In celebration of the upcoming release of a novel in six parts--A Day of Fire: A Novel of Pompeii--we are giving away a necklace and earring set inspired by ancient Roman jewelry (enter the giveaway here). The novel was the brainchild of Stephanie Dray and Kate Quinn ad I feel very fortunate to be among such stellar historical fiction writers, including Ben Kane, Sophie … [Read more...] about The Inspiration Behind the Pompeii Necklace
Curses and Smoke
Real Pyroclastic Surges
At the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville, I gave a presentation with fellow historical fiction author (and new friend!) Kim Teter. During my talk, a video of a real pyroclastic surge I wanted to play for the audience wouldn't cooperate, so I told everyone that I would put it on my blog. So here it is! This, my friends, is what killed everyone in Pompeii. However, our … [Read more...] about Real Pyroclastic Surges
Even Gladiators Would’ve Changed the Redskins Name
The Daily Show's bit on the meeting of die-hard Redskins fans with Native Americans who oppose the use of the epithet as a football team's name was disappointingly tame. Where were the high emotions, the tears, and the outrage of those poor beleaguered fans who found themselves "ambushed" by those who find the name deeply hurtful and insulting? Where was the woman who called … [Read more...] about Even Gladiators Would’ve Changed the Redskins Name
How Deep is Your Geek?
You know you're a total geek when you actual tear-up in the face of ancient artifacts. This happened twice to me in the past week. The first time occurred while I was at SIBA, the trade show for the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance in Norfolk, VA. I was there to moderate a historical fiction panel with authors, Tosca Lee (The Legend of Sheba), Bruce Holsinger (A … [Read more...] about How Deep is Your Geek?
Excellent New Video on Life as a Gladiator
My novel of Pompeii is set in a gladiatorial school, so I was excited to see this short documentary-like video about what life was really like for gladiators. I'll admit I gave a little squee when the medicus showed up, given that Tag, one of the main characters in Curses and Smoke: A Novel of Pompeii, is a medical slave in a struggling gladiatorial school of his own. The film … [Read more...] about Excellent New Video on Life as a Gladiator
