Io Saturnalia!

Now on eighth day of Saturnalia. The poet Catullus called it “the best of days.” In ancient Rome, private festivities of Saturnalia had expanded to seven days by the late Republic, but during the Imperial period it varied from three to five days. Caligula extended official observances to five. We do ten days in Roma […]

Meet Aurelia Mitela - a woman and a warrior

Aurelia Mitela, archetype Roma Novan, came to life when I was writing the first Roma Nova book, INCEPTIO. Then, she was the clever, experienced grandmother of Carina, the book’s heroine.

Let Carina tell you in her own words of her first impression of Aurelia: “She’d been so concerned for me, but not in a […]

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 […]