Call Me Tera Lynn Childs

(Because That's My Name)

Until five years ago, if you had asked me what I wanted to be in life, you'd have gotten about a million different answers. Here's what I might have said, in roughly chronological order: teacher, fashion designer, intellectual property lawyer, world-famous architect, environmental biologist, actress, historic preservationist, restoration architect, celebutante, princess (hey, Wills is still single!) and web designer. Of course, all the time when I was harboring these other "dreams" there was writing. Not whole books or anything, but little story ideas and the occasional awful poem. It was never anything I believed could be a real career.

Then, five years ago, all that changed. I was at a kind of standstill in my life. I was living at home, working for my family and temping on the side (let's just say that if I never have to enter another insurance claim into a computer again, I'll be a happy girl). I started reading more and more, found authors that I just fell in love with. Johanna Lindsey. Julia Quinn. Rachel Gibson. Elizabeth Bevarly. Karen Marie Moning. I read them obsessively, and that gave me the hope that I could do that if I wanted. I could write--and sell--a book!

It took a couple of false starts, but by the end of the year I had finished my first manuscript--an historical romance that wound up finaling in the Romance Writers of America's prestigious Golden Heart contest. But the historical market was in a lull, so I decided to try my hand at chick lit. Two manuscripts and a bunch of contest finals later the chick lit market followed historicals into a lull. Then I got THE idea. The one that would defy all trends, all market lulls. GROWING UP GODLY was born. (And later re-born as OH. MY. GODS.)

OH. MY. GODS.

If Phoebe Castro can keep her grades up and have another stellar cross-country season, her dream of attending USC with her best friends is only a track scholarship away. She’s made all her plans, so it’s a complete shock when her mom announces she’s marrying a mysterious stranger and moving them half-way around the world – to Greece.

Phoebe’s stuck on a secret island in the Aegean attending the super-exclusive Academy, where her new stepfather is the headmaster and the kids are anything but your average students—they are descendants of the Greek gods, super powers included. hat’s right, Greek gods are no myth! If Phoebe thought high school was hard, she knows this is going to be mortal misery.

Securing that scholarship seems like Phoebe’s only ticket out of Greece, but training and maintaining her grades will be grueling, even without sabotaging step-sister from Hades and a gorgeous guy – what a god! –who just might be her Achilles heel. One thing is for sure – summoning the will to win and find her place among the gods could be Phoebe’s toughest course yet.

What I'm Working On Now

Besides the millions of other ideas roaring through my head, I'm currently writing the sequel to OH. MY. GODS. in which Phoebe continues her adventures on the secret island of Serfopoula. (I wish I could say more, but there would be major spoilers involved!)

Hugs,
TLC

OH. MY. GODS. (Dutton) May 2008
teralynnchilds.com