Solstice (45 page)

GLOBAL WARMING
—the increase in the average temperature of Earth’s near-surface air and oceans since the mid-20th century and its projected continuation

GLOBAL HEATING CRISIS (GHC)
—the official name of the global warming disaster in the world of
Solstice

UNDERWORLD
—a region in Greek mythology under the surface of Earth where the souls of the recently departed go; identified with Hell

HADES
—god of the Underworld

ARES
—god of war

ZEUS
—king of the gods

PERSEPHONE
—queen of the Underworld

DEMETER
—goddess of the harvest

APHRODITE
—goddess of love and beauty

THANATOS
—personification of death

FATES
—three personifications of destiny

APATE
—personification of deceit

CHARON
—ferryman; shuttles souls of the newly deceased across the rivers Styx and Acheron

CERBERUS
—three-headed dog; guards the gates of the Underworld

MINOS
—ancient Cretan king; oversees the Asphodel Meadows in the Underworld

AEACUS
—ancient Aeginian king; oversees Tartarus in the Underworld

RHADAMANTHUS
—ancient Cretan king; oversees the Elysian Fields in the Underworld

SISYPHUS
—a king sentenced to Tartarus; made to roll an immense boulder up a hill, only to watch it roll back down, and to repeat this throughout eternity

PIRITHOUS
—a king sentenced to Tartarus for attempting to steal the wife of Hades

TANTALUS
—a king sentenced to Tartarus; never allowed food or drink but always having it just out of reach

ELYSIAN FIELDS (ELYSIUM)
—the final resting place of the heroic and the virtuous

ASPHODEL MEADOWS
—a section of the Underworld where indifferent and ordinary souls are sent to live after death

TARTARUS
—a place in the Underworld for those souls judged to receive eternal punishment

ACHERON
—sorrow; the newly dead are ferried across Acheron to enter the Underworld

COCYTUS
—lamentation; boundary between the Elysian Fields and the rest of the Underworld

LETHE
—oblivion; boundary between the Asphodel Meadows and the rest of the Underworld

STYX
—hate; boundary between Earth and the Underworld

PHLEGETHON
—fire; boundary between Tartarus and the rest of the Underworld

P. J. Hoover first fell in love with Greek mythology in sixth grade thanks to the book
Mythology
by Edith Hamilton. After a fifteen-year bout as an electrical engineer designing computer chips for a living, P. J. decided to take her own stab at mythology and started writing books for kids and teens. When not writing, P. J. spends time with her husband and two kids and enjoys practicing Kung Fu, solving Rubik’s cubes, and watching Star Trek.
Solstice
is her first novel for young adults.

You can find out tons more about P. J. on her website at
www.pjhoover.com

Where did you get the idea for
Solstice
?

As I was picking over ideas on what I wanted to write next, there was an explosion of fairy tale retellings in the market. And sure, I like fairy tales, but what I love even more is mythology, and I realized the market had a huge shortage of mythology stories for the young adult crowd. From there, the idea for
Solstice
was born.

How long did it take you to write
Solstice
?

I started writing
Solstice
in the summer of 2008, and the first draft came really fast. Like under a month fast. I generally try to get through first drafts as quickly as possible. But what this means is lots and lots of revisions, and
Solstice
has had plenty.

Is
Solstice
your first book?

It is my first book for young adults. I have a fantasy trilogy out for younger readers,
The Forgotten Worlds Trilogy
. You can find more information about it on my website:
www.pjhoover.com

What is your favorite Greek myth?

Surprisingly, it’s not the Hades/Persephone story. My favorite myth, from the time I first heard it back in sixth grade, is the Cupid/Psyche story.

Which character are you most like in
Solstice
?

I don’t really see myself strongly in any of them, but if I had to pick one, I’d go with Chloe.

Who was your favorite character to write?

I’d say it’s a toss-up between Melina and Tantalus. There’s just something fun about writing evil characters.

Why Austin?

Because sometimes, during the summer in Austin, Texas, the heat is so powerful it feels like the beginning of the apocalypse.

What type of research did you do while writing
Solstice
?
What I didn’t do is travel to the Underworld. What I did do was reread tons of stories on mythology, drive across the Red River (which to me equates to the River Lethe), drink plenty of wine, light candles in church, and analyze lots of books with romance to see what really ends up working.

What are your views on Global Warming?

I reduce/reuse/recycle faithfully, but I think the bigger problems seem to be countries and corporations that mass produce and pollute the air. As a population, we need to reduce consumption of just about everything and diminish the demand for production.

Do you have a critique group?

Absolutely! Having other writers I can count on to be honest about my work and give me valuable feedback makes all the difference in the world. Most of my critique partners I’ve found through the Internet, though I do have a local writing group (different from a critique group) that I swap manuscripts with on occasion.

Will there be a sequel to
Solstice
?

I hope so!

I owe a huge thank you to so many people for making this book what it is today.

To Riley who thinks every idea I have for a new story is a great one. Thank you for believing in me.

To Zachary who mentioned, when I was telling him about the Underworld, that there would be monsters swimming around in the rivers.

To Lola who makes art day after day that inspires my writing and my stories.

To Mom & Dad who supported me during an extra year of college so I could get a History degree and learn bunches more about Greek mythology.

To Jessica Lee Anderson who drops anything to offer help on subjects ranging from what the smoothest Merlot is to how the world would look in a Global Warming future.

To my agent Laura Rennert who shared my vision for this book and has supported my career since we first met at Big Sur. To Lara Perkins for encouraging me to take my story to the next level again and again and again. To everyone else at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency who helped carry the reality of this book forward.

To all my early readers of the full manuscript who helped me shape the myth and deepen the story: Christine Marciniak, Beth Revis, Tabitha Olson, Kim Baccellia, Vivian Lee Mahoney, Stacy Nyikos, and Sarah Rettger. To all those who read portions of the story and offered wonderful feedback: Parker Peevyhouse, Kelly Herold, Patty Palmer, and Cara Frazier.

To my local Writing Group at #THEPLACE for making me feel like I have a life outside of my home office: E. Kristin Anderson, K. A. Holt, Mari Mancusi, Stephanie Pellegrin, Jessica Lee Anderson, Madeline Smoot, and Jenny Ziegler.

To Spiderhouse Café for playing the most OSUM writing music and giving #THEPLACE a home.

To my fellow Texas Sweethearts & Scoundrels who share the experiences of being an author and who make marketing so much fun: Jo Whittemore, Jessica Lee Anderson, K. A. Holt, Jeanette Larson, Emma Virjan, and Don Tate.

To the Austin writing community, especially Cynthia Leitich Smith and Austin SCBWI…
you guys make me feel so lucky to live here! The best people. The best events. The best support. The best fun!

To anyone else I may have missed, please consider yourself thanked! I am so appreciative for all the advice and feedback and support I’ve received on this journey.

Thank you!