A Byway Ancient Rome 1884, also known as Winding the Distaff by John William Waterhouse (1830-1905)

Bulwer-Lytton Winners Announced

This is the annual bad writing contest from San Jose State, named for Edward George Earl Bulwer-Lytton. He began his 1830 novel "Paul Clifford" with the often quoted words: "It was a dark and stormy night ..." This year's winners include David McKenzie, 55, of Federal Way, Wash., who penned:

"Folks say that if you listen real close at the height of the full moon, when the wind is blowin' off Nantucket Sound from the nor' east and the dogs are howlin' for no earthly reason, you can hear the awful screams of the crew of the "Ellie May," a sturdy whaler Captained by John McTavish; for it was on just such a night when the rum was flowin' and, Davey Jones be damned, big John brought his men on deck for the first of several screaming contests."

Record Crowds at Stonehenge for Solstice

This should be filed under "the past isn't dead; it isn't even past": The London Times reports that there were 36,500 this year for the Solstice celebration at Stonehenge - when the usual barriers come down and you can actually stand amidst the standing stones. "Druids began their incantations, Wiccan priestesses drew their cowls tight against the damp morning air... " and the car park was filled by 3 a.m.

What the people left behind, though, suggests they weren't pantheists. A Times reader writes, "WHY DIDN'T YOU TAKE YOUR DAMN RUBBISH HOME WITH YOU? You left the place looking like a pigsty!"

Resources, beginning with Rome

Writing historical fiction means never having to apologize for reading.

Well. Almost never. You also have to write...

I'm listing some websites on the right-hand side of the page under "Roman Resources" for those interested in learning more. Don't miss Andre Caron's models of ancient Roma; they're gorgeous.

About The Magician

With a Roman father and Ligurian mother, Aurelia has grown up amidst the rocky hillsides and lavender-scented fields of first century Provence. On her way to meet the man her family wants Aurelia to marry, a druid warns her that she is charged to "remember the goddess's face." His words are a mystery. But then in one violent night of death and destruction, his prophesy begins to come clear.

Aurelia finds herself pregnant and far from home, consumed by the need to keep secrets that would condemn both her and her baby. Despite her distance, she also knows it's her duty to restore the goddess's shrine that was desecrated on the night that she became pregnant.

When Aurelia meets Simon the Magus and Mary Magdalene, her story becomes part of what will become the secret tradition of the feminine face of god within Christianity.