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.

Growing Characters, Bad Pigs, Ancient Trees

April 3, 2020April 3, 2020

Writing characters into cooperation. In archaeology news read about the origins of pig taboos and tree ring news about Thera.

Brainstorming Plot Chasms, Egyptian Shabti Figures & Zeugma Mosaics

March 27, 2020March 27, 2020

I’ve been fixing plot holes. In archaeology news read about the afterlife servants in Egyptian tombs & Roman mosaics in Turkey.

photo of gardens and Roman temple at Vindolanda

Writing in a Pandemic, Roman Britain & Tracking Thutmose’s Tomb

March 20, 2020March 20, 2020

The disorientation of writing in a world turned upside down. In archaeology news, read about Vindolanda’s top treasures & a chest with Thutmose II’s name on it.

The Writing Pit of Passivity, a Naked Mummy & 83 Graves

March 13, 2020March 13, 2020

I saved my main character from the writing pit of passivity. In archaeology news, read about medical exam of a mummy and 83 unexpected graves in Egypt.

Writing Character, Roman Model, Luwian Hieroglyphs

March 6, 2020March 6, 2020

Writing complex character. In archaeology news read about a grand model of ancient Rome and an Iron Age king uncovered in Turkey.

Writing an Ambiguous Foe, Tut’s Extra Room & Amazon Warriors

February 28, 2020February 29, 2020

I’m tackling the complex problem of developing foes in my fiction who are at least partially on the right side of history. In archaeology news, read about a possible chamber behind Tut and Amazon warriors in Russia.

Teaching Writing from GoT, Archaeology Horrors & Surprises

February 20, 2020February 20, 2020

How to write believable, emotionally engagin fantasy using history. In archaeology news read about ancient human sacrifices & a beautiful Egyptian coffin.

Reading Oracles, Athenian curses and Bronze Age Tilmen

February 14, 2020February 14, 2020

My research and fictional reconstruction of a Hittite oracle. In archaeology news read about Athenian curse tablets and the Bronze Age site in Turkey of Tilmen.