Out of the Blogosphere with Gena Showalter

Hey, I'm actually functional before noon! Alert the media!!!

We're Out of the Blogosphere again, this time with Gena Showalter, author of Jewel of Atlantis.

All Atlantis seeks the Jewel of Dunamis, which legend claims can overcome any enemy. Grayson James, human agent for the ultra-secret Otherworld Bureau of Investigation, has orders to keep it from the wrong hands – or destroy it. What he doesn’t know is that Jewel is a woman, not a stone! But once he meets this precious gem, destroying her is the last thing on his mind…

Jewel, part goddess, part prophet, is a pawn in Atlantis’s constant power struggles. She needs Gray’s help to win freedom and uncover the secrets of her mysterious origins. Gray needs her wisdom to navigate monster-ridden Atlantis. But need blossoms into passionate love as they fight demons, dragons, vampires – and a prophecy that says the bond between them could destroy them both.

I asked Gena some of my usual questions. She toured here with a previous book, so some of the questions are the same, but because the book is different, the answers are different.

Where did you get the idea for the alternate world where this story takes place?
It started with the small kernel of an idea: a dragon changeling. I needed a home for him to guard, and he needed enemies. I thought, what about vampires? What about demons? What about centaurs? Nymphs? Minotaurs? Mermaids? Amazon warriors? One by one these creatures popped into my head. I wanted to use them all, so it was just a matter of figuring out how to get them all in the same place. That’s when the idea of Atlantis was born. It became the place the gods hid their biggest mistakes.

Would you want to live in that world?
I would absolutely love to live in Atlantis. These creatures are warriors, pure alpha, and they protect their women with their lives. They live with abandon and they love with their whole heart.

If you did live in that world, what role do you think you'd play there?
Hmmm, a king’s love interest, perhaps, or a female warrior who captures and collects all the men.

Which spaceship would you want to be on the crew of: The Enterprise (original or Next Generation), Moya (Farscape), Serenity or Galactica (old version or new, your choice)?
Serenity! I'd fly it, date the crew, and learn to fight :)

(That's a very good answer around here.)

For more info on Gena and her books, visit her web site.

And now I must go relive the days of pre-teen angst and write that Judy Blume essay. I spent most of last night writing it in my head, so we'll see how much I remember. After crash-reading through three books last night, I'm having odd junior high flashbacks. It's easy to forget just how cruel kids really can be. They can look angelic, but I think we're recruiting too old for the military. Airdrop in a bunch of 11-year-old girls and the enemy would surrender in a heartbeat. Though, come to think of it, there's probably something in the Geneva Convention about that. It's worse than chemical or biological warfare. And it would probably lead to sectarian violence as all the little cliques and factions would form and start attacking each other, then re-form for no apparent reason other than "you're not our friend anymore."

Ah, yes, the good old days.

But I'm excited because it's The Office night. I don't remember the last time I was this excited about a show that didn't involve spaceships, aliens or vampires, but this show really makes me happy.