Brodi Ashton is a debut author who lives in Utah with her husband and 2 young sons. While growing up Brodi thought the latest fashion trends were inspired by Aphrodite, and a good conversational opener was, “So, which mythological character do you most resemble?”
Synopsis:
Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she’s returned- to her old life, her family, her friends- before being banished back to the underworld… this time forever.
She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can’t find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.Nikki longs to spend these months reconnecting with her boyfriend, Jack, the one person she loves more than anything. But there’s a problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who first enticed her to the Everneath, has followed Nikki to the mortal world. And he’ll do whatever it takes to bring her back- this time as his queen.
As Nikki’s time grows short and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she’s forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole’s…
What was your favorite chapter/scene to write and why?
The first chapter. The whole reason I wrote the book was because I had this scene in my mind, where a girl returns to her high school after a long mysterious absence. Rumors about where she’s been the whole time are spreading through the school, but all she cares about is seeing the boy she left behind.
Okay, and any scene with Becks and Jack. Those were very fun to write.
Everneath is a novel based on the tale of Persephone. How did you come up with the concept?
The story came first, before any of the mythological themes. I wrote it based on that scene I mentioned above, and only later did I realize how Nikki’s themes, of being trapped in the consequences of one bad decision, mirrored the plight of Persephone, being trapped in the Underworld after one taste from the pomegranate.
The world you create is so very different from what’s out there. Can you tell us a little about how you created the Everneath and the people that inhabit it?
The real Underworld is populated with people who have died, but I knew I didn’t want to tell a story about the afterlife. Nikki’s story is all about life, and the decisions and consequences that come from being alive. So I knew the first thing I needed to do was create a place that was about living forever, and not about dying. The rest sort of fell into place, once I had the characters and I knew what they wanted most.
Why did you feel you had to tell this story?
Nikki’s story has been bouncing around in my head for years. I knew one day I would have to write it, or it would break my brain. I think that anyone who has made a wrong decision in a moment of weakness will be able to relate to her struggle.
In Everneath Nikki returns home a very different person. Nikki realizes the choices she made have effected others, was that a choice you made as a writer or something that organically happened in the story?
Definitely something that happened organically. Except I knew she had to have broken a heart, because I knew there was a grieving boy.
What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment?
Haha! The best compliment was definitely getting my first fan email from a young reader. That is the best feeling. As for criticisms, they come from all over, and for all sorts of reasons, and I mostly just try to avoid them. But I did happen to see this one tweet, and all it said was, “And then there’s EVERNEATH. It’s like they’re not even trying anymore.” I had no idea what exactly the person was talking about, but it messed with my head. I was all, “Which part wasn’t I trying on? Tell me!!”
Where’s your favorite place to write?
In my study. Surrounded by Diet Coke.
What is easier to write: The first line or the last line?
The first line, for sure. I have a hundred first lines of books that will probably never be written!
What are you working on now?
The sequel to Everneath!
Places to find Brodi Ashton and Everneath: