Interview with Alessa Thorn, Author of Asterion: The Court of the Underworld

What can you tell us about your new release, Asterion: The Court of the Underworld?

Asterion is the first book in a series that’s centered around Greek Myth. They are loose, modern retellings around some of the monster stories like the Minotaur of Knossos, Medusa and the taking of Persephone. They are all based in a new city in Greece called Styx, that Hades rules with his court of monsters and titans. I really loved the idea of doing these stories in a fresh new way and giving the bad guys their happy endings. Asterion is an introduction to this new world where gods and monsters are living in the light…and the struggle with people that want to put them back in the dark.

What or who inspired you to become an author?

I’ve always really loved fairytales and myth and when I got ‘serious’ about what I wanted to do, it was always write books the way myths made me feel. I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t writing stories, or didn’t want to write. There was a brief stint of wanting to be a pirate during the ages of 6-12 but I always wanted to be an author, which is kind of the next best thing.

What’s on your top 5 list for the best books you’ve ever read?

This is a hard one so I’ll stick to my fave paranormal!

1. Dark Prince by Christine Feehan (she was my gateway drug into Paranormal Romance so she will always be number 1).
2. Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K Hamilton
3. Morrigans Cross by Nora Roberts
4. Sin and Chocolate by K F Breene
5. Memnoch the Devil by Anne Rice

Say you’re the host of a literary talk show. Who would be your first guest? What would you want to ask?

Anne Rice! And ‘What is it about Lestat that draws you to keep writing such in-depth and amazing books about him and the Vampire Chronicles world?’

What’s your favorite thing about writing?

I love creating new worlds and meeting new characters within them. I love having a space to draw on all my favorite things and make them my own. There really is nothing like it.

What is a typical day like for you?

I’m a night owl so I’ll usually go to bed late and wake up at about 9am. Then ALL the coffee before I hit the keyboard for a few hours. By about 3.30pm I’ll stop for a few hours to do some yoga, play with my dog and any dreaded house work that needs doing. Then at about 7pm I’ll kick off writing again to about midnight. That’s the ideal day! It doesn’t always work out that way but that’s the routine I try my best to stick to and have a word count between 1500-3500 words.

What scene in Asterion: The Court of the Underworld was your favorite to write?

Without giving away spoilers I really loved writing the interrogation scene between Asterion and Ariadne. They have a really intense, fun chemistry and them snarking at each other is always the most fun thing for me to write.

Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?

A quote I live by is “You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you” by Ray Bradbury. Writing is my safe space to escape too and I really would go crazy without it!

Alessa Thorn is the author of the new book Asterion: The Court of the Underworld.

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