Today I’m super excited to welcome Susana Imaginário to the blog as we kickoff the Wyrd Gods Book Tour presented by Storytellers On Tour! I’ve always been intrigued by Norse-inspired Fantasy, and was thrilled when this Mythic Dark Fantasy tale crossed our path. Stay tuned throughout the week for some fantastic features from our Roadies showcasing the first novel in Imaginário’s Timelessness series – I can’t wait to hear what they have to say about this one.
Susana stops by to have a chat about what led to to fruition of this book of hers, the inspiration and research behind it, a little insight into the story, what lies ahead, and more! Keep scrolling to learn more about the book and author, and read the awesome interview!
The Tour
We’ve enlisted a group of wonderful and talented bloggers and Bookstagrammers to help us feature Wyrd Gods. This is what we have going on, so make sure to check out each and every one throughout the week for some brilliant content, including reviews and more.
MAY 5TH – THE KICKOFF
Whispers & Wonder (IG: @whispersandwonder)
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MAY 6TH
Spells & Spaceships
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MAY 7TH
@dibs.collection
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MAY 8TH
@chapter.mjthomas
Sadie’s Spotlight
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MAY 9TH
Westveil Publishing
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MAY 10TH
@metalheadreader
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MAY 11TH – THE ENCORE
Queen’s Book Asylum
For more info, visit the official tour page at Storytellers On Tour.
Wyrd Gods by Susana Imaginário
SERIES: Timelessness (#1)
PUBLISHED: August 22, 2019
GENRE: Mythic Dark Fantasy
PAGES: 394
CHECK IT OUT ON
AVAILABLE AT
The Blurb
The God of Time wants to destroy Eternity.
A mysterious immortal seeks vengeance.
And a reclusive deity does what no god should ever do: she answers a prayer.
As punishment, she is stripped of her powers and trapped in a mortal’s body. Now a Wyrd – a fated god – she is haunted by the memories and thoughts of her host and must hide her true identity in order to survive in Niflheim, the rival Norse Underworld.
There she discovers the afterlife is not quite what it used to be. Niflheim’s new ruler threatens the precarious balance of a world overrun with outcast deities and mortals alike.
To save her own sanity and find her way back to the stars, she must help the other Wyrd overcome their grievances to defeat this enemy, but those who would be her allies appear to have motives as hidden as her fragmented consciousness.
And yet it seems the greatest threat to her freedom comes from within, and the prize it seeks is her immortal soul…
The Author
Susana Imaginário is a misfit from Portugal. She moved to England to pursue a career as an aerialist and now runs a Board Gaming retreat in Ireland with her husband and their extremely spoiled dog.
Her hobbies include reading, playing board games, hanging upside down, poking around ancient ruins, talking to trees and being tired.
Her debut novel, Wyrd Gods, combines mythological fantasy with science fiction and psychology in a strange way.
Thanks so much for stopping by for a chat, Susana. Since we already have your official bio, care to tell us about yourself in ten words or less?
Grounded aerialist, INTJ and weird. I think therefore I write.
Give us an idea of how Wyrd Gods came to fruition.
To answer this question properly, I’d have to reveal major spoilers for the series, so I’ll be vague. The idea of how gods from different mythologies would react to each other always intrigued me. I used to write conversations between them and create scenarios to expand on famous myths, just for fun. One day I realised I had a story to tell, and so I did.
Can you share with us something about Wyrd Gods that isn’t in the blurb?
The main character is Psyche, the goddess of the soul. One of the most underrated and least known deities.
I keep her identity secret for most of the book (unless the reader knows who the goddess of the soul is, of course). It’s part of the mystery, but since so many people don’t know about her (and therefore miss out on a lot) and her identity has already been spoiled in several reviews, I’m seriously considering changing the blurb to include this.
Was there any specific research you’ve done or inspiration you’ve pulled from for this story of yours?
Specific research, no. Basically, Timelessness combines thirty years of reading mythology, psychology and fantasy with Stargate. The inspiration for the style and structure of the book came from several sources: Neil Gaiman’s American Gods, Joe Abercrombie’s witty writing, N. K. Jemisin literary style and Fernando Pessoa shattered introspection, to name a few. I wanted to create something different and new, not another retelling or adaptation of the myths.
What do you hope your readers take away from Wyrd Gods?
First and foremost, Wyrd Gods is meant to be entertaining. I encourage my readers to think, but any insights or lessons they might take from the book are their own.
What comes first, the plot or the characters?
The characters.
Do you have a favorite character you’ve written? If so, who? What about them sets them apart from all the others?
It’s a tie between Loki and Psyche.
Psyche because I put a lot of thought into her character. The mythological version was too dutiful and naïve. She would do well in an YA novel, but not in Wyrd Gods. I had to make her darker, more mature and craftier without losing sight of her humanity and the qualities that turned her into a goddess.
And Loki because, well… he’s Loki. He’s a wild card, always so much fun and often cathartic to write.
What do you think makes a good story?
Good characters. Tough choices. A non-linear story line. Several perspectives. Lots of hidden meanings. A story that makes you think as well as dream.
If you could go back and change how you approached writing your debut novel, what’s the one thing you’d do differently?
I would never have joined a critique group. Bad advice almost destroyed my book and my will to write it.
Writing can be a stressful pursuit. Do you have any tips for aspiring authors?
Writing is great. Marketing and self promotion… now that is stressful.
I recommend patience. Take time to learn the craft. To know yourself, your goals, your strengths and limitations as an individual and a writer. Be honest, be kind. And be prepared to work a lot harder than you expect.
Ok, let’s see what kind of person you truly are.
Coffee or Tea?
Coffee.
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Winter or Summer?
Tropical.
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Physical books or Ebooks?
Both. And audiobooks.
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Mountains or Oceans?
Mountains.
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Beer or Wine?
Neither.
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Books or Movies?
Both. And yes, sometimes the movie is better than the book.
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Cowboys or Aliens?
Aliens.
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Pie or Cake?
Neither. Maybe ice cream.
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Rural or Urban?
Rural.
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Work hard or Play hard?
Can’t have one without the other.
Thank you again for taking the time have a chat, Susana. Tell us what lies ahead for you!
Publish Nephilim’s Hex (July 1st, if all goes well). By the time this interview comes out I may have started, or at least announced, a Kickstarter campaign to fund the audiobooks for The Dharkan, Nephilim’s Hex and Anachrony (books 2, 3 and 3.5 in the series) and of course, finish the series. Book 4, Anamnesis is drafted, but still needs a lot of work.
That’s all I got for ya! Be sure to keep an eye on the official Wyrd Gods tour page over at Storytellers On Tour (https://www.storytellersontour.online/2021/04/05/tour-schedule-wyrd-gods-as-susana-imaginario/) to see what the other bloggers and Bookstagrammers have to say!
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Happy Reading!
🖤