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.
Steve Weigenstein, whose novel This Old World is also on the long list for the MM Bennett’s Award for Historical Fiction, posted an interview and review of Hand of Fire.
My favorites around the web this week: Laura Kelley on ancient chilis, clever engineering in the Acropolis, Laura Libricz on Dutch East India Company, Nancy Bilyeau on how much violence in Tudor fiction, a cartoon for the linguistically delighting, Elizabeth Chadwick on Medieval gambling, and Simon Wood on building a villain.
Here are my favorite posts around the web this week: Hittite festivals by Sevil Conka, historical fiction writers and historians, interview with Nancy Bilyeau, Medieval priories by Priscilla Royal, photos of the desert in bloom and Homeric papyrus suffers ignominious fate.
Posts I enjoyed around the web this week: Boudica takes on the Romans by Faith Justice, fun facts re Rome fr the BBC, a reader cartoon, Hatra gets bulldozed, Wicked Women of the Old West by Chris Enss, keeping the big dollops of unsavory fat out of one’s historical fiction by Kate Forsyth
Here are my web favorites this week, lots of historical fiction recommendations and archaeology news. Join me at the Tucson Festival of Books this March 14-15
I’m thrilled to announce Hand of Fire has made it through the first round of judging for the prestigious MM Bennett’s Award for Historical Fiction. My fellow long-listers are an impressive group.
Tucson Festival of Books March 14-15. Come join Judith for two signings and two panels with authors Alex Kava, Becky Masterman, Thomas Perry, Elizabeth Gunn, Susan Cummins Miller, J.M. Hayes. From around the web: Mary Tod on Social Reading, Sevil Conka on Yasar Kemal.
My favorite posts this week around the web: an upcoming lecture in Phoenix on Egyptian archaeology, divination dig in Armenia, Nancy Bilyeau on Cromwell & Moore portraits, Sheila Dalton on 17th C contraception.
Interview with Judith Starkston about Hand of Fire on the UTube Channel, Fantasy Fiction Focus
My favorite posts around the web this week: Archaeology from Neolithic to Roman, Pat Bracewell’s research, saffron.
