Creator of Circumstance

One of the best things about writing on the subject of ancient Rome is that I’m in a constant state of learning and research. Today, in learning a bit more about the Roman poet Ovid’s life, I discovered that he wrote an early primer to helping women become more beautiful. I’ve read the Metamorphoses and [...]

My writing has suffered a little bit, mostly because it’s just been too hot and sticky to write. My energy levels flag when it becomes as humid as it has been the last few days. Until I moved to Boston from the west coast, I didn’t really understand humidity and how it affects how you [...]

about receiving new books and the Apicius: A Critical Edition with an Introduction & English Translation by Christopher Grocock and Sally Grainger, has finally landed on my doorstep. Its exorbitant price ($73.60) makes more sense as a birthday present, although it arrived a few weeks late. I can’t wait to dig into the introduction and [...]

Oddly, at least that’s the way it is for me this year. Usually it’s during the fall when I feel geared up and ready to create and be productive, but this year is different for me somehow. I feel energized, excited and ready to write. I think that there are a few things [...]

The most recent issue of Writer’s Digest has an article by novelist Jodi Picoult. She talks about her methods when researching a novel. One of the pullout quotes struck me:
It takes me nine months to write a novel; sometimes more of that time is spent researching than physically writing.
Then I read on, jealously, as she [...]