by Stephanie Dray | Aug 24, 2010 | Fun Stuff, Miscellany
On August 24, 79 AD, Mount Vesuvius exploded, killing thousands and burying Pompeii under a layer of ash. You might not think this is cause to celebrate, but the largest volcanic explosion in recorded history is apparently a holiday. Perhaps this is meant in the sober...
by Stephanie Dray | Aug 22, 2010 | Fun Stuff
Okay, how great is this? My friend Karen Wester Newton just informed me that Vicky Alvear Shecter has a book out this month called Cleopatra Rules: The Amazing Life of the Original Teen Queen. Sure, my books are dark and angsty tomes, but that doesn’t mean I...
by Stephanie Dray | Aug 13, 2010 | Fun Stuff, Miscellany
In writing the sequel to Lily of the Nile, I’ve done a fair amount of research on ancient chariot races, but one of the most distressing things about writing historical fiction is that most of your research never makes it into the book. I guess that’s what...
by Stephanie Dray | Aug 11, 2010 | Fun Stuff
A Cabinet of Roman Curiosities: Strange Tales & Surprising Facts from the World’s Greatest Empire by JC McKeown sounds like it’s a book right up my alley so I thought I’d share it with all of you. This review made me laugh. I’m not sure how...
by Stephanie Dray | Aug 3, 2010 | Cleopatra Selene
When Cleopatra was wooing Marc Antony, she bet him that she could spend an outrageous fortune on a single meal. He doubted her. In response, she is said to have dissolved a valuable pearl in vinegar and gulped it down. But is the story true? No one knows for certain,...
