The Sky Throne Author Interview and Giveaway

THE SKY THRONE

I’m so excited to have Chris Ledbetter here on the blog today to tell us all about his newest novel The Sky Throne!

About the Book

TheSkyThrone.Ebook.jpgTitle: THE SKY THRONE

Author: Chris Ledbetter

Pub. Date: April 18, 2017

Publisher: Month9Books

Format: Paperback, eBook

Pages: 292

Find it: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | TBD | iBooks

Duality dwells at every turn, and an adolescent Zeus will learn that all too well when Hyperion attacks his family on Crete.

When the dust settles, his mother is unconscious and his best friend left for dead.

Stacking epic insult upon fatal injury, Zeus discovers the woman who raised him is not his biological mother. But to ensure her safety while she recovers, a heavy-hearted Zeus leaves her behind to seek answers at Mount Olympus Preparatory Academia.

Zeus embarks on a quest to discover who ordered the attack on his home, avenge the death of his friend, and find his birth mother. When some of his new schoolmates vanish, Zeus’s quest is turned upside down, and the only way to make things right is to access the power of The Sky Throne, confront a most dangerous enemy, and take his life back.

On his way to becoming king of the Greek gods, Zeus will learn to seize power, neutralize his enemies, and fall in love.

“Destined to have a sequel or two, young teens will appreciate the story, and teachers will appreciate that it instructs readers about the pantheon of gods.”–Kevin Beach, VOYA Magazine

Q&A with Chris Ledbetter

I LOVE the concept of a Zeus coming-of-age tale. Where did you get the idea for this book?

After reading so many stories about the contemporary offspring of various deities, I wanted to go to the source. With a wealth of material, we all have an idea of who these larger than life characters were. I simply wanted to breathe life into their origins, create a fresh way of viewing them.

How much research into Greek mythology did you have to do to prepare to write The Sky Throne?

Honestly, I’ve loved mythology since I was a young child. More specifically, I’ve read tons of articles and posts as well as read a plethora of books on the Greek gods and their origin stories. There are actually differing accounts of certain origins and myths, depending on the historian. So I had to thread these together and cross-reference them in order to arrive at the most highly regarded elements.  In particular, The Sky Throne loosely follows Hesiod’s Theogony as its primary source material.

Of all the Greek gods, which one do you most identify with?

Of my characters, I think I identify most with Demeter. She’s very down to earth and unassuming, as much as a Greek deity can be. ☺ She’s also more of a peacemaker who tries not to get to deep into quarrels… until pressed to do so.

Can you give us a hint about which other Greek gods or mythological beings we can expect to see in The Sky Throne?

Well, let’s see… the other Olympians, Hera, Hestia, Hades, Demeter, and Poseidon are all center stage. There are elder deities represented by older Titans. There are also younger teenaged Titans. As for beasts, there is a nice delegation of fire-breathing mythical beings.

Will The Sky Throne be a series, or is it a standalone novel?

I hope to create a series. But that means that I must first focus on the process of making every story as unputdownable as I can.

What was your favorite part about writing The Sky Throne?

My favorite part of writing this story was simply inhabiting the characters. I love them all. Every one.

About Chris Ledbetter

ChrisChris Ledbetter grew up in Durham, NC before moving to Charlottesville, VA in 11th grade. After high school, he attended Hampton University where he promptly “walked-on” to the best drum line in the conference without any prior percussion experience. He carried the bass drum for four years, something his back is not very happy about now.

After a change of heart and major, he enrolled in Old Dominion University and

earned his degree in Business Administration. He’s worked in various managerial and marketing capacities throughout his life. He taught high school for six years in Culpeper, VA, and also coached football.

He has walked the streets of Los Angeles and New York City, waded in the waters of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and climbed Diamond Head crater on Hawaii and rang in the New Year in Tokyo, Japan. But he dreams of one day visiting Greece and Italy.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | YouTube |  Goodreads

Enter the Giveaway

1 winner will receive a 1 month subscription to Owl Crate, US Only.

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Follow the Blog Tour

Thank you to Rock Star Book Tours for giving me the opportunity to participate! Make sure to check out all the other stops on the tour!

Week 1:

4/17/2017- Rockin’ Book Reviews– Guest Post

4/17/2017- Reading for the Stars and Moon– Review

4/18/2017- LILbooKlovers– Interview

4/18/2017- Sophie Riggsby– Review

4/19/2017- Don’t Judge, Read– Interview

4/19/2017- Book Review Becca– Review

4/20/2017- Month9Books– Excerpt

4/20/2017- Zach’s YA Reviews– Review

4/21/2017- YA and Wine– Interview

4/21/2017- Kim Harnes, Author– Review

Week 2:

4/24/2017- Jennifer Eaton– Guest Post

4/25/2018- So Few Books– Interview

4/26/2018- Never Too Many To Read– Guest Post

4/27/2018- Two Chicks on Books– Interview

4/27/2018- I am not a bookworm!– Review

4/28/2018- Mundie Moms– Review

24 thoughts on “The Sky Throne Author Interview and Giveaway”

  5. Jackie B @ Death by Tsundoku says:
    Reply

    Now *this* is a neat idea! I’ve also always loved mythology and I have always been attracted to books featuring it. But I don’t think I’ve ever read a god coming-of-age story before. I am certainly intrigued!

    Chris: If you do grow a series, do you hope to continue to follow Zeus, or look at the coming-of-age of the entire pantheon?

    Thanks for a great interview, ladies! As always, your blog is always introducing me to new books. I can’t wait to pick this one up.

    Liked by 2 people

    • chrisledbetter says:
      Reply

      Jackie,
      First, thank you for stopping by and for your kind words. Yes, a series is certainly the goal. If you do indeed read the book, you’ll see that it features an ensemble cast. All of the Olympians are prominent.

      The Sky Throne loosely follows Hesiod’s Theogony, which is one of the primary texts for Greek mythology’s creation myth. So, following this, I do hope to do companion tales or spinoffs that follow other deities as protagonists. But, I must focus on one story, one book at a time. 🙂

      Thanks again for stopping by and commenting. 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

      • Jackie B @ Death by Tsundoku says:

        I appreciate that you are taking the time to respond to these comment, Chris. Connections with authors are always important to me!

        I love the idea of spinoffs/companion tales. Personally, I think using the same literary “universe” but focusing on different characters is an under utilized way to build a series.

        Good luck with your writing and publishing!

        Liked by 2 people

    • KrystiYAandWine says:
      Reply

      Thanks so much, Jackie! I’m so glad to hear that. I also LOVE the concept behind this book. I find origin stories so intriguing as well as Greek mythology, so it was a real pleasure to get to discuss this book with Chris.

      Liked by 2 people

  6. Pingback: Liebster Award and The Sunshine Blogger Tag/ Award
  7. chrisledbetter says:
    Reply

    Jackie,
    Responding to readers/ bloggers is what it’s all about. I love the interaction. But more importantly, thank YOU and Kristi and everyone else for commenting, responding, and replying. I can do this all day. Haha!

    Liked by 1 person

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