Katherine Shaw (she/her) is a multi-genre writer, bi and grey ace disaster, and self-confessed nerd, hailing from Yorkshire in the UK. She spends most of her time dreaming up new characters or playing D&D, and you can find more about her and her latest work at her website (katherineshawwrites.com).
Author Links:
Instagram, Threads and Facebook: @katherineshawwrites
Bluesky: @katheroony.bsky.social
Website: katherineshawwrites.com
Your Historical Fantasy / Romantic Tragedy sapphic Medusa retelling, Of Serpents and Sorrow, came out in August (2025). Can you tell us about the premise, and where that premise came from?
I’ve been a Greek Mythology geek ever since I was a child, so I’ve always had an urge to delve into retellings at some point. I’ve been re-reading some of my favourite stories in recent years, and growing a little frustrated by how we’re only told the point of view of the “hero”, and learn virtually nothing about characters around them, including the “monster” they often have to slay.
Perseus’ goal is to slay Medusa and take her head, but who was Medusa before this moment? What life had she led, and what did she mean to those around her? This is what I wanted to explore with Of Serpents and Sorrow. I wanted to give Medusa the backstory she deserves.
There are many different variations of the Medusa myth – which did you read/know about, and how did you go about developing them into a retelling?
I’m fairly well-versed in the mythology of Medusa, but I did delve a little deeper than I had done before to make sure I was aware of the various versions throughout history (though it’s likely many more have been lost to time). There are two main myths to be aware of: the older one told by Hesiod where Medusa is always a gorgon as the offspring of Phorcys and Ceto, alongside her sisters Euryale and Stheno (who are also in my story), and the later one told by Ovid where she begins life as a woman and is transformed following an assault by Poseidon.
The latter is probably the most famous nowadays, and many SA survivors use iconography of Medusa for this reason. I focused my retelling on this version, as it provides the opportunity to give Medusa a human life before she becomes the gorgon most people know her as, and allowed me to show her as a real, living, breathing person before she is killed.
Can you tell us more about Ismene and how you developed her character?
I love Ismene, and it’s been fascinating (and wonderful) to see how many readers connect to her. I knew going into the book that I wanted the story to be sapphic, and so when creating Ismene I went in with the idea of developing a potential partner for Medusa, whilst also providing her own identity, backstory and room for character development.
A lot of Ismene’s struggles came from my own research into what life was like for women in Ancient Greece (spoiler: it wasn’t great!). While Medusa was a priestess, and so would have some privileges other women would not have access to, Ismene wouldn’t have any of that, and would be under the control of her father until she was married off. This fact really planted the seed of who Ismene was going to be, and what the conflict would be in her life outside of her relationship with Medusa.
Can you tell us more about the setting, and the research and worldbuilding you did to create the historical fantasy feel?
I always wanted to keep the Ancient Greek setting, and so I went into the writing process wanting to make my descriptions as accurate as possible. What I soon realised is how most of the information we get about historical cultures is through the lens of the aristocracy, and finding out about the day-to-day lives of average people is actually really tough. It’s easy to find out about kings and temples and palaces, but when you want to know what a typical person might have in their house, what they might have eaten, what furniture they had… that takes some digging! I enjoyed it, though, especially when I visited a museum in Corfu and got to see some of those sorts of items myself.
While everyone else was looking at the statues and artwork, I was peering into the glass cases of bowls and tools and equipment, taking photos and soaking it all in. Ismene’s time on the island of Crete was a little easier, as I’ve spent time there myself and could draw on my own experiences, especially when describing the city of Knossos, and the surrounding fields of herbs and flowers (I’ve never forgotten the amazing smell).
While I’m sure there are some accidental mistakes in there, I did my very best, and the feedback I’ve had from readers so far has been really great, which is a relief!
What are the key themes of Of Serpents and Sorrow and what would you like readers to be aware of before they go in (any CWs etc)?
One the taglines I use for the book is “who is the real monster?”, and I think that summarises one of the core themes quite well. We look at monstrous characters and assume they must be evil, must be the villain of the story, but appearances aren’t everything. Beyond this, there are some obvious feminist themes, given both Ismene and Medusa’s battles against their positions within a highly patriarchal society, but with this comes a strong feeling of women being their most powerful when they come together.
As in most of my writing, there is the theme of found family, and that the strongest sense of love and belonging can come from unexpected places. Even with Perseus, he is not just a two-dimensional hero blindly fulfilling a quest, but he has his own struggles and insecurities due to the class structure of his homeland, and his desire to prove himself to his superiors is what drives him forward.
This is definitely an emotional book, and I always make sure to describe it as a tragedy so readers go in with their eyes wide open. While there is a beautiful love story at the core of the book, there are also some deeply upsetting moments, so be prepared for an emotional rollercoaster with this one.
There is a full list of content warnings on Storygraph for readers to check they are comfortable with the content before they continue.
Which books from your back catalogue do you think would help your readers’ book hangover once they’ve finished this one?
If you’re left wanting more sapphic romance, my short story “The Knucker of Lyminster” appears in the anthology Once Upon a Summer (alongside other summer-themed fairy- and folk tales). Similarly, if you’re still hungry for Greek mythology retellings, my fae Narcissus retelling (where Narcissus is NOT the villain) appears in Once Upon a Spring. If you want a novel but don’t mind a jump into another genre, my domestic thriller Gloria also has themes of found family, female friendship, and rage against an oppressive, abusive man.
Like This? Try These:
Romantic tragedy Shattered Fate by M.T. Envy – Greek myth retelling with queer rep.
Read the Author Spotlight interview.
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