I’m happily buried in the first draft of the next Hittite mystery (yes, I know, the first one isn’t out yet, but it will be). First drafts are both a pleasure and a misery. They are incredibly hard for me, but I love the challenge and the stretch to my imagination that they require. So if I’ve tuned out the world, that’s just life.
Last weekend I had a great time moderating three panels at the Tucson Festival of Books. I had the pleasure of reading and getting to know several excellent writers (and revisiting a couple ones already much beloved). There’s an excellent energy to a festival that brings 120,000 readers all in one place for two days of listening to authors and chatting with them and enjoying the sunshine and camaraderie. It was especially fun for me this year because I had as partner in crime all weekend Pat Staes, whose book The Bruges Tapestry should be on your to-be-read list.
Here are some posts from around the web that I enjoyed this week:
Still littered with patrons’ drinking bowls, a Roman tavern in Iron Age southern France reveals the transition from Celtic society to Roman influence. An abundance of drinking cups, bones, ovens and grinding stones indicates a communal eating area that would not have existed before Roman conquest in 125 BC. This is a site that’s been excavated since 1980 but now this intriguing building came to light, and archaeologists think it tells them about the key point of shift to Roman lifestyle. Click here for “Roman Tavern Discovered in Ancient France”
A cartoon to lighten your day: keyboard shortcuts—wouldn’t it be nice if a draft could be fixed with these? Via Janet Rudolph Click here for Mystery Fanfare “Cartoon of the Day Keyboard Shortcuts”
The official report from the scans of possible rooms behind Tut’s tomb suggests there are two rooms and also points to organic material, metal and doorways in those rooms. They will do more scans as they figure out how to enter these spaces without causing damage. Click here for Archaeology Magazine “Tutankhamun Tomb Scan”
And here’s the National Geographic article on these ever-more possible hidden rooms behind Tut. This one discusses the interesting idea that it’s Nerfertiti’s tomb behind. What’s your favorite candidate for the tomb behind the tomb? Click here for National Geographic “Scans of King Tut Tomb Reveal New Evidence of Hidden Rooms”
As always, your tidbits are a wealth of information. Good to have seen you. Waiting to see your next book(s).
It was great to see you. Glad you like my bits and pieces.
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