EVENTS
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Meet the Author
6:30 pm
Catherine Haustein | Snakes in the Class
@ Beaverdale Books
At Manster College, monster professors guide students in the fine art of fitting into human society–easier said than done.
Professor Gormley Grimn didn’t choose the Gorgon life—the Gorgon life chose her…sort of. Born a human, Gormley’s life was tossed into chaos during graduate school, where she was cursed by the jealous fiancée of her study partner. A monster and pursued by those who wanted to use her powers for evil, she fled, leaving those she loved behind to become a professor of chemistry at Manster College, teaching science and the fine art of fitting in to young monsters. It’s a safely secluded life, devoid of sex–until she falls into a lusty affair with Dean Ormr Snaakemon—half smooth-skinned man, half smooth-scaled snake, one hundred percent hottie. They tell themselves snakes don’t get attached, but the attraction is undeniable. Ormr’s even been trained to give pleasure by a free-loving Bacchanalian cult. Life as a cursed Gorgon finally doesn’t seem so bad. Gormley’s a lover, not a killer.
When the local Purity League vows to stamp out all monsters, she’s pushed to a decision. Should she and her students stick with her no-killing principles, or join forces with the anti-Purity League Knobbers—a group of demigods, including the woman who cursed her? When all you need is love and a college education, does anything make fighting worth it?
Catherine Haustein is a chemist and a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Her protagonists are good-hearted female scientists. She lives in the small, quiet town of Pella, Iowa, known for its Dutch roots. and loves to blog about chemicals and equality. “Is sugar toxic? Do you really need dryer sheets? Will global warming make you have to urinate more?”
A childhood spent in the Midwest and Washington D.C. left Catherine with a fascination for political intrigue. She even ran for office once. She lost but came away with a treasure-trove of observations and an appreciation for people who keep their hand on the wheel of this experiment known as democracy.
A clandestine alchemist, she’s a professor emerita of chemistry and currently a freelance chemist and author. Other than these useful skills, she has a knack for spotting four-leafed clovers. She’s also a fan of lost causes, including Medusa, who she views as completely misunderstood.