4th Annual #NAMEthatBUTT Round 3 BONUS! #NAMEthatBOOK

Rounds 2 and 3 are both still live over at blog.amaliadillin.com, so be sure to head over and check out the butts up for naming! They make quite a pair, and there's still a bonus five points to claim if you can name the location over which they moon!

To collect your 5 #NAMEthatBOOK bonus points, all you have to do is correctly identify which book of mine (as Amalia Dillin or Amalia Carosella) I've pulled the quote from and drop your guess in the blog comments either on this post or the round three post yonder. The deadline to #NameThatBook is the final reveal of the final #NameThatButt backside, so you've got time to do some last minute reading if you need to!

Ready?!

Here's your quote:

“I must go to the shrine of xxxxx upon the mountain, and make offerings to the Horse Lord.” How her voice remained steady, even cool, she did not know, for she wanted to scream at the pain inside her. As if she had been torn apart slowly by despair, and a dull, thick needle was piercing through her body with the heaviest of strings to sew her back together again. “I would ask that Pirithous not be left alone while I am away.”

“My queen, you mustn’t go—”

“Alone?” she opened her eyes to meet Melanthos’s pitying gaze. “Alone is what I am, Melanthos. Alone is what I will always be. But I will not betray my people any further by allowing a stranger to set foot in our most sacred grove. No. I will go with Podarkes, and trust in the Horse Lord to keep me safe upon the journey. You and the rest of the men will remain here and see to your king.”

“Will you not even accept my company?” Theseus asked.

She knew by his voice he did not expect her to say yes. “If you wish to make sacrifice to your father I will not stop you, but you will not do so with me, upon the mountain.”

Comments are MODERATED -- so you won't see your guess posted on the blog. It'll be delivered straight to my inbox instead, where I'll hold it until the final butt has been revealed.

And don't forget to #NAMEthatBUTT for round 2 and round 3 if you haven't already!

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4th Annual #NAMEthatBUTT: Round 2 BONUS #NAMEthatBOOK!

If you're not already playing #NAMEthatBUTT over at blog.amaliadillin.com -- it's not too late to jump in! Round 2 is LIVE, and to celebrate, you've got TWO bonus opportunities! One relating to the sculpture's location, and the second HERE, With a #NAMEthatBOOK companion quote!

To collect your 5 #NAMEthatBOOK bonus points, all you have to do is correctly identify which book of mine (as Amalia Dillin or Amalia Carosella) I've pulled the quote from and drop your guess in the blog comments either on this post or the round two post yonder. The deadline to #NameThatBook is the final reveal of the final #NameThatButt backside, so you've got time to do some last minute reading if you need to!

Ready?!

Here's your quote:

The bull had been the god, come to test him, and one glance at Oenone had told him she had known all along. But he had bitten his tongue and knelt before the god of war, the bronze bull melting into an armored man, breastplate embossed with a bloody battle, so real, so grim, Paris could hear the cries of the dying when he looked upon it.

And that ruthless god, friend to no one, had laughed and called him just, named him honest and fair.

“Do you not see?” Oenone said later, after all the rest had gone, and they had led Tauros back to his herd, awarding him the heifer for his work. “I did it for you! Now, all of Troy will know you for your judgment, will praise you for your nobility. You are more than just a shepherd’s son, Paris, you are marked and acclaimed by the gods themselves. Surely you must be satisfied by that.”

Comments are MODERATED -- so you won't see your guess posted on the blog. It'll be delivered straight to my inbox instead, where I'll hold it until the final butt has been revealed.

And don't forget to #NAMEthatBUTT for this round if you haven't already! You have until SATURDAY this week -- because election day -- when I post the reveal.

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NtB, A Fab Interview, and HNS Portland, GO!

Firstly:
We're less than a WEEK away from the 4th Annual #NAMEthatBUTT Games! I hope you're practicing your mythic-butt-identification!

This year I'm going to be giving away some new prizes -- including a 10 pack of Santa Herc Butt holiday cards, suitable for any winter holiday you and your friends celebrate, and a TAMER OF HORSES playing card (52 cards + jokers) deck, among other swag-esque items. And I'm going to be shipping internationally!

There will be more information about the gameplay for this season going up on blog.amaliadillin.com this week so keep your eyes peeled!

Secondly:
I did a really, really fun interview with The Book Wench(es) covering everything from my writing routine and my advice to new writers to Daughter of a Thousand Years, and of course all the Bronze Age Greece goodness in between. It's mostly focused on my Helen books but there's a LOT going on so definitely give it a read -- I think we all had a lot of fun with the interview itself and I am so honored to have been their very first author interview, so I hope you'll all leave comments and love! (And if you have any follow-up questions, go ahead and leave them in the comments on the interview and I'll swing by and answer what I can!)

Thirdsters:
Are you planning to hit HNS: PORTLAND in June 2017? (Hint: the answer should be yes.) The Panels and Sessions have been announced and on June 24th at 10:30am sharp I'll be joining with the fabulous Kate Quinn, Margaret George, Judith Starkston, and Libbie Hawker to talk Mythic Tradition and Legend vs. The Historical Record! here's the blurb:

Writing historical fiction set within myth and legend poses some intriguing issues today. To what extent do fantastical elements belong in myth-inspired historical fiction? When considering the sexual and racial diversity of the past, how can we contradict the popular white-washed version that often builds around legendary icons? It seems time for writers of the mythic traditions in historical fiction to bust some stereotypes and in the process hit some historical high notes.

HNS Portland will be my only west coast appearance for probably um, a really long time! So if you're in the Pacific Northwest, you might want to jump on the Reader Festival or at least come to the Saturday evening signing,* which will be open to the public! Most of my Amalia Carosella books should be available for sale at the event but you might want to order your copy in advance and bring it with you just to be safe.

*There is the smallest chance I might not get my name in the hat fast enough for the signing -- I'll confirm this for you guys as soon as I know for sure I'm in.

Lastly:
If you've read TAMER OF HORSES, please consider writing a review! And if you've already posted a review on Goodreads (Thank You So Much!!), do me a solid and copy/paste that bad boy to Amazon, too!

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The Draken!!

Taking a brief break from the Bronze Age, because I am overdue in telling you about my grand and glorious trip to Mystic Seaport to see the Draken --

She was mostly put to bed for the winter, the deck cleared and the sail stowed and bits of the decking pulled up to allow them to get down into the hold and clean her thoroughly and pump the last of the water out -- but she was BEAUTIFUL, all the same, and I blogged more about it over yonder at blog.amaliadillin.com! (Because it just seemed fitting?) Also, for the record, Mystic Seaport Chowder Days had the absolute best lobster bisque soup of my life.

In semi-related other news -- it sounds like DAUGHTER OF A THOUSAND YEARS will be available on Netgalley sooooooon! So those of you who have been eager to get your hands on it to review, the time is nearly upon us! Which makes me very, very anxious, if you're at all curious.

I will of course keep you posted when it goes live for all and sundry. But in the meantime -- there's always TAMER OF HORSES to tide you over! :)

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TAMER OF HORSES in the WILD!

People are saying some phenomenal things about TAMER OF HORSES, and I couldn't be more proud of Pirithous and Hippodamia!

But that's not all --

Erin at Flashlight Commentary said:

"I loved every minute I spent with Tamer of Horses and highly recommend it to fellow readers of myth based fiction."
(5 stars!)

The Book Voucher declared booklove and:

"I am in awe of Amalia Carosella’s latest, heart-wrenching, greek-tragedy style work" (5 stars!)

Betul at Silence is Read said:

"I was living this book, I was experiencing everything they were. I just couldn't get enough." (5 stars!)

and from KMcLeer Reviews:

"just as good as the Helen series and may even be better." (5 stars!)

Even Jayne at Dear Author had something to say about Pirithous and Hippodamia!

"I enjoyed watching these two come to a relationship of equals and love." (B!)

But lest you fear we are all TAMER OF HORSES all the time, I also have some other exciting news to share about what's coming NEXT on the blog(s)!

 NAME THAT BUTT!!!!

Just like last year, the main game will take place on my Amalia Dillin blog, but I'll have some bonus events over here, too. I can't even tell you how excited I am about this year's event -- so many awesome butts to share, including some new gods and heroes we've never guessed before!!! So brush up on your sculpture and your mythology, because it's going to be a GREAT season!

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Lapiths vs Myrmidons vs Centaurs -- TAMER OF HORSES has ARRIVED!

Now that TAMER OF HORSES is out in the world in print and for kindle, I thought it might be a good time to revisit some of my research from the drafting stage of TAMER -- just in case it got lost in the archives.

But let's start with a map to put things in perspective, shall we? Always remembering, of course, that the people of the Bronze Age didn't have the benefits of flight or satellite imagery, so their understanding of the lands and seas on which they plied their trades was probably a little bit more... relative.

Both the Myrmidons and the Lapiths were essentially tribes of men (and women) living in and around the greater region generally referred to as Thessaly in the myths, which made Peleus and Pirithous more minor kings tucked away in the North, farther from the action and trade within and without the Peloponnese and Attica. In TAMER OF HORSES, I've made them rival tribes as well, though I'm not sure there's anything to support the idea outside of the common and casual references to raiding the cattle and livestock of one's neighbors which we see repeated in the myths -- Castor and Pollux, Helen's brothers, were even killed during a cattle raid (or at least Castor was, at any rate), and we know that Pirithous and Theseus met when Pirithous sailed down to Attica to test Theseus, who he'd heard so much about, by raiding his cattle.

Extrapolating from these stories, it's entirely possible that any two kingdoms might have found themselves at odds with one another, stealing livestock back and forth, and since the Lapith people were known for their horsemanship, it felt natural to make the half-wild horses in Pirithous's possession an object of these kinds of raids. But whether or not the horses of the Lapiths were in fact some exceptional variant bred from the Mares of Magnesia or the like, or just common animals -- well, we'll never know! It IS however, possible, that the myth of the Centaurs themselves sprang from the horsemanship of those bronze age peoples from Thessaly, seen by travelers or foreign raiders riding their horses through the trees and so in tune with their animals that they might have been confused for half-men, half-beasts.

I can't decide which version of that story I prefer -- but in TAMER OF HORSES, I let the centaurs be centaurs, because who am I to gainsay generations of Ancient Greeks?

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No matter their differences, neither Hippodamia nor Pirithous expected their wedding banquet to be the first battle in a war.

TAMER OF HORSES, available NOW in paperback and for kindle!

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Tamer of Horses Available NOW in Print!

I know it feels like we're all Tamer of Horses all the Time right now -- such is the nature of the beast! We're just FIVE days from the big release day, October 3rd annnnnd...

I have GREAT news for you today -- TAMER OF HORSES is available *now* in print from Amazon! This also means that if you're an early reviewer, you can now cross-post your review from goodreads to Amazon, as well! (Which is maybe more exciting for me than for you, but without reviews, especially these days, an author is pretty sunk -- so I appreciate each and every one that comes my way. Thank you, thank you, thank you to those of you who have reviewed or will review any of my books!) Kindle pre-orders, of course, are still being accepted, too *-- so don't be shy :)

But WAIT, there's more!
If you're not sure if this book is for you, the fabulous Kate Quinn, Author of Mistress of Rome, and part of the author power house team of the forthcoming Song of War, had this to say about TAMER OF HORSES:

"Edith Hamilton's Mythology meets Taming of the Shrew in Amalia Carosella's delightful TAMER OF HORSES. In an ancient Greece where monsters, men, and demi-gods live side by side, a tenuous peace is brokered through the wedding of a womanizing son of Zeus and a wary princess raised among centaurs. Banter between bride and groom quickly gives way to bloodshed, war, and the possibility of a poignant, hard-bought truce. A fascinating read!"

(You can't see it but I am FREAKING OUT that Kate Quinn blurbed my book -- this is definitely one of those omg what is my life moments for me.)

TAMER OF HORSES is still available for request on Netgalley, but it won't be there for much longer -- and of course there's still time to enter my Goodreads Giveaway for a signed copy of TAMER plus some fun, semi-thematically appropriate extras. (There might be butts.)

And speaking of butts -- it's almost that time again. My teams** are currently in the process of collecting a fresh crop of Mythic Butts from around the world*** for this year's #NAMEthatBUTT adventures. So brush up on your gods, heroes, and sculpture, my friends, because our annual extravaganza isn't dead yet!

Let's wrap up with a little Pirithous-style bluster--

*Amazon tells me Print and Kindle editions should be linked soon!
**Family Members who have taken pity on me and to whom I owe a great debt of gratitude for humoring my "front, back, and plaque" photo requests.
***Okay, so mostly just Europe.

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A Final Goodreads Giveaway for TAMER!

I've got one final goodreads giveaway for those of you eager to get your hands on TAMER OF HORSES, and this one IS open to some international territories -- check the goodreads giveaway page for more details and enter to win!

As part of this giveaway, I've also got a sweet Postcard of some awesome Mythological Art to throw in (I haven't decided if it's going to be the death of Nessus or Peleus's wedding feast, so hard to choose!), plus Helen of Sparta bookmarks, and of course, some stickers! If I'm shipping internationally, I figure I might as well include some extras for you all to enjoy! And yes, this copy WILL have the final cover art -- it's not a galley this time, and let me tell you, the final art is ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS. (Thank you, Lane Brown!!!)

If you're a book blogger or reviewer, you can still request an e-ARC (uncorrected proof) via Netgalley -- but you only have until the end of the monthish to do so, so get it while you can.

If you subscribe to The Amaliad, you got a sneak peek from Chapter 2 of TAMER on the 7th, but here's a little MICRO peek of the same scene here so you all can have a taste of what you're missing if you haven't subscribed yet -- BESIDES the Ariadne & the Beast short story, of course :)

Theseus snorted as he smeared a large wedge of bread with honey. “You take this marriage too lightly. She will not only be your wife, Pirithous, she will be queen.”

“As long as she sees to the weaving and the kitchens, she need not be bothered with the rest.” He shrugged, taking a handful of nuts and passing the dish along. “You have your Amazon, Theseus, and I am happy for you if you have found some kind of love in your bed, but not every man desires a wife who thinks herself equal to a man.”

“If the Lapiths were not already in the habit of obeying their queen, perhaps it would not matter what wild woman you married,” Theseus said. “Surely you must have considered this? Or if you did not, tell me at least Dia made some arrangement.”

“I think you worry overmuch, my friend.” He leaned back with his cup. The mint water had cleared his mind, despite his lack of sleep. “I have yet to meet a woman I could not tame, and the Lapiths know me as their king, besides. I am chosen by Zeus himself.”

Don't forget that BY HELEN'S HAND is just 1.99 this month -- and you can pre-order your kindle edition of TAMER OF HORSES right now, so that it appears like magic in your library on release day.

And that's a wrap for today!

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TAMER OF HORSES is on Netgalley!

Firstly: BY HELEN'S HAND is on sale currently -- just $1.99 for kindle, so snap it up if you haven't already!!

Issue IV of The Amaliad hits your inboxes today -- and subscribers and facebook followers already know that TAMER OF HORSES is now available on Netgalley! You all know how critical reviews are, so if and when you read TAMER, either as an early reviewer or after release, I hope you'll take the time to write one!

The Netgalley edition of TAMER is still the uncorrected proof -- though I did finish (today!) the proofread. Now I'm just transferring the changes/small edits from the highlighted text in my physical galley into the appropriate files, and we'll be off to the races. Fingers crossed, but I might even manage to get the print edition out a little early. We'll see how it goes! And of course you can absolutely pre-order the kindle edition right now, if that's more your speed.

This has been a very hard week -- and August was an intensely difficult month, personally, so I appreciate your patience and understanding all across the board. I hope you'll all love TAMER OF HORSES as much as I do, and with your help and support, maybe we can make Hippodamia a bestseller in her categories on Amazon! (I'm dreaming the dream!)

 I'm running on empty right now so that's everything for the moment -- but we're almost there! And I cannot WAIT to hear what you all think of Hippodamia, Pirithous, Theseus, and Antiope!!!

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