Medusa Character - Discussion

This one surprised me. Of all the feedback I've received about Medusa, the thing I hear the most is how much they enjoy the character.

With Antoinette, I specifically crafted someone you could call 'sexy and dangerous.' Medusa? Medusa is a product of me trying to find a non-cliche way of approaching the topic of rape. A common origin story for Medusa is that she was raped by Poseidon, and Athena (offended by this) cursed her to be a serpent so ugly, she'd turn people to stone. Because the gods are fucking assholes.

The cliche way of handling this subject would be to make a woman who's hardened, cold, closed off, and secretly very afraid of ever opening up to someone. So to subvert the cliche, I opened with a character who's on that track, but replaced the cold and damaged heart with someone who's held onto their innocence despite it all. A hundred years of solitude and assassination attempts solidify the point: this woman's personality is defiantly hopeful. Afraid, sure, but wants to talk, wants to open up, desperate to have someone in her life. A very extroverted person, who's had to bury her extroverted side to survive on her island.

Not gonna lie, most authors (me included) a very introverted, and we usually write what we know. Writing an extroverted character rediscovering her social and passionate side was very weird! Weird and fun. Writing her lead to the personality type you see in Menala in The Banished Centaur.

Darian comes along, and being the cocky bastard that he is, digs up her buried extroverted self, and that's what leads to the very quick romance between them. 

A quick romance in a series is often a bad idea, as it's the carrot-on-a-stick draw of 'will they get together' that makes most romance stories last long. I hope you readers enjoy this different approach.