(This is my book from 2007-2009 that was a finalist in the Pacific Northwest Writers Association (PNWA) 2022 literary contest.)
Within Her Reach is a tale of two women, a muse and an author, who have long neglected their callings and are forced to take action to fulfill them.
Alethea Patrianakou is a lesser, or mortal, muse. Daughter of the Goddess-Muse Terpsichore and a famous Greek actor, she has always known that this would be her vocation and that it would never be enough. She pouts and plays through life knowing she’ll never have what she really wants: immortality.
Liz Dietrich has a young daughter, a loving husband and a job she has no trouble leaving at the end of the day. Since college she’s had a string of great story ideas, but never written any of them. One by one she’s seen “her” novel ideas published by others. Liz is unaware that she has a muse — or had until about two years ago when Alethea gave up in disgust.
When a scandal causes Goddess-Muse Thalia to lose her place among the gods, a challenge is issued to lesser muses who wish to fill the available spot. Alethea suddenly has a shot at immortality — if Liz writes a book in four weeks.