Fernanda Contreras Gomez pens debut fantasy novel

Mexico's Fernanda Contreras Gomez boasts several titles in her tennis career: Vanderbilt University All-American, where she set the school record for wins; 2020 Billie Jean King Cup Americas Heart Award winner; and Top 100 WTA doubles player.

But now, she can soon add another: published author. The 26-year-old announced on social media Tuesday that her first novel, a historical fiction book titled "Rise of the Darkness," is now available for pre-order, and will be released in the coming weeks.

Set in modern-day London, the novel follows British Museum curator Leo Clarkson, who must investigate the disappearance of a fellow curator, who left behind an old leather armband that one belonged to Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, as one of the only clues.

"Dive in and become part of a world where magic and reality coalesce, where destinies are shaped by courage, and where the exploration of one's soul is as captivating as the journey itself," she wrote on Instagram announcing the book, which she penned under her pen name, FC Gomez.

Last year at Wimbledon, Contreras Gomez told journalist Reem Abulleil that she started writing the novel during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, while the tennis tour was on hiatus, and that the idea for the novel came to her while visiting a museum. She called it "really fun" to write, and a "de-stresser during the pandemic."

“It's kind of like a Dan Brown type of vibe. Like a Ken Follett novel. So it's a little bit about mythology and fiction, but tied with current events,” she told Abulleil.

The 26-year-old Contreras Gomez reached a career-high ranking of No. 139 in singles last October, and reached a career-high doubles ranking of No. 99 in May. She reached her first career WTA doubles final on home soil in Monterrey this year, partnering Aussie Kimberly Birrell.