Finding Fright in Books: Interview with Kendare Blake

Black = Blythe

Red = Mel

Orange = Kendare

Hi, Kendare! Thanks for stopping by for an interview at Finding Fright in Books!

Yes, welcome to where the awesome people hang out.

Thanks for having me!

Okay, so first question, since this was one I was asking myself practically the entire time I was reading Antigoddess: 

Which of the creatively gruesome ways in which the Greek gods are slowly dying would you least want to die?

Hmm...I guess Artemis' death would suck. Being chased through the jungle by beasts. But Athena's feathers would be worse maybe. I don't like the idea that feathers could crop up anywhere. I'd be obsessed with where they would show up next.

Athena's feathers...nope.

Brain, eyes...under fingernails!

It was the scene wherein Athena had to literally pluck a feather through the flesh of the roof of her mouth that really got me.

Feathers? When were feathers bad?

Feathers are bad when they protrude from your flesh.

Did you guys see that baby who had one come out of her cheek?

WHAT.

I will never touch a feather ever again. *shiver*

Doctors couldn't figure out where it came from. It just grew out of her cheek.

What about the child that had a twin that was attached to his stomach?

WHY DO YOU GUYS ALL LIKE GRUESOMENESS??

I enjoy parasitic twin stories.

So, Kendare how did your love for Greek Mythology start?

My love for Greek Mythology started early. I love the Iliad and the Odyssey, which is where a lot of Antigoddess comes from. 

The Iliad and Odyssey are badass-awesomeness.

Prince Hector of Troy was my first ever literary crush. What a hunk.

Woah serious? I never liked that dude.

How can you not love Hector? He was so noble!

I think they're all mad!

It was a gruesome, bloody time.

Which of the Greek gods/goddesses in Antigoddess would you most rather be? (Putting into consideration their powers, personality, and, to make the decision more complicated, let's bring their methods of death back into consideration, too.) 

Hmm. If Athena didn't have those feathers...but honestly, maybe Ares. You haven't met him yet. The other god of war. And he has pets!

I, personally, would choose to be Athena if I didn't have to put the method of her death into consideration. But just the thought of there being a possibility that a feather can just poke from my eye socket at any moment? No.

Yeah. The feathers are a real downer.

(No pun intended.)

I'd be Athena (I have not read Antigoddess) because springing out of Zeus' head seems badass.

Yeah, she's pretty proud of the head springing.

While we're speaking of gore and eyes, you do NOT shy away from gore (and eye gore, which freaks me out more than anything). So, what DOES freak you out when you're writing?

What scares me while writing? Not much actually. I think I'm becoming hardened. The Suicide Forest in Girl of Nightmares freaked me out a little.

Well I freaked quite a bit in Girl of Nightmares.

Yay! I'm so glad.

You should be; those descriptions...

Her descriptions are so visceral. I can't.

They're magnificent but gross.

THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT THEY ARE.

Anna and Girl were all Cas. But in Antigoddess I felt like I got to do a little! Also, Thank you!!

If a someone you cared about was in deep trouble (like Anna was) would you do ANYTHING to save them?

Well...I would do a lot. Depending on the momentum, maybe even down to self-sacrifice. But...then again, maybe I'd just wave regretfully and shout, "Sorry bro! I did my best!" I mean, I'd probably risk my life, but I probably wouldn't make the choice to give it up in trade, you know what I mean?

Haha! I would totally wimp out if it was something life threatening.

I think it all depends for me, but no matter what I would terrified. 

Yeah! Are you a hesitater? I'm a total hesitater. I'd probably miss all the action anyway.

Yes! HESITATERS UNITE!

Yes!

I'd have to sit down and be like, wait...let me just consider the pros/cons in my head. Shit, this is just making me realize how awful I would be in this type of situation.

Exactly! I must never consider becoming a paramedic.

And maybe go pack some food and have a power sleep.

Maybe ask Twitter what they think. 

Oh geez, Twitter will get you killed for sure!

 So if, last Halloween, you had found yourself in the Halloween episode of Buffy wherein they became the costumes they were wearing, what would you have become? What would you not wear under any circumstances if you knew it would happen again this year?

Well, I'll go with the last costume I ever wore, which was Short Round from the Indiana Jones movies. Could be worse. And I would never wear...I don't know. I don't think I'd want to turn into any profession from The Village People outfits.

FIERCE.

I love their outfits, but their professions just have so much responsibility!

That's why you can come to Australia and not bother dressing up at all.

Melanie, you don't like dressing up?

There's no Halloween in Australia.

No Halloween? 

Can't process. Nope.

Are there any holidays that traditionally call for costuming?

Nope. We are all lame and unscary over here.

I would really miss free candy!

Wear a costume to school. Make Monday a holiday. You can revolutionize Australia, Mel.

Totally. And give no explanations. Just let it catch on.

Exactly. Everyone will be like, "She wears a costume every Monday. Is this a thing?" and it will BECOME A THING.

Yeah, I can show up at school in my creepy ass costume. That would totally be fine.

You can call it Meloween.

BAHAHA!

It will become a thing!

Like with the cut out top Regina George had! That became a thing.

But fetch didn't. *mourns over fetch*

Well, it's not like you're Gretchen Wieners, right?

We should totally just STAB CAESAR!

Bringing it back to the Greek. *high fives self*

Nicely done.

Kendare, which myth is your favorite?

Hmm. Like actual myth? Not sure. I like the one about the guy who sees Artemis bathing and she has him turned into a stag and lets his own dogs eat him.

I mean...overreaction, much?

Stop bathing outdoors!

BWAHAHA! I've nver heard of that one... Mine was Theseus and the Minotaur. Such a sad sequence of events.

Ah yes, Theseus and the Minotaur!

I guess the Greeks really didn't like creeps...

And yet the gods were such creeps themselves. Like Zeus constantly turning into animals and boning unsuspecting women.

See, I know next to nothing about Greek myths. Before reading Antigoddess, I thought Poseidon was a nice guy.

Turns out he's a dick.

Ha ha. I think all of the gods are dicks, depending what side you're on. 

Hey! He is in Percy Jackson!

Isn't Poseidon Percy Jackson's papa?

Yes!

But wasn't he a dick in the books, too?

Not really, he's okay.

I only really remember what was in the movies. *hides* 

LE GASP. The movies are HORRIBLE.

I haven't seen the movies or read the books. Was even the new movie bad?

I heard the latest movie was atrocious.

I haven't seen the latest one, but you'd expect me to stand up in the middle of it and yell at the screen.

The first one was mediocre, in my opinion. The second one...I've seen hardcore fans rip it to SHREDS.

Yowch. Bummer. 

They had everything wrong. *sigh*

Since we're talking about Greek myth-inspired movies/books, what's your favorite movie or book that deals with Greek myths? And what's your favorite scaaaary movie? (Please tell me you read that in the Ghostface voice.)

I thought Troy was excellent, despite Achilles. And you have to read that question in Ghostface voice. It's the default. My favorite scary movie is Nightmare on Elm Street...4? It's not scary but it's a sentimental favorite. Newer would be The Cabin in the Woods, and Sinister. Neither too scary, but funny, and interesting.

Aaaand never seen any of those.

SINISTER. I love that movie. But it totally scared the shit out of me. And I literally have the entire Collector's Edition of Nightmare on Elm Street within arm's reach. I'm a horror movie nerd.

Love horror movies. But there are so many bad ones. And Melanie, you should check out The Cabin in the Woods. Laugh out loud funny. And so clever. The horror movie for people who don't like horror movies.

Okay thanks! I saw Orphan and hid under the cover for most of it.

Cabin in the Woods is spectacular. And there's a unicorn in it, which should be more than enough to get anyone interested in watching that movie.

OMG REALLY?! Sold.

And a mermaid!

Ariel, is that you?

So horror is like one of your favorite genres, right? What are some others you like to read/write?

Horror is one of my favorites. But I like to read most things. I love literary philosophical novels like The Unbearable Lightness of Being, and George RR Martin's Song of Ice and Fire, and classics. Don't do much mystery. 

Classics can be so hard to get into.

The writing can be jarring...stylized or slightly antiquated, but most I really enjoy.

The Unbearable Lightness of Being is wonderful. Granted, I haven't read it in years. I'm sure most of it went over my head when I did read it. 

I read the first page of that four or five times and then sat there in a zen state for ten minutes.

Do the characters' names in your book mean anything or were they just randomly chosen?

Well, in Antigoddess, all the gods have pretty much their original names. Cassandra has her original name, Andie and Henry just have modernized changes from Andromache and Hector. And then there are characters like Carmel, who I name because I think they're going to die, and then they survive the whole damn time.

Ooh that's pretty cool with modernizing the names.

Thanks! People wonder about that, like why those two don't have their original names when everyone else does. There's no good answer for why they don't, except it would remove an element of mystery.

I can't wait to read Antigoddess, I have a copy sitting in my room...somewhere.

I really hope you like it!

Mel, you will love Antigoddess. Sure of it. 

So glad it worked for you, Blythe. Thank you for that wonderful review. Comprehensive, and totally coherent, despite what you say!

Thank you! Still not quite over the eye dangling from its socket, though. Nope.

Eww.

Yeah.

Eye stuff is super gross. Maybe that's why I write it. The Obeahman's stitched shut eyes totally  icked me out.

Well thank you Kendare for taking some of your time to answer and discuss a bunch of questions! I'm sure Blythe and I will never look at eyes the same way again.

Never ever ever. But yes, thank you for taking part in Finding Fright in Books, Kendare!

Thanks so much! And you're most welcome! It's been so fun talking to you, and forever scarring your perception of eyeballs.

Scarring people for life is fun. Almost a hobby, really. 

Yes. Scarring as a hobby. It happens.

- - - - - - - - - -

It's giveaway time!

Did all of this talk about dangling eyeballs, feathers protruding out of your skin, what we would do in a crisis, and Greek myths have you PINING for a copies of Antigoddess, Anna Dressed in Blood, and Girl of Nightmares? Well, today's you're lucky day, because we're giving away a KENDARE BLAKE PRIZE PACK! This prize pack includes, well, copies of Antigoddess, Anna Dressed in Blood, and Girl of Nightmares. And also an awesome feather bookmark to come with Antigoddess. (After reading Antigoddess, you will not look at that bookmark the same way. Guaranteed.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The awesomeness that is the Antigoddess feather bookmark.