Howdy folks.

This is going to be my last post before the holidays kick off, so I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas! Have a fantastic time, enjoy your time with your family, friends and loved ones and I will be back again on 27th December with another Author Interview.

However, in the meantime I have another engaging Author Interview for your perusal tonight, so let’s get this party started and appreciate the shenanigans once more.

Just a quick note/Public Service Announcement before we get started properly. I link to a lot of other articles in my posts, so WordPress users please check your Spam folders in your Setting Menus and approve any links/pingbacks that you find from me to improve the visibility of your own blog posts, as well as mine, it’s a win win for us both 😉

Please let me introduce you all to author Gabriele Russo, as she talks to us about her fantasy Gods Inc. series and we find out more about her passions, inspirations and writing experiences.

Enjoy the show and have fun opening all your presents at Christmas, eat, drink, be merry and have a chilled time over the holidays. Thanks for reading 🙂

 

Hi there Gabriele, a real pleasure to have you with us here today to talk about your books and writing experiences.

Hi, very glad to be here.

Let’s start first with your novels themselves, the “Gods Inc.” fantasy series trilogy consisting of “Incompetent Gods”, “Inclement Gods” (both available now) and “Incoherent Gods” (due out in 2018). Please tell us more about their plots and themes, their quirky protagonists and how the books link with each other in the series.

Incompetent Gods is an evil-person-wants-to-conquer-the-world story. The twist is that the only gods who know there’s something wrong are too incompetent to stop it from happening. Inclement Gods is about a group of atheist terrorists who have found a way to kill gods and “Liberate humans from their yoke!” type thing – only you realize that they are only doing it to take the gods’ place. The two stories take place one after the other, and there are a few links, but they can work independently.

Incoherent Gods, except for featuring a lot of the same characters, stands a bit more apart. Instead of revolving around Gods Incorporated, it takes place in the Lemuria Zoo, which shelters divine flora and fauna. An ancient evil witch is turning gods crazy to blur the barriers between the world of the living and the dead in order to avoid going to the hell she deserves.

Queen Louhi, the CEO of Gods Incorporated, a mortal demigoddess turned vampire on a diet, and her bodyguard Andrew are the two main recurring characters. Louhi is the little dictator in me, she stands herself apart most of the time, but she’s also human, with human feelings and failings. Andrew reflects the part of me that feels I’m getting old, that the world is changing too fast, becoming too weird. He’s also got a bit of a temper, which I find amusing.

The gods are great fun to write, even though it can be hard to get into a god’s head – mostly I go a little sociopath. It didn’t start out that way, but Jupiter is now definitely my favorite; he’s just so dumb and goofy, and as the stories progress, he’s gaining an emotional dimension I wasn’t expecting.

If any of your novels were to be made into films (or even a TV series), who would you cast in the lead roles?

This is getting harder for me. Many of my favorite actors have passed away, and I don’t watch a lot of movies or TV, so the new generation is unknown to me.

Queen Louhi: Tilda Swinton.
Andrew: Alan Rickman would have been perfect, maybe Bill Nighy?
Ba’al: Patrick Warburton.
Jupiter: At first, I saw him looking like Patrick Swayze in Point Break, now I’m drawing a blank.
Goblin: Peter MacNicol.
Richard Clark: Robert Downey Jr.
Lara: Chiaki Kuriyama.

What would you choose as your own personal mascot or spirit animal when it comes to you and your style of writing?

It took me two days to figure out how to answer this question. I’m a turtle writer, but I don’t feel any particular affinity with turtles. Could an elephant help with my failing memory? Finally, as a cat person, I settled for Hobbes (from Calvin and Hobbes) – Louhi has a lot of Hobbes in her.

What do you think most characterizes or defines your writing? Do you have any writing quirks or themes that constantly crop up in your stories?

I think the fact that I’m a native French speaker who writes in English makes my writing a little different, even if I don’t notice it personally, except when I catch myself using a word in its French signification. My husband says I have a French accent when I write… but maybe he’s just hearing me read out in his head.

As for themes: one thing I hate about our world is how it’s always being manipulated by elites (all types and from both sides of the political spectrum). Why don’t crooked bankers go to jail? Why do governments bail out or subsidize corporations that still lay off workers while their executives award themselves huge salaries and bonuses? Why is it that if you steal a car, you go to jail for years, but if you bankrupt a company and its employees’ retirement fund, you get a big fat severance package? I do know the reasons, but I find it incredibly disturbing that we have been so conditioned as to accept their validity. Well, until our Democracies and the Rule of Law can be made to work for the actual people, at least in my world I can throw these guys into the scorpion pit.

What do you find the most difficult thing about writing? And what do you find the easiest?

The hardest thing is starting to write in the morning. Once I get going (especially on a first draft – that’s my easiest), it’s wonderful, but some days I can agonize over the same paragraph for hours.

Who are some of the authors, poets and/or historical figures that inspire you?

My apologies to all the poets out there, I’m really not into poetry. Historical figures: Hatchepsout, Cleopatra, Catherine the Great, Elizabeth I… Notice the theme? I think women make great rulers, when they get the chance.

Authors: Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams, Lewis Carroll, Rabelais, Umberto Eco, Anne Rice…the list is endless!

What sort of research do you do to write your books?

There’s a lot of mythological research, of course – finding the right god for the job, then discovering his or her personality between the lines. Also, having never worked in the corporate world, I often need to do some research about the lingo.

Why do you write? What inspired you to become a writer?

To be frank, I don’t know. I was taking a break from the restaurant business, and it seemed like a relaxing thing to do. Next thing I knew, I had written a novel. It was incredibly bad, but I got stubborn about it. I went back to university to learn how to write, and it clicked that this really was what I wanted to do with my life.

What keeps you motivated during creative slumps? How do you deal with Writer’s Block?

When writing isn’t working, I like to do manual things: I paint pictures or fix up the house. It helps clear my brain so that after a week or two, I naturally get the urge to start writing again.

You have access to a time machine. What advice would you give to your younger self?

To study something more practical than history, or later, not to abandon the foreign relations option. But to be frank, I don’t regret much in my past – whatever I’ve done, it’s taken me where I am today, and that’s not such a bad place to be.

How do you spend your free time when you are not writing?

When I’m not writing, like I said before, I’m either painting or taking care of the house. I play a lot of tennis, and I still try to do a barre every day, but it’s getting harder with each passing year.

Tell us more about your upcoming projects. Are you working on anything specific or have plans in the pipeline?

I’ve been working on translating my novels into French, now editing Incompetent Gods. I’m jotting down ideas for a fourth Gods Inc. novel. One project I’d like to revisit is an autofictional memoir type novel about my father who was a surgeon during WWII and one of the pioneers of reconstructive surgery. He was a pretty interesting man, and writing about him helps me get to know him better – he had me at 60, and passed away 18 years ago, so I feel I’ve missed a lot.

Finally, are there any nuggets of wisdom that you can impart to other aspiring writers?

Learn how to write: take a class, get an MFA, read books on the craft. Be ready to take criticism and find someone honest who knows what they are talking about to tell you if you should even be doing it. The publishing world is a hard place, be certain you have what it takes and are willing to put in the effort before you jump in.

And that’s a wrap! It has been a real pleasure having you here Gabriele, we look forward to spending some more time in your fantasy world having fun with the very Gods themselves 🙂

Thank you!

Bio:-

Gabriele Russo, AKA Lucie-Gabrielle Jolicoeur-Rousseau, was born in Quebec City amidst a family of book lovers – her father had dreamed of being a writer and both of her brothers are published authors.

Since she earned her Bachelor’s in History, it was no surprise (except to her) that she ended up working in restaurants, eventually owning two, which almost drove her mad. She sold them and was nursed back to pseudo-sanity by Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett.

That’s when she answered the family calling and decided to write. Armed with her ideas for the Gods Inc. series she went back to the University and got her Master’s in Creative Writing.

She now lives with her husband in Culpeper, Virginia, where she divides her time between painting, ripping apart and reconstructing her recently bought historical home, playing tennis and, of course, writing more books.

You can connect with her via the following Social Media channels:-

Facebook:- Gabriele Russo – Author (FB)
Goodreads:- Gabriele Russo (Goodreads Author)
Twitter:- @lugabirusso (Twitter)
Website:- The Website of Author Gabriele Russo

You can buy her books here:-

Buy books by Gabriele Russo in the UK/Europe

Buy books by Gabriele Russo in the US/Rest of the World

If you too would like to be interviewed on my blog at TooFullToWrite and you have a book or a series of books that you would like us to chat about then fill out the Contact Me form here with your details and we can arrange a future interview slot.

Still want more? Well, I think I have something that fits very snugly with Gabriele’s Gods trilogy. For more articles on the theme of ‘Saintly’ then check out the links below:-

1. Tiny Fawns – bye, it’s a goodbye
2. Saintly love – Run and Travel
3. Bonkers Away! – Saintly
4. Dear God, ONLY The Experience Is Real – Branching Out
5. Celebrations and Family Ties – The Chicken Grandma
6. Remember To Forget To Regret – LiveFree & LoveOnPurpose
7. logicaldreams – Short Story: So Saintly
8. Horse from Heaven – Mum’s the Word Blog
9. shame – Sleeping love
10. Blog Woman!!! – Life Uncategorized – The Phoenix Seeks
11. Simon Templar is The Saint – Roaming Urban Gypsy
12. Notes to Women – A Surrendered Life
13. borderline crossing: curious & Undefined
14. Ashtamisprime – Daily prompt – saintly
15. Writer’s block – Ambrose XII
16. Saints R Us – Secret World Entertainment
17. Turtles all the way down
18. A Saint – A Unique Title For Me
19. An Upturned Soul – Doing Things You Don’t Want To Do
20. That Challenging Writer’s Block… – Success Strategies
21. Saintly Strength – White Space
22. Donald Trump is an Idiot, but Man Saves Rabbit – A lot from Lydia
23. Karen Lynne Beads – Saintly
24. Baby, It’s Cold Inside . . . – pocket poet
25. The Damned – Musings
26. Scott Andrew Bailey – Saintly
27. Saintly – thehouseofbailey
28. copypower – Saintly Virtues Of Mothers
29. Our saintly-cheeky cat – jokes on us – Quaint Revival
30. The Code of Angels – Whispers in the Wind
31. Changing – The Bonny Cat
32. THE UNWORLDLY SOUL – Akanksha
33. How I Start The Day – Dilly Dilly – Morning Mojo
34. Do You Want to Know me More? – The Bonny Cat
35. Short Discussion on My Books on Radio Mirchi Love – Sara Khan
36. What Do You See? – Dream Desire Achieve
37. Love Coach Laura Harju – Inspiration
38. Balkan Jerusalem – Whisper
39. All At Sea – a nomad in cyberspace
40. Saintly – simpsite
41. Not So Perfect – Leigha Robbins
42. Fluffy Pool – Literally
43. 2018 – Vision for the Year Ahead
44. What is faith? – ideas and culture
45. Reckoned Saintly by Love – Walk with God
46. Zombie Flamingos – Who, us?
47. The Hockey Mom Fit Life – Saintly Advice
48. SAND DOLLAR SEASON – Not Always Saintly
49. Flowers and Breezes – Saintly
50. Wondrous Marvels Of Faith In Pakistan – Blog of Hammad Rais
51. The Hockey Mom Fit Life – Exploring Trondheim
52. sAINTly – I Hate Mustard !
53. LynDurante.com – Our Tasty Meal at The Feed Jetty Road in Glenelg
54. saintly – a wondering soul’s blog
55. To Whom Are You – a moment teller’s
56. Shamelessly Self-Involved – Saintly
57. Strength and Peace – Thoughts Of An E’ville Woman
58. A RAIN-DRIED NOTION – The Hermit
59. Saintly Lie – authoranonblog
60. ~340 Of 369~ – ……….365 Days………..
61. My Wife Got Shingles – Dangerspouse
62. Saintly – just a poem – Abelia May
63. Tired – Exiles in Time
64. Saints and Sinners – This, That, and The Other
65. Every Saint has a Past – Unspoken Words
66. If We Pay Attention – Live Like It Matters
67. Musings of a Random Mind – Remembering Nana Talia
68. Saintly – The Bag Lady
69. Saintly – Megha’s World
70. A Mixed Multitude – the realization
71. Kaleidoscope – The Soulful Writings
72. Stopdraggingthepanda – Saintly
73. The Home Of DJ Sung Mo Koo – We Don’t Need Another Hero
74. CHRISTmas is the Season We Should all Be Saintly (Music Video by Pentatonix Included) – My Loud Bipolar Whispers
75. I Pray to Be Saintly – My Loud Bipolar Whispers
76. Saintly Sinners-The Director’s cut – Live an Untethered Life
77. Sacrificial Chain Breaker – SAINTLY
78. Advent calendar Box 6 – In my world
79. Life On The Skinny Branches – When Stella Met Stanley
80. Six-word story: Saintly – writingiswonderful
81. You Speak to My Soul – Unpredictable Affairs
82. Moonlight Reflections – O Holy Night
83. I’ll pass on the halo, thanks – Curious Steph
84. FAQUE News – THE THIS & THAT COLLECTOR
85. Time’s Person of the Year – A lot from Lydia
86. Writer’s block – Cursed Noise III
87. Snowy Mansions in Heaven – Game Books App
88. Sticking to Your Fitness Goals During the Holidays – Adventures of a Busy Mom
89. Word Play … Work in Progress. – Pirates II
90. Writer’s block – Saintly is the Heart
91. The tombs in the Basilica of Saint Anthony in Padova (Italy). – Venezia e il Veneto
92. Success Inspirers World – Saintly life
93. Compassionate Minds – Discovery
94. Miss – I am a paradox.
95. Saintly – Mistyroads
96. Christmas Rules…(Ebenezer Drools!) – The Page Turns
97. Sanctify – The Ceaseless Reader Writes
98. Saintly – Covert Novelist
99. Blase’ – When the lights go down
100. You are not saintly – deep breath, close your eyes
101. SHAME – lovenlosses
102. { Saintly Samples } – My Word Soup
103. Daily Prompts: Week Ending 12/10/2017 – Living Direction
104. Sheep and true democracy. – Looking back in sadness
105. SERENDIPITY – NOTHING SAINTLY ABOUT IT
106. Narutomath96 – Nothing is known
107. Wolff Poetry Publishing & Writing Resources – Daily Haiku Winter Hawk
108. Get Out of Your Comfort Zone… – Success Strategies
109. Nobody is perfect – Life is great
110. Salvation – Wings Of Poetry
111. Halo’d be thy name – Stuff and Nonsense
112. Purity. – O.D.
113. Saintly – Capital Dispatches
114. Saintliness – Oh, border!
115. The Cat Chronicles – Daily Feline Prompt: Saintly Feline
116. The World Outside the Window – This is Me
117. Mishearing things – Wells Baum
118. Saintly – Q’s place
119. Saintly – wordsareallihavesite
120. Mirrored Appetite – THEGIRLVERSUSWORLD
121. Curious Hart – Saints and Aints
122. Chronicles of an Anglo Swiss – Saintly? who me?
123. Smug Self-Righteousness – Armed With A Keyboard
124. The Vegan Ideal: An Introduction – Much To Tell About Nothing
125. lifelessons – a blog by Judy Dykstra-Brown – Holy Vacation
126. Waves of Sand – Zeckrombryan
127. Frank Prem – the masque to soar
128. Who Actually Is Santa Claus? – Angelin Veronica
129. Frank Prem – the hermits of reading
130. Winter – cocoa2
131. Frank Prem – the osteo
132. This Janus faced soil – My weird, crazy and mundane life Journal
133. Ups, Downs & Deviations – Resign
134. Once More – December Rose
135. DCMontreal: Blowing the Whistle on Society – Poppy Harlow Has Patience of a Saint
136. Two faces of Myanmar – Don’t hold your breath
137. Dronstad – Grey clouds over humanity
138. The Saintly-est Thing of All – Unsolicited Life
139. What Is A Saint, Anyway? – dave . ology
140. Schoolgirl Appeal – The Fuzz
141. Try – Fall Musings
142. juantetcts – Daily Post/Saintly
143. KO Rural Mad As Hell Blog – toxic people
144. Such A Saintly Day – Pitch Black Poesy
145. Utter Benignity – emotionsoflife2016
146. Saintly Sinners – Live an Untethered Life
147. Flash Fiction: Nick – Telling Stories Together
148. How Angels Failed Virtue
149. Scrambled, Not Fried – Where He Left Off
150. Hot Dogs and Marmalade
151. My first love – Haiku – My weird, crazy and mundane life Journal
152. A Short Poem: To the Apostle – The Hummings Of Gobnait
153. Saintly Judge Moore Ain’t……………….. ⋆ Obsolete Childhood
154. Sometimes things are meant to happen for a reason! – Elaine’s Blog
155. A holy celebration – Haiku – My weird, crazy and mundane life Journal
156. Y2K For Kids – binneyblog
157. Saintly – Finally Unchained
158. Winter has Returned… – I’m a Writer, Yes, I Am!
159. Oddity – This and That 404
160. Scribbled to Paper – Fired Conscience
161. LOL – This Girl’s Got Curves
162. Binoculars as icebreaker – 99Wetlands
163. 1 haiku/saintly – 25more
164. Saintly: St Joan of Arc – Chronicles of an Orange-Haired Woman!
165. Designer Sophisticate – “Smiling faces, smiling faces tell lies…”
166. The Book of JOY – Karyn’s Domain
167. Sean Hogan – I Think I Still Love Her
168. sonja benskin mesher – . saint anthony .
169. Motivation – Just Writing!
170. Murder of Steve Doublesteve in Kentucky Part 3 – Paul Cox Writer