Judith Starkston has spent too much time exploring the remains of the ancient worlds of the Greeks and Hittites. Their myths and clashes inspire her fiction and open gates to magical realms. She has degrees in Classics from the University of California, Santa Cruz and Cornell. She loves myths and telling stories, and her novels imbue fantasy with the richness of ancient worlds. The first book in her Trojan Threads Series, Hand of Fire was a semi-finalist for the M.M. Bennett’s Award for Historical Fiction. Priestess of Ishana, the first in her historical fantasy Tesha series, won the San Diego State University Conference Choice Award. Judith is represented by Richard Curtis.
Amalia Carosella, one of my favorite authors working in the genre of mythic retelling, has just launched a novella, The Lion of Troezen, that focuses on Aethra, the often forgotten mother of Theseus, and her affair with Poseidon. I’m giving her the stage today with a guest post that reveals how passionate Amalia is about Greek mythology and the gods.
Some of the most beautiful ancient artifacts are cosmetic containers and utensils. The “swimming-girl spoons” from Egypt have always appealed to me for their grace, so I was delighted to find out what their mythic significance might have been and their ongoing legacy. I wish my dressing table had anything this lovely!
Here’s my review of an outstanding historical novel that I read with an especially alert writerly eye, for reasons I explain in my post. The Wool Translator involves characters from medieval England, Paris, Bruges, Granada, and elsewhere who, at first, seem impossibly unrelated. Part of the enjoyment of this book is how they all come together into one plot, even though everyone wants to keep them apart. This is a good one.
Feeling like some yummy lamb recipes? I created these with ingredients available to my Bronze Age characters.
I’m struck by how often in my research–like when I read about this 5,000-year-old tavern in Mesopotamia–I discover signs that ancient people share a lot in common with us today. Moreover, this seemingly ordinary tavern’s excavation wreaked havoc on the prevailing theory of social structure in this ancient city. So much came from 19″ below the ground!
If a Victorian Great Britain in which beings with magical powers exist sounds fun to you, you’ll enjoy my review of Luanne G. Smith’s The Raven Song.
Novels that retell myths, especially with a focus on women, are cropping up all over these days. In this post, I look at one of the top 10 lists for this sub-genre. I’d love to hear what you think, also.
I think Rust in the Root is one of the most worthwhile books I’ve read recently, a fantasy twist on American history and the role of Black Americans. It’s entertaining as well as thought-provoking. I hope you enjoy my review.
Writing historical fiction–even with some fantastical elements thrown in–requires careful use of accurate historical detail. I loved this discussion of Egyptian chariots and the surprisingly abundant evidence for women using chariots. So handy for my fiction!
I spent a happy day at the exhibit, Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs. I have some thoughts to share which I hope you’ll enjoy. Read on for Ramses, Egyptian gold, and taking a nuanced view of history and museum exhibits.
