by Stephanie Dray | Apr 25, 2011 | Articles, Cleopatra Selene, Daughters of the Nile, Lily of the Nile, Research, Song of the Nile
Cleopatra VII of Egypt was the most fashionable woman in the ancient world. Like a modern day celebrity, she set the trends. During her visit to Rome, she made such a sensation that Roman matrons imitated her hairstyles. It’s hard to believe that her daughter didn’t...
by Stephanie Dray | Mar 3, 2011 | Cleopatra Selene, Daughters of the Nile, For Readers, Heroines, Lily of the Nile, Research, Song of the Nile
The capital city of ancient Mauretania was Iol-Caesaria, which is located in modern day Cherchell, Algeria. It often helps me, when I’m writing, to have visual reminders of where my characters lived–to make the setting come alive. Frankly, very little of...
by Stephanie Dray | Dec 6, 2010 | Articles, Research
There are two prevailing beliefs about Cleopatra. The first is that she was a captivating beauty, so dazzling that she was able to snare two of the world’s most powerful men. The second is that she was an ugly, hook-nosed hag. So which is the truth? Despite, or...
by Stephanie Dray | Dec 2, 2010 | Cleopatra Selene, Lily of the Nile, Miscellany, My Works, Research
The heroine of my debut novel, Lily of the Nile, is Cleopatra’s daughter, the young Princess of Egypt who would be marched as a chained prisoner through the streets of Rome. At the end of a Roman triumph–that military parade during which generals celebrated...
by Stephanie Dray | Jul 5, 2010 | Cleopatra Selene, FAQ, Research
The story of Cleopatra’s death, as handed down to us by her conqueror, is that she killed herself by means of a poisonous snake. According to Suetonius, the stunned Octavian summoned snake charming Psylli to suck the poison from puncture wounds found on her arm....
