Interview - S.D. Hines – Author of the Heroines of Classical Greece - Medusa
I am always left in awe when I get the opportunity to literally
connect with people on the other side of
the world. The fast click ability always leaves me fascinated as I recall my
initial exposure to a computer just over 15 years ago. PC’s just started coming
into fashion at that stage and going on the internet was still a big -- Wow.
Now here I am today, willing and able to chat to pretty much anyone I set my
sites on.
It is a great honour for me to introduce and interview S.D.
Hines ( from Alaska) the newly published author of the series -- Heroines of Classical Greece, a series I am
sure many readers will grab with much interest.
Scot thanks so much for
granting M.A this interview.
As a start would you mind
giving readers a bit more insight on yourself? What is it that made you decide
to write?
Like
most of your readers, I’m a committed bibliophile. Growing up, I was the
classic nerd who would sneak a flashlight and read under the covers at night.
Even now I have a couple or three novels going at any one time. When I was eventually
forced to grow up, I settled into a medical career and did a great deal of
teaching, often tying in my field (neurologic disease) to the humanities. I
commonly used examples of medical illness that were prominent in many famous
paintings and novels to make a clinical point. One of my favourite topics was
mythology.
I
had written off and on through the years, but nothing too serious. One day, while
contemplating how unfair many of the old myths were to innocent mortals, I
thought “why somebody doesn’t tell the story from their standpoint of view?” Then I realized… that someone could be me.
Your first novel revolves
around Medusa. In your intro you gave an intriguing piece on what led you to
write the story. Could you share that with our readers?
Medusa
was a pious priestess who was cursed for resisting Poseidon when he raped her
in Athena’s temple. When I first read this I was mortified. How fair was that?
In almost all modern media such as movies and books, Medusa is cast as an evil
monster. That paradox got me thinking about how the mortal women prominent in
mythology were either monsters, victimized/helpless/inept, or just plain wicked.
Think of Medea (killed her kids from jealousy), Pandora (let the evils of the
world into the world…similar to Eve), the Amazons (brave but always lost to
men: Hercules killed a dozen, one right after the other), and of course,
Medusa.
But
in our daily lives, the real heroes that shape our lives are often women who
persevere despite impediments put in their way by virtue of having an extra “X”
chromosome. Even in the 21st century, women have a tough time
getting a fair shake. My own wife is a neurologic surgeon and despite her
skills and compassion, she must work harder and better than her male
counterparts for acceptance. If things are slow to change even now, imagine
what it was like 3,000 years ago. What did Medusa have to endure? Ariadne?
What makes your story
different from the historical facts that are known to us today?
I
would argue that my story is likely to be closer to fact than the current tales
that evolved through the centuries. My belief is that there were once real events that shook the ancient world
and were passed down verbally to later became our myths. My stories rely more
on proven science and history rather than the mystical to explain the origin of
these tales. Some myths say that Poseidon destroyed Atlantis. I say that it was
a shifting of tectonic plates. Was a giant an twisted creature descended from
unholy deities, or was he an acromegalic shaped by an excess of growth hormone?
Was the bull of Marathon a monster, or rather an ice age remnant, a prehistoric
auroch? I am a firm believer that science is far more magical than shrugging off
something unexplained as being the work of the gods.
In
my stories, the gods are present, but they are shadowy figures with peripheral
roles. The true heroes are the men and women of the stories. Just like today.
Why focus on Classical
Greek heroines?
At
the risk of sounding parochial, I would argue that like it or not, and for better
or worse, Western culture has permeated our world, particularly the media
(print and all others). Ancient Greece shapes our politics, our science, our
philosophy, or religion, our ____ (fill in the blank).
So
Greek Mythology is a universal theme. It is a clear "winner" in terms
of a genre with potential interest to all, if done right. Why pick the heroines
instead of the heroes of Ancient Greece? Quite frankly, the heroines were more
complex, more intelligent, and more...heroic.
I
was fortunate enough to meet Ken Atchity (storymerchant.com and others), author
of THE MESSIAH MATRIX, who patiently shepherded me through the bewildering
world of publication. I later found out that in addition to his impressive
literary credits, Dr. Atchity is a Fulbright Scholar and a recognized expert in
classic literature.
Why is it that Medusa’s
story – which according to your research was initially sympathetic towards her situation
- changed at a later stage to the extent of her being condemned?
Scholars
find that the most ancient version of Medusa's tale suggest that after having
been horribly savaged and cursed by Poseidon, she was a sympathetic figure. There
were even some shrines to Medusa, and I shudder to imagine the circumstances
that would drive some to seek these sites of worship. But over time as Greece
prospered, Medusa took on a role as a monster who somehow deserved the curse. Some theorize that with a more sophisticated
culture and more economic opportunities, women had potential of a role other
that of child-bearing and child-rearing. To stave off competition, her role
changed to give a moral lesson as to the inferiority of women. As I mentioned,
within this same time period almost every mortal female figure in mythology had
weak morals, was evil, or failed attempting to imitate the glory of her male
counterparts.
Your second novel in the
series is now available on Amazon. From having released the first to now
launching the second how have readers responded?
ARIADNE:
A Tale of the Minotaur was actually launched first, even though it was the
second penned (the order of the series doesn't matter). It was shorter, and was
a fast moving, exciting tale that we thought it would be a better one to get
out initially. It had a potential appeal to a YA (young adult) audience as
well, since it essentially is the ancient version of The Hunger Games. The book is doing very well. It has even more
of modern science within, in an easily understandable way. As one reviewer
said, it has more twists and turns than the Labyrinth. But when you read
it...beware. All your preconceived notions of the story of Ariadne, Theseus,
and the Minotaur will be shattered.
How have critics responded
towards your take on history?
So
far it's been positive, but I don't doubt that I'll get some objections from
some that prefer the original stories dating from thousands of years ago. But
my history matches up quite accurately, and I try to take as little poetic
licence as possible. Let's just say that if my stories aren't accurate
portrayals of what actually happened, they should have been ;) Gregory Maguire
did something similar when he took the classic tale of Baum’s THE WIZARD OF OZ
and fleshed out WICKED from its literary bones. Although I try and include as
much proven research in the books as possible, when you come down to it, the
genre of "Mythic Fiction" is essentially "Fiction".
How many novels will you
aim to cover in this series?
That’s
an excellent question. Two down and one in progress (ARACHNE). So long as I
have readers that love the stories, I have plenty of material available that
will keep me writing. HELEN and CIRCE come to mind as future endeavours, among
others. I'm open to suggestions!
Will you ultimately take
this series to film or are you happy to just focus on being published?
I’d
guess that the number of writers who wouldn’t love the idea of their work
ending up on the big screen or stage falls somewhere between one and zero. But
I’m just happy to have works out in print, and am not holding my breath. One of
the classic Sci-Fi tales, Orson Scott Card’s ENDER’S GAME, is due to come out
on film this fall. It was written in 1985. Pirates of the Caribbean: On
Stranger Tides (2011) was based on a Tim Powers novel written in 1987. Computers
and CGI technology make movies possible today that couldn't have been created
in the past, but the books that make it to film quickly like “The Hunger Games”
and “Twilight” are the exception.
Since first being published
up to now, how has having your work out there changed your life?
The
books haven’t been out too long, but already I feel more vitalized as a
published author. When I first started writing, I wrote mainly for myself and
my daughter. I felt there were stories that just needed telling. But with the
interest and positive feedback I am getting, I must admit that I feel more
motivated to find time to write more. I love the life I have and don't want to
change it, but writing opens up a whole new realm of creativity in my life.
From what I understand you
work in the medical field where you provide healthcare to Alaskan natives. In
this type of industry where and when do you find time to focus on writing?
I
not only find writing and my medical practice compatible, but complementary as
well. When my patients are reading when I enter the exam room (let’s face
it...with a potential wait most bring books) I always ask them about the book
and take some time to discuss literature. I often incorporate medicine into my
writing. Sure I am busy, but I can always find time to type out a page or two
before bed or work while I’m flying off to far northern places like Barrow,
Alaska. There
is a rich history of physicians who are also authors. The list is long, but
includes such notables as Anton Chekhov, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Michael
Crichton, and Christiaan Barnard.
Are there any other novels
on the horizon?
Sure.
ARACHNE is in progress. Like most of my works, I compose them in my mind first
while jogging, hiking, etc. and then later write them down. But I need to be
more attentive while running in Alaska: last year a friend and I almost ran
into an aggressive grizzly bear while out on a road near my home (thank you,
whoever was in that blue SUV and opened up his back door so we could dive inside
to safety). I also have a YA Fantasy and a Sci-Fi book shelved for now that
might eventually see the light of day with some polishing. But for now the
Heroines of Classical Greece series takes priority.
Where can fans connect with
you and your work?
It
not only highlights the series of books, but has information regarding that
time of Classical Greece. There is art, history, archaeology, and the culture
of the Greeks, as well as mythologic tidbits and posts about the science and
history relevant to the series. It’s interesting and a lot of fun, but I can’t
take credit for the bulk of it (Thanks Chi-Li Wong).
Scot it’s been an enormous
pleasure to pick your brain. Thanks so much for taking the time to answer our
questions. We look forward to brushing our fingers across your wonderful
adventures.
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