Melrose grew up by the beach, but you won’t mistake her writing for breezy summertime fare.

Melrose often writes from the perspective of Freya (Old Norse Freyja, meaning “lady”), the Germanic or Norse goddess of love and war. Freya is renowned (or notorious) for her fondness of practicing shamanism/magic, beauty, sex, fertility, and delighted in the finer things in life. Freya is said to have lived among the Vikings, and whose knowledge and power are almost without equal.

In reference and gratitude to Daniel McCoy: Freya - Norse Mythology for Smart People (norse-mythology.org)