AHHHH!!! I am so excited today to share with you some details about my latest book! But first, a bit of background . . .

A lot of people ask me where the inspiration for the Fate series comes from. My answer is always the same: my fascination with various global mythologies, especially Greek, Roman, and Norse. I adore mythology. Absolutely adore it. And there are some stories that I love better than others, and one of those has lasted with me for a long time simply because it always sat wrong with me.

I remember going to see Clash of the Titans when it first came out at this small theatre within walking distance of my house. No, not the one out just a few years, but the original one back in the (oh, snap–I’m dating myself here) 80s. The total cheese-fest one, the one where you watch it today and alternately cringe and laugh at the horrible effects as well as feel solidly nostalgic that they just don’t make movies like this anymore, whether or not that’s a good thing. Anyway, I remember the scene where Perseus goes into Medusa’s lair to lop of her head (so he can take it back and slay the Krakken, in order for him and Andromeda to get it going), when she first slithered into the scene, I covered my face with my hands, fearing if I saw her, too, there was the very real possibility of turning to stone myself. (Hey, at least if I’m dating myself here, I’ll letting you know just how young as I was then, too.) Anyway, my dad didn’t cover his face; this stressed me out the whole time. I kept sneaking peeks at him as I listened to this monster’s tail rattle around on screen, making sure that when it came time to leave, my dad was going to make it out alive with me.

Girl just wants to be left alone, right?

Obviously, we did. And thus my fascination with Medusa was solidified.

(And, ahem, that movie, which I will still watch every time it comes on)

The older I got, and the more versions of the Medusa myths I read, the more I came to feel sorry for the poor girl. The majority of the legends have her being raped; as a punishment for, oh–I don’t know, having the audacity to be raped, she’s cursed to be a monster. It was a classic bit of crappy patriarchial victim blaming that had me thinking more than once that if she became a vindictive monster afterwards, could you really blame her? There was always a kernel in the back of my mind, story-wise, about what kind of person would she be, having gone through such trauma. Story lines came and went over the years, but then I heard John Mayer’s album “Born and Raised” last year and all of a sudden . . .

I knew I had to tell her story.

(Yeah, I know. You’re all, “John Mayer, Heather? What does he have to do with Medusa?” But THIS is a story for another blog post down the road.)

So I’m pleased as punch to let you know that my next book will star Medusa–and it’s a love story, because love stories are my favorite.