The granite block is said to have been from a temple to the goddess Isis–one which reference in my forthcoming book, Lily of the Nile. It was cut from a slab of red granite quarried in Aswan–quite a ways away. It kills me that Cleopatra’s palace complex is under water…but I’m glad they’re starting to recover some of it.

BBC News – Egypt lifts huge ‘Cleopatra temple’ block from sea.

I found this tidbit, courtesy of Michelle Moran: Crete has seduced archaeologists for more than a century, luring them to its rocky shores with fantastic tales of legendary kings, cunning deities, and mythical creatures…like the Minotaur! Check out what they’ve found in the First Minoan Shipwreck.

This book is an unusual find–one that attempts to blend literary erotica with Regency romance and emerges as something else entirely. Fans of erotica may find it too soft. Readers of traditional Regency romance might find it too sensual. I found it to be beautifully written and thought-provoking.

The four novellas that comprise ON THESE SILKEN SHEETS all touch one another and find their premise in a naughty gentleman’s club called Harridan House. By choosing this unapologetically lurid setting in a famously prim and proper time period, the author immediately sweeps away any illusions the reader might have. Instead, she shines a light on the seedy underside of the era, and challenges readers to deny that no matter what social mores rule, our basic sexual instincts remain under the covers.

In spite of this erotic indulgence, most of the stories conform to traditional romance genre rules. At least, outwardly. What I found most edifying about Ms. Darby’s work is its fundamentally transgressive nature. In every story, she finds some element of the forbidden, and subversively weaves it along with what romance readers supposedly want and expect from a love story. We have the conventional lonely widow, the diligent parliamentarian with a broken heart, and even a single father, looking for traditional love. But alongside these expected romance tropes, we also have some unrepentantly depraved characters, and I loved them best for their utter rebellion against the society in which they lived. (And to some extent, against the society in which their desires would still raise eyebrows.)

Ms. Darby gives us self-actualized women, some of whom have rather standard fantasies and sexual urges, and some of whom would be thought as perverts, even today. Our very first heroine is a voyeur–and there was something courageous about Ms. Darby for exploring the sexuality of a young woman who wants a man she’s just seen making love to someone else. We are also given a former brothel madam as a heroine, and although her love story may have been the least erotic of the bunch, it was also presented without hysterics or histrionics about her past.

Of the four novellas in the book, the last one was my favorite. Perhaps it was because it was the bravest and I appreciate the challenges the author faced in writing it. Her hero, in this last story, was the butt of every joke in the stories preceding it. We’d already seen him through six other pairs of eyes, and the impression was not flattering. What’s more, our heroine isn’t a lady or an heiress, but a lowly maid. And when Lucy the Lady’s Maid is offered a position as a mistress to a powerful man, she does not throw up her hands, wailing dramatically about her virtue and honor–but rather, accepts willingly and happily.

Meanwhile, I eagerly await Ms. Darby’s next work and can’t wait to see what rules she decides to break next.

After my interview with author Michelle Moran, I wanted to read her book about the very last Ptolemaic Queen a second time, and I’m glad I did. It’s in the second reading of Cleopatra’s Daughter that the atmospheric details and astute editorial choices not only surprise but delight.

As far as ancient women go, Selene, isn’t as famous as her mother, but she was arguably more successful, and this book is a captivating story of her youth as a virtual prisoner of war in Rome. Ms. Moran stays close to the true events of history, but like all the best writers of historical fiction she adds some flair of her own. She conjures up a mythical figure of the Red Eagle, a Spartacus-like hero who encourages slave rebellions.

This was a fantastic addition both because it highlights the sociological problems that slavery presented to Rome, and also gives us a romantic figure for Selene to admire as a young girl. What’s more, it emphasized the turbulent nature of the times. Because Augustus lived to be a very old man, we often look back on his reign as a time of stability and peace. He wanted us to remember it that way. The truth is that it wasn’t always peaceful, or inevitable that he should remain in power, and this book illustrates that very well.

Ms. Moran is a world traveler and it shows. This novel effortlessly brings Alexandria and Rome to life. The scenery, and particularly the architectural exploration, is not only well-researched, but fascinating. I particularly enjoyed the way Selene was portrayed as an artist and budding architect (something very relevant to her later life). Also, it was a rare treat to explore ancient Rome through Selene’s eyes, giving us fascinating insights into the daily life of the imperial family and the odd customs of the Romans, many of which would have horrified a young princess of Egypt.

As a heroine, Selene is plucky and ambitious, rebellious, but a survivor. She’s exactly the kind of character young girls will love–and older girls will respect. But the secondary characters in the book are also well-drawn and exciting. The author takes telling stories and uses them to illuminate the character of historical figures like Augustus. (For example, the fact Ms. Moran actually managed to work in the incident of Augustus, the slave and the eels in a perfectly organic way is a testament to her creativity and skill.)

In all, Ms. Moran has a gift for telling the stories of women that history has forgotten, and her talent is on full-display in Cleopatra’s Daughter, which will have a proud and permanent place on my book shelf. Everyone should read this book and lucky for you, it’s on sale now.