I am so excited to have author Stephanie Julian with me today! She is the author of one of my new favorite series, The Forgotten Goddesses. The first book is What a Goddess Wants (review here) and the second one, which just released, is How to Worship a Goddess (review here). Stephanie was kind enough to answer some questions for me and has offered to give away a copy of How to Worship a Goddess! Thanks Stephanie! :) So read below and check out what she had to say and details about the contest!
A Bookworm’s Haven (ABWH): Can you start out by telling us a little bit about How to Worship a Goddess for those who might not have read it yet?
Stephanie Julian (SJ): How To Worship A Goddess is the story of Lucy, Etruscan Goddess of the Moon, and Brandon Stevenson, a professional hockey player. Lucy has lusted after Brandon from afar for two years and, when Brandon finally tracks her down, sparks fly. The problem is Lucy is being hunted for her powers by the Etruscan god of the Underworld and Brandon is human and breakable. Although, maybe he’s not as human as they thought…
ABWH: I have seen many books that focus on Greek and Roman mythology, but I have not seen Etruscan mythology before. Did you grow up with a love for mythology or is this something you have discovered recently?
SJ: I took Latin in high school for four years, had a 
great teacher. I loved that class, mainly because of the mythology. We studied Greek and Roman myths as well as the language, so I’ve always had that interest. It just intensified when I decided I wanted to do stories with a mythological focus but I didn’t want to do the standards. So I started researching and discovered the Etruscans, which tie nicely into my Italian heritage.
ABWH: Do you have a favorite scene from How to Worship a Goddess?
SJ: Hmm, I love the scene where Lucy tells Brandon who she really is. I love how he bears up under a truth that might have broken a weaker man. I also love any scene that has Cat and Ty. Star-crossed lovers are the best, aren’t they? Cat’s been an integral part of the lucani world since she showed up in Kiss of Moonlight and I don’t see that changing.
ABWH: If you could describe Lucy and Brandon in just three words (each), what would they be?
SJ:
Lucy: Cool, Calm Concentrated
Brandon: Hot, Hunky, Rock-solid (cheated, sorry)
ABWH: Don’t worry about the two worded answer, lol. That fits very well for Brandon! If you could become one of the Etruscan goddess and gain her powers which one would you chose to be?
SJ: Well I wouldn’t want to be Nortia. Who wants to hold fate in her hands? I’d love to have Amity’s powers. Helping sick people return to health would be a great power to have, don’t you think?
ABWH: That does sound like a great power to have! I fell in love with Ty’s subplot in How to Worship a Goddess. Are we ever going to see what happens with him and Catene in the future? *keeps fingers crossed*
SJ: Absolutely. Ty and Cat are two of my favorite characters and they have an important role to play in upcoming stories.
ABWH: I am so excited we will see more from Ty and Cat! I will be eagerly awaiting that one. On your website, it looks like the next book is Goddess in the Middle, which features Amity, Rom and Remy, hmm…that sounds interesting. 
Can you give us a little teaser for that book or if not can you share what you are working on right now?
SJ: Amity is the Goddess of Health and Remy and Rom are desperately in need of some healing. Yes, it’s a ménage. Yes, it’s hot, but oh, what woman wouldn’t want two hot guys loving her?
ABWH: Do you have a plan mapped out on which order the Goddesses stories will be told or do their stories emerge as you are writing?
SJ: I have a general over-arcing storyline for all of the Etruscan stories, including the Magical Seduction, Lucani Lovers and Darkly Enchanted series. Really, I do. The goddesses stories are just one of the threads but no, I don’t have a set idea of whose story comes next, although Culsu is getting sick and tired of guarding that damn gate. And Nortia… Well, Nortia is going to find life gets more interesting when you lose something extremely important to you.
ABWH: Is there anything that you have to
have with you when you are writing?
SJ: Junior Mints. I can’t write in the afternoon without them. They’re my crack, which is much better for my health than drugs, though not so great for my hips.
ABWH: I am a Fun Dip addict myself, so I feel you on the hips issue, lol. Do you have anything you would like to add?
SJ: Thanks so much for having me over to talk.
ABWH: Thank you so much for stopping by Stephanie!
Do you want to learn more about Stephanie’s books? Check out her website here her twitter account here and her Facebook account here.
Now onto the contest! As I mentioned Stephanie has been gracious enough to offer up a copy of her latest book How to Worship a Goddess to one lucky winner! Here are the rules. All you have to do is fill in the form below to be entered. It is open to US/Canadian residents only. The contest will run until midnight Friday December 30th. Want an extra entry? I will give you a bonus point if you tweet or link to this contest (Twitter, sidebar, facebook, etc.) and be sure to put the link in the form. I will use random.org to pick the winner. Good luck to everyone. :)
This contest is now closed.
