There's a local chef celebrity in my neighborhood. Jim Stacy, owner of the Pallookaville restaurant, is known for his clever takes on traditional southern foods. His outsized personality (which matches his 6'6" frame) has turned his latest creation into a huge hit. Gourmet corn dogs and liquored up milk-shakes? Yes, please. I didn't think I could love the place … [Read more...] about The Joy of Feasting Like a Roman–For Real!
Modern Echoes
Immersing A School in Mythology
Recently, I had the most wonderful school visit at Neptune Middle School in central Florida. Every year, students choose which author they would like to invite for their author visit and they chose me after reading Cleopatra Rules! The Amazing Life of the Original Teen Queen. Before I came, the kids created a trailer to generate interest and excitement. Check out their great … [Read more...] about Immersing A School in Mythology
Learning from the Poop Masters
Researchers have learned that dung beetles use the Milky Way to navigate in a straight line as they push their stolen balls of poop to safety. Let me repeat that--the smallest, smelliest, weirdest among us somehow orient themselves via the edges of our own galaxy to get around. Dude, the best we can do is plug into our GPSs and yet still manage to get lost (I speak from … [Read more...] about Learning from the Poop Masters
Ancient Egypt’s Strange Practice of Animal Mummification
Try wrapping your head around this: excavators in Egypt have found four million cat mummies, seven million dog mummies, four million ibis mummies and tens of thousands of other mummified animals, big and small--including bulls, mice, snakes, baboons, lions, and even bugs! Apparently, the ancient Egyptian philosophy of "Go Big or Go Home!" didn't just apply to the … [Read more...] about Ancient Egypt’s Strange Practice of Animal Mummification
The Inspiration Behind the Pompeii Necklace
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
