The Dangerous Pleasures of Research by Iva Polansky The Boarding House for Single Gentlemen is on sale July 1-5 Research is not as hard as it used to be. Twelve years ago, when I wrote my first novel Fame and Infamy, set in the 1870s Paris, I was new at the game… Read More »The Dangerous Pleasure of Research by Iva Polansky
What is it about Marlowe that captures our imaginations? He’s James Dean meets Lord Byron, Shakespeare’s mentor, the quintessentially Elizabethan combination of poetry, mystery, and action. The Portrait: We don’t really know much about him, beyond the odd scraps in college account books and a note here and there from a… Read More »The Irresistible Christopher Marlowe by Anna Castle
My latest book – or series of books – is The Driver Trilogy. It takes place mainly in San Francisco, in the late 19th Century. I have here a few thoughts about how the series came to be, and perhaps about historical fiction in general. I’ll start with The Driver, first book in the… Read More »The Driver Trilogy and Other Thoughts by Steve Bartholomew
Pompey the Great’s youngest son, Sextus, is featured throughout three of my books thus far. Betrayal and murder are not uncommon throughout ancient Roman history, but young Sextus was dealt a particularly cruel hand in every respect. The teenage chancer who fought Julius Caesar in Libertas did his utmost to keep the… Read More »Sextus Pompey – Angry Youth and Vengeful Pirate, by Alistair Forrest
by Judith Starkston During my research for my latest book, Of Kings and Griffins, I couldn’t help but notice all the Hittite griffins frescoed on throne rooms, depicted on royal seals, painted onto vases, and generally sprinkled throughout the ancient iconography. Griffins are gorgeous mythical creatures with a definite attitude… Read More »Lions and Tigers and Griffins?! Oh My!