I had a couple of false starts in my teens, when I was first able to think rationally about why this stuff was scary. I tried to come to terms with my fear by writing fiction about it, of course. And the monster under my bed not only had long, Grim Reaper fingers, but a portal to the Underworld. I imagined the dead as a passive zombie horde, at best. But I also hated Hades, Avernus, Annwn, and any other variant I ran across. Not the Christian Hell, for certain I was super-scared of that on a visceral level. Like most writers, I started out as a little kid with a big imagination, and while I would have gladly embraced the chance to visit another world–as a long lost princess-wizard-dragon-tamer, preferably–I never, ever, ever, EVER wanted to visit the Underworld. I’ve always been afraid of the Underworld. Now Merrie’s popped over to share her big idea for her novel - which was not only a big idea for the book, but a personal revelation for her. It’s always a delight when someone I know as a friend makes her debut as a novelist I get to point and go “Hey! I know her!” So it is with Merrie Haskell, who I have known for several years and whose first novel The Princess Curse arrived in stores yesterday, to no small amount of acclaim (“With a good sense of humor, an able and empowered protagonist, and a highly original take on this tale, Haskell’s story gives readers much to enjoy” - Publishers Weekly).
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