Interview about Royal Blood with Simon Rose
On my blog, an interview with Simon Rose about Royal Blood, 2nd bk in his Stone of the Seer series, historical fantasy for young adults.
Home » Weekly Posts »
Weekly Posts
Life of Egyptian Pyramid Builders: Not What You Think
What comes to mind when you think of ancient Egyptian pyramid builders? Not a life full of high status responsibilities and good food. And yet, the papyrus logbooks indicate these surprising aspects. Read on.
Review of The Undertakers by Nicole Glover
Nicole Glover’s The Undertakers, in her Black speculative fiction Murder and Magic series, features husband and wife magical practitioners who operate as both undertakers and detectives in post-Civil War Philadelphia. My review of this entertaining mix of historical and magical mystery.
Writing Better Dialogue Workshop
The Writer’s Connection at Desert Foothills Library is hosting me to teach a dialogue workshop (on Zoom) July 1, 1-3 pm Arizona time. It’s free and open to everyone. Writing dialogue well has never come easily to me, but there are good techniques that anyone can learn.
New Money in the Ancient World
It turns out the “invention” of money in the ancient Near East came about during a time of crisis and shrinking economy. It starts with handy “portable wealth.”
Review of When Blood Lies, C.S. Harris
Sometimes long-running series like C.S. Harris’s Sebastian St. Cyr Mysteries loose steam, but that is definitely not the case with When Blood Lies, book 17 of her series. It was named Editor’s Choice in Historical Novels Review. My review.
Goddesses and Mythic Transmission
An article about a book called Goddesses of Myth and Cultural Memory has me thinking more about the blending and borrowing across the ancient Mediterranean, European, and Near Eastern world.
Schliemann, the Discoverer & Destroyer of Troy
In the annals of archaeology one man stands out as a particularly egregious villain. Like various contemporary “visionary” businessmen today, Heinrich Schliemann used his abundant cash to do whatever he wanted and ignored the scientific, expert advice of his day. That didn’t work out well for the archaeological remains of Troy.
Review of The Raven Spell
Today I’m sharing a review of a book by Luanne G. Smith that I really enjoyed reading. With page-turning effect, The Raven Spell combines vividly portrayed Victorian London, a serial murder mystery, a detective with amnesia, and witches.
The Bow of Odysseus: Ancient vs Modern Weapons
Odysseus was the clever Greek hero, even devious. He was a man of mind power over brute force. However, he was no slouch as a warrior, especially with his bow. Smithsonian and Bettany Hughes compare the ancient Greek composite bow to a “hyper-modern” one. How does one of my favorite legendary heroes hold up?