The Inevitable Top Ten List, 2012 Edition

It’s February 1st, so here you go: the other half of that mandated pair of yearly blog posts that starts with 10 Best Books I Read Last Year, and ends with 10 Hotly Anticipated Reads of This Year. It’s going to be a good year for reading! Here, in no...

The Inevitable Top Ten List

Apparently a federal mandate was handed down from the White House, or possibly the Borg, to all book bloggers at the turn of the New Year: You must post a “Top Ten Books I Read in 2011” blog post, or you will be assimilated. Surrender immediately....

A Christmas Re-Make

I love Christmas. I really do. But at some point in the holiday season (usually somewhere around December 1st) certain aspects start to grate. Take Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer–what kind of message is this song sending, telling us that popularity and happiness...

Turning Thirty: Then Vs. Now

Today is the day I turn thirty–yes, the big 3-0. According to everything I’ve read, I should be having a nervous breakdown at the prospect of turning older. But that hasn’t happened yet: frankly I can’t wait to get older so I can turn into one...

Hollywood Does Rome: A Report Card

With my latest book finally sent off to the presses, I’ve got some time on my hands–and what better way to kill it than watching movies about my favorite time period? Hollywood has churned out quite a few films with ancient Rome as a setting, far more than...
Eating A Goat With A Colleague

Eating A Goat With A Colleague

I met historical fiction novelist Stephanie Dray for the first time last week in celebration of her second book’s release, and frankly I am getting nervous. She is kind and witty, self-deprecating and sassy, a sparkling conversationalist and an eager...

Attention, Readers and Writers Everywhere

Before the Internet, there was a very simple unwritten contract that existed between writers and readers. That contact went simply: “I, The Reader, will read whatever books take my fancy. I am free to disparage the books I don’t like/gush about the books I...

Daughters of Rome: The Movie

Here’s a question I get quite a lot from readers: will your books ever be made into movies? The answer, I’m sorry to say, is no. So far, at least, and probably for the forseeable future. Historical movies or TV shows cost an arm and a leg to make: the...

Historical Novel Society Conference: The Recap

“What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.” One could say the same for the Historical Novel Society conference: a jam-packed two days in sunny San Diego where writers, editors, agents, and fans came together to learn, listen, and of course gossip. My very...