This week the Debs are recalling their debut years. This year has been one of the most amazing and craziest of my entire life. It’s been a dream come true in so many ways. Let me count them out. The writing/editing/publishing process – WOW what an eye opener this has been. Everything from learning the mechanisms of how it all works, to edits and copy edits and more edits and…
This week the Debs are talking about their character names. Writing a book set in Ancient Rome means that I have to work with a lot of names that are probably unfamiliar to people, such as Thrasius, Sotas, and Ruan. And, ironically, when I included ancient Roman names that have survived the centuries, such as the name Melissa, my readers told me that the name felt too out of place….
Calling Debut Authors! Now Accepting Applications for the 2018 Debutante Ball! Read this post to learn more. Hurry! The deadline is July 28! This week the Debutantes are talking all about summer! My writing is peppered with images of summer, starting back when I was five and I wrote a poem titled June. For me, June is a month full of memories, emotion, friends and sunshine. And in recent years, it’s…
This week’s topic is about the Debs’ fears when it comes to someone reading our novel and writing about uncomfortable topics–anything from sex to family conflicts, and/or events pulled from real life. How do the Debs handle it? When I first began researching my novel, FEAST OF SORROW, one of the interesting things that I learned about the world of ancient Rome is that there are a lot of die-hard fans of…
Today it is our very own Crystal King’s turn to sit in the Deb Ball guest chair! By now you have heard the exciting news: Crystal’s debut novel, Feast of Sorrow, released this week from Touchstone. Set amongst the scandal, wealth, and upstairs-downstairs politics of a Roman family, Crystal King’s seminal debut features the man who inspired the world’s oldest cookbook and the ambition that led to his destruction. On…
You’ve probably heard us shouting it this week but… Crystal King’s novel FEAST OF SORROW is now available! It’s the kind of historical novel–about the infamous gourmet Marcus Gavius Apicius and his slave Thrasius–where you aren’t simply dipping a toe into the world, you are fully emerged. Crystal’s vivid descriptions and nuances of Ancient Rome are simply immersive. So much so that I often felt like I was reading either…
It’s the morning after Feast of Sorrow’s book launch, and I bet Crystal is waking up thinking, “Holy Cr@p! My book is out!” Except, I don’t know, maybe she isn’t cursing to herself because she’s a slightly more polite person than I am! Don’t pinch yourself, Crystal! It’s real. Launch day arrived, and Feast of Sorrow is now out into the world. As a fellow writer who also spent the better part…
This week the Debs are helping me celebrate my launch week! Tomorrow FEAST OF SORROW is out in the world! What have I done? I WROTE A BOOK!! And now you can read it! Writing this blog post is a little bit surreal for me. I’ve been working on this book for SO long, for nearly a decade. Long enough that until I got the deal, friends and family had…
This week, in honor of Crystal’s soon-to-be-published novel FEAST OF SORROW, which gave me such a vivid and enticing glimpse into Ancient Rome, we are attempting to recreate meals inspired by the Apicius Cookbook (aka the man who created the first ever book of recipes). So far this week, Amy and Lynn have done a stellar job. And me… well, I’d like to apologize in advance to all the foodies and Ancient Rome enthusiasts out there…
For this post, here are a few things you ought to know about me: Outside of writing, I don’t have an ounce of artistic inclination. I’m not a cook. I mean, yes, I sometimes rearrange, mix, and heat food, but I don’t have any clue beyond the basic of basic skills. I could sustain myself easily on the same three or four go-to meals for my entire life. See points…
