Busting Gladiator Myths
Busting Gladiator Myths Before I researched my newest novel, Sword of the Gladiatrix, I got most of my ideas and impressions of gladiators from the media: Russell Crowe in Gladiator and (for those of us of a certain age) Kirk Douglas in Spartacus. More recently Starz...
Women Gladiators? Really?
Women Gladiators? Really? Yes, really! Whenever I pitched Sword of the Gladiatrix as my “lesbian gladiator novel,” I encountered raised eyebrows and skeptical snorts. The first question everyone asked: “Were there really lesbian gladiators?” My answer: “Of course!” We...
Food in the First Century Roman Empire
Food in the First Century Roman Empire Prism Book Alliance pitched me the guest post topic: “If your character could only eat ten foods for the rest of her life, what would they be and why?” I was initially stumped then delighted. Historical fiction writers are...
How I Die a Dozen Deaths
How I Die a Dozen Deaths “How do you think you would do in a battle arena?” When I got this suggested topic, I thought to myself, “Great! Shortest blog post ever—I die!” Then I thought about it and realized there are a few—very few—situations where I might survive....
Boudica, Queen of the Iceni: Two books
Boudica, Queen of the Iceni: Two books We authors—especially of historical fiction—cannot get along without our research books. (We also like to visit the places we write about, explore museum exhibits, and participate in archaeology and reenactments, but this...
Boudica, Warrior Queen
Boudica, Warrior Queen It’s Women’s History Month and I’ve exhausted my favorite topic of Hypatia, Lady Philosopher of Alexandria. Time to move on to another fascinating woman who has been extensively mythologized: Boudica, Queen of the Iceni (a British Celtic tribe)...
Book Review and Giveaway: “Hand of Fire” by Judith Starkston
Book Review and Giveaway: "Hand of Fire" by Judith Starkston I get pitched a lot of books. I usually accept about one a month. I like most of them and write a paragraph or two on GoodReads.com, LibraryThing.com or Amazon.com. A very few get the full blog treatment....
Writing Process Blog Tour!
Writing Process Blog Tour! I see these things going around the internet all the time: “Name ten things that no one else knows about you.” “Name five books that changed your life.” AND “Tap ten of your nearest and dearest to answer the same question.” Shades of chain...
The Other Lady Philosophers
The Other Lady Philosophers It's Women's History Month and I'm back with the latest installment on my favorite Lady Philosopher, Hypatia of Alexandria. This year I'm tackling Hypatia's sister philosophers. Hypatia didn't spring from her father's forehead fully girded...
Book Review: “Princesses Behaving Badly: Real Stories from History without the Fairy-Tale Endings” by Linda Rodriquez McRobbie
Princesses Behaving Badly: Real Stories from History without the Fairy-Tale Endings by Linda Rodriquez McRobbie "Once upon a time, there lived a beautiful princess who wasn't afraid to cheat, deceive, seduce or murder anyone who got in her way." I like these...
Book Review: “Daughters of Copper Woman” by Anne Cameron
Daughters of Copper Woman by Anne Cameron From the opening story "Copper Woman": And then the Creator, who is neither male nor female, man nor woman, but both, and something more than either…took the shells of the sea and the minerals of the rocks and fashioned a...
Where Are All the Strong Women?
Where Are All the Strong Women? Readers of this blog know I like to highlight fiction and non-fiction that present capable women with strong personalities. I read a post in a forum recently that intrigued me. The person was looking for historical fiction...