Abigail Owen - the games gods play - the series that changed her career
- romantasyillustrat
- Jul 18
- 12 min read
“What can the Gods and Goddesses come up with that would be a little brutal?”
Abigail on the Labors
Romantasy Illustrated had the honor of interviewing Abigail Owen for Volume 2. We first met Abigail back in August of 2024 at the FaeBall in Austin, Texas, where we got signed and advanced copies of The Games Gods Play. It was great getting to not only chat with Abigail again, but to celebrate her success of The Games Gods Play (TGGP). It was wonderful to get to chat about book 2 of The Crucible Series as well as her journey over the last twelve years. Talking with Abigail was both entertaining, it involved a lot of smiling, gasping, and laughing. From the Greek Gods to the impact of Twilight, we jump into The Games Gods Play head first and prepare to dive into The Crucible Series book 2, in Fall of 2025.
Note: The majority of this article was originally published in Romantasy Illustrated Volume 2, which was released in January 2024, but has since been updated with new information and commentary. Updated comments are highlighted in Yellow.
For those who don’t know, Abigail has been around the block when it comes to being an author, going on 12 years, 3 pen names, and over 50 books. But her entire career changed in 2024 with the success of The Games Gods Play, published by Red Tower. TGGP has been hitting countries all over the world, as well as on many bestseller lists. Considering Abigail has been a published author for well over a decade, the success of TGGP has “taken her by surprise” and she is “not used to it”. In more recent conversations with Abigail, we learned that prior to the success of The Games Gods Play, Abigail was on the verge of burnout and stepping away from writing. Seeing her success with The Games Gods Play has been our honor - it is espcially rewarding becuase some of our team was there day one when she gave out the advanced copies of The Games Gods Play, and now we have run into her at multiple events, and had the esteemed honor of being her assistant at Apollycon. We could not be more proud of her and the success of this series.
Hades is done sitting on the sidelines.
In this modern mythic romantasy,his champion in the Crucible will fight for her life…for the god of Death.
When discussing her journey as an author, she mentioned that it is a “stair-step process” and has felt like she has been going in the right direction. While we and Abigail herself consider any works of hers a success, The Games Gods Play has been what she would consider her “first traditional’ success”. With The Games Gods Play being translated into 13-14 different languages, book signings, and now being recognized at events, Abigail's career has been fast-tracked and soaring.
We think that most readers of The Games Gods Play can agree that it is incredibly refreshing, with a new twist on the Greek Gods. Something important to note, that you likely wouldn't catch, is that originally Abigail's focus was on the goddesses from Dominions (another of her series), and the story grew into more. We at Romantasy Illustrated had a lot of questions regarding the process and development of this story, and Abigail was more than happy to spill them all. When speaking of the research process for TGGP, Abigail mentioned that she had already been pretty familiar with Greek mythology. For her, Clash of the Titans, the original from the 80s, was a young influence because of both the mythology and the romance element of the story. When it came to research for building out her version of Olympus and the Labors throughout the book as a lot of it was done in the moment, she would ask herself, “What would be on the streets in Olympus?”, then fact check her ideas through the known myths and lore. Something to note that we discussed when it comes to myths and lore is that it isn’t truly factually known. Abigail went on to talk about inconsistencies or developments from historians regarding Greek mythology. An example, Apollo vs. Helio, both being Gods of the Sun, and a new theory that The Iliad and Odyssey have possibly been written by different authors. While there are a lot of similarities between Abigail's work of TGGP and Greek mythology, when choosing not to write a Hades and Persephone retelling, Abigail signaled to readers that this would be different.
If comparing TGGP to Abigail's other works, there are major and notable differences. The biggest comes from the success of TGGP, which, when it comes to the media, is due to the platform and marketing pushes through her publisher, Red Tower, getting eyes on the book. Other differences include this being less traditional fantasy and stepping into urban Greek fantasy. Abigail mentioned that when writing one of her other books, the idea for TGGP sparked. She said, "I always wanted to do a Greek Gods book, but I wanted to focus on the goddesses (from the Dominions) originally, but the trials wouldn’t fit for them, which led to the changing up of some of the powers of the goddesses to distinguish them from each other.”
Most readers will likely agree to the beauty that is The Games Gods Play, which, when we first met Abigail back in August, was something she first talked to us about. She had said then that this book had everything an author could dream of wanting, all wrapped up in a single book, which we agreed on. When we got our advanced copies, the first thing that drew us to even pick up the book was the edges, which feature vibrant and stunning blues with hidden Greek elements within them, add in the foiled hard cover, textured jacket, and art within the book it is a work of art altogether that paints a picture that this book truly is like no other. Allison, co-editor of Romantasy Illustrated, said, “It really is the most beautiful book on my bookshelf, and it all came together so well. There seem to be so many hidden elements within it, and seeing them all together when reading personally helped to envision your version of Hades and the Olympian Gods.”
Something a lot of readers asked is, “How did you come up with the Labors?” and the short answer is that it was complex and a big puzzle. The long answer is that she has to think of who a God was, what their powers were, and what that God or Goddess wants to highlight in their Labor. Each of the Labors leaned into their virtues, then thinking of the God and Goddess individual champions and how their Gods would be able to give them the advantage to win their challenge, but also in the gift that they would win. Abigail said, “We started here and then it just had to get worse” on each of the Labors, and that the locations selected for each Labor also played into the design of what it would be and whether it was a physical, mental, or heart trial. Abigail said she would ask herself, “What can the Gods and Goddesses come up with that would be a little brutal?” and that's how all the puzzle pieces went together to create The Crucible.
A question that came in from social media: Out of all the Greek Gods, why Hades?! This reader went on to say that she loved the choice and that he’s one of her favorites, and just loved the book so much. Abigail said, “Hades was the obvious choice; he’s the morally gray hero.”All of Abigail's heroes have been morally gray, grumpy, or a combination of the two. She goes on to say, “his power was interesting to explore, it was about taking something that is terrifying and making him more.” Hades is the God of the Underworld, which is essentially known as death itself, but Abigail said she always knew that she didn’t want him to be inherently evil. On the question that many readers ask, ‘Why not Hades and Persephone?’, Abigail mentioned wanting to tell a different story. There are a lot of Hades and Persephone stories and retellings already, and they are great, but that wasn’t what she was drawn to. She went on to discuss that in Greek Mythology, Hades is Persephone's uncle since all the Gods and Goddesses are related, and it was something she didn’t want to work around, and credited that many retellings have done it well, she didn’t want to navigate it herself. Persephone still has a role in this story, and we will get to see more of her in book 2 and learn more about her character and background.
Something that we and many readers want to know is about The Things Gods Break and how it will be possible to have something as beautifully designed as the first. While this will now be public knowledge, we did find out ahead of time that the release will be Fall of 2025, and the cover will be similarly formatted to TGGP, with objects and weapons featured. Abigail went on to give us the scoop, saying that Hades’ bident, which is a two-pronged implement resembling a pitchfork, traditionally known to be black and have the ability to create earthquakes and force lightning up from the earth, will be featured on the cover, crisscrossed. Abigail goes on to say that in book 2, readers will get to find out why there are two and the significance. The cover will also feature Cerberus in the center, much like the first book featured a Titan.
In case you wanted to know a few things that will be answered in book two, yes, we will learn why Hades wasn’t affected by Lyra’s curse. We will also learn more about Lyra’s curse and why she was not able to make friends in the Overworld, but was able to make friends in Olympus. Abigail said, “Yes, you will learn more about the curse, how it works, how she got it, and while you may think you know all of it, you don’t.”
With The Things Gods Break releasing September 16, 2025, there is a lot of anticipation for the book and the development of the story. It has been confirmed that the book will end in a double cliffhanger and that the majority of the story will take place in Tartarus. Abigail has also commented that while we think we may have met the 'true bad guy', that we haven't, and we are in for an intense book. We also got to see the end papers for book two, and if you loved book one's artwork (above), then you will be shocked by book two. We truly didn't think that the artwork could be topped, and we were sorely wrong - it just keeps getting better. The Things Gods Break is going to be beautiful on our bookshelves.
A question that sparked a long and entertaining conversation, “Would you want to see this turned into a movie or TV series?” To which Abigail answered, “Yes, it is at the top of my bucket list to see any of my works brought to the screen.” She went on to discuss the pros and cons of a TV series versus a movie, noting that a TV series would probably be the best to allow for more details and the story to be told better. With this being an urban Greek story, it would be easier to film since the locations in the book are real locations. Romantasy Illustrated went on to say, “Just imagine each Labor getting to be an episode, we would eat that up.” We even went on to chat about dream castings, which, for the timing, would need to be aged down from who Abigail imagined and most likely to be up-and-coming actors and actresses. But, Abigail herself imagined and inspired the look of Hades off of Richard Madden, Robb Stark from Game of Thrones, and mentioned that Richard’s streak in his hair is what had her add in Hades's streak in his hair and then create a backstory for Hades' own hair. Rachel from Romantasy Illustrated mentioned that she imagined Lyra as a young Emilia Clarke, especially with her natural brunette hair and the short bob she used to wear. Overall, Abigail would be happy with anything and said that it would be a true accomplishment and be another outlet to see her characters and story come to life in visual media.
Abigail's Favorite Quote:
“If you think about the lifespan of a butterfly from the mortal’s perspective, so short compared to yours...” He shrugs. “You think of it as a beautiful but doomed thing that is here, then gone too fast to get attached.”
For those unaware, The Crucibles will be a trilogy, and if the Hunger Games elements of the trials are what drew you into book one, then you don’t have to worry, there will still be a games element in book two. In shocking news, “it will end in a double cliffhanger”, which prompted both Allison and Rachel to want to cry from anticipation and the tease. Ironically, Abigail mentioned that any book she reads or show she watches after getting through the first chapters or opening episode, she immediately goes to the very end to see how it ends, and that alone is the deciding factor for whether she finishes it. It is also important to note that Abigail 100% believes in DNFing and considers herself a major DNF-er, which has only gotten worse as time has passed and stems from the difficulties of turning off her inner editor, as she already has to read her own words all day. If a book doesn’t hook her in the first 10 pages, it likely will not be finished.
In speaking on her “job” of being an author, Abigail says it doesn't always feel like work, especially since she gets to work from home. She loves learning new things, doing research for what she is writing, and one of the best things is getting to meet readers and be around other authors. Abigail said, “No one else around me growing up liked books like I did, and that I’m grateful for the community that I have built and found.” Something Abigail does enjoy having as a part of her “job description” is getting to read advanced works of her author friends to give them quotes for their covers. When it comes to working, Abigail enjoys the balance of spending her mornings writing, then having her afternoons for errands and family time, as being an active mother is her priority. Her routine includes getting words on the page early on and knowing her limits that if there aren’t words by noon, then the day will likely result in none. One can often find Abigail on hour-long walks which she uses the time to dictate all the thoughts rolling around in her head, going home and fixing up the sentences and meanings behind the ideas. Two birds and one stone each day, with her getting active to meet her step count, but also reaching her word count.
More From Abigail:
When it comes to inspiration and other authors who have influenced her, Abigail said that she is very careful and selective in what she reads, and doesn’t read within the genre she is actively writing, mainly fantasy and Greek Gods. Her reason for this is that she doesn’t want to accidentally compare or allow someone else's work to influence an idea she might have had. Beyond that, when Abigail finds an author she loves, she consumes every single one of their works, some of her favorites being Rebecca Zanetti, a paranormal and contemporary romance author, Lara Temple, a historical romance author, Cathy Maxwell, a romance author, and Lucy Parker, a romance author. Now, the book series that influenced Abigail the most is none other than Twilight. She goes on to say, “We owe Stephanie Meyer a lot of credit for paving the way through the science fiction and fantasy romance genre." Rachel went on to comment that Twilight was the first “adult series” that started her reading when she was only in 5th grade, and from there it led into reading The Hunger Games and more.
Okay, one of the most important things to know and to let you survive the next year of waiting is which of Abigail's works you should read next, since you now love her world-building, character development, storytelling, and writing style. If you want less spice but something that is fantasy forward, then Abigail recommends The Liars' Crown series. But if you’re into dragon shifters and phoenixes, forced proximity, and want more spice, then The Inferno Rising series, which has been out for a while but has recently been re-released with new covers that have greatly appealed to a wider fantasy audience.
As we have all recently rung in the new year, we all have different goals and resolutions. When asking Abigail about hers, she said that at the beginning of 2024, she knew that The Games Gods Play was going to be a different release based on the marketing that Red Tower invested in it. Abigail spoke that she spent the majority of 2024 nervous that she was going to let them and her readers down. Once the book was released, it was a whirlwind it Readers knew who she was and saw a different stage of success as an author. For 2025, Abigail wants to just enjoy the ride.
On Abigail's TBR:
More From Abigail Owen:
Lastly, a question that Romantasy Illustrated asks everyone interviewed, “What does the bookish community mean to you?”. Abigail said it is her “found family”, it is a space filled with like-minded people, and the space where she has found comfort.
Abigail Owen Socials:
Website: https://abigailowen.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abigailowenauthor/
All of Abigail's Works: https://abigailowen.com/abigails-books/
Comments