New Book Reveal: WEARING THE LION
New Book Reveal: WEARING THE LION
Writing it was a herculean task.
Today I have the great pleasure of revealing my second novel to you all. Please give a warm welcome to WEARING THE LION.
WEARING THE LION is a remix of the myths of Hera and Heracles. My Heracles has been raised since he was a baby to revere his Auntie Hera, Goddess of Family. As he grows up into the strongest man in the world, he spreads the word of her glory and raise a family of his own. But an Olympian God strikes, driving him mad and destroying his family. Shattered, Heracles embarks on a series of labors, confronting the greatest minds and monsters in the world, to find which Olympian is responsible. The only god he still trusts is Auntie Hera.
There’s one problem: Hera is the one responsible, and she’ll do anything to hide the truth. She’s always detested Heracles, the illegitimate child of her husband Zeus. As Goddess of Family, Heracles is a living insult to her entire being. She only realized what she’s set in motion once it was too late, now Heracles discovering the truth would destroy them both. She must keep him from solving the mystery. Desperate, she stalls sending him off to face impossible monsters, but each time he winds up adding another creature to a new found family. A family that could wage war against the entire heavens.
Yes, this is a story where Heracles tries to befriend every bloodthirsty monster in the world. You never know how much a hydra has to share until you chat. The harder his life has become, the more Heracles feels like a monster himself. When no one else does, these creatures understand him.
WEARING THE LION will be available in the United States from DAW Books and in the U.K. from Arcadia Books. It drops in June of 2025.
Tantor Audio is returning to do the audiobook of WEARING THE LION. I’m so psyched for it after their excellent production on SOMEONE YOU CAN BUILD A NEST IN. Pre-orders for the audio are expected a little closer to launch.
The lovely cover art is by Tyler Miles Lockett. It captures the odd dynamic between Heracles and the lion, as well as the secretive shadow Hera casts over their journey together.
WEARING THE LION is an epic fantasy about the things that make us feel monstrous, and about how facing monsters can make us feel whole. It’s about traditional family, found family, and growing when people say there’s nothing left for you.
The stories of Heracles were among the first things I read as a little kid, and I’ve been preparing to write this novel ever since. It draws from many classic influences, including Homer, Sophocles, Euripides, and Aeschylus. But not all influences are ancient. This book wouldn’t exist without great translators of classics, such as Emily Wilson, Robert Fagles, and Seamus Heaney, and for bold authors of mythological retellings like John Gardner and Madeline Miller. Nor should one write a remix of ancient Greek myths without considering the many great contemporary Greek SFF writers, including Natalia Theodoridou, Eugenia Triantafyllou, Ioanna Papadoulou, and Avra Margariti.
Which is to say that this novel covers many ideas because its influences come from many directions. While not set in the same world as SOMEONE YOU CAN BUILD A NEST IN, WEARING THE LION is its spiritual companion. It sets out to do for heroes and gods what Shesheshen did for monsters—but monsters still run the show.
I am so excited to share this book with y’all.