BOOK CLUBS
I have belonged to a book club for about 15 years. We meet approximately every six weeks to discuss a book that we have all just read....
IT’S NOT TOO LATE
It’s not too late! By becoming a subscriber to my semi-annual newsletter by June 1st, you are eligible to win a FREE copy of my latest...
PERFUME MAKERS
The word perfume comes from the Latin, per meaning through and fume meaning smoke. The earliest record of perfume-making comes from Egypt...
SMELL THE ROSES IN ALEXANDRIA
The rose has had a long and colorful history as a symbol of love, war, beauty, or politics and as the basis for making confetti, perfume,...
ARE YOU A PLOTTER OR A PANTSER?
When I was first asked that question, I responded, “Whaaat?” I’d never heard those terms before. Maybe you haven’t either. When referring...
DENTAL TREATMENTS IN ROMAN ALEXANDRIA
In THE DEADLIEST LIE, Miriam complains about the odors emanating from the women pressed near her in the Great Synagogue: Dulled by the...
BRIDES IN ANCIENT ROME
Weddings occur in the course of the Miriam bat Isaac Mystery Series; the first is referenced in THE DEADLIEST SPORT. Miriam was likely...
THE DOWRY IN ANCIENT ROME
A dowry, or dos as the Romans called it, was the custom for most marriages. The Roman version probably began out of a desire to get the...
EVIDENCE FROM THE LATRINES AND CESSPITS
The volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE gives us evidence of the varied and healthful diet of first-century Roman commoners....
ROSEMARY
Native to the Mediterranean and considered sacred to ancient Egyptians, Romans, and Greeks, rosemary is a woody perennial shrub with...