Q & A’s for ‘The Shadow Sister’

1) How does the third sister, Star, relate to her mythological counterpart?
In Greek mythology, Asterope is the sister we know the least about. She is outshone by the other stars in the Pleiades cluster, and, as Star discovers when she looks through Pa Salt’s telescope, Asterope is in fact made up of two weakly shining stars that sit closely together. This forms the basis of her character: a young woman always in the shadows, closed off from others, but with another side to her that is yet to be discovered.

In legend, she is always accompanied by her sister Celaeno, who is stronger and louder than her. Their close relationship really fascinated me as, squashed into the middle of their six-sister family, Star and CeCe are forced into co-dependency and develop their own special relationship.

In the entanglement of myths, it is said that Asterope either became the wife or the mother of Oenomaus, who was later the King of Pisa. The many contradictions in Greek myth have been tricky for me to manoeuvre, but I decided to fully embrace these two stories. My Oenomaus – Mouse – is surly and complex, but has a deep heart. He struggles to embrace his role as father to Rory, and as Lord of High Weald. Star takes on the role of both romantic partner to him, as well as mother to Rory … their fate is truly written in the stars (or, well… by me!) The moment when Star discovers Mouse’s true name is perhaps my favourite in the book.