Elisabeth Storrs Historical Novels
Ancient Roman Historical Fiction
A common problem with authors who write novels set in pre-history is trying to deal with the ‘elasticity’ of sources from civilisations without extant written records. My latest post on History Girls is about my elusive search for the Etruscan Dionysus, and reaching across the ether to historians to help me.
My latest essay on the History Girls explores the natural remedies used in the ancient world for contraception including a garden fruit, and a mysterious plant from a distant land. The Secret Garden: Ancient World Contraception.
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
