REBORN blog tour - interview with the God of Prophecy

I'm excited and honored to have with me today the God of Prophecy, Apenth.

He plays a crucial role in Cherie Reich's YA fantasy series, The Fate Challenges. In fact, the young heroine is his chosen one.

You can read my review of REBORN here.

Please join me in welcoming Apenth to my blog.

1. You are the God of Prophecy and Wisdom. What other things have mortals attributed to you over the centuries? Healing and Music. Who knows what those mortals will come up with next?

2. Why did you go against Fate and make Yssa your sixth Phoenix Prophetess? I had to complete Amora’s prophecy. She passed into Hupogaia’s realm so many years ago. I miss her every day, but making sure her prophecies are intact brings me closer to her. I also love the city and kingdom she created. Fate may have dictated Amora’s fall, but I will delay Fate’s will as long as possible.

3. Do you have a particular love for the Kingdom of Amora? Why? My consort founded the kingdom, so of course I love it. I love the way dawn’s rosy fingers brush against the white buildings. I love the bustle of the many different people who live within the city. It’s the grandest kingdom in the world, and I will fight to protect it.

4. Do you speak with your other seers as you do with Yssa? Not usually and not where they know it is me. Yssa is pretty unique in her ability to see us gods. Not even the other Phoenix Prophetesses could do so.

5. Yssa thinks that you might be her Phoenix Guard. Have you considered taking that role again as you did in the past? The Council of the Gods has decreed only mortal men can be Phoenix Guards, so unless I become mortal, I won’t go against that rule by the Council.

6. Kisa, the Queen of the Gods, does not seem to have a particular liking for you. Can you tell us if this is something beyond you raising Phoenix Prophetesses? Yes, Kisa’s animosity has little to do with my Phoenix Prophetesses, although they give her a reason to act out against me. My father is Thean, Kisa’s consort. My mother, however, is Postera. Kisa never forgave my mother for the affair she had with Thean, even when the Queen of the Gods cursed Mother. Kisa often seeks to disrupt my plans.

7. You once had a mortal family. Can you tell us a bit about them? Ah, I loved my mortal family. I was a young god—merely a child myself—when I brought Amora back to life. Those purple eyes stole my heart. We grew up together in many ways and fought many battles together to take a small fishing village into a city. Amora and I had two children—twins—Moran and Apentha. Apentha was born first, so we decided she would become queen of our fledgling kingdom. Apentha was smart yet insecure. She had a talent with healing. Her touch could sooth a screaming baby and calm a grieving mother. Moran was always an anxious child. He never wanted to stay still and longed to explore. After Apentha brought him back to life, he traveled east and founded the City of Apentha, which became a kingdom in its own right until the joining of Princess Magna and Prince Cyrun. I miss my family each and every day.

8. Do you still enjoy certain mortal pleasures? Please tell us a few. Ah, mortal pleasures. I enjoy the feel of parchment between my fingers. Too many gods don’t bother with reading. I enjoy hugs. A simple embrace can mean so much. Gods just don’t show simple affection like that. I like the sparkle of gold, how cool and smooth the metal can be.

9. What do you think of Yssa? Has she lived up to your expectations? Yssa hasn’t had it easy, but I’m so proud of her. She’s fought back from devastating losses to defeat her enemies. The poor thing doesn’t even realize how special she is, but I gave my word not to explain unless she figures the truth out. She will, though. She’s very persistent, which is a great trait to have.

10. Is everyone, including the gods, subjects of Fate, or do you believe that everyone should be able to create their own destiny? As nice as it would be for all of us to create our destiny, we are bound by Fate for the most part. The paths that have gone before us dictate the paths ahead of us. Of course, you mortals like to think you have a hand in where you end up, but do you? Or have you played into Fate’s hands all along?

Thank you for joining us, Apenth. I enjoyed our chat.

To save a kingdom, a prophetess must challenge Fate.

On the day of Yssa’s death and rebirth, the god Apenth chose her as the Phoenix Prophetess.

Sea serpents and gods endanger the young prophetess’s journey and sour the omens. Yssa is cursed instead of blessed, and her duties at the Temple of Apenth prove it. She spends her days reading dusty scrolls, which does nothing to help her forget Tym, the boy back home. But the annoying yet gorgeous ferryman’s son Liam proves to be a distraction she can’t predict, even though he rarely leaves her alone for two sand grains.

Her boring temple life screeches to a halt when visions of her parents’ murders consume her. Yssa races across an ocean to stop the future. If she can’t change Fate, she’ll refuse to be the Phoenix Prophetess any longer. Fate, however, has other plans for her and the kingdom.

Yssa must either accept her destiny or fight to change Fate.

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A self-proclaimed bookworm, Cherie Reich is a speculative fiction writer and library assistant living in Virginia. Her short stories have appeared in magazines and anthologies, and her books include the horror collection Nightmare, a space fantasy novella collection titled Gravity, and the fantasy series The Foxwick Chronicles and The Fate Challenges. Reborn is her debut novel. She is Vice President of Valley Writers and a member of the Virginia Writers Club and Untethered Realms. For more information, please visit her website.

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