What, might you ask, does a baby elephant have to do with my work as an author? Well, I’m so glad you asked. As you might know, I write historical fiction as Stephanie Dray. Elephants figure into some of the research I’m doing for my sequel to LILY OF THE NILE (my forthcoming book from Berkley about Cleopatra’s Daughter, Selene, to be released January 2011).

The guy pictured above is an Indian elephant, which is a smaller breed than the more well-known Ethiopian Elephant (now known as the African Elephant). There used to be a third kind.

The elephants that Hannibal took over the Alps were North African elephants, now extinct, but Cleopatra Selene’s husband Juba wrote extensively about the species and described it as having an uncanny intelligence.

Okay, so that gave me my excuse to post an adorable baby animal picture!

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.

Anyone who has ever been inside my front door knows that I’m obsessed with Ancient Egypt and Late Republic Rome. I spent part of my honeymoon reading Margaret George’s “The Memoirs of Cleopatra” and much of the next decade researching the fate of Cleopatra’s children for my own novel, Lily of the Nile, which will release in January, 2011.

Now, historical fiction writer Michelle Moran, the best-selling author of NEFERTITI and THE HERETIC QUEEN, brings us the fascinating story of CLEOPATRA’S DAUGHTER. I’ll be telling you more about this stunning book in a separate review, but for now I give its gracious and talented author the floor!

Question: Though we’re given tantalizing hints about Cleopatra Selene’s life, the historical record of her is on the scant side which means that any historical fiction author writing about her life has to make some important editorial choices. I was particularly impressed with the ones you made, and I’d like to start by asking you about them. We know that Selene’s brothers disappear from the historical record, but we don’t know how. What made you choose the fates for them that you did?

Conjecture. We know that Octavian leaves Egypt with three of Cleopatra’s children. When he arrived in Rome, there were most likely only two. It’s highly unlikely he would have killed the youngest child, so what could have happened to him? Probably he died onboard the ship. As for Alexander, he disappears from the record at exactly the same time as his coming of age ceremony. I don’t think that this was a coincidence, given that he was the son of Marc Antony (a man who was beloved by many Senators and much of the army) and Queen Cleopatra. We may not understand this today, but two thousand years ago, blood relationships were everything. To be a male child – an adult male child – of these two incredibly powerful rulers would have meant that the men who served your father (and your mother) might also serve you. This is a very dangerous position to be in. Could Octavian really let such a child live? We know he had his own family members banished or killed. Would he have flinched to kill the adult child of his greatest enemy once the boy came of age?

Question: It seems to me that a student of history could view Octavian as a cruel and ruthless dictator. Conversely, a student of history could think of him as the benevolent Augustus who saved Rome. I tend to think of him as a little bit of both. How did writing Selene’s life story influence your view of the first Roman emperor?

From Selene’s perspective, Octavian would have been the enemy. He was responsible for the loss of her kingdom, the loss of her parents, and the loss of one (if not more) of her brothers. In reality, however, Octavian was an extremely complicated man. The best biography on him that I have read is by Anthony Everitt called Augustus: The Life of Rome’s First Emperor. Here was a leader who could be both tender and cruel, forgiving and merciless. He killed his enemies swiftly and probably without remorse. Those he valued, however, he rewarded with kingships and his deepest friendship and trust.

Question: Roman writers–often misogynistic in the extreme–have passed down to us a pretty despicable picture of Octavian’s wife, Livia. I’m often conscious of the prejudices that must have shaped her reputation, but find that she makes for too wickedly delicious an archetype to resist. How did writing Selene’s story influence your perspective on Livia and why did you choose to portray her the way you did?

Before writing about any historical character – even minor ones – I try to read as many biographies on them as time will allow. It is certainly true that many Roman writers were misogynistic. In this case, however, there may be some truth to Livia’s bad reputation, particularly where her relationship with her sister-in-law, Octavia, was concerned.

The tension between the two women stemmed from the fact that they had such different personalities. Whereas Octavian’s sister, Octavia, was compassionate, Livia seems to have been rather mercurial. And whereas Octavia was deeply interested in the arts – theatre, poetry, sculpture – Livia only pursued these things to keep her husband interested.

Livia was interested in one thing really: Livia. She probably would have viewed the twins as threats to the stability of her husband’s reign. As the children of Marc Antony and Cleopatra, Selene and Alexander could easily have found a large following of disaffected people who would have loved to see Alexander ruling Rome in Octavian’s stead. But because the twins were so young, Octavian was loathe to have them murdered the way he had their older male siblings killed. In the novel, Livia’s animosity toward them came from the knowledge that someday, they could challenge her own son for the right to rule over Rome.

Question: Another important editorial choice you made was in the portrayal of Cleopatra’s death. Recent Cleopatra scholars, including Michel Chauveau have argued that Cleopatra would not have had the means, the motive, nor even the courage to kill herself. Can you tell us about the choice you made for Cleopatra’s death in your book, and why you chose it?

This is a rather large debate among Egyptian and Roman scholars. What happened when Octavian arrived in Rome? We know there was a meeting with Cleopatra. And we know that soon after, Cleopatra was dead. Was it murder? Suicide? Enforced suicide (effectively – murder). No one knows if she had the time or the means because there are no eyewitness accounts. The only thing that’s certain is that when Octavian entered Rome she was alive, and by the time he left she was dead.

If I had to make a choice between the three, I would say it was enforced suicide. Governing Rome with Cleopatra still alive would have been impossible. She was the mother to Julius Caesar’s child and the mother to three of Marc Antony’s children. She was a queen – a powerful and respected one, despite Octavian’s smear campaign – and if she had remained alive she would always have been a rallying point for rebellion. Octavian knew this. He was a man who had no qualms with dispatching his rivals and he did so regularly, even if those rivals were family members. My guess is that he gave her a choice. To die with dignity (which at the time was suicide), or to die by someone’s hand.

Question: Your book ends well before Selene’s journey back to Africa. Can you tell us why you stopped at her betrothal to Juba?

Certainly! I wanted to keep the door open for a sequel (which is unlikely…but just in case).

Question: I just want to finish by saying how remarkably well-researched your book is, and I found myself longing for a bibliography. Is there a place you direct readers who want to learn more about Cleopatra Selene?

Yes! I have a short bibliography on my website at: http://www.michellemoran.com/cleo_QA.htm