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| P C Cast |
| by Emma Champion Those who follow the teachings of the law of attraction will know that visualisation, gratitude and belief can will your dreams into reality. Who could ever have imagined the extent to which these techniques can be successful? Back in the sixties, somewhere in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a young girl named Phyllis looked up adoringly at her father; a father who instilled a confidence in young Phyllis that would never be shaken. “I have a Dad who started telling me from the time I was a little girl that I am beautiful and smart and can do anything I set my mind to,” says the girl who has now grown into an extremely accomplished woman. “It never occurred to me to question myself or settle for anything less than going after my dreams.” I am referring, of course, to the magnificent PC Cast. PC Cast (born Phyllis Christine Cast) was actually born in Watseka, Illinois in 1960, but spent a lot of her childhood in Tulsa, Oklahoma. There, she fell in love with quarter horses and riding. It was around this time that Cast also developed an affinity for mythology, beginning with the reading of a book which is now very dear to her. “When I was twelve I read Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonflight and realised that, not only can a woman write fantasy, but women could also star in fantasy novels,” Cast reflects in an earlier interview. The seeds of destiny had been sown. Armed with confidence and enlightenment, Cast ventured gracefully into adulthood. Upon graduating from High School, Cast joined the United States Air Force where she enjoyed her first foray into public speaking, writing and teaching. Following her tour with the USAF, Cast became a teacher of English – a career which spanned fifteen years – before choosing to retire and write full time. Her first book, Goddess By Mistake (now called Divine By Mistake), originally published in 2001, was greeted by high critical acclaim and an almost instant horde of dedicated fans. As an author, Cast went on to win many awards for her body of work, including the Oklahoma Book Award and the Holt Medallion. 2010 saw the arrival of the Goddess of Partholon Trilogy in the UK for the first time. These books serve as an excellent introduction to Cast’s works, and will surely make an instant fan out of anyone who chooses to read them and enter the fantastical realm of Partholon. Divine by Mistake tells the story of Shannon Parker, a thirty-five-year-old school teacher from our world who finds herself transported to a mystical alternate reality where she soon discovers she has taken the place of Goddess Incarnate, Rhiannon, who resides in a beautiful palace and is surrounded by handsome servants and beautiful handmaidens. Allowing the strangers around her to continue to believe she is Rhiannon, knowing they would not understand if she tried to describe our world and what has happened to her, she is soon introduced to her betrothed – a burly, Centaur Shaman Warrior by the name of ClanFintan. Shannon is reluctant to marry someone she knows so little, let alone someone who isn’t human. However, upon learning how malevolent the real Rhiannon had been, Shannon sets out to set right the relationships the former Divine had left in tatters, as well as forming a strong attachment to her new equestrian husband. However, all is not well in Partholon, as a group of dark and twisted creatures known as Formorians are about to descend upon the land; and their malicious intent is almost unthinkable… The genius of this story lies in one fundamental device which PC Cast has utilised to perfection; and that is the use of a person from our world in a fantasy environment. This allows Cast, as a writer, the freedom to reference pop culture, artwork, etc that is familiar and relatable to the reader in order to better describe the surroundings and situations which arise in her fictitious setting. This is a rare privilege in the reading of science fiction, which is usually so embroiled in inventing new titles and terms of description which are alien to the reader. Here we have references to Star Trek and Gaston Leroux – things which create a familiarity in an otherwise unfamiliar location. This also makes the main protagonist extremely likeable in that she is extremely easy to relate to, with her use of modern-day slang and what Shannon refers to as “cuss” words – i.e. swearing. Cast’s gift to her female readers is the incarnation of Centaur Stud (couldn’t resist a horse pun – it’s what PC would have wanted), ClanFintan. For me personally, he was the reason I could not put this book down. He is attentive, polite, passionate and sexy – everything a woman hopes to find in a man. Much to Shannon’s delight, he also has the ability to “shape-shift” into human form whenever her sexual thirst for him needs quenching. This brings me to another important point: this book is not suitable for young readers. PC Cast’s novels have caused critics to draw comparisons to the work of Stephenie Meyer and the immensely-popular Twilight Saga. But, whilst that series has a strong, teen following, the Divine trilogy, with its vivid descriptions of sex and violence, is most certainly more appropriate to an adult audience. I found this enormously refreshing – in the light of all things Twilight, I was beginning to feel like the adults were not being catered for. The Goddess of Partholon Trilogy is certainly a welcome antidote to all that teen angst and hype. Cast writes with flare and charisma, with her talent for description a particularly shining attribute. These books are highly accessible and incredibly engaging; her characterisations are believable in the face of all the mythology, and evoke empathy throughout. The love story between Shannon and ClanFintan is deeply moving – the chemistry between the two leaps off the page and is a sheer delight to read. Divine by Choice and Divine by Blood are a continuation of Shannon’s story, allowing the reader to go on an epic journey with their heroine. So, how, I hear you cry, has PC Cast willed her dreams into reality? In writing a very real, very beautiful man in her delicious ClanFintan, she has attracted a real-life clan leader into her life. When she first began to write about Partholon, Cast had long-since given up hope of meeting her ideal match, as she believed no one could ever live up to the kind of partner she could create in fiction. However, whilst researching the House of Night series – a project she has co-written with her daughter, Kristin – Cast spent time with the head of the Wallace Clan, Seoras Wallace; a direct descendant of William Wallace. Seoras Wallace works as a Fight Director in the film industry, and actually directed fight scenes in the film Braveheart, which told the story of Seoras’s famous ancestor. Cast has found in Seoras her very-own, real life ClanFintan, giving hope to millions of women all over the world who have seen the man of their dreams in their imaginations thousands of times – including me. Thank you PC Cast – for a story to treasure, and for the hope you have instilled in us all. |
| Posted: 16/09/2010 13:17:41 |
Chick Lit > Chick Lit Authors :: P C Cast