The Laurel

by Liz DeJesus

In the caves of Olympus, the Moirae spin the strands of destiny while the gods play games with the lives of mortals.When Zeus eyes the fair Leto, he takes her as his lover. She bears him the twins Apollo and Artemis, but her life is spent hiding from his jealous wife Hera, her heart longing to join the lover she can no longer have. As the twins age, Zeus gives them the gift of immortality, much to Hera's frustration. Artemis, who has never forgotten the heartache Zeus caused her mother, leaves thoughts of love behind to live a solitary life. Her brother, Apollo, however, longs to find the one love with which to spend eternity. Upon spying the beautiful nymph Daphne by a river, he is captivated. As his infatuation grows, he believes he has finally found the one. Unbeknownst to Apollo, there are other games at play and people on the fringes of his life have plans of their own. Their actions will be the catalyst to an outcome that will teach the gods that there are some things over which even they do not have domain.

170 pages, Paperback

First published November 28, 2014

About the author

Liz DeJesus is a novelist, freelance writer, and a writing coach. She has been writing for as long as she was capable of holding a pen. She is the author of The Jackets (Arte Publico Press, March 2011) The Frost Series, Morgan, The Laurel, Girl, Mugshots, Zombie Ever After and ABC's With the Vejigantes. Her work has also appeared in Twice Upon a Time (Bearded Scribe Press, Winter 2015) and Someone Wicked (Smart Rhino Publications, Winter 2013). Her articles have been featured in Southern Writers Magazine.
​​
Liz is also the co-founder of the Hockessin Art and Book Fair, Anime Day and Bento Con.
​
She is also the winner of the 2023 Delaware Individual Artist Fellowship: Emerging, Literature: Creative Non-fiction, ABCs With the Vejigantes won 1st place at the 2023 Delaware Press Association Communications Contest Awards and 1st place at the 2023 NFPW Professional Communications Contest. She was recently awarded the 2024 Artist Opportunity Grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts.