Rose Eleusis asked Suzanne Thackston:

How do you write respectful/reverent depictions of the Theoi in fiction while still creating a compelling narrative? How does your relationship with the Gods change the way you write about Them? I've been chewing on this a lot lately, especially as I write more about the Theoi and reread some of the (unflattering) mythology depictions that I grew up with.

Suzanne Thackston What a good question. Let me try to distill the very long answer into something that fits in this forum.
Firstly, I strive in all things to be as honest as I can, and that's where I start, with writing from a place of love and pure honesty. So when I'm writing a dark tale about Them like this one, I'm always coming from that place- honest in that They can be terrifying, and also love because They are never evil. I never need to make fun of Them like Riordan or present Them as petty as so many do. Holy terror is real and pure, and if you can survive it, transformational. When I'm writing a really dark scene, I go there first, then write it. When I write it, I try to keep in the forefront of my mind my love for Them. The love that is every bit as real as the terror.
Hope that makes a little sense.

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