E.B. Repetto's Blog
July 13, 2024
Fantasy, Lore, & More
Join me as I chat with Indie Author Melinda Kucsera about Lightning & Ember, Brandon Sanderson, and, naturally, hair.
https://youtu.be/yacZAwX0bhg
https://youtu.be/yacZAwX0bhg
May 31, 2024
Release Day Musings
Pop the champagne, we made it! Thank you for bearing with me through the last few months while I got my life, and my book together. I can’t wait to read your feedback!
In honor of our featured protagonist, let’s talk about strength. Particularly, what does it mean to be strong?
It’s a question that has fascinated me throughout my life. Physical strength is easy enough to understand—it’s tangible and observable. If it wasn’t apparent from my work, I love a good slugfest. In addition to anime, God of War and Dynasty Warriors were two of my favorite games. Nothing quite tops watching two Titans facing off.
But emotional strength is much harder to quantify. It’s fluid, changing with times and attitudes. It’s influenced by gender, race, culture, societal norms, and numerous other untold factors. And on this point, Cassius has been one of my most polarizing characters. To some, he’s “a bit of a weakling” who spends too much time in his own head (Fun Fact: Dante was often listed as a favorite character for the exact opposite reasoning). For others, he’s their favorite character—his struggles are relatable because, despite being “perfect,” he’s flawed. He’s a coward; he’s hesitant; he’s insecure; he’s self-deprecating. A true Pisces, if that’s your thing.
To me, though, what makes Cassius captivating is his ability to grow, and I was so excited to be able to explore this in this new installment of the series. So, I hope you’ll enjoy the journey as much as I did, and if you do, let me know…
What makes you strong?
In honor of our featured protagonist, let’s talk about strength. Particularly, what does it mean to be strong?
It’s a question that has fascinated me throughout my life. Physical strength is easy enough to understand—it’s tangible and observable. If it wasn’t apparent from my work, I love a good slugfest. In addition to anime, God of War and Dynasty Warriors were two of my favorite games. Nothing quite tops watching two Titans facing off.
But emotional strength is much harder to quantify. It’s fluid, changing with times and attitudes. It’s influenced by gender, race, culture, societal norms, and numerous other untold factors. And on this point, Cassius has been one of my most polarizing characters. To some, he’s “a bit of a weakling” who spends too much time in his own head (Fun Fact: Dante was often listed as a favorite character for the exact opposite reasoning). For others, he’s their favorite character—his struggles are relatable because, despite being “perfect,” he’s flawed. He’s a coward; he’s hesitant; he’s insecure; he’s self-deprecating. A true Pisces, if that’s your thing.
To me, though, what makes Cassius captivating is his ability to grow, and I was so excited to be able to explore this in this new installment of the series. So, I hope you’ll enjoy the journey as much as I did, and if you do, let me know…
What makes you strong?
May 25, 2024
Childhood Coming Back to Haunt Me
What was your favorite show growing up?
The Kendrick vs. Drake beef (and boy—am I fully down that rabbit hole) brought me back to Megan thee Stallion and her love of all things anime and early 2000s nerd culture, which, in turn, cranked up the nostalgia factor to 10.
If it wasn’t apparent from my works, I’ve always been a fan of anime/manga. When I tell you I was in it…I was in it. I’m talking—religiously watching Toonami, joining 50,000 RPG forums that I was definitely too young for, cosplaying as Starfire from the Teen Titans show in 3rd grade to very confused stares from my small country school teachers—in it.
My favorite show, the one that got me into the genre and never let me go, was Yu Yu Hakusho. Back then, I was a sucker for a pretty face (hello, Yoko Kurama), and anyone that could throw a punch—truthfully, not much has changed. I was a Power Rangers girl growing up, and anime took that fantastical worldbuilding and power scaling I loved and cranked it up to astounding proportions. There was something about 90s/00s anime that created the perfect blend of the power of friendship and fists to really up the entertainment value for grade school me.
I owe a lot to those shows. Without them, I wouldn’t have started this crazy journey to writing my own stories. I certainly wouldn’t have spent hours in the Borders 45 minutes from my house splitting a hot chocolate with my sister and reading through 50 volumes of Skip Beat and Full Metal Alchemist in one sitting. Nor would I have started writing the fanfiction (it always starts with fanfiction) in my bedroom that gave birth to Cassius, Akina, and Miki some decade and a half later.
So tell me, what was it for you, and why?
The Kendrick vs. Drake beef (and boy—am I fully down that rabbit hole) brought me back to Megan thee Stallion and her love of all things anime and early 2000s nerd culture, which, in turn, cranked up the nostalgia factor to 10.
If it wasn’t apparent from my works, I’ve always been a fan of anime/manga. When I tell you I was in it…I was in it. I’m talking—religiously watching Toonami, joining 50,000 RPG forums that I was definitely too young for, cosplaying as Starfire from the Teen Titans show in 3rd grade to very confused stares from my small country school teachers—in it.
My favorite show, the one that got me into the genre and never let me go, was Yu Yu Hakusho. Back then, I was a sucker for a pretty face (hello, Yoko Kurama), and anyone that could throw a punch—truthfully, not much has changed. I was a Power Rangers girl growing up, and anime took that fantastical worldbuilding and power scaling I loved and cranked it up to astounding proportions. There was something about 90s/00s anime that created the perfect blend of the power of friendship and fists to really up the entertainment value for grade school me.
I owe a lot to those shows. Without them, I wouldn’t have started this crazy journey to writing my own stories. I certainly wouldn’t have spent hours in the Borders 45 minutes from my house splitting a hot chocolate with my sister and reading through 50 volumes of Skip Beat and Full Metal Alchemist in one sitting. Nor would I have started writing the fanfiction (it always starts with fanfiction) in my bedroom that gave birth to Cassius, Akina, and Miki some decade and a half later.
So tell me, what was it for you, and why?
