A Midsummer Night’s Read is happy and proud to be hosting one of our favorite YA authors, Josephine Angelini here on the blog today for an interview! Just a little bit about Josephine before we start: Josephine Angelini is a Massachusetts native and the youngest of eight siblings. A real-live farmer’s daughter, Josie graduated from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts in theater, with a focus on the classics. She now lives in Los Angeles with her husband.
A Midsummer Night’s Read (MSNR): Thank you so much for agreeing to do an interview with us and welcome to A Midsummer Night’s Read! I know that I personally read Dreamless in a day, and I was even more invested in Helen’s trials than in Starcrossed. So congratulations on another successful novel, and thank you for sharing such a unique and powerful story with the world!
Josephine Angelini (JA): Thank you so much!
Josephine Angelini (JA): Thank you so much!
MSNR: I mentioned in my review about how much research must have gone into the planning of these novels, especially after the expansion of the character world in Dreamless. Can you tell us a little bit about your research process?
JA: For me, the research was more of a refresher course than a start from scratch process. I grew up reading and loving mythology, and I studied classical theater at NYU so I was already pretty familiar with the source material. When I came up with the idea to write Starcrossed I just dipped into my good old Edith Hamilton to clear the cobwebs and make sure I wasn’t going completely off the rails. Most of my research (when I wasn’t getting sucked into re-reading the myths instead of writing my story) was fact checking.
JA: For me, the research was more of a refresher course than a start from scratch process. I grew up reading and loving mythology, and I studied classical theater at NYU so I was already pretty familiar with the source material. When I came up with the idea to write Starcrossed I just dipped into my good old Edith Hamilton to clear the cobwebs and make sure I wasn’t going completely off the rails. Most of my research (when I wasn’t getting sucked into re-reading the myths instead of writing my story) was fact checking.
MSNR: Which text really influenced the world you’ve created for the Scions in the Starcrossed trilogy? (Maybe we should check it out!)
JA: My source materials were the Iliad, the Odyssey, the Aeneid, and the story of Orestes and the Furies. I also threw a Romeo and Juliet spin on it by making Helen and Lucas from families that fight each other and that try to keep them apart. Oh, and I modeled the first meeting of Helen and Lucas after Jane Austin’s amazing and gorgeous Pride and Prejudice. I love the chemistry of a hate-at-first-sight love story. (I’m totally laughing at myself right now, because it seems like pretty much every book in Western culture influenced my story!)
JA: My source materials were the Iliad, the Odyssey, the Aeneid, and the story of Orestes and the Furies. I also threw a Romeo and Juliet spin on it by making Helen and Lucas from families that fight each other and that try to keep them apart. Oh, and I modeled the first meeting of Helen and Lucas after Jane Austin’s amazing and gorgeous Pride and Prejudice. I love the chemistry of a hate-at-first-sight love story. (I’m totally laughing at myself right now, because it seems like pretty much every book in Western culture influenced my story!)
MSNR: I assume that the absence of Lucas was important to establish the relationship/friendship between Orion and Helen. But will he be getting more “page time” in the third installment?
JA: Lucas gets tons of page time in the third book! I wouldn’t torture you all like that.
JA: Lucas gets tons of page time in the third book! I wouldn’t torture you all like that.
MSNR: Speaking of the other hot demigod, will we eventually learn more about Orion’s past? Or will that be something left to the imagination of the reader?
JA: We learn all about Orion, his family, how Daphne got involved—everything. I don’t leave any unexplained backstory in the third book.
JA: We learn all about Orion, his family, how Daphne got involved—everything. I don’t leave any unexplained backstory in the third book.
MSNR: Back to the story-world for a second, did you use any of the classic descriptions of any of the Gods’ personalities when you were characterizing the Gods we see in Dreamless? (i.e. Morpheus, Ares, Persephone, etc)
JA: I did use some classic character description, but the way the gods are described depends on which myth you’re reading. In some stories Apollo comes off as this sensitive youth and in others he comes off as a predator. There is a lot of latitude when it comes to the personalities of the gods.
JA: I did use some classic character description, but the way the gods are described depends on which myth you’re reading. In some stories Apollo comes off as this sensitive youth and in others he comes off as a predator. There is a lot of latitude when it comes to the personalities of the gods.
MSNR: Will readers ever get to meet the illustrious Zeus in the Starcrossed trilogy?
JA: For sure. I don’t think many readers will find my take on him illustrious, though! In GODDESS I take out all the stops. I figure since I wrote about such an epic topic that includes gods and monsters, I’d better go all the way with it.
JA: For sure. I don’t think many readers will find my take on him illustrious, though! In GODDESS I take out all the stops. I figure since I wrote about such an epic topic that includes gods and monsters, I’d better go all the way with it.
MSNR: So a love triangle was clearly established between Helen, Orion, and Lucas…and most of the time someone involved will end up painfully heartbroken or dead. Please promise you won’t break our hearts like that! (She says as she realizes it’s almost impossible at this point)
JA: As a reader, I’ve always felt cheated when a writer kills off a character to avoid an emotionally or morally messy situation for the protagonist. I try to avoid the “easy out” and make my characters make the tough choices. That being said, I still kill off a few characters in the third book, so be prepared.
JA: As a reader, I’ve always felt cheated when a writer kills off a character to avoid an emotionally or morally messy situation for the protagonist. I try to avoid the “easy out” and make my characters make the tough choices. That being said, I still kill off a few characters in the third book, so be prepared.
MSNR: It’s killing me not to mention the ritual at the end of the novel that Ares performed… so I’m giving in. Will Helen and her family and friends realize that ritual means for the future of the Delos clan, and Helen?
JA: Oh, certainly! The third book picks up right where Dreamless left off and Helen has to deal with a lot of consequences. And I’m going to shut my mouth now, or I’ll give the whole book away.
JA: Oh, certainly! The third book picks up right where Dreamless left off and Helen has to deal with a lot of consequences. And I’m going to shut my mouth now, or I’ll give the whole book away.
MSNR: What can you tell us (if anything) about the third installment? When does it come out? Do we have a title yet? When can we see what I’m sure will be another gorgeous cover?
JA: The last book, Goddess, comes out in the US in May, 2013.
JA: The last book, Goddess, comes out in the US in May, 2013.
MSNR: What inspired you to write Helen’s story?
JA: I saw a copy of the Iliad sitting next to a copy of Romeo and Juliet on my bookcase and wondered why no one had tried to tell the Helen of Troy story from her perspective. I wanted to find a way to make her sympathetic. Like Eve, Helen of Troy is blamed for a lot of terrible stuff, and that intrigues me.
JA: I saw a copy of the Iliad sitting next to a copy of Romeo and Juliet on my bookcase and wondered why no one had tried to tell the Helen of Troy story from her perspective. I wanted to find a way to make her sympathetic. Like Eve, Helen of Troy is blamed for a lot of terrible stuff, and that intrigues me.
MSNR: Do you think that aspiring writers should stick with what interests them for subject matter? Or should they step out of their comfort zone?
JA: The first time you try to write a book just getting to the end can seem like a nearly impossible task, so I would suggest that new writers stick to their comfort zone and write what they know just to make sure they finish. But once you’ve gotten into the swing of things, and are confident that you can deliver a solid story on or before your contract due-date, then I suggest taking as many chances as you can. Go crazy!
JA: The first time you try to write a book just getting to the end can seem like a nearly impossible task, so I would suggest that new writers stick to their comfort zone and write what they know just to make sure they finish. But once you’ve gotten into the swing of things, and are confident that you can deliver a solid story on or before your contract due-date, then I suggest taking as many chances as you can. Go crazy!
MSNR: Do you have any other advice for the aspiring writers in our audience?
JA: Finish that book. Finish that screenplay. Whatever it is that you are working on right now, just finish it! Don’t judge yourself, or cut yourself down before you have a chance to get all the way through. The most important thing you can do for your career at the beginning is to have your work completed so you can start sending out to agents. And good luck!
JA: Finish that book. Finish that screenplay. Whatever it is that you are working on right now, just finish it! Don’t judge yourself, or cut yourself down before you have a chance to get all the way through. The most important thing you can do for your career at the beginning is to have your work completed so you can start sending out to agents. And good luck!
MSNR: Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to interview with us here at A Midsummer Night’s Read. We will be waiting desperately for the third installment, and we commend you on creating such a loveable cast of characters and such a unique story. Best of luck, and we hope to host you again upon the publication of your next book. Thank you so much again!
JA: Thank you so much for the great questions! I’d be happy to come back any time. J
JA: Thank you so much for the great questions! I’d be happy to come back any time. J
You can check out our review of Dreamless HERE.
Be sure to purchase Starcrossed and Dreamless.
Check out Josephine’s website!
Moving! 