About Semele Books Semele Books is a small publisher of fine literary and artistic works intended to delight and educate. Founded in 2004 as a division of WordTek Document Services, we endeavor to produce literature that makes an enduring contribution. Why did we choose the name Semele?  In Greek mythology, Semele was the mortal mother of the god of wine Dionysus. She met an unpleasant fate after making two unfortunate mistakes. The first was taking on Zeus as a lover. The second was requesting Zeus to appear to her in divine form, which he obliged, transforming himself into a bolt of lightning and reducing Semele to ashes. Semele’s infant son, Dionysus, survived the incineration by virtue of being sewn into Zeus’ thigh, and eventually orchestrated his late mother’s resurrection from Hades to Olympus.  As an Olympian, the once mortal Semele metamorphosed into the goddess Thyrone, spending her eternal days feasting on divine ambrosia and listening to Apollo's lyre. We think Semele’s rise from the depths of obscurity to the peak of Mt. Olympus is an apt metaphor for our publishing vision, which is to bring to light previously neglected works of talented authors and make them available to discriminating readers. We only publish books that we believe people will enjoy reading and collecting with pride -- books like  Maddalena by Eva Siroka. Maddalena blends meticulously-researched historical fiction and color reproductions of Ms. Siroka’s stunning watercolor illustrations in a handsomely bound volume that reflects a dedication to detail and quality. We would love to hear your comments, observations, and suggestions. Please email feedback@semelebooks.com us with any questions so we can grow stronger and better for you, our new readers.