After years of secrecy and silence, Rowan McCandless leaves an abusive relationship and rediscovers her voice and identity through writing. She was never to lie to him. She was never to leave him; and she was never supposed to tell. Persephone’s Children chronicles Rowan McCandless’s odyssey as a Black, biracial woman escaping the stranglehold of a long-term abusive relationship. Through a series of thematically linked and structurally inventive essays, McCandless explores the fraught and fragmented relationship between memory and trauma. Multiple mythologies emerge to bind legacy and loss, motherhood and daughterhood, racism and intergenerational trauma, mental illness and resiliency. It is only in the aftermath that she can begin to see the patterns in her history, hear the echoes of oppression passed down from unknown, unnamed ancestors, and discover her worth and right to exist in the world. A RARE MACHINES BOOK
Finalist for 2022 Governor General’s Literary Award for Non-Fiction • Co-Winner of 2022 Eileen McTavish Sykes Award for Best First Book After years of secrecy and silence, Rowan McCandless leaves an abusive relationship and rediscovers her voice and identity through writing. She was never to lie to him. She was never to leave him; and she was never supposed to tell. Persephone’s Children chronicles Rowan McCandless’s odyssey as a Black, biracial woman escaping the stranglehold of a long-term abusive relationship. Through a series of thematically linked and structurally inventive essays, McCandless explores the fraught and fragmented relationship between memory and trauma. Multiple mythologies emerge to bind legacy and loss, motherhood and daughterhood, racism and intergenerational trauma, mental illness and resiliency. It is only in the aftermath that she can begin to see the patterns in her history, hear the echoes of oppression passed down from unknown, unnamed ancestors, and discover her worth and right to exist in the world. A RARE MACHINES BOOK
Goddess of springtime, or queen of the underworld-life or death? Empowering, high-interest narrative text tells the dual story of Persephone from Greek mythology. These core legends show Persephone's double personality as she splits her duties between her mother and the god of the dead. Fascinating myths also uncover Persephone's past, detailing her birth and how she fits into the family of deities. Further explore Persephone's role in Greek culture through her signature powers, symbols, and attire. Additional facts and historical information connect the goddess's influence through popular culture today.
When Orpheus, a charming mortal musician, arrives at Mount Olympus Academy, he asks Persephone to help reunite him with his lost love, Eurydice, but trying to manipulate the rules of the underworld puts her at odds with her boyfriend Hades.
**With a special foreword by award-winning comedian, actor, presenter and director, Stephen Fry** Persephone is the seventh book in the Early Myths collection, a series of children's picture books on Greek myth. Each book covers a character from mythology and brings the tale to life through illustrations and story-telling, with inspiration from ancient art and literature. The books are aimed at 4 to 10 year olds, are beautifully designed and easy to read. Persephone is the daughter of the goddess of nature who grows up in the forests of Greece only to be whisked away by Hades, the love-struck god of the Underworld. Persephone's mother, Demeter, roams across the lands in search of her daughter and a solution must be found. Should Persephone return to her old life or can there be a balance between her role as goddess of nature above and her new responsibilities below? For teachers and parents, we have a notes section at the back, describing how our illustrations have been inspired by ancient Greek vase-painting, sculptures, and early literature. The kids don't need to know this aspect to enjoy the tale, but the grown-ups can learn about how we have taken time and care to construct our book, using the early historical sources, rather than simply repeat a generic version of the myth. Awards for our Early Myths collection: - Perseus: bronze medal winner at the Moonbeam Children's Book Awards 2014 - Odysseus: honourable mention at the Royal Dragonfly Book Awards 2015 - Odysseus: finalist in the Wishing Shelf Book Awards 2015 - Atalanta: silver medal at the Moonbeam Children's Book Awards 2016 - Atalanta: honourable mention at Purple Dragonfly Book Awards 2016 - Atalanta: finalist at the Readers' Favorite Awards 2016 - Herakles: 1st prize for illustrations and 6+ picture book at the Dragonfly Books Awards 2017 - Herakles: gold award at the Royal Dragonfly Book Awards 2017 - Herakles: silver medalist in the Wishing Shelf Children's Books Awards 2017 - Theseus: best illustrations at Purple Dragonfly Book Awards 2018 - Theseus: honourable Mention in Picture Books (5 and younger category) at the Purple Dragonfly Book Awards 2018 - Theseus: silver medalist at the Moonbeam Children's Book Awards 2018
The Daughters of Zeus, Book One "Persephone is a fun, imaginative, smart retelling of my favorite myth, fusing modern culture with a rich world of magic." Amazon Top Reviewer, Molly Ringle, Author of Persephone's Orchard. One day Persephone is an ordinary high school junior working at her mom's flower shop in Athens, Georgia. The next she's fighting off Boreas, the brutal god of Winter, and learning that she's a bonafide goddess--a rare daughter of the now-dead Zeus. Her goddess mom whisks her off to the Underworld to hide until Spring. There she finds herself under the protection of handsome Hades, the god of the dead, and she's automatically married to him. It's the only way he can keep her safe. Older, wiser, and far more powerful than she, Hades isn't interested in becoming her lover, at least not anytime soon. But every time he rescues her from another of Boreas' schemes, they fall in love a little more. Will Hades ever admit his feelings for her? Can she escape the grasp of the god of Winter's minions? The Underworld is a very nice place, but is it worth giving up her life in the realm of the living? Her goddess powers are developing some serious, kick-butt potential. She's going to fight back. "I enjoyed Hades and Persephone's sweet romantic relationship. Persephone has her flaws, but she is likable and learns along the way. The author's writing is descriptive and entertaining. I am looking forward to the next book." Rebecca Foote @ Paranormal Muse "Everyone needs to check this book out, I can't rave enough about it, Bevis is definitely a new talent to keep an eye out for. I give this 5/5." Sarah Brown @ Head Stuck in a Book "I found this book to be a fun and fast-paced adventure through Greek mythology with a modern twist." Stephanie Ward @ A Dream Within a Dream "From the first paragraph, I was enthralled with this story. I read it all in one sitting and enjoyed every minute of it. What a great spin on a Greek myth! Move over Rick Riordan!" Amazon Top Reviewer, Rita Webb, Author of Daughter of the Goddess "This story will completely suck you in . . . This book is the first of a trilogy, and I can't wait to see what's in store for these amazing characters." Amazon Top Reviewer, Melissa Groeling, Author of Beauty Marks Kaitlin Bevis spent her childhood curled up with a book and a pen. If the ending didn't agree with her, she rewrote it. Because she's always wanted to be a writer, she spent high school and college learning everything she could to achieve that goal. After graduating college with a BFA and Masters in English, Kaitlin went on to write The Daughters of Zeus series. kaitlinbevis.com
"Author Bair has serious finance credentials. She is a former chair of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and current chair of Fannie Mae—and, now, an author of whimsical personal finance books for young children."—Booklist An inexperienced royal learns a valuable lesson about reading the fine print. Princess Persephone was cold in her castle on freezing Ganymede. So, when Aluminum Jim came calling to sell her tin sheets to nail onto the exterior walls to keep out the cold, Persephone was only too happy to agree to a loan and sign the contract without reading it. What could she do when the tin sheets didn't work, she couldn't repay the loan, and Jim claimed the castle?
In this modern version of the Greek myth, Persephone asks Hades for a ride to escape her overprotective mother, sneaks into the Underworld, and refuses to leave.
