Review of Three Great Lies by Vanessa MacLellan
Here’s my review of a quirky time-slip novel set in Egypt. A modern tourist tumbles into the ancient world and along with a cat-headed girl assists a mummy–and herself–to find happiness.
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Judith Starkston
Judith Starkston has spent too much time exploring the remains of the ancient worlds of the Greeks and Hittites. Their myths and clashes inspire her fiction and open gates to magical realms. She has degrees in Classics from the University of California, Santa Cruz and Cornell. She loves myths and telling stories, and her novels imbue fantasy with the richness of ancient worlds. The first book in her Trojan Threads Series, Hand of Fire was a semi-finalist for the M.M. Bennett’s Award for Historical Fiction. Priestess of Ishana, the first in her historical fantasy Tesha series, won the San Diego State University Conference Choice Award. Judith is represented by Richard Curtis.
Interview about Revenge of the Witchfinder with Simon Rose
On my blog, an interview with Simon Rose about Revenge of the Witchfinder, 3rd bk in his Stone of the Seer series, historical fantasy for young adults.
Review: Love and Death among the Cheetahs by Rhys Bowen
With her Royal Spyness series, Rhys Bowen excels at giving readers lighthearted mysteries with a chewy under layer of thought-provoking elements. I particularly enjoyed Love and Death among the Cheetahs. Here’s my review.
A Hittite Bronze Helmet
Most ancient armor comes to us via burial goods, but we have virtually no grave gifts from the Hittites, so this bronze helmet from the Hittite royal city of Sapinuwa is a big deal and lots of fun. Even more so that it matches the famous King’s Gate at Hattusa.
Tut’s Missing Collar
What happened to King Tut’s faience and gold collar? Revealed in 1925, it was gone by 1968. Read the case of Tut’s missing collar.
Writers Seminar: Do’s & Don’ts, Dialog, & Setting
Join me for a writers seminar on November 5, 12-4:15 pm in Elk Grove, California (near Sacramento). I’m teaching how to write better dialogue.
Dazzling Aten & Amenhotep’s Mortuary Temple
You’d think there wouldn’t be vast new archaeological discoveries in Egypt. In fact, recent years have brought to light both Amenhotep’s mortuary temple and an entire city, called Tehn Aten, or Dazzling Aten (the sun god). It’s all pretty extraordinary.
Review of The Monsters We Defy, by Leslye Penelope
Here’s my review of Lesley Penelope’s engaging fantasy set in Washington, D.C. in 1925 that incorporates Black folk traditions of magic.
Griffin Warrior Tomb at Pylos
I’ve written before about the Griffin Warrior tomb, a fabulous unrobbed Mycenaean find at Pylos. But I can’t resist sharing this pleasant write up and photos in National Geographic. The “Griffin Warrior” tomb stands out as one of the great finds of this generation.
Review of What Should Be Wild by Julia Fine
My review of Julia Fine’s What Should Be Wild, a fairytale-like novel of a wild wood and several generations of magical women who live there. Both dark and dryly humorous.