by Stephanie Dray | Dec 17, 2010 | Miscellany, Song of the Nile
It was a gorgeous day to visit the nation’s capital, even with an inch of snow on the ground. Then again, any day that I get to visit the Library of Congress and use my shiny library card is a good day. My visit today was a mission to find a map of the Roman...
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 | Oct 28, 2010 | FAQ, Fun Stuff
Today we say the rich are born with silver spoons in their mouths. In the ancient world, they said the wealthy were born to the purple. This phrase alludes to the royal robes dyed with a precious shade of deep purple originally created by the Phoenicians in Tyre....
by Stephanie Dray | Aug 31, 2010 | Cleopatra Selene, FAQ, Fun Stuff
Though no ancient sources directly link the two monarchs, it’s difficult to write a novel about the life of Cleopatra’s daughter Selene without referencing one of her mother’s bitterest enemies–Herod the Great, a villain of the New Testament....
by Stephanie Dray | Aug 24, 2010 | Fun Stuff, Miscellany
On August 24, 79 AD, Mount Vesuvius exploded, killing thousands and burying Pompeii under a layer of ash. You might not think this is cause to celebrate, but the largest volcanic explosion in recorded history is apparently a holiday. Perhaps this is meant in the sober...
