Vicky/Victoria is the author of multiple books set in or about the ancient world. She writes as Vicky Alvear Shecter for children and as Victoria Alvear for adults. Her latest release, The Cleansing, is a gritty, dark historical fiction for adults. It is based on the true story of an ancient Roman Vestal Virgin priestess accused of “having sex” and thus blamed for the massacre of 50,000 soldiers in one day at the Battle of Cannae. She defends herself in court against hostile religious leaders who are determined to have her punished for her so-called “crime”–which requires her to be buried alive.
NYT bestselling author Kate Quinn called the book, “…all at once a shocking true story, a searing courtroom drama and a scathing indictment of religion in politics.” Midwest Book Review said of the book, “Original, exceptional, deftly crafted and a simply riveting read from cover to cover, The Cleansing will hold a very special attraction for readers with an interest in a suspense thriller set in an Ancient Rome…”
Her collaborative novel, A Day of Fire: A Novel of Pompeii, was optioned in 2025 by Amazon/UK for a six-part series. Ridley Scott productions is heading the project.
Her young adult novel, Cleopatra’s Moon, was called “magical” by the Los Angeles Times, while many of her mid-grade nonfiction titles have earned numerous distinctions.
Victoria/Vicky has been a docent for the Carlos Museum of Antiquities at Emory University for nearly 20 years. There she delights in sharing her passion and fascination with the ancient world with tours focusing on the museum’s world-renowned ancient Egyptian, Roman, and Greek galleries. She named her 8-lb dog Odysseus and calls him “Ody.” Like his namesake, Ody is always up to something daring and devious.
In 2019, Vicky introduced herself to fifth-grade students of two schools with whom she was paired to serve as a writing mentor (via #kidsneedmentors).
In 2015, Neptune Middle School in Florida announced Vicky’s visit with this fun production:
Vicky at National Junior Classical League Convention in 2014
Photo credits:
Photographs of Vicky Alvear Shecter: Vania Stoyanova
Slider photograph of the pyramids of Giza: © Hedwig Storch, licensed via Creative Commons
