Category: Research Trivia

Trajan’s bridge over the Danube was a major Roman engineering feat and plays a central role in the conflict between Rome and Dhawosia in my historical fantasy The Foreign King. Here are some fascinating facts about it.

I often find inspiration in the rich history of ancient civilizations—especially that of my native Romania. So it was heartbreaking to hear that several Dacian artifacts had recently been stolen from a museum.

A few years ago, I thought I had discovered the perfect idea for a novel. It came from real-world events, but as I dug deeper into my research, something unsettling began to surface.

The most important book you’ve (probably) never heard of is On the Nature of Things by Titus Lucretius Carus, a poem that described the advanced science the Romans had developed at that time, including their understanding of atoms.

We have a pretty good idea what ancient history looked like, but we’re not so sure what it sounded like. Luckily, there’s a whole branch of science called archaeoacoustics that is working to find out.

I’m sure you’ve heard of Vlad the Impaler, the 15th-century Romanian king who was more ruthless than Mehmed the Conqueror. But how much do you know about him?

I thought it would be interesting to share with you today some of the resources that help me plot my new novel The Foreign King, a sequel to The Exiled Queen.

I’ve been digging into ancient Roman history for my historical fantasy The Foreign King, a sequel to The Exiled Queen, and I discovered something I had never known before.

While researching for my novel, I stumbled across dummy foal syndrome, a rare condition affecting newborn horses. Here’s how it unexpectedly helped shape a key scene in my latest story.