Stephanie Thornton

The BIG News

2012-01-22T19:29:00.009-09:00

It's beyond surreal to finally be writing this post.

I have an agent!!!

*breaks into an Egyptian happy dance*

And not just any agent!

An amazing agent who says my book about Theodora reminds her of her trip to Turkey. And she's been to Egypt and knows all about Hatshepsut. She loves history and is interested in my other books.

I am thrilled to announce I am now represented by Marlene Stringer of the Stringer Literary Agency!

Woohoo!

I don't have a picture of me signing the paperwork, but how many people can say they emailed their acceptance of an agent's offer while waiting for the Toy Story ride in Disneyland?

Me!

There's more to that story, but I'll save the "How I Got My Agent" story for another post later this week.

Suffice to say, there's going to be an epic celebration contest next week!

HURRAY!

I'm Going to Disneyland!

2012-01-12T20:18:00.005-09:00

Most adults look at me like I'm crazy when I admit that I love Disneyland. Like I-would-go-there-ten-times-a-year-if-I-could love.

But there's long lines.

And crying kids.

And it's so expensive.

All true, but I don't care one whit. Disneyland isn't called The Happiest Place on Earth for nothing. I know if I'm going to spend a day at Disneyland it's going to be a blast and there are parts of the day I'm going to remember forever.

(I could make this into a metaphor about how a good book is similar, but I'm not going to because I'm supposed to be packing.)

I'm going to Disneyland.

And I'm going to ride the Teacups.

And Splash Mountain.

And eat too many churros with my husband and five-year-old monkey.

And that makes me happy. Very, very happy.

The Secret History

2012-01-08T19:17:00.004-09:00

I had no idea the title of my novel on Theodora, The Secret History, would be the source of controversy. I actually borrowed the title from Procopius, the premier historian of the Byzantine Empire, who wrote several official accounts of the reign of Justinian and Theodora.

The Buildings.

The Wars.

Then he wrote The Secret History, a scathing account of Justinian and Theodora's years on the throne in which both Emperor and Empress are literally portrayed as demons. However, this is the historical source with the most details on Theodora's life, both before and after she wore the crown. Procopius does an admirable job portraying her as a conniving, scheming harlot.

Why must women with a brain almost always be portrayed as evil by their contemporaries? Can't conniving and scheming be a good thing? And was she really a harlot because she liked to be?

I decided my novel should also be titled The Secret History, mostly because I like to think my version of Theodora's motivations is closer to the truth than Procopius'.

(And yes, I realize that's more than a little presumptuous of me. Whatever.)

Those early readers who are familiar with Procopius love the title. Those who don't are quick to point out that Donna Tartt wrote a recent novel with the same title about six classics students at an elite Vermont college.

I'm not willing to part with the title though, at least not yet. It's my way of biting my thumb at Procopius. (I might have taken a stab or two at him in the book too. Ha!)

Any suggestions for my title quandary? Have you ever had title issues?

Not Writing is Weird

2012-01-01T20:42:00.003-09:00

I spent 14 months writing, revising, and editing my last book, researching as I went along.

What am I doing now?

Nothing.

Well, not nothing, but no writing. No revising. No editing.

I'm researching.

It's weird to finally be free of a daily word count, but I love it. I'm knee-deep in the history of an era I know virtually nothing about, and I plan to just go deeper.

Seriously, what's better than the life of a writer?

So tell me, where are you this New Year's Day? Researching, drafting, writing, revising?

Regardless of where you are, good luck in 2012!

Faves of 2011

2011-12-19T08:47:00.002-09:00

Inkcrush is hosting Faves of TwentyEleven Book Awards this entire week. A week of books--ohlala!

Here are my faves of 2011:

1. Favorite Book Read in 2011: Daughters of Rome by Kate Quinn

2. Most Powerful: Beatrice & Virgil by Yann Martel

3. Brilliantly Funny: Sh*t My Dad Says by Justin Halpern

4. Most Beautiful Story: The Russian Concubine by Kate Furnivall

5. Delicious Rainy Day Comfort Read: Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling (I hadn't read any of them until this year!)

6. Adrenalin-fueled, Unputdownable Award: Divertgent by Veronica Roth

7. Atmospheric & Vivid Setting: The Lotus Eaters by Tatjana Soli

8. I-So-Want-To-Go-There: The Russian Concubine by Kate Furnivall

9. Would Make the Best Movie: Exit the Actress by Priya Parmar

10. Best Under-Appreciated, Hidden Gem Book: The Course of Honor by Lindsey Davis

Emerging From the Cave

2011-12-12T20:28:00.005-09:00

*blinks*

We had a snow day today (more like a blizzard day) and had to dig ourselves out of a virtual snow cave, not to mention cleaning up after three episodes of 100mph hurricane force winds.

But you know what's even better than a snow day?

I. AM. DONE. WITH. BOOK. NUMBER. TWO.

Pardon me for the virtual yelling and awkward pauses there, but you have no idea how GOOD IT FEELS TO BE DONE!

14 months of researching, writing, revising, and editing. DONE!

(Shhh... I didn't actually finish today since I took a number of days to do absolutely nothing. Then our internet died when a 20 foot spruce tree fell down and took out our internet cable. Blecch.)

So I'll just leave you with one of my favorite quotes for today...

How beautiful it is to do nothing and then rest afterwards.
-Spanish proverb

I think it feels even better to rest after writing a book.

Expert Judges

2011-11-07T18:59:00.009-09:00

I knew I needed expert judges for something as important as a giveaway of Gary Corby's new book, The Ionia Sanction.

The Judges

And a referee...

The Referee

The Ref threw the entries into the playing field...

The judges rush to the field

And the Ref proclaimed the winners!

The Ref with the winning entries

JULIE AND JULIE DAO!

Congrats, ladies! And for those of you that didn't win, Gary's book is on sale Tuesday, November 8th. TODAY! (Almost). Get thee to a bookstore!

The Ionia Sanction Giveaway!

2011-10-31T21:42:00.007-08:00

In honor of the upcoming release of Gary Corby's second book, The Ionia Sanction, I have not one, but TWO ARC's to mail to two lucky winners!

I've read a few mysteries, but I love Gary's books because they immerse me in Ancient Greece and they're pretty darn hilarious too.

Case in point:

From the character list:

Thorion, Proxenos for Ephesus: He just hangs around.

I didn't really get the full meaning (can you tell I don't read many mysteries?) until I read the first sentences of the book:

I ran my finger along one foot of the corpse, then the other, making the body swing with a lazy, uncaring rhythm. I stared at his feet, my nose so close I went cross-eyed as the toes swung my way.

Thorion just hangs around because he was hanged. Ha!

How to Enter:

1. Leave a comment in this post WITH YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS.
2. Receive an extra entry for each Tweet, Facebook, or blog post mentioning the giveaway. (Just let me know how many entries in your comment).
3. Extra Entry! Nicolaus has this nifty rod and cord that can be used to send secret messages. For an extra entry, tell me what cool spy equipment you'd want if you were a private investigator. (I'd go for the shoe phone).

International readers are welcome to enter--I'm happy to send the books anywhere in the world. Contest closes 11:59PM Sunday, November 6th and the winners will be announced on Monday.

Good luck!

More Time

2011-10-29T14:36:00.002-08:00

I've got a mountain of books taller than me I desperately want to read.

Half of a manuscript to give a final polish. (I'm loving this one, guys. Seriously loving it.)

A pumpkin to carve with my daughter. (How did Halloween sneak up so fast?)

A Rapunzel birthday party to plan for next weekend.

Winter squash raviolis to make from scratch.

All the laundry to fold.

Hmmmm... Which one of these do we think is going to fall off this list first? I don't know about you, but I see nothing wrong with leaving the laundry in its baskets. It's clean--who cares if it's all wrinkled, right?

What's your writing priority this week?

On Harry Potter

2011-10-09T19:42:00.002-08:00

Pssst...

I just finished the third Harry Potter book. For the first time.

Gasp!

I know, it's like I've broken some sort of rule never having read the books until now. But I sort of enjoy breaking rules, so whatever.

I had an unofficial boycott of the books when they first came out--I was beyond sick of hearing of Quiddich and Hogwarts from family members. Then I decided to wait to read them for the first time with my daughter.

We made it through the first two books. She liked them, but I could tell her attention waned toward the end of the second one. And really, she's only four so she has plenty of time to grow into the series.

But I wanted to know what was going to happen to Harry. Well done, J.K. Rowling! I have a pile of books taller than me begging to be read, and Harry Potter floated to the top. I'm thoroughly enjoying the writing, but I'm really just enjoying being immersed in Harry's world.

(It's also giving me an excuse to avoid long hours of editing. Shhh! Don't tell anyone!)

Star Trek Bribes

2011-09-25T17:33:00.004-08:00

I'm almost done with this edit. That doesn't sound like a huge accomplishment, but I started back in May. (Yes, you read that right). In my defense, this isn't really one edit--by the time I finish, each page will have been gone over at least 4 times.

I felt for a long time (read: all summer) like I was spinning my wheels without getting anywhere. I'm an instant gratification kind of gal so my motivation was shot all to heck as this edit moved along like a turtle with arthritis.

Then I found my motivation.

Star Trek!

I am now rewarding myself with episodes of Star Trek. (I'm so cool I used to read The Next Generation magazines in band class). I make my editing goal, I get to watch an episode. I think I've seen every episode at least twice, some more like ten times.

I know some of you are Next Generation fans. Extra points for anyone who can guess my favorite character or episodes!

Hooks and Barbs

2011-08-28T20:34:00.004-08:00

The first sentence. The first chapter.

These are hooks that must latch into your readers eyeballs and force them to keep reading. We know that.

But guess what? You have to keep sprinkling little barbs through your prose to keep those pages turning. There's still the big question--Who did murder Mr. Body? Will the boy and girl get together?--but there has to be more than that.

Who had the revolver in the bottom of her handbag?

What did that mysterious letter say?

Why was Colonel Mustard in Miss Scarlet's room at midnight?

(Yes, I like Clue. It's the only game I always win! Mwahahaha!)

So have a great hook. But don't forget all those little barbs too. 'Cause if you do, your reader might forget to pick your book back up.

Mad Scientist Writing

2011-08-11T21:08:00.005-08:00

This is the pile of notes that have accumulated on my bedside table since I've been back from my research trip.

Can you tell I'm having a hard time sleeping lately?

I feel like a mad scientist, jotting down random snippets of prose or plot ideas. I swear the rest of my life is crazy organized--and even my research notes and hard copy edits--but this particular pile is, well... not.

You need chaos in your soul to give birth to a dancing star. --Nietzsche

I am now off to weed out the junk and put the decent sticky-notes to good use in birthing some sort of star. Hopefully not a supernova.

And by the way, hello again!

On Again, Off Again

2011-07-11T21:00:00.003-08:00

I've been a neglectful blogger, and it's about to get worse. But I wanted to pop in to say hi before I fall off the radar again.

My summer so far: revising, playing at the park, baking, revising, working out, revising. And I ran my first 5K! 26 minutes, 20 seconds--not too shabby for the first time.

I'm headed off for some serious research, to return at the end of the month. What have you all been up to?

Close Encounters of the Bear Kind

2011-06-19T20:47:00.005-08:00

Last week my daughter and I had a picnic on our back porch, one that almost made us late to her soccer game. On our way down the hill I thought, "Huh, I didn't close the window. I should turn around and make sure the door was shut too."

Too late. Soccer was starting!

I wasn't concerned with anyone breaking in, but there's always the possibility of a bear meandering through the yard. But seriously, it's not like a bear was going to break into our house to eat the scrumptious butterscotch coconut cookies we'd left on the counter.

So I watched the monkey score a goal in her game and we happily chattered all the way home, only to discover giant gashes in the window screen and the back door open.

I might have freaked out.

The cookies were untouched, so this had just happened. The house was quiet, but bears can be stealthy.

I called my husband at work. No answer. I called my father (who has guns). No answer. I called my friend (whose husband has guns). She asked if I was sure it wasn't some other animal.

Um... what other animal makes giant gashes (we're talking six inches here, people) and shreds a screen?

I freaked out a little more.

Finally got a hold of husband--he said he'd come right home. (No, I didn't want to check the entire house for a bear with a four-year-old in tow).

Then I saw a tiny pile of black pellets on the ground. Curiouser and curiouser... My computer was upstairs (and I wasn't going there), but I googled "squirrel poop" on my phone...

And lo and behold, but there was a picture of the same little black pellets. A squirrel calling card, if you will.

Moral of the story? Don't feed squirrels macadamia nuts and then stop feeding them. Apparently they get a little irked and are quite good at impersonating bears.

Creative Cursing & A Winner!

2011-06-13T20:19:00.002-08:00

The other day I was ~~distracted~~ researching ancient swearing and came across a nifty post on classical swearing which Gary Corby then blogged about.

I'm having far too much fun with this, especially the Byzantine habit of stringing together obscenely long epithets of all sorts of naughty names. I'm thinking this might be something to teach my students.

"By-the-Goose-you-curly-headed-onion-clay-potted-dirty-dog-dating-a-viper-zipalid!"

Maybe not. But at least you'd know which students were mine in the halls, right?

And now to important matters... The winner of either Daughters of Rome or Mistress of Rome is...

Dawn Simon!

Email your address, Dawn, and which book you'd like. Huzzah!

Don't Forget!

2011-06-09T20:10:00.002-08:00

Just a reminder--don't forget to sign up to win a copy of either Mistress of Rome or Daughters of Rome by Kate Quinn. Leave a comment on this post or the original post to enter.

The lucky winner will be announced this Monday!

And now I'm back to editing. [CUE WHIP CRACKING]

Interview & Giveaway with Author Kate Quinn!

2011-06-03T15:57:00.017-08:00

I’m beyond thrilled to have Kate Quinn, author of Mistress of Rome and Daughters of Rome, here to talk about ancient birth control, the Red Sox, and questionable Roman food. (And maybe some writing too). Quinn’s novels are like being plunked into the middle of Forum during a revolt or the Coliseum in the midst of a gladiatorial fight—I just finished Daughters of Rome and absolutely loved it.

I think one of the most awesome parts of writing historical fiction is finding out all sorts of crazy details to weave into the story. My all-time favorite was discovering women in ancient Egypt used crocodile dung as a contraceptive. (Not 100% sure how that worked, but I’m sure it was effective on one level or another). What is the strangest detail about ancient Rome you’ve incorporated into your books?

Crocodile dung? I’ve heard of Egyptian women using auyt gum and acacia tips or pessaries of honey for birth control, but crocodile dung is a new one on me. (And may I say – gross! I don’t think I want to know how they used it . . .) I think one of the most fun details I learned about ancient Rome was the institution of chariot racing. I’m a rabid baseball fan, specifically the Red Sox, and I was astounded to find that Roman chariot racing was very similar to the modern sports scene. For the Boston Red Sox, read the Reds faction chariot team. For their blue-pinstriped arch-rival the New York Yankees, read the Blues faction team. For Fenway Park, read the Circus Maximus track. For the October playoffs, read the Saturnalia festival races. Rabid fans, beer in the stands, “We’re #1!” chants and those guys who show up at the stadium in team-color face paint – ancient Rome is probably to blame for the modern sports team. Only in Roman sports, people died a lot more frequently. A tradition I could completely support as long as it only applies to the New York Yankees . . .

Those ancient Romans had some pretty interesting food—turtle doves boiled in their plumage, sows’ udders stuffed with eggs, and a roast boar stuffed with a roast sheep that was in turn stuffed with game hens all make appearances at banquets in Daughters of Rome. Which modern food would you miss most if you lived in ancient Rome and which Roman food would make you wish for a potted plant to dump your plate into?

I’d miss pasta – which is funny in itself, since it’s hard to think of Italian cuisine without pasta. But ancient Rome didn’t have pasta yet, or at least not the fettuccine my husband makes with torn basil, chopped tomatoes, grilled shrimp, and fresh parmesan. As for a Roman dish that would have me hunting for a potted plant, I think I’ll go with a certain kind of fish that Roman hostesses used to serve still alive, because its scales turned a pretty red color as it died slowly on the plate. As one of my heroines says in Daughters of Rome, I prefer my food to be dead by the time it comes to the table, thank you very much.

You’ve depicted numerous strong women in both Daughters of Rome and Mistress of Rome. Would you say these were typical women of the time or do they fall far outside the norm? Or are they somewhere in the middle?

I think I strive for a balance of both: strong women who are very much of the time they live in, but succeed in living unusual lives despite it. My heroines have to live through exciting events and life-changing adventures, or there would be nothing to write about – yet they have to be real Roman women and not just 21st century women plunked down in the past. Thea in Mistress of Rome is a slave girl who sometimes has to sleep with her master: we regard that as sexual abuse in the 21st century but for her it’s a normal part of life, so she doesn’t bother feeling particularly traumatized about it. Lollia in Daughters of Rome keeps getting married off to one rich man after another and has gone through five husbands by the age of twenty, but she doesn’t bother bemoaning her fate either because arranged marriages are the norm in her world. Thea and Lollia start out in the same place that many historical women of their respective classes did, with the same attitude toward their lot in life. However, since they are lucky enough to live in a book, they will rise above the lot they were born into and end up with very different fates than the majority of real historical women.

I absolutely loved reading Lepida Pollia in Mistress of Rome—I wanted to wring her neck multiple times! I’ve been dying to know which one of your characters was your favorite to write.

Hmm, good question. Maybe I’d have to go with Lepida – she was such an evil shrew, I always grinned whenever I slipped into her head no matter how awful she was being. I love all my other characters, but I did feel guilty sometimes when I wrote about them because I was putting through so many harrowing problems (Thea with her cutting habit, Arius forced to be a gladiator, Cornelia being widowed and Lollia’s abusive husband . . .) Villains are different, because the whole point is to build them up for three quarters of the book, and then knock them flat in the finale. I had a blast building Lepida up into the most devious, callous, backstabbing bitch in the world, because I knew I’d be able to pull the rug out from under her in the end. Wonderful fun.

Daughters of Rome is a prequel to Mistress of Rome and I hear that you have a third book set in ancient Rome in the works. Is this new novel a prequel, sequel, or something totally different?

I somehow ended up writing a trilogy by accident, so rather than the usual 1-2-3 format I ended up with a 2-1-3 order instead. Mistress of Rome came first, then the prequel Daughters of Rome, and my third book Empress of the Seven Hills is the sequel to Mistress of Rome. (Next time I write a trilogy, I’m going to plan things out a little better!) Empress of the Seven Hills centers around two characters who were just children in Mistress of Rome, now grown up and having plenty of adventures during the golden age of Emperor Trajan. Take one brash young soldier looking for glory, throw in a senator’s daughter with a yen for adventure, stir in a scheming villainess, two wars, and lots of political intrigue; light on fire, and serve for an April 2012 release date.

And now for the giveaway! One lucky winner will receive their choice of a copy of Mistress of Rome or Daughters of Rome just by leaving your email and a comment on this post! Blog, Facebook, or tweet about the giveaway and you’ll earn an extra entry.

The winner will be announced Monday, June 13th!

Longhand? What the Heck?!

2011-06-02T20:27:00.005-08:00

I am revising. I LOVE revising!

Revising means the long slog of writing that dreaded first draft is over. This time my initial draft took almost seven months, small potatoes compared to my first book's 21 months. However, this time around I wrote over half the novel by hand.

What the heck? Why on earth would I torture myself? (I think I've developed carpal tunnel syndrome or early arthritis as a result, not to mention all the essays I graded at the same time. I'm a candidate for beatification--I plan to be the patron saint of writers.)

I started writing longhand when we went on vacation in March and didn't want to lose the momentum of the story. And then I discovered two things.

1. Writing the story and transferring it to Word allowed me to edit as I went.

2. I could write for hours at a time--no Internet distractions!

I moved scenes around, scrapped characters, and streamlined the plot along the way. You all know I'm a major outliner, but this novel is about the Byzantine Empire--not my specialty. I've been doing a ton of research, but some plot points came to light that forced some shuffling. But I didn't lose my groove because I was able to write and rearrange at the same time.

Genius!

Do I recommend this for everyone? Not unless you don't mind walking around with "The Claw" on your writing hand and carrying around a nerdy notebook with you at all times. (Mine had a nifty elephant on it). But it worked this time around!

And now I'm off to revise--woohoo!

Heads up! Kate Quinn, author of Mistress of Rome and Daughters of Rome will be joining me next Monday for a Q&A and a giveaway!

New Pyramids Discovered in Egypt!

2011-05-27T21:36:00.004-08:00

Egypt is one giant playground for archaeologists--there's so much stuff hidden they'll likely still be digging there when places like Las Vegas and Disneyland are being excavated. (Which would be totally cool, by the way).

Today, ABC News announced a new find of ancient tombs and pyramids--BBC will air a special next week on the find which was discovered by Sarah Parcak with the help of NASA satellite imagery.

By looking at images of the surface in different wavelengths of light, they discovered differences on the ground that reveal the presence of ancient temples, houses and pyramids.

"All of a sudden, these features jump out at you," she said. "It's almost like you've got Superman or Superwoman X-ray vision and you're able to look at the world a little differently."

Pretty nifty! (Now we just need to keep Zahi Hawass away from the find!)

Is Your Work As Cool As Abe Lincoln's Top Hat?

2011-05-18T21:28:00.004-08:00

I've entered my students the last two years in the National History Day competition (it's like a nationwide science fair, only for history- so cool!) and this year I had two projects selected to go to the National competition in Washington D.C. this summer. Yay!

Then today I learned that one of the projects--an exhibit on the Geneva Convention--is going to be showcased at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. In the same building as Abraham Lincoln's famous top hat, George Washington's uniform, and Theodore Roosevelt's chaps.

No. Freaking. Way.

I know this isn't writing related, but if I had to tie in writing somehow, I guess this must be how agents feel when they land a novel with a big publishing house. It's totally, totally awesome to have helped these students do something so darn awesome!

Poisoning a Monk

2011-05-17T20:50:00.005-08:00

I felt like poisoning a monk.
-Umberto Eco on why he wrote the novel The Name of the Rose

I wrote Hatshepsut because the poor woman was going to drive me insane if I didn't get her voice out of my head (and because I've always wanted to time travel to Ancient Egypt). I wrote my newest book because I felt like a prostitute turned Empress was about as fun a story as they come. (I was right!)

Why did you write your story?

Finito!

2011-05-15T19:22:00.006-08:00

Pop the champagne and throw a shrimp on the barbie! I just finished the first draft of my WIP!

Wait, I don't eat shrimp and I'd rather have a glass of wine. Whatever--all I know is that it's DONE!

*breaks into an ~~Egyptian~~ Byzantine happy dance*

This one clocked in at roughly 101,000 words. I say roughly because I actually wrote the last half by hand and then typed it into Word (more on that later). I'm about 30 handwritten pages ahead of what's in Word, but that's my estimate. Not too shabby considering the first draft of Hatshepsut came in at about 120,000 words and had to be chopped.

Now I'm off to celebrate with homemade Rocky Road ice cream with the four-year-old monkey (who has already told me she's happy to publish this book too).

Yay!

Yeah, Yeah, I've Been MIA, But...

2011-05-08T20:09:00.006-08:00

*gasps for breath*

Must make it to the finish line. Side cramps are killing me. Feet are burning. Brain is about to explode.

So close... and yet, so far!

I have three scenes left to write. Three! Work is bedlam as we finish the last two weeks of school, but I can still meet my deadline of finishing Draft #1 by the last day of school if I put my head down and push through these last pages.

Throw Gatorade at me (wait, aren't I supposed to drink that?), tempt me with red wine and tiramisu at the finish--I don't care. I MUST FINISH!

And then I must celebrate before I delve into more research and edits. Any suggestions for the grand hullaballoo?

U: Undertaking

2011-04-24T21:09:00.004-08:00

My current WIP feels like a whirlwind compared to my first finished novel. This has been a huge undertaking, basically because I knew next to nothing about the Byzantine Empire when I started.

Yeah, okay, I've taught about it, but my school's 700+ page history book condenses the Byzantine Empire into about three pages. Talk about shortchanging the Eastern Roman Empire (which is yet another example why I don't use textbooks).

So guess where I am at this current undertaking?

80,000 words as of tonight! Woot!

My goal was to be finished by May 1st, but the trip to D.C. and being sick for two weeks knocked me off the writing wagon. School gets out May 19th and I will be done by then.

Keep your fingers crossed for me!

And yes, I skipped some more letters in the A-Z Challenge. Shhh!