Cruel Venom Wine

A witchy Medusa retelling.

Greek gods only want submission from their magical followers. In Athen’s Plateau during the 1860s, there are plenty of worshipers who do just that.

But eighteen-year-old witch Meredith Gorgon would rather hypnotize her adorable baby diamondback rattlesnakes through harnessed crimson energy, taken from a parallel world. So when haughty fish-breath Trout—who is Poseidon himself—attacks her, she fights back using energy balls. But rather than the town coming to her aid, she's deemed "hysterical" and a traitor to the magical community.

As punishment for denying a god, the sheriff and Trout post a reward for her capture. They'd send her straight to the gallows. Meredith, won't give in without a fight. She and her rattlesnakes escape. In hiding, she enacts a poorly executed protection spell, and now anyone who dares to look directly into her eyes turns to stone.

Now, she must either harness her unruly powers and fight back against bounty hunters who care about greed over truth, or accidentally murder an innocent town with a single stare. Her army of rattlesnakes can’t save her now.

Trigger warnings: This novel contains an on-page execution by hanging, robbery, sexual assault, profanity, violence, and illegal activities. The author recommends mature readers ages 15 and up.