Got the 'first-pass' typeset pages of my novel decorated with all of my editor's notes. On the one hand, seems like a lot, though thankfully, Cheryl Klein (aka Editor Goddess) tells me it's not all that unusual for her. On the other, I'm so relieved that somebody is so ON it! It's like having a super-strong safety net.The book, CLEOPATRA'S MOON, is a YA historical fiction based … [Read more...] about Post-It Parade
Kids, Crowns and Cleopatra
Check out the awesome snake neck-lace courtesy of my novel editorin New York. The Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University hosted a program for kids this past Sunday based on my book. We started off with a short reading and discussion. Even though there was a great age range (3rd to 9th grade!), I was impressed by the kids' … [Read more...] about Kids, Crowns and Cleopatra
I’m Giving Away Copies of CLEOPATRA RULES!
Here's what you gotta do to win your own copy of Cleopatra Rules! The Amazing Life of the Original Teen Queen: Go to the bank and ask for ten thousand unmarked bills. Bring the cash to a locker at the midtown train station and then... Oh wait. Wrong plan. No, what I want you to do is...(drum roll please)...leave a … [Read more...] about I’m Giving Away Copies of CLEOPATRA RULES!
The Dirt on Cleopatra’s Makeup
The Roman poet Lucan is like the Perez Hilton* of the ancient world: snarky, gossipy and full of dirt on the glitterati. Take, for example, his description of Cleopatra as a “fatal beauty,” “thick” with cosmetics. Oh snap! The ability to complement and insult someone in the same breath was obviously a fine art way before Hollywood even had hills. Later in the … [Read more...] about The Dirt on Cleopatra’s Makeup
Classics And The Hunger Games Trilogy
Plutarch, Cato, Octavia, Fulvia, Brutus, Castor & Pollux. You'd expect to see these names in history books, but as character names in the hottest young adult (YA) blockbuster? Not so much. And yet, Suzanne Collins, the author of the HUNGER GAMES trilogy, seems bent on making us think about the ancient world.The most obvious classical connection in the trilogy, of course, is … [Read more...] about Classics And The Hunger Games Trilogy