Out of all the Greek tales, the story of Persephone and Hades always stuck with me. I think it was the pathos, tragedy and romance of the tale alongside its darkness that captured me. I always swore I would one day write about it but I didn't want to "castrate" the story--as in Disney-fy it. It original story was beautiful yet grim--it was not "nice" per se...it had layers of complexity to it. Most Greek tale adaptions tend to take these elements out or water them down--I didn't want to. BUT--I also wanted to put my own mark on the tale and make it my own. I wrote the screenplay and graphic novel LA PETITE MORTE in 1999. And have been tweaking it ever since. I actually had a few agents shop it--even had nibbles but since it was a period piece ( I placed my tale in a 17th century like time space) most feared the cost associated with it--first time writers barely obtain that kind of capital. One agent asked me if I would consider animating it...and here we are! I changed the name of the screenplay from LA PETITE MORT (which means the littel death in french and refers to both sleep and intense orgasms) to Death and The Maiden and sought to animate it myself... Now, so close to my own goal I am excited--its like I get to see the folks I envisioned in my mind spring out of my head, as Minerva once did from the cranium of Zeus... Like, OMG--that is so Kewl! LOL Now Primary character Lady Persephone gave me the most fits on development--I didn't want her to be a typical witchy-poo Goth--in fact she would appear to be the opposite--with a grand lust for life and a smidge of the macabre. Her seemingly contradictory fascination with death ( as in visiting grave yards and sites of executions) is what underline her ideals. In other words--Persi loves life because she constantly reminds herself of its fragility. The daughter of a Moor-like Nobel man and a French Aristocrat--Persephone and Sister Madeline play amongst the noble classes and have earned the reputation of being a bit--odd. Still, Mother Gabrielle manages to get Persephone a promise to marry--little do either of them know that Persephone's fate may not be with a worldy suitor...