LoveQuest, a romantic fantasy, is a light-hearted retelling of one of the most enduring love stories from ancient Greek mythology: the forbidden passion of Eros, the god of Love, for the mortal woman Psyche.
A god’s love for a mortal woman…
It is ancient Greece, a world of gods, superstition, and magic. The villagers dwelling under the eyes of the jealous and capricious gods on Mount Olympus seek to gain their favor and to uncover the mysteries that only the immortals can know by turning to priests, soothsayers, seers, and fortune-tellers.
The oracle of the divine Apollo is one of the most famous of these seers. Although physically nothing more than a pool of water in a cavern, its wisdom is so renown across Greece that many journey far and wide to seek its counsel.
Among the pilgrims are the wealthy cloth merchant Pericles, his wife Leena, and their daughters Medea, Tanna, and Psyche. Although Psyche is blessed by Aphrodite, the goddess of Beauty, and is cherished by the people of her village for her loveliness, she cares little for their attention, seeking only the approval of her envious and malicious sisters.
Medea and Tanna ridicule the oracle’s prophecy that Psyche will make a “marvelous” marriage to someone “not human,” and use it as another means to torment their sister, driving her to tears.
Offended by Psyche’s behavior and not accustomed to being taken for granted, Aphrodite retaliates by asking her son Eros, the god of Love, to punish Psyche with a life of lovelessness.
Coming to Psyche and her sisters under a cloak of invisibility, Eros is filled with pity for Psyche but determined to carry out his mother’s wishes. Aphrodite’s plan goes amok when Eros wounds himself with his own arrow carrying out the punishment. He falls in love with the woman his mother hates.
Eros must make a decision: Will he do his mother’s bidding and resist the power of love, or will he defy her by setting his own course in pursuit of Psyche’s heart?
And, if he develops an elaborate plan to win Psyche, whose help can he enlist? Is love with Psyche possible, and how long can he keep up his deception before his mother discovers him?
Compared with Eros, Psyche is a novice at love. Eros can’t approach her as a human suitor would approach a human woman. She too has a decision to make: Should she believe the loving words of a mysterious stranger, or should she believe her sisters?
The consequences for Eros and Psyche are dear. Aphrodite’s temper is not something to toy with. She is angry enough with Psyche, but if Psyche should do wrong to her son Eros, there might be no end to the punishment Psyche faces at the hands of the jealous goddess.
Psyche must choose between betrayal and fidelity, just as Eros must connive to win her love and the approval of his mother. Both of them must be put to the test in order to find their heart’s desire.
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 Pamela Jean Horter-Moore whose book LoveQuest charmed me from beginning to end. I personally would recommend this book to all of those that love fantasy but really the book can be read by anybody as it is flawlessly written and highly enjoyable. With today’s author spotlight for Pamela Jean Horter-Moore, 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 Pamela Jean Horter-Moore!
I was born and raised in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, and am a graduate of Rochester High School. I graduated from Slippery Rock University with a degree in English and Fine Arts and attended graduate school at the State University of New York at Binghamton and at Penn State University.
Since 6 years old, I have had a passion for writing, so I naturally pursued a career in journalism and communications. During my work-life, I wrote advertising copy and feature stories for newspapers, and served as media, public relations and employee communications coordinator for non-profit organizations and corporations. As a technical communications specialist in the IT industry, I wrote manuals, specifications, and requirements.
I still found time to write creatively, although not as much as I liked. I authored a book, published a short story, and managed an online discussion group, but, most of my creative writing remained in various stages of completion. When I retired, I returned to those drafts as if they were buried treasure.
LoveQuest was the most complete of all my drafts. Written in the late 1980s, it was a summation of all of my most romantic notions. I am glad to say that I have updated LoveQuest, and it is now a published work.
I plan to devote the rest of my life to creative writing, and to the stories of people, real and fictional, who touch our imagination and excite our sympathy
Now, how wonderful does Pamela Jean Horter-Moore 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.
I was born and raised in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, and graduated from Slippery Rock University. I have wanted to write since the age of six, and my passion for writing led me to a career in communications. Since my retirement, I have devoted myself to writing, history, genealogy, and other pursuits.
Could you please tell us readers about your book and what inspired you to write your book?
LoveQuest is a retelling of the ancient story of Eros, the god of Love, and his forbidden passion for the faithless mortal woman Psyche.
Attempting to ingratiate herself to her envious and malicious sisters, Psyche offends Aphrodite, the goddess of Beauty, by despising her gift of loveliness. Enraged, Aphrodite asks her son Eros to punish Psyche with a life of lovelessness. Her plans go wrong when Eros wounds himself with his own arrow while attempting to carry out his mother’s wishes. He falls in love with the woman his mother hates.
Eros must decide whether he will obey his mother or seek his own destiny by pursuing Psyche. Psyche, too, must decide whether she believes in the love of a mysterious stranger or the words of her spiteful sisters. They both must be put to the test before they can win their heart’s desire.
I have always loved Greek mythology, and the story of Eros and Psyche is my favorite. The story can be understood on so many levels. On face level, it’s about human nature and the redeeming power of love, the search for the perfect mate and the self-doubt of our worthiness. On a higher level, it can be understood as a spiritual allegory of the soul in search of redemption.
For me, it was the romance of the myth that held me captive. As a result, LoveQuest is the embodiment of all of my most romantic notions.
What would your advice be for aspiring writers?
Make writing a habit. Make it part of your daily routine. A diary or a journal is a good place to start, even if it’s only a few lines. You have to have a passion for it, but realize that it is a lot of work too. There are times of inspiration and times when the well of creativity is dry. Write anyway, but especially when the inspiration seizes you, because that’s when you’ll produce your best work.
Don’t be discouraged that you don’t know and use a lot of big words, and don’t think that good writing requires long, wordy sentences. The purpose of writing is to communicate a message as clearly as possible, so simplicity is a virtue.
Write first to please yourself and don’t be afraid to revise what you’ve written. Keep in mind, however, that you could spend your whole life revising and never get further ahead. So, at some point you have to let go and move along in the process by sharing it with others. Listen to the feedback others give you regarding your writing, and if their comments seem wise, revise your work accordingly.
If you are writing to get rich, you will be disappointed. It’s good to remember that the very few writers who do get rich originally began writing only because they had a passion for it.
In your opinion, what is the most important thing about a book?
The most important thing about a book is what you get out of it as a reader. It should inform you or provoke strong emotions. If a book touches you intellectually or emotionally, it is a success.
What is your writing process like?
My writing process begins with an idea and a very rough draft. If I can sustain the idea beyond my original inspiration, I reach a point where I must decide whether my idea is solid enough and inspiring enough to carry it through to a conclusion.
If it is, I begin revising what I’ve already written. There are decisions that must be made throughout the creative process, because there is always a chance that the idea might run dry or that its execution won’t turn out as promising as expected.
I have a box filled with drafts that were interrupted at some point in the process. I’ll either resurrect those ideas later or replace them with other story lines that seem more promising. For example, I initially developed the idea for LoveQuest in the 1980s, but didn’t start a draft until the 1990s. In 2015, I finally took out the draft and began to revise it and prepare it for publication.
Working for a living, raising and supporting a family are all important distractions from writing, but, in the end, you must follow your dreams. It’s never too early and never too late to follow them.
What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?
The research can begin at any point in the process, and it is likely to continue throughout the execution of the draft.
Obviously, the more technical or complex the subject, the more research is required. If the writer is dealing with a subject or background which is unfamiliar, it is wise to begin the research well ahead of the first draft. Discerning readers who are familiar with the subject matter will be quick to reject books that are not well grounded in fact and accuracy. Writers always want to present their books in the best possible light and as their best effort, so research is often a critical component of creativity.
I’ve been studying the English Wars of the Roses on and off for 55 years. My first novel, Brief Candles, published in 1983, was based on the research I had done up to that point. My next book about the Wars of the Roses will be non-fiction, and will incorporate the research I did for Brief Candles, and the research I’ve done ever since.
The primary source for my romantic fantasy LoveQuest is Thomas Bulfinch’s Age of Fable, a classic text for Greek and Roman mythology.
Do you have a set schedule for writing, or do you only write when you feel inspired?
I write by inspiration, but I always fit writing into my schedule somewhere. I admire those writers who get up hours earlier than other members of the family in order to write in solitude. This isn’t me, but there have been times when sleeplessness and inspiration have had me up late or up early writing.
Do you read much and if so who are your favorite authors?
If I’m not writing, I’m reading. I think most writers begin as readers.
When I was a preteen, my favorite author was Louisa May Alcott and my favorite book was Eight Cousins. Then, as a young teen, I enjoyed Mary Stewart’s romantic mysteries, especially My Brother Michael and Nine Coaches Waiting. At 14, I read Betty Smith’s A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, and it remains a favorite.
I also enjoyed Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time during those years, and, in my early adulthood, read some of her other books. A Swiftly Tilting Planet is my favorite.
A relatively unknown gem that I’ve loved since my 30s is Song of the Pearl, by Ruth Nichols. It is a beautiful and spiritual story of afterlife self-discovery and atonement.
During my early adulthood, I read all of C.S. Lewis’ fiction. As a rule, though, it is always the book and not the writer that holds my devotion. I loved The Source, by James Michener, but never found equal satisfaction in his other books.
Most recently, I’ve enjoyed Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games trilogy because of its depiction of a strong and noble heroine in Katniss Everdeen.
My favorite author of all time is Mark Twain. He was a skilled observer of humanity whose hypocrisy and foibles he never tired of illuminating in his books, short stories, and essays. He had keener moral sensibilities than most people, and could see injustices hardly noticed by others. To this day, he is wrongly mistaken as a humorist, but he was more disgusted and outraged by human behavior towards each other and towards other species than he was amused by it. People could have learned something from him then, and he still has things to tell us today about the way we treat each other and other life forms.
There are writers within my authors’ circle whom I could name here. Readers do well to look beyond the current best-sellers to the independently published authors who are turning out fabulous books all the time in every genre. The electronic age is opening doors for readers and writers alike, and the opportunities for self-expression have never been greater. At the same time, there are so many great writers out there with great content that it is often difficult for an author to stand out among the crowd.
Lastly, when can we readers expect to read more wonderful books from you?
I’ve been writing short pieces for my website and am considering pulling them together in a collection. There is a dystopia that I’m toying with. I also would like to write a non-fiction history. That will be a project of several years, I’m sure.
If the inspiration moves me, anything might catch fire and go to the head of the queue.
Its official book lovers, I am obsessed with Pamela Jean Horter-Moore! If you have liked what you have read about the author and are interested in learning more about Pamela Jean Horter-Moore, 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,
Amazon U.S. – Amazon U.K. – Goodreads
Pamela Jean Horter-Moore: Website – Facebook – Twitter – Barnes & Noble – Kobo – Smashwords – Books-A-Million
