Yeah, yeah. I write dark modern paranormal romance for HQN Nocturne. But my alter-ego writes historical fiction and I’m a fan of all things Roman. I like the idea of a Vestal Virgin with a forbidden love. To that end, it’s my pleasure to welcome my Maryland Romance Writer chapter mate, Kate Poole as a guest today. Kate’s latest book has just released and she’s here to tell us about it:

Sara is the daughter of the emperor’s legate in Caledonia, the Roman name for Scotland. Annachie is a Pictish warrior captured by her father’s soldiers and made a slave. Their friendship grows into a love neither of them can even acknowledge, much less consummate. When her father finds them in what he thinks is a compromising position, he gives Annachie to a notorious slave trader and takes Sara back to Rome. Thinking that she will never see Annachie again, Sara agrees to become a Vestal Virgin. But six years later, her world is turned upside down when the games in the Coliseum feature the renowned gladiator, the “Beast of Caledonia”. Annachie! Only for him would Sara forsake her vow of chastity and risk her life. And when she faces the ultimate price for loving him, only Annachie may be able to save her.

Many thanks to Stephanie for allowing me to post on her blog.

The Beast of Caledonia is my second book, and a bit different from my usual Scottish settings. But not as much as you might think. The book starts in Rome, with flashbacks to when Annachie and Sara first meet–in Scotland, or “Pictland” as it was known at the time.

Most everyone has heard of Hadrian’s Wall, in northern England, but a lot of people don’t know that there was a second wall–the Antonine Wall–that bisects southern Scotland. Built by the emperor Antoninus in 148 A.D., it was meant to keep the “savages” out of Briton. But, as Annachie points out in Beast, it also kept the Romans out of Scotland!

I don’t remember when or why I got the idea for this story. I have been writing on it for 3 years, so it preceded HBO’s Rome series, and definitely Starz’s Spartacus. But I won’t deny that both those excellent shows helped me in my research. As did Colleen McCullough’s truly superb Rome series. I hope that I have given my readers a taste of the religion, customs, and violence of that time period which will peek their interest to explore these other media.

If you decide to give the Beast a try, I hope you enjoy it. If you do (or don’t!), please let me know: katepoole06@comcast.net

Thanks again, Stephanie, for letting steal your blog for a while!

Kate Poole, Anchor and Storm, Beast of Caledonia Coming August 24, 2010 – “Exhibition”

www.jasminejade.com www.katepoole.net

HBO’s Rome was some fantastic television, and Showtime is doing great with the Tudors, so why not. As long as it doesn’t try to remake Kubrick’s film–because seriously, the original Spartacus does not need to be remade–it could be pretty great. Here’s the trailer for it. As an author of myth-inspired and historical fiction, I cheer and say bring on more of the Sword & Sandal epics!

OMG, how did I miss this rumor? Apparently, Ray Stevenson (aka Pullo from HBO’s Rome) has confirmed that a movie is in the works to bring the awesome show to the big screen.

Oh, writers of Rome, I will overlook the travesty you made of Cleopatra. I will pretend you did not get many things wrong about Egypt. And I will even forgive you for presenting the Battle of Actium as a plume of smoke in the background of Mark Antony’s rowboat. Come back to me, my love. I have missed you so…

Oh swoon! You know that HBO’s Rome was my very favorite series evah! And I never doubted for a minute that a guy like Kevin McKidd was a minor sex god of some sort, but as it turns out, he’s switching from the Latin team to the Hellenes.

He’s signed on to play Poseidon in the forthcoming Percy Jackson and the Olympians movie, and this gives me even bigger incentive to be excited about this movie. It’s a kid’s film, but I assure you, some part of me will only be going to see Kevin McKidd’s big shiny trident…