Who governs Roma Nova?

You may have gathered from the nine Roma Nova books that the small state has various bodies of government: head of state (imperatrix), upper house (senate), people’s assembly, local government (curia) offices, a legal system, a foreign ministry and other ministries, a strong diplomatic service, a central bank, army and police force (vigiles, later […]

Where DO those Roma Nova titles come from?

Choosing book titles is like being prodded by Pluto in the underworld with a red hot trident for eternity. One commenter on social media said: “They sound great, but I can’t help but cringe at the titles. Not quite Latin. I suppose that’s probably the point, but ouch. Intriguing, though.“

I […]

Swedes and Romans

Anna at the ABBA museum, Stockholm

Visiting Sweden on holiday recently was personally enormous fun, especially as my hostess was the ABBA singing historical fiction writer Anna Belfrage. But in a way it was spooky.

Something was missing – big time.

Sweden brims over with history and its impact on my home country […]