defeat the Saxons during a chess game with Arthur, and Gwydion brings the challenge to several men and women; so too does the Green Knight.

Over and over, the Otherworld brings its challenges. So, when I sat down to write my novel The Artist’s Inheritance, I knew it wasn’t going to be a typical fantasy, no elves or wizards. Though Campbell espouses the journey, I who’d grown up with The Hobbit, and all the others of the same ilk, had grown tired of the Odyssey format. Though tried and true, writers had done it before—to death. From readings in The Mabinogion and in other Irish myths, I knew from their example, there was romance in the home; there was romance in keeping watch on the kingdom, as so many Arthurian Legends can attest to. (Even Tristan finds a home to protect at the end of his journey, does he not?)

So I wondered, how could I tie in the stories I loved? What would happen if these mischief-makers came to us today? What would we do if it invaded our own home, and threatened our own family? With all our modernity and toys, what could we do against such things? (When they even seem to turn our computers against us sometimes, don’t they? *glares at computer*)

In The Artist’s Inheritance I had these mischief-makers turn against our most basic institution: A family. An artist gets a little too into his work and his tools, and who knows who can save him if not his wife?

Care for a little taste of the story? Okay, here’s the blurb:
Settling into their new home in Gulf Breeze, Florida, Caitlin finds strange changes coming over her husband Trevor. He seems obsessed with a beautiful chair he’s carving.

When the nightmares deepen and ghosts begin lurking—she knows something’s not right, and not just her newfound precognitive abilities. It’s the damned chair, she’s sure. Could it be just what it seems: a mundane piece of furniture? If so, why is it attracting dark forces—the forces she suspects drove Trevor’s siblings to insanity and suicide?

Before the same happens to Trevor, Caitlin must convince him to sell his art. But armed with only a handful of allies, and little experience of the supernatural, she must proceed with caution against the hellish forces besieging her family. If she succeeds, she will break the ancestral curse. If she fails, she may lose forever the one thing she cares about most: her beloved Trevor.

The Artist’s Inheritance is available now at Amazon and in various formats at Smashwords.

About Juli D. Revezzo
Juli D. Revezzo has long been in love with writing, a love built by devouring everything from the Arthurian legends, to the works of Michael Moorcock, and the classics and has a soft spot for classic the “Goths” of the 19th century, in love of which she received a Bachelor’s degree in literature from the University of South Florida. Her short fiction has been published in Dark Things II: Cat Crimes, The Scribing Ibis, Eternal Haunted Summer, Twisted Dreams Magazine and Luna Station Quarterly. She also has an article and book review or two out there. But her heart lies in the storytelling. She is a member of the Romance Writers of America, the Tampa Area Romance Authors, and the special interest RWA chapter Fantasy, Futuristic and Paranormal. The Artist’s Inheritance is her first novel.

Juli D. Revezzo’s Site Links
Web site | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | Goodreads

Image Credit
The Artist’s Inheritance cover art by Boulevard Photografica. Used with permission of author.

A Note from Celia:
Thanks for visiting my blog this week, Juli! One more thing before you hop off the carousel, dear readers. Wander by next week when I give myself a dose of my own Q&A medicine, aka dizzying interview fun. 🙂