Wearing The Lion is out today!

This week my book Wearing The Lion escaped out into the world. It’s already out in the U.S., and drops in the U.K., Australia, and other places on Thursday. Although I’ve seen a few early copies floating around. Please send me shelfies if you find them!

On Release Eve, I got to do something special. Monday night was a beautiful time in New York City. I got to be in conversation with the brilliant Caitlin Rozakis at The Strand Bookstore in front of a great crowd. The conversation sprawled across mythology and humor and found families. And afterwards, I met tons of wonderful readers and ran into so many beloved friends. It was one of those nights that remind me why I do all of this.

Wearing The Lion is a book I worked my whole life to write. The myths of Heracles were some of the first stories my parents ever read to me as a child, and they've captivated me ever since, both for his outrageous feats, and for the enormous potential to explore humanity. Mine is an unusual remix: this time Heracles refuses to harm the monsters he's pitted against. The more of them he meets, the more he feels understood. He feels monstrous, too. And soon he's building a found family like no other.

It's a novel of two points of view. Because while Heracles reveres his Auntie Hera, she can't stand him and is looking for any way to get rid of him. That is... until she takes it too far. Soon she's trying to protect Heracles from the truth, while struggling with self-doubt unlike any Olympian before her. Her voice was a blessing to explore, in all the misplaced anger and the love she forgot was hidden inside her. It turns out that not only can gods regret--they can also grow.

As readers start digging in, I’m cherishing hearing their favorite lines, or seeing pictures of their copies in the clutches of pets and stuffed animals. It’s the best thing in life!

Wishing you all the best of stories.