Callie, a Classics major, flees home to protect her family from a monster straight out of mythology. Visions lead her to Nectar and Ambrosia: the weirdest pub on Earth, where inter-dimensional travelers with attention seeking issues get drunk in between the A-list celebrity lives they create. They can’t pretend to be gods anymore—not since a treaty with the current Supreme Deity promising they won’t intervene in human affairs.
The Doorkeeper of this threshold, Florian, rides herd on the rowdy Amaranthine and offers her shelter and a job. Callie likes the lonely, mysterious bartender more than she should. For Florian, her presence is a ray of light in the gray monotony of his sentence behind the bar, but he keeps a cautious distance—the truth of how he became Doorkeeper could change Callie’s perception of him forever.
When angels show up for a war council over Zeus’s irrational mutters about a comeback, Callie has uncontrolled visions of an apocalypse. Ex-gods realize she’s the first Oracle Priestess in generations. All Callie wanted was keep her parents safe, and now it seems she must sacrifice her future to keep the rest of humanity safe, too. Ambrosia could be the key to harnessing her visions— or it could cost her life.
War is coming. The threshold between worlds has never been more fragile. Callie must discover who is pulling Zeus’s strings and avert the final battle—before the immortal vying to become the next Supreme Deity kills her first.
Hello book lovers! Today is a day where I will be writing another author spotlight for a well-accomplished author whose work I have loved. As you know book lovers I love learning about authors and the inspiration behind their work, it fascinates me and adds to the depth of the book because the reader will be able to better understand it. That is how the author spotlights were created because I soon discovered that you lovely readers ALSO love learning about author’s, so I am excited to tell you a little bit more about author E.M. Hamill whose book Nectar and Ambrosia captivated me from beginning to end. I personally would recommend this book to all of those that love fantasy and mythology but really the book can be read by anybody as it is flawlessly written and highly enjoyable. With today’s author spotlight for E.M. Hamill, a biography of the author and an interview between us both will be shared, and I hope that you book lovers enjoy reading it! To kick this off here is an author bio about the wonderful E.M. Hamill!
Elisabeth “E.M.” Hamill writes science fiction and fantasy somewhere in the wilds of eastern suburban Kansas. A nurse by day, wordsmith by night, she is happy to give her geeky imagination free reign and has sworn never to grow up and get boring.
Frequently under the influence of caffeinated beverages, she writes as Elisabeth Hamill for young adult readers in fantasy with the award-winning Songmaker series, “Song Magick” and “Truthsong”.
Her new urban fantasy “Nectar and Ambrosia” is capturing the imagination of readers all over the world on the heels of her critically acclaimed science fiction debut, “Dalí”.
She lives in eastern Kansas with her family, where they fend off flying monkey attacks and prep for the zombie apocalypse.
Now, how wonderful does E.M. Hamill sound?! The author is a truly exceptional writer and I hope that you lovely readers have a read of the author’s work because you will not regret it! Please see below an interview between us both, I hope that you enjoy the author’s answers to my questions, they are incredible and provide some great advice too!
Thank you for joining us today at Red Headed Book Lover! Please tell us more about yourself
Hello there, and thank you! I’m E.M. Hamill. I write science fiction and fantasy of all flavors for adults, and young adult fantasy books are written as Elisabeth Hamill. I’m an oncology nurse by day and a writer at all other possible moments of my life.
Could you please tell us readers about your book and what inspired you to write your book?
Nectar and Ambrosia came to be when I had a dream about Florian, one of the main characters. In the dream he was this bartender that everybody knew they had to go through if they wanted a favor from the gods. He fascinated me and I had to start writing to find out who he was. That turned into a terrible short story that I later rewrote and expanded, and although Florian’s character changed quite a bit, it eventually became the bones of the book. I have loved mythology since I was a child, and adored what other books like Piers Anthony’s Incarnations of Immortality series and Rick Riordan’s masterpieces of the middle grade/young adult genre have done with the subject. It was time to explore my own imagination.
What would your advice be for aspiring writers?
Write, write, and write some more. When you aren’t writing, read successful books in your genre. It’s how you learn your craft. Also, join writing communities, either in person or on line. A good critique partner who challenges you to be a better writer is invaluable.
In your opinion, what is the most important thing about a book?
Its ability to transport me to another world, into another life. I’ve been a life-long, voracious reader of fantasy and science fiction. Reading is the way I relax and escape. Books are portable microcosms that can take me anywhere, any time, whether it existed in the real world or not.
What is your writing process like?
I am a total seat of the pants writer for much of my process. I let my characters drive the story for the first draft, and then it goes out to my alpha readers, who tell me what needs the story has, where the holes are, and what just doesn’t work. Once I edit those changes, my beta readers take over and give me more feedback. Very last, I have a trusted editor with whom I work to make it the best it can be before I send it out on query or get it ready to publish.
What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?
It depends on the book. My Google-fu and Wiki-jitsu are strong. I research during the entire process, especially whenever I have something with which I’m not familiar. I have friends who are experts in various fields, like martial arts, and I drive them insane with questions when I’m writing fight scenes. I also make certain to employ sensitivity readers when I’m writing from a point of view that isn’t personally familiar to me.
Do you have a set schedule for writing, or do you only write when you feel inspired?
I write best when I’m obsessed with a project. Because I’m employed full time (and also a part time student right now), my writing schedule is seriously curtailed. I protect my writing time like a dragon guards a hoard and get very grumpy if I’m interrupted!
Do you read much and if so who are your favorite authors?
I read as much as I can. I grew up reading Lloyd Alexander, Robert Heinlein, Anne McCaffrey, Piers Anthony, Marion Zimmer Bradley and Katherine Kurtz. My favorite science fiction author is David Brin. For fantasy, Guy Gavriel Kay’s Tigana is my all time favorite. For contemporary fantasy, I love Nina Kiriki Hoffman. My current favorite books are Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus—I’ve read it half a dozen times already—and Lara Elena Donnelly’s Amberlough.
Lastly, when can we readers expect to read more wonderful books from you?
I have a short story in the same universe as Nectar coming in an anthology in early 2019, and hopefully another space opera adventure in late 2019. My school work is kind of taking over these days, but I’m working as fast as I can!
Its official book lovers, I am obsessed with E.M. Hamill! If you have liked what you have read about the author and are interested in learning more about E.M. Hamill, then please do have a browse of the links below and be sure to have a read of the preview too! You will not regret it.
Goodbye for now book lovers,
