A FORMER Mandurah teacher has tapped into her love of ancient mythology to publish a book of short stories from a different perspective.
Luciana Cavallaro was raised in Waroona and said she had been interested in Greek myths since she was a teenager but it wasn’t until she took a trip to Europe that she decided to write about them.
Her first book, Accursed Women, explores key female characters from mythology, such as Medusa, Pandora, Helen of Troy and Hera, queen of the gods.
“The female point of view is often overlooked in traditional stories so I wanted to explore this,” she said.
Using an original take on the Greek myths, Ms Cavallaro’s stories imagine what could have happened behind the scenes of the myths or what the characters would say about events.
One of her stories, A Goddess’ Curse, is set in the style of a candid interview and looks at what it’s really like for Hera to be a goddess and wife to Zeus, king of the gods.
Research was the most important part of bringing the stories of Accursed Women together, according to Ms Cavallaro.
“All of the women I wrote about are very different so I did a lot of research to give the stories authenticity of voice,” she said.
“I read anything I could about ancient history and locations throughout the Mediterranean because I believe all mythology is based on some fact.
“Having proper locations and descriptions can help a reader connect with a story and that’s what I really wanted for this collection.”
Publishing the novel herself came with its own challenges and she said she learned a lit during the process of bringing her book together.
“It was a lot of work to find an editor, a book designer and dealing with the business side of things but I really enjoyed it that way,” she said.
“I’m about to start working on a novel about the Atlantis myth and the rise of Christianity and I’ll publish it myself again.”
For more information about Ms Cavallaro’s writing or to purchase one of her stories visit the book store tab on luccav.com/
