Weekly Roundup of History, Archaeology and Writing Wisdom Sept 13-19

It’s been a week and a bit since Hand of Fire launched, and I’m exhausted but happy. The reviews have been so gratifying. So far people think I wrote a good book. What a relief. All the links to the Hand of Fire interviews, guest posts and reviews can be found on my events page. I am fortunate to have a number of bloggers featuring me.

This week I had less time than I like to explore other people’s work, but here’s some great historical fiction and archaeology posts around the web this week:

I like this interview with Lindsey Davis on the HNS website. She is, as she says, “iconoclastic” and does Roman fiction her own way. Interesting to me (since I took exactly the opposite approach), when asked what is most alien about the past she said religion and her solution is to avoid it. Hmm. I kind of stick my foot right in the middle of that “alien” place in my book. I find in that alien place, despite the weird rites and multiplicity of gods, profound ideas that seem remarkably worthwhile for we modern types to contemplate. I definitely understand her hesitation, though. Click here. 

Update on the Greek tomb fr Alexander the Great’s time. Archaeologists are into the 3rd chamber but it needs major reinforcement. Red paint still present on marble walls. This article has a reconstructive drawing of the tomb as understood so far. Very exciting! Click here.

Cynthia Robertson, who knows how to review with insight, put up a review of Sarah Waters The Paying Guests. Here’s a taste of how perceptive a reader Cynthia is and why you ought to look at the rest of this review (& the book!). “My favorite line in the book: ‘A man’s not safe.’ Its perfect placement, its subtlety, its snort-worthy irony, its freight-load of foreshadowing; set beside the innocence with which the four words are spoken—all make it the fulcrum on which the novel turns.”  Click here. 

The inside scoop of historical fiction editing and publishing with Heather Lazare on Nancy Bilyeau’s blog.Click here.