Aries the Ram
The zodiac procession begins with Aries. Fiery, impetuous, and willing to lead, Aries folk make their own blood and the blood of others boil. But what of the mascot attributed to Aries? What of Aries the ram?
The story most accepted with ties to the Aries the ram constellation and sign is the story of Jason and the Golden Fleece. But before Aries the ram was reduced to a fleece, it was a plucky savior of children. See, there once was a king named Athamus of Boetia and he wasn’t content with monogamy. He dipped his toe into polygamy with the acquisition of a troublemaker wife named Ino. Ino wasn’t into sharing; she set out to rid herself of Athamus’s heirs. Nephele, wife numero uno, wasn’t down with that shit. Ino did her best to convince Athamus to sacrifice his son, Phrixus, to Zeus (man, what is it with father/son/ram sacrifice combos? Was all the rage in the B.C.) but Phrixus and his sister Helle were swept off to safety on the back of Aries the ram sent by Zeus. This ram could fly, and as they fled, Helle didn’t have her seat belt on and fell into the drink separating Europe and Asia. Her body has been flavoring Turkish Delight in Istanbul ever since. Phrixus, in jubilation over being spared sacrifice, looked at the ram and thought, I suppose I should kill you for your kindness. Then he skinned the poor bastard and gave the fleece to King Aeetes of Crete. That dude kept the wool of Aries in a copse of trees, guarded by a snake. When Jason decided he would look good in gold, he stole into the woods with the king’s daughter, and she put the snake under a sleeping spell. The lovers got the fleece and literally sailed off into the sunset on the Argo.
Thus ends the tale of Aries the ram.
Like all cycles of the zodiac, there are myths linked to the mascot of each sign. While doing research in preparation for the first book in my series, I decided that this mythological tale would inform the plot of The Ram, cycle 1 of The Blood Zodiac. In fact, all the books in the series incorporate either one or more myths associated with each of the astrological signs. 
I’ve been working away, rather silently, on my next series for nearly three years now. With the occasional blog post about The Blood Zodiac books here and there, I’ve hinted at my work. Initially I set out to write twelve book in twelve months. The task turned out to be more laborious and taxing and I had to give myself more time (duh, you may be thinking, but when I’m productive, I’m like the brood mother in Aliens productive). So one year became three, and though I wrote Aries in March and April of 2013, it’s back to a keen freshness in my mind.
The Ram, cycle 1 in The Blood Zodiac, will be released in a matter of months. March 21st, 2016. If one reads the coming novel with a background of astrological knowledge, the story is accessible at variable depths. At least part of the story behind Aries the ram mythology plays out in The Ram. Which part and to what extent is for you to find out.
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