"Between Worlds": Persephone's Voice Is Heard - A Dual Timeline Novel Written by Sarah Brynteson
- Sarah Brynteson
- May 17
- 3 min read
As a child, mythology was always something I gravitated toward. I loved the action and adventure these stories brought. As I grew older, I came to understand that mythology also offered people a way to explain how the world worked — first through oral tradition and later through the written word.
The inspiration for this book came from Dr. Michael Lennox’s class, Going Deeper: Self-Exploration Using Myth and Fairy Tale — specifically the stories of Hansel and Gretel, Demeter, and Persephone. The version of the myth shared in that class was from the Bronze Age, before the addition of Persephone’s abduction by Hades. My choice to use that earlier version is not meant to discredit or dismiss the later interpretations that include her abduction, or the pain they symbolize for women. It is simply a personal preference for how I felt called to tell her story.
When I examined the myth of Demeter and Persephone, I felt that Persephone’s voice was largely missing. That did not seem fair to me — the story was as much hers as it was her mother’s. This book seeks to give Persephone that voice and to explore the mother-daughter dynamic in greater depth through dual timelines. This structure not only shares Persephone’s side of the myth but also reveals how she continues to influence and connect with people in the modern day.
I know I have taken creative liberties with how the myth is retold. My intent in doing so is not to be disrespectful of Greek culture in any way, shape, or form. With the help of my beta readers and a Greek sensitivity reader, I have worked to weave those creative liberties respectfully into the cultural fabric of her story as it unfolded in my imagination.
At its heart, this story is about giving Persephone a voice when it did not feel like she had one. Everyone deserves to be heard, after all.
This book asks: What if freedom isn’t rebellion… but becoming?
Persephone has always been her mother’s daughter. Meghan has always belonged to her mama. For both girls, love has meant safety. Belonging. Being known. Until the day they are each offered something more.
A choice.
A voice.
A life that feels like their own. And while doing so, finding love and a chosen family.
Following your heart sounds beautiful — until it asks you to step beyond the version of yourself your mother understands. Until it risks changing the relationship that shaped you.
One is a goddess.
One is a girl.
Both must discover who they are when love stretches, shifts, and refuses to stay the same.
Is becoming yourself worth the cost? Can a mother’s love survive the transformation of her child?
Between devotion and destiny, Persephone and Meghan must decide — will they remain who they were, or step into who they are meant to be?
Pre-orders open today, May 17 through June 10, at my website. If you live outside of the United States, the book will go live on Amazon on Sunday, June 21 — the Summer Solstice.
Exclusive options from my website include:
The ability to have a copy signed or not:
A set that includes a Reiki infused custom made bookmark created by Lala Lotus Co with a signed copy of the book
A set that includes a hand-poured teacup candle along with a signed copy of the book with a Silver Teacup
OR a set that includes a hand-poured teacup candle along with a signed copy of the book with a Green Teacup
And there is more! All options listed above include a bonus gift of digitally delivered copies of the two maps I commissioned my artist to create — one for each timeline.
So that everyone feels included, a second limited-time opportunity will come with the Amazon release from June 21–30.
It is my greatest joy to have this book in your hands. I truly hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
With love and stardust,
Sarah
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