This fall we’ve brought award-winning author Kate McMullan’s popular Myth-o-Mania series back into print. When the books initially published, reviewers raved about them saying, “Will engender lots of laughs,” (Booklist) and “McMullan’s pun-filled narrative brims with clever myths of her own and sheds wry light on classic lore,” (Publisher’s Weekly).
Needless to say, there is much excitement surrounding the rerelease of the books. So Myth-o-Mania fans listen up! Five lucky readers (that could be you!) have the chance to win an autographed title from the series. Simply sign up on our Myth-o-Mania webpage to enter!
I had a chance to sit down with Kate to discuss the rerelease of her series and how the stories all came together…
The Myth-o-Mania books originally published in 2002 and 2003. Why did you want to bring them back into print?
I’m not sure why, but the original publisher let the books go out of print just as the series was catching on. I started getting e-mails from kids, teachers, and librarians asking where they could get copies, so I decided to sell the series as e-books from my website. I did a fairly brisk business, but I always wished that one day some savvy publisher would bring the series back into print, and my wish came true when Capstone published all eight titles this fall.
Where did the original idea to write parodies of well-known Greek myths come from?
An editor asked me if I'd like to write 'the myths with a twist' and I jumped at the chance. I've always been a huge mythology buff, so it was a dream job. My agent and the editor and I went back and forth, bouncing around ideas about how best to twist the myths. We had some crazy ideas, like Olympus Elementary, with all the gods and goddesses as wild and crazy kids. It was a funny idea, but the execution proved to be less funny than I'd hoped.
Why did you choose Hades to narrate the books?
Hades seemed like the perfect narrator for these stories. For one thing, Zeus, the ruler of the Universe, is his little brother, so you know that's got to hurt. I figured Hades would have sort of a grudge against the thunder-bolt hurler. And Zeus is always described as 'all powerful' and 'mighty.' He's clearly pretty full of himself, so I thought Hades should take him down a peg or two. Our conceit was that Zeus had messed with the myths to make himself sound a lot better than he really is, so Hades is writing the REAL version of the myths to set the record straight.
Out of all eight stories, which is your favorite?
I think it's Phone Home, Persephone! When my daughter was in high school, we got her a cell phone. Back then, phones were about the size of a brick and just as heavy, but I insisted that she take it with her and I was always begging her to phone home. So I could relate to Demeter's anxiety. Also, the Underworld is so cool, with the Furies living there, and all the ghosts wandering about, and Cerberus, the three-headed guard dog. I just really loved the whole setting.
Will there be new stories in the series sometime in the future?
I'm happy to answer YES! I had a great lunch with my editor and the Capstone editorial director the other day and we talked about adding to the series with a Trojan War story featuring Helen of Troy -- HIT THE ROAD, HELEN! -- as well as a book about Jason and the Argonauts.
(Editor’s Note: Watch for these books from Capstone coming in 2013!)
What advice would you give to kids who want to become writers?
Read, read, read. If there's a book you really love, try to write in that style. Experiment. Write in another style. See what you like to do. Keep a journal. Develop a daily writing habit. If you can manage to write every day, even for a short time, a story stays fresh in your mind, and it seems as if some subconscious part of the brain keeps working on the story, even when you're not writing. Especially when you're not writing. It's great fun when you're doing something like walking the dog, and suddenly this genius idea pops into your head that totally solves your story problem.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Reading the Myth-o-Mania books, with all those great Greek word derivations, practically guarantees that you'll score 800 on your verbal SATs and become a hugely successful writer.
Don’t forget to sign up for your chance to win an autographed copy from Myth-o-Mania!
Good luck!
Michael Dahl signing advance reader copies of Troll Hunters and Hocus Pocus Hotel at 10:00 a.m. on Tues. June 5 & Wed. June 6.
