by Stephanie Dray | Apr 4, 2011 | Historical Fiction Genre, Miscellany
It may come as a surprise to most people, but the dominant historical setting in commercial fiction isn’t Tudor England. It’s Regency England–the godzilla of the romantic fiction world. I’d like to point out a surprising number of similarities...
by Stephanie Dray | Mar 27, 2011 | Historical Fiction Genre
Historical fiction exists in the sometimes murky world between literature and scholarship. As authors, we rely upon sources both in the public domain and out of it, both contemporary and ancient. Yet, no uniform procedures or system for recording and giving credit to...
by Stephanie Dray | Mar 23, 2011 | Entertainment, Fun Stuff, Miscellany
I first came to admire Elizabeth Taylor for her definitive portrayal of Cleopatra in the 1963 production. She never won an award for it–those accolades would come from other movies–and Elizabeth Taylor’s antics, on and off the set, bankrupted a...
by Stephanie Dray | Mar 9, 2011 | Miscellany
In case you didn’t know, today is International Women’s Day. This year’s theme is how to increase opportunity for women to gain education in science, math, and technology. However, this might be a good year to think about the rights of women as...
by Stephanie Dray | Mar 3, 2011 | Cleopatra Selene, Daughters of the Nile, For Readers, Heroines, Lily of the Nile, Research, Song of the Nile
The capital city of ancient Mauretania was Iol-Caesaria, which is located in modern day Cherchell, Algeria. It often helps me, when I’m writing, to have visual reminders of where my characters lived–to make the setting come alive. Frankly, very little of...
