What inspired Roma Nova?

I’m often asked this when I do interviews, talks or simply chatting to readers, but I don’t think I’ve ever put it all in one place on this my own blog.

Well, three things!

Ampurias mosaic

The first was when I was on holiday in north-east Spain one summer. Here’s the story…

A […]

Lupercalia – Not an ancestor of Valentine's Day

Lupercales, Andrea Camassei (1602-1649), Prado Museum

In AD 495, Christian bishop of Rome, Gelasius, finally managed to suppress the more than thousand year old Roman festival of Lupercalia. Gelasius’ letter to senator Andromachus taunted the nominally Christian senators who were intent on preserving the Roman tradition: “If you assert that this rite has […]

Alternate history and steampunk - settling the ambiguity

Steampunk themed photo: Kyle Cassidy

When people ask me about my books, I say “Thrillers – alternative history thrillers. They’re set in a world where the historical timeline changed in the past and a different looking world evolved.”

But the reactions can be interesting. Here’s one typical conversation I had at a book […]