The King of Spring - an Interview with Collette Carmon
One of my all time favorite myths is the story of Persephone and Hades. I remember checking out a collection of Greek Myths from my elementary school library in third grade and being absolutely riveted. When Collette told me she was working on a retelling I knew I had to read it!
King of Spring is everything you want in a spicy romance retelling of this classic myth. The writing is beautiful! I love her take on the characters! The whole book is just magical! So I was even more excited when she agreed to answer some questions!
What inspired you to write King of Spring?
So, this will probably sound ridiculous, but I was a lonely kid. Books were my companions for a lot of my life, and there were certain teachers who helped fuel that love. I'd read widely in mythology at the library; for something to pass the time rather than for enjoyment until Seventh Grade when one of my teachers taught a full semester on Greek Mythology. She made it fun and relevant. Since then, I've always been interested in mythological retellings, but like vampire stories, I love them, but I'm so picky I sometimes come off like I hate them. Which is a me failing not an author failing, and what I mean by that is I allow(ed) my worldview and my perception of what things should be cloud what is. I'm getting better about that the older I get.
I wouldn't say that Lore Olympus inspired the story, but I will say reading it inspired me in other ways. I've been following that comic since its inception, and I hope to write people with that much depth one day.
What came first, plot or characters?
Both? I guess the obvious answer would be the characters. They've existed for years, and I am borrowing them from the first storytellers. But, this story was built by both character and plot. Who are they and why are they doing these things always stabs at my brain until I finally sit down to work that out. I'm definitely a "pantser" I've been trying to do some outlining after I get the story going to help with consistency and putting it in the right order, but it's hard for me. I totally thought I was broken until I listened to Becca Syme talk about what works for some doesn't always work for others. Now I'm like, do you, baby, pants the night away!
Is this your favorite book that you've written so far?
Yes, especially considering I unpublished my first one(insert laughter). I've written a lot of full-length novels that languish on my hard-drive and wait for the day I poke at them for publishing. A lot of it is genre issues and determining where those books should fall in publishing plans. Those stories are weird goblin creations. Fun but strange, and I enjoyed writing each of them. This one I've enjoyed reading. The writing part is always fun, the reading part...eh...not so much sometimes. This one gives me enjoyment in both ways so it's my favorite...so far.
What was the most surprising thing you discovered while writing King of Spring?
How many people like the prologue and that might be weird to admit, but it's been surprising. I'm a romance writer. By nature, people believe everything I produce is bodice-ripper trash that deserves a burn barrel. I've accepted that is their stance, not mine, and I can't change their minds. I'm not trying to. Books are there for whoever needs them in the moment, and I'll be the first to tell someone life is too short to read what you don't enjoy. I have a lot of friends who don't read romance, and I'm not offended if they don't read my work. That's what's been surprising, some of the people who emailed me back with "I LOVED THE HOOK WHERE'S THE REST" are people I never considered when working on this project. That's been cool and humbling. The response on a whole has been cool and humbling. I'm always shocked when people find me and go "Hey, I really love this, I can't wait for the rest." I'm just a chaos goblin floating on a dying rock in the vastness of space; it feels awesome when I reach another person in any capacity. Moments, right? They seem small, but they shape a life.
Who is your favorite character from the book?
It's always hard for me to choose a favorite character, not because I love them all but because I created them. So, to me, each of them has equal importance. I know what they ate for breakfast and how they spend their time, even if I share none of that with readers. If I had to choose; I'd choose Thanatos. I have a soft spot in my heart for made families or found families. Thanatos is Hades's found family and I love that they share that bond.
If you had to describe Hades and Kore in three words, what would they be?
Completion/Fated/Eternal : Together
Neglected/Reckless/Adaptable: Kore
Passionate/Fury/Grounded: Hades
If you were making a movie of this book, who would you cast?
Spoilers if your readers haven't read the prologue:
Hades: Forever and ever, my dream girls are Salma Hayek and Catherine Zeta-Jones. However, if I had to pick an actress who could do a 20-something it'd be Jenna Ortega. Maybe I'm vain, but I want her to possess features similar to mine (but way prettier, she's a goddess after all) Hades is pale, but as a brown girl who is allergic to the sun, that was more because I see her living underground for forever. In my mind, I def always see Salma or Catherine. Selma when playful, Catherine when casting those mysterious side-eyed looks of intrigue. I think Jenna has the same presence, she's powerful and mysterious. It'd be cool to watch her play Hades.
Kore: It's no secret that I love men who look like they are going to ruin my life. I don't want to marry them or be with them, and my husband definitely has a boyish grin and big blue eyes (I dunno, I'm a sucker for that crap). He just, thankfully, lacks the "gonna ruin my life" part of the equation. I think, in fantasy, we get to write what we like in theory, but it would implode in practice. Think Machine Gun Kelly and Andy Black; pretty and they know it, will probably ruin your life and horrify your mom when you bring them to dinner the first time. Now, for this story, it's a little different. He's not made to look like a rockstar who spends all free time in the tattoo chair (I want that life, man). This version of "is here to ruin my life" looks a little different. He's baby-faced, he's cute and knows it (they always do), goofy, and is good at pretending to be harmless. Age wise, I'd say he's gotta be Dylan Sprouse. Cute. Playful. Is going to ruin your life by rooting into the cracks and making you love him anyway.
TL:DR: age wise Jenna Ortega and Dylan Sprouse. Honestly, it could be anyone. I'd be flattered they wanted a film or show of my stories. I'd trust casting and I'd allow myself to be awed by what takes place.
Is there a playlist for this book? Other inspiration?
YES! I'm on Spotify and I put together a playlist that I beat to death while working on this story!
I always have to have a playlist for things. If I have a muse, it's music and classical poetry. I like to read poems on death, love, living, loss and just anything. Poetry is food for the creative soul. Long drives, too. I have a never-ending party going on in my ADHD brain, so I'll take long drives to sit with myself while getting in the headspace to work. I get hyped when other people are hyped about their work. It's exciting and fills me with hype for mine! So planning sessions are a favorite, I run a weekly writing group at my house and it' immensely helpful to my writing process.
What comes next?
The Keeper of Death, which is Thanatos's story. I'm working to make sure people can read each story as a standalone, but chronologically there will be an order. The Keeper of Death will come centuries after the first story. I'm working on timelines while editing to keep myself straight on the mechanics.