Blog Tour: Bayou Myth by Mary Ann Loesch

Title: Bayou Myth

Author: Mary Ann Loesch
Publisher: DragonFire Press
Publishing Date: TBD  June 2012
Pages: 240
Genre: Young Adult Urban Fantasy
Series: Stand Alone

Source: Digital ARC


Synopsis:
As a sixteen year old voodoo queen in the making, Joan Renault just wants to be like all the

other girls in the small town of Monte Parish, Louisiana—obsessed with boys and swamped with

social lives. If the other kids would quit calling her “hoodoo hag,” she might have a small shot

at normality. It would also help if Joan’s weekend outings with her secret crush, Dave, weren’t

always being interrupted by her dead Grandmere, the legendary Marie Laveau. After all, it’s hard

to make out with your best friend when your grandmother is watching! But when you come from

a long line of voodoo priestesses with dried gator heads decorating the wall of their huts, normal

doesn’t come easily.

When Joan witnesses the brutal sacrifice of a child to a tree Druid, she learns her Grandmere’s 

scandalous past has come back to haunt those living in the present. Hera, a vengeful voodoo 

priestess is determined to use the residual energy of Pandora’s Box to revive a sleeping voodoo 

god and declare war on the descendants of Marie Laveau, especially Joan. Suddenly, Greek myths 

are being re-enacted all over town, and Joan has her hands full trying to sort it all out. With the 

approach of Samedi’s Day—the voodoo day of resurrection—Joan must learn to accept her destiny 

in order to stop the approaching threat to her family and friends.

Review: 

I really enjoyed this book. It was fresh, fast paced, very exciting, and a little creepy at times. 

The cover was the first thing that drew me in. I love the cover for this book. It's bright, mysterious, and a little unsettling. I gives a great feel of the book.  After the cover grabbed me, I read the synopsis. Ok this sounds good. So I jumped at the chance to read it. Once I started the book I could not put it down. 

The story is completely different then anything I have read or seen. Greek is the in thing right now but the the way the author created the story around the Greek Gods and Goddesses is so different. The mixture of Greek and Voodoo, who would have every thought. It made the story so much more interesting and kept me turning pages very quickly. 

I absolutely adored the main character, Joan. She felt genuine and real.  She holds her head up high, even when things around her are falling to pieces. She has a great love for her family and her heritage. She is snarky and loving in the same breath. She became a good friend of mine in the first few chapters. 

All the characters were great. They really made the book for me. I had  a lot of fun with Joan's best friend and her nemesis. Every character stood out and screamed at me to get to know them. 

This was a one of a kind book that I feel is a must read if you like Greek Myths, fresh stories, a great cast, and fast paced mystery thrillers. 

Rating: 

About the Author:  

Mary Ann Loesch is an award winning fiction writer from Texas. Her urban fantasy, Nephilim, was published in July 2011 by Lyrical Press Inc. An avid blogger for All Things Writing 
(http://www.allthingswriting.blogspot.com) and Loesch’s Muse (http://www.loeschsmuse.blogspot.com),
Mary Ann has also contributed stories in the horror anthology, All Things Dark and Dastardly. Her
latest book, Bayou Myth, will be released in the summer of 2012. While she loves dirty martinis and
cuddling with her dachshund, she loves fan mail even more!

Contact her through:

Website


Author Interview:


1.Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I am a Texas writer who masquerades as an elementary Theatre arts teacher by day. Living near Austin, TX, I get my dose of weirdness on a weekly basis which inspires me to write. I've previously published an urban fantasy called Nephilim (all about an angel who tattoos his clients with symbols that represent the seven deadly sins) and an anthology of short stories called All Things Dark and Dastardly.

2.What do you do when you are not writing?

Depends on what time of year it is! As I mentioned, I'm a teacher, but with summer here (finally!), I plan to relax a lot with a dirty martini by the pool.

3.When did you write your first book?

I wrote my first novel about 8 years ago. I was pregnant and I guess the hormones gave me a burst creatively. Of course, that first book wasn't all that great but it was the push I needed to get back into the writing habit. 

4. Where do you get your ideas?
Everywhere. My students, my family, writing prompts. Bayou Myth actually started because of a short story I wrote called Bayou Scar. It's about a much older Joan. I liked her so much that I wanted to read more of her back story and viola! That's how Bayou Myth was born. You can read the original short story in my anthology, All Things Dark and Dastardly.

5. Do you work with an outline, or do you just write? For the first draft, I just write. I don't care about editing or grammar. I just go with the flow. Afterwards, then I will write a synopsis and began rewriting in sections.

6. What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment?
 The toughest criticism for me is if someone says my pacing is off. I struggled with this a great deal in my novel, Nephilim. Luckily, my editor taught me some great things to keep me on the right path. I work hard to keep the story flowing smoothly. The best compliment is when someone says it only took them a day to read the novel and that they enjoyed it or are ready for the sequel.

7. Do you have any advice to give to aspiring writers?
The best advice I have to give is not anything a writer doesn't already know. Keep writing. Don't listen your naysayers or those that just want run their mouths. Write and write and then write some more.

Now for some just for fun questions: Do you prefer

Vanilla or Chocolate? Hmmm…..I like it mixed!

Cat or Dog?  Dogs, please! I need the kind of loyalty that only my sweet dachshund can provide.

Cold or Hot weather? Girl, please. I'm from Texas. Is there such a thing as cold weather? I've never heard of such a thing.

Night out or Night In? Night in with the hubby always makes me toes curl in the most delightful way. But a night out ain't too shabby either!

Movies or T.V. Shows? I'm addicted to TV. I watch the worst possible shows and adore them. Nextflix is my friend!
Excerpt:

A teenage girl stood in the hazy glow. Unlike the other spirits, her form held solid. I got the sense that she drew energy from the surrounding spirits. Her lowered head made it so I couldn’t see her face, but the style of dress she wore dated back at least a century. Not surprising, really. Monte Parish could trash its roots to the late 1700’s.

The ghost lifted her head. Her eyes were empty sockets and rotted flesh hung from her face revealing bone. She watched me, and the hatred pumping from her aura sucked my breath away. Her head moved as if she were looking at Dave. A sly smile formed on what remained of her lips, and the hatred crawling in the air multiplied. She moved towards us with an unsteady gait. The closer she got, the sicker to my stomach I felt.

She meant to harm Dave. But not because he’d done anything to her. It was because he belonged to me. Though she never said a word, her intentions spilt off her and my psychic conduit picked it up. 

“Let’s go. We need to leave right now.”

“What’s wrong?” Dave asked, but he complied with my request and closed up the tailgate.

The girl continued our direction. She raised a hand, and the sleeve of her dress slid back. Even from the distance we were at, the long white scar on her arm could be seen clearly in the moonlight. She pointed a finger at me.

You saw…the words hissed across the cemetery, raising goose bumps on my arms.

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of Reading Addiction Blog Tours and a copy of this book was provided to me by the author. Although payment may have been received by Reading Addiction Blog Tours, no payment was received by me in exchange for this review. There was no obligation to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, publisher, publicist, or readers of this review. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision’s 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning Use of Endorcements and Testimonials in Advertising*