Elisabeth Storrs Historical Novels
Ancient Roman Historical Fiction
My guest today is Charlotte Jardine who writes historical fiction, contemporary romance and romantic adventure. Her books feature courageous heroines, big-hearted heroes, adventure and love. Her love of history came from reading the adventures of Asterix and Tintin at a young age and continued into adult life, when she studied Classics and Roman History to postgraduate level at university. While… read more
I love research! I was delighted that Mary Anne Yarde asked me to tell the story of how I reached across the internet to various historians for assistance – it ended in my characters voicing an audio-visual exhibition in a museum outside Rome where my saga was set! Read ‘Research and reaching across the ether’ here.
My guest today is Crystal King who is a writer, culinary enthusiast, and social media expert. Her writing is fueled by a love of history and an obsession with the food, language, and culture of Italy. She has taught writing, creativity, and social media at Grub Street and several universities including Harvard Extension School and Boston University. Crystal received her… read more
Through the female characters in my ‘A Tale of Ancient Rome’ series, I explore the lives of women in the ancient world. One of my favourite characters in The Wedding Shroud is Erene, the Cretan courtesan who teaches the naïve Roman protagonist, Caecilia, to enjoy the freedoms afforded to Etruscan women rather than cling to the ‘virtues’ taught to her… read more
I’m delighted to announce that I’ve released Dying for Rome: Lucretia’s Tale, the first story in a new collection entitled Short Tales of Ancient Rome, in which I retell the legends and history of Rome from a fresh perspective. Dying for Rome: Lucretia’s Tale retells the historic story of the tragic girl whose death inspired the men of Rome to… read more
There is a tale told by Herodatus, the famous Greek historian, about a wily prince called Tyrrhenus who saved his people by encouraging gambling. The story goes like this. Once in the land of Lydia there came a time when the harvest could no longer fill the bellies of all. So the king cast half his subjects, led by his… read more
Over the last couple of years, many of you have been kind enough to express an interest as to when the sequel to The Wedding Shroud will be available. I’m now happy to announce that I plan to release The Golden Dice on 3 July. It’s been a roller coaster for me during this time as the contract with my… read more
The Death of Tarpeia The tales of famous Roman women such as Lucretia and Virginia serve to reinforce the stereotypes of the ‘matron’ and the ‘virgin’ as exemplars of Roman virtues. Both these women died tragically: one defending her family’s honour by suiciding, the other murdered by her father for the same purpose. Their deaths were seen as catalysts for… read more
‘Tarchon pointed to the eagle as it soared into the stillness. ‘An eagle brought a sign to Tanaquil that her husband would be King of Rome.’ Caecilia refused to look at the bird, not wanting to hear another of Tarchon’s tales, especially about an Etruscan woman who became a Roman queen.’ The Wedding Shroud As can be seen from the… read more
Does this picture look familiar? No, it’s not Lucretia (Dying for Rome) but this woman’s story is depressingly similar to that of the tragic Roman matron who was raped by an Etruscan prince. She is Virginia, whose death, just like Lucretia’s, was the catalyst for significant change in Rome. The image is deceptive, though, because the man stabbing her is… read more
