The following is an interview with award-winning author Abigail Owen on the release of the romantasy novel, The Games Gods Play, through Red Tower Books. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Owen about her creative approach to the modern-day retelling of Hades and Persephone’s story, what she hopes that readers may find with the story, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: Congratulations on the release of The Games Gods Play! What are you most excited for readers to experience with this modern-day retelling of Hades and Persephone’s story?
Abigail Owen: Thank you so much! I am so excited for this book and really hope that readers love it. Everything I put into this book are the things that I love most about reading romantasy—a huge, fantastical world that sparks the imagination, an enemies-to-lovers romance with all the banter, a snarky, fed-up heroine, a brooding god of death, a found family, dangerous games and trial I had way too much fun inventing, and, of course, Greek mythology with all the powers, monsters, passion, tragedies, struggles, and loves.
BD: How would you describe your creative approach to breathing new life into the story, especially in light of your deft work in weaving fantasy, romance, and Greek mythology into your narrative?
AO: I call myself a plantser. As a writer I’m somewhere between a plotter, who bullet points everything, and a pantser who lets the characters tell me the where the story is going. With The Games Gods Play, I tried to honor the original mythology, but only as it fit with the new roads these familiar characters were taking.
I already love Greek mythology. (Clash of the Titans is my jam!) It provides a ton of romantasy fodder with larger-than-life characters, amazing supernatural powers, monsters, labors, and the stories themselves—a blend of adventure, tragedy, politics, relationships, and romance. So, already I started from a rich and deep place of storytelling. But for me, part of the fun of reimaginings is to tell a different story.
In this case, setting it in the modern world helped with that, already signaling the reader that this is going to be a different take, but also giving me chances to do things like set Zeus’ new temple outside of San Francisco, or to keep Olympus in the imagined style of ancient Greece while still providing all the modern conveniences like running water. So, when I was writing GGP, I gave my imagination the freedom to go off script and really have fun—my version of play time.
My style of worldbuilding (back to the plotting and pantsing) is to let the story tell me when it’s needed. And I love to think cinematically. I picture these worlds in technicolor detail and love to use setting as its own character. But maybe my very favorite part is what I call “brush strokes.” These are little details that just give that added feel of everyday life or offer a little wink to the reader. I might mention how the people in Zeus’ city who enjoy uninterrupted electricity must spend a lot of time praying to that god. Or, in Dionysus’ bar in Olympus, the barkeep is Lethe, the goddess of oblivion. That’s the kind of fun I have with it!
So, I hope readers will find adventure, and love, and characters they become invested in, and a world that sparks the imagination while still bringing them beloved Greek mythological stories and characters!
BD: What makes Red Tower Books the perfect home for this story?
AO: Red Tower Books is a line at Entangled Publishing, and I have been writing romantasy and paranormal romance with Entangled for several years and several series now. So, I already loved working with them as a publisher. From a terrific relationship with now both my editors, to the art team, to the production team, to the PR team, the staff at Entangled are the absolute best. I also happen to think that Liz Pelletier, the owner and CEO, is genius level at business, marketing, and storytelling. They have been a huge reason for the steady growth of my career and the books they publish are top notch. When they announced Red Tower—fantasy and sci-fi focused, with explosive and cinematic storytelling—I really hoped to be selected for the line because that’s the type of writing I endeavor to deliver. When I came up with the idea for The Games Gods Play, it felt like the perfect fit. Now, I’m just on for the ride and loving every single second.
BD: At Fanbase Press, our #StoriesMatter initiative endeavors to highlight the impact that stories can have on audiences of various mediums. How do you feel that this story may connect with and impact today’s readers?
AO: What I hope most for readers is an escape. For the most part, my life has been very blessed, but I have still encountered tragedy, disappointment, fear, and sorrow in my life. I tried to get through those times by focusing on the positive, but I have also experienced anxiety, depression, and burnout. So, for me, story has always been a needed escape. Personally, I love those escapes to take me into worlds that are so fantastic and magical that they spark my imagination (I’m looking at you, Star Wars, X-Men, Lord of the Rings.), with characters I would actually want to be friends or even enemies (Princess Leia, Rogue, Aragorn), with a romance that guarantees a happy ever after at the end of the book and/or series. And I write what I love most! So, with all my heart, I hope that’s what readers find in The Games God’s Play: a true escape from whatever is going on in their real-world life, knowing they’re going to get a happy ending at the end of it.
BD: Are there any other projects that you would like to highlight for our readers?
AO: Absolutely! While you’re waiting for the next book in my The Crucible series, I have several other series that are wrapping up soon. Depending on what you love the best about GGP…
If you like the heat and the romance, and a modern world in which supernatural creatures exist (but especially the heat), then I suggest you try my Inferno Rising series. It features dragon shifters and phoenixes, with a different couple and HEA for each book, and an overarching plot for the series. Previously published, it is getting gorgeous new covers. The first two books are out now, the second two books come out December 3rd.
If you are looking for a high-fantasy world with a dark and brooding hero and another snarky heroine, but with completely unique worldbuilding, then I suggest you try my Dominions series. This features a hero and a villain who are both made of shadow, a heroine who is a hidden twin princess used as the body double and decoy for her sister, and the hero kidnaps who he thinks is the princess and gets the decoy. The 3rd and final book in that series is coming out November 12th.
And, of course, I’m working on the next book in The Crucible series right now!
BD: Lastly, what is the best way for our readers to find more information about The Games Gods Play and your other work?
AO: The best place to start is my website (http://www.abigailowen.com). From there you can find all my books, a reading order list, events, and the latest news. You can also hop on my newsletter where you can get exclusive excerpts, freebies, bonus scenes, and more.
And then, of course, all of the social media. I will say that my three favorites are my private Facebook group for fans—Abbie’s Awesome Nerds–where I interact on a more regular basis. And then I have a lot of fun with Instagram and TikTok.
