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.
My weekly favorites around the web: Macedonian tombs & Canaanite wine cellars, the Iliad and China policy, writing teenagers in historical fiction (Deb Swift), and debunking medieval myths (Kim Kendfeld), and 17th C witch-hunting (Anna Belfrage).
Find out how I dress my royal characters from the Trojan and Hittite world–the evidence is a bit unusual!
Sharon Kay Penman’s epic novel of the latter part of Richard the Lionheart’s life, A King’s Ransom, engages in some literary alchemy.
My favorites on the web this week: archaeology breaking out all over, mystery tomb in Macedonia, Bronze Age baby rattles, Parthenon marbles, mummies and Deb Swift on writing a deaf character in the 17th C
My weekly web favorites: English beer making, Israeli mosaics, terrible book covers, interviews with Emma Campion & Diana Gabaldon, Sharon Kay Penman’s reading list, debunking religious myths in early America.
Review of Helen Hollick’s Sea Witch: a rich pirate yarn with magic mixed into the ships and battles–oh, and a love story.
My favs on the web this week: Witches & vampires fr historian Deborah Harkness, the state of historical fiction via The Guardian, truth and lies in historical fiction via Lisa Yarde, the Holy Grail via Jeri Westerson, Zelda and Scott via Spargo and a new find on Cyprus.
My favorites around the web this week: HNS on my book, Kim Rendfeld on a Medieval Cat poem, historical maps fr USGS, sunken ships off Turkey, and a debate, does little stuff cause the big stuff in history?
Book Launch of Hand of Fire at the Poisoned Pen Bookstore on September 10th. Join Judith Starkston in the celebration!
My favorites on the web this week: Nancy Bilyeau on endings, Alison McMahan on voice, Medieval Japan and WWI in lit, & a winning novel from Rebecca Cantrell.
