Weekly Roundup of History, Archaeology and Writing Wisdom Aug 17-23
Weekly Roundup of History, Archaeology and Writing Wisdom Aug 17-23
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.
Weekly Roundup of History, Archaeology and Writing Wisdom Aug 17-23
Jessica McCann builds an emotionally engaging, heartbreaking story out of a fundamentally unfair situation in American history. A free Black woman, Margaret Morgan, and her three children are kidnapped in 1837 from their home in Pennsylvania and sold into slavery.
I’m guest blogging on Type M for Murder. Come on over and hear about my soon-to-be-published book.
My favorite topics and links from this week about history, archaeology, and writing historical fiction. All put in one handy post for you.
The fifteenth Inspector Rutledge mystery will not disappoint Todd fans and should encourage new readers. The plot, set between 1916-1920, takes us to Madeira and throughout England as Rutledge tries to track down an elusive murderer. Even the victims are elusive.
The Trojan War: A Very Short History is an up to date (2013) summary of the evidence for a Trojan War by excellent scholar Eric Cline.
Next meeting date: September 21. Click through to read about the last meeting July 27 and to find out about our upcoming meetings and speakers. New members are welcome. Email Judith via this website to join.
Tim Leach has taken the Greek legend of Croesus, the extravagantly rich king of Lydia whose river, the Pactolus, flowed with gold, and retold it in a smart, meaning-laden manner that I enjoyed. This is a book that pursues the big philosophical questions.
Susan Spann’s Claws of the Cat takes us to Japan during the period of samurais and limited contact with the West. Her two “sleuths” are a most unlikely pair. Hiro, a shinobi assassin (think ninjas for the most part), is living undercover as the protector of Father Mateo, a Jesuit priest who has come to Japan to make converts. From this intriguing partnership Spann spins a mystery that won’t let go of you.
Baltakmens has created an imaginary, Dickensian city with a dark prison looming on a hill at the top of this grim, fairy tale-like world.