When the innate spiritualism and richness of the ancient Roman pantheon was suppressed, something was taken from men and women. Perhaps that has something to do with the reason why so many men and women feel drawn to the ancient world ..read more

If you’ve ever had the good fortune to visit the ruins of the Temple of Vesta in the Roman Forum, you’ll know that you can get fairly close to this beauty; however, there is a barrier that prevents you from getting  close.  You can’t really see, and you certainly can’t enter, the circular area that was inside the temple – that is, the area where the eternal fire burned for some thousand years.  ..read more

When I envisioned the Vestal Pomponia for my book , it was this statue that I drew upon. It strikes me as having a certain type of confidence and grace, of strength and duty, that I felt Pomponia would have. I could imagine the real woman behind this statue as a living, speaking person…someone with passion and, yes, Pomponia’s dry cynicism ..read more

The Temple of Vesta in the Roman Forum tends to get most of the attention - and considering the centuries of history that happened within its view, why not? - but the Temple of Vesta in Tivoli deserves our love too ..read more

This article is for readers of my novel Rhea Silvia which is the first book in The First Vestals of Rome trilogy. This series covers the legendary founding and the first years of the kingdom of Rome, and focuses on the Vestal priestesses that were prominent during this time period - and that starts with Rhea Silvia, the mother of Romulus and Remus ..read more

The simpulum is an ancient ritual ladle that was used for libations and during sacrifices. It was a symbol of the Roman priesthood, and you probably have something very similar banging around in a kitchen drawer ..read more

This article is for readers of my novel Tarpeia, which is the second book in The First Vestals of Rome trilogy, a series about the founding Vestal priestesses of ancient Rome. Many of the characters and legends that you’ll read about in my books are depicted on ancient Roman coinage, so I thought readers would be interested in seeing these ..read more

This article is for readers of my novel Amata, which is the third and final book in The First Vestals of Rome trilogy, a series set during the founding and earliest years of Rome. Many of the characters and legends that you’ll read about in my books are found on ancient Roman coinage, so I’ve included some relevant coins from my collection for readers to take a peek at ..read more

This article is for readers of my novel Brides of Rome, which is book one in The Vesta Shadows Trilogy. This series spans the later years of the Republic and the early years of the Empire, and follows the life of the Vestal Virgin Pomponia Occia, who is based on the real-life priestess Occia. Since many of the characters and events you’ll read about in my novels are depicted on ancient Roman coins, I like to show readers relevant coins from my collection so they can see the real impressions of the people, legends and events that I’ve dramatized ..read more

This article is for readers of my novel To Be Wolves, which is book two in The Vesta Shadows Trilogy, a series that follows the life of the Vestal Pomponia Occia through the fall of the Republic and the rise of the Roman Empire under Augustus ..read more