Back in 2010 when I launched Smart Girls love SciFi, one of the first book recommendations I made was for Julia Barrett’s Daughters of Persephone Series. The series follows the daughters of an exiled Empress and their loves as they lead a resistance to overthrow the oppressive Coalition forces. You can read what I had to say in the original post, but these books are being re-released, so it might be time to check out the new releases. The first two books in the series were released a couple of week ago and the second two are being released this week.
I loved the books, so I was curious to find out more about the re-release. Julia was kind enough to do a quick Q&A with me.
Charlee: Why did you decide to re-release?
Julia: Much to my surprise, and everlasting joy, I received the books back from my publisher two years early. Once the stories had been published, I really wanted them back. I wanted to make them better. The first two stories, Exile and Return, were written for fun. By the time I got to Book Three, Reborn, I’d become very involved with the characters and I felt Reborn and The Red Demon were good solid science fiction stories. I wanted to create the same feeling in Exile and Return.
Charlee: Are there differences in content?
Julia: Yes. I took some suggestions to heart and fleshed out my heroes. I made them more than props for my heroines. I also toned down the sexual content, at least in Exile and Return. Reborn and The Red Demon are still sexy, but I upped the adventure quotient in all four books.
Charlee: The look of the new covers is very different. Why/how did you choose them?
Julia: I love these covers! I found the images myself (I’m so proud of myself!) – the models and the sword and the gold band for the title. I worked closely with Lex at Winterheart Designs to put each cover together. I wanted a specific look for the books. Aja, in Exile, is a reluctant Empress. Ennat, in Return, is a warrior. Issa, in Reborn, is a tortured Empress. Tem, in The Red Demon, is a temptress. I feel the covers reflect the personality of each heroine.
Amazon has been offering special prices, even free, on some of the books, so be sure to check them out.
Smart Girls love SciFi 