Lettuce, An Unlikely Divine Egyptian Aphrodisiac
Myths about ancient gods often bring us tales of sexual adventures, but this one about the Egyptian god Min involves lettuce. Go figure, and enjoy.
Home » Archives for Judith Starkston »
Judith Starkston
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.
Why 30,000 People Slept on the Beach One Night
In her guest post my good friend Nancy Bilyeau tells you why 30,000 people slept on the beach one night. I’ll add the words Coney Island into the mix to entice you to read her post about “America’s Playground” during a heatwave.
Archeo-pizza in Pompeii
Is that a Pompeian pizza frescoed on that wall? A pizza historian is calling it an archeo-pizza. I’m calling it yummy sounding and fun. Read all about it.
Fictional Food: Bringing the Ancient World to Life
Writing fiction based in the ancient world requires creative use of somewhat obscure evidence to bring it to life, along with a dose of imagination. That’s especially true with fictional food from the past. A new exhibit at the Penn Museum explores how archaeology brings ancient foods back to life. It’s a fun topic to delve into.
Review of The Queen of Swords by R.S. Belcher
Here’s my review of The Queen of Swords, an excellent dark fantasy with both cynical and positive streaks and kick-ass heroines. Lots of fun.
Historical Novel Society Conference 2023
I’m immersed in the Historical Novel Society Conference this week, presenting, learning from others, and hanging out with my tribe. It’s fun to tell you about it.
Pulling Your Reader Close, Deep POV
I’m talking about Deep Point of View to the California Writers’ Club in Sacramento Friday June 2, 9-11 am. Anyone can attend–whether in person or on Zoom. There should be a recording on their website afterwards. Teaching workshops like this is a fun part of settling in to my writer life in California. I tell you all about it in this week’s post.
Visiting Washington, DC
I hope you’re up for another travel post about Washington, DC. I wandered through the White House and I saw some cute critters. Come along and enjoy.
George Washington, Thinking American History
I traveled last week to Baltimore and DC, seeing a number of our core American “famous locations,” including one starring George Washington. I found a timely reminder as well as an enjoyable experience. So this week I’m leaping forward in history from my usual Bronze Age posts.
Review of A Duke at the Door, by Susanne Allen
My review of a sub-genre of historical fiction that I don’t usually read. From the bare-chested cover and the mention of a duke in the title, you may have guessed this is Regency romance, but with a shapeshifter fantasy twist. A light and humorous read for fun.