A Novel from the Author of Forever in Love
Monday
A Quote from Emperor Vespasian . . .
“The body of a dead enemy always smells sweet.”
Emperor Vespasian in Chapter XXl gave orders to
“Leave no survivors!”
Sunday
An Eyewitness to History
“Some survivors were so afraid of death,
that they prayed
for death.”
Pliny the Younger documented the catastrophe that was Mt.
Vesuvius. You can read about it in Chapter XXVll.
Saturday
Do you agree?
“In wine, there’s truth,” —— is the theme of Chapter X of Reluctant
Conspirator.
It was true 2000 years ago.
It is true today.
Tuesday
The Secret Cult of Bacchanalia
Sextus had no knowledge his wife Metella was a cultist of
Bacchanalia.
Chapter Xll of Reluctant Conspirator
is off-the-charts awesome.
Lear more about the secret festivals of >> Bacchanalia.
Scientists Have Figured Out How Ancient Rome's Concrete Has Survived 2,000 Years
Scientists Have Figured Out How Ancient Rome's Concrete Has Survived 2,000 Years
Scientists have solved the
mystery of the durability of Ancient Rome's concrete
and in the process may have learned something that could influence modern day
construction.
The research, published in
the journal American
Mineralogist, details how ancient Roman sea walls built roughly
2,000 years ago managed to stand up to the elements due to a rare chemical
reaction that seemingly has strengthened the concrete over time.
Click here to continue reading.
Author Interview: Martin Diano Takes Us Back to Ancient Rome
Author Interview: Martin Diano Takes Us Back to Ancient Rome
Martin Diano is the author of “Reluctant Conspirator: The Legacy of Pliny the Elder.” It is a novel combining historical fiction, alternative history, and speculative historical elements creating a realistic narrative of what life might have been in Ancient Rome in AD 79.
In the first century AD, Rome was at the pinnacle of its power. It held dominion over one-fifth of the world's population from Britannia and Gaul in the north to Carthage and Mauretania in the south to Egypt, Syria, and Macedonia to the east. When a rebellion arose in a client state, it would be quelled with breathtaking brutality. During that period, Rome ruled with a heavy hand using fear and intimidation as its primary instruments of subjugation.
The story focuses at a time of particular turbulence during a 65-year period between AD 14 to AD 79. Romans had eight emperors during that stretch of time. Being an emperor had become a risky proposition.
For example, Nero opted for suicide, then face sure death when the senate declared him a public enemy, and Claudius had been poisoned by his wife. Four emperors had been murdered: Caligula, Galba, Piso, and Vitellius–all of which the praetorian guard had a hand. The later three slain in a single year that notoriously became known as The Year of Four. Before year's end, Vespasian Augustus, an army general, had marched his army on Rome and seized power in AD 69, becoming the fourth emperor in twelve months. The seizure of the capital cost 50,000 Romans their lives. Emperor Vespasian is a key character in the novel.
Before Martin left for New York for three months to escape the Arizona heat, we caught up with him at his desert home in Casa Grande, Arizona to ask a few questions.
Q: How did idea for the novel come about?
A: I've been fortunate to have visited Rome dozens of times on vacation and lived there for months at a time. You can't help but walk the streets of Ancient Rome without wondering about its long and complicated history. You see the ruins of the Imperial Palace and think to yourself how awesome is its majesty and the power of an emperor. You visit The Colosseum and wonder about the life of a gladiator who will enter the arena to engage in a battle to the death.
Q: What is your writing regime?
A: I've been fortunate to have visited Rome dozens of times on vacation and lived there for months at a time. You can't help but walk the streets of Ancient Rome without wondering about its long and complicated history. You see the ruins of the Imperial Palace and think to yourself how awesome is its majesty and the power of an emperor. You visit The Colosseum and wonder about the life of a gladiator who will enter the arena to engage in a battle to the death.
Q: What is your writing regime?
A: That’s a great question. I write every day. Being a creature of habit, my routine is to hand write about 500-1000 words the first thing in the morning. Living in Arizona, I write outdoors on the back deck. I have a cup of coffee and a cigar and hand write for about ninety minutes. By mid-morning, I input what I wrote onto my desktop and rewrite and self-edit.
Q: What's significant about the year AD 79?
A: The two most important events that occurred in AD 79 was the completion of The Colosseum and the opening games, and the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. Both events figure prominently in the story.
Q: The book's cover depicts the eruption of Mt Vesuvius. Does the story go into detail about what happened that day?
A: Yes. Very much so. The devastation wrought by the eruption that day was truly catastrophic.
Q: How did you choose Pliny the Elder as the principal character?
A: He was a personal friend of Emperor Vespasian and had a scrupulous reputation for historical accuracy. He was the ideal character to be the reluctant conspirator.
Q: What about the other characters in the story?
Q: The book's cover depicts the eruption of Mt Vesuvius. Does the story go into detail about what happened that day?
A: Yes. Very much so. The devastation wrought by the eruption that day was truly catastrophic.
Q: How did you choose Pliny the Elder as the principal character?
A: He was a personal friend of Emperor Vespasian and had a scrupulous reputation for historical accuracy. He was the ideal character to be the reluctant conspirator.
Q: What about the other characters in the story?
A: The real characters include Pliny the Younger, his nephew; historian, Cornelius Tacitus; and the two sons of Emperor Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian. The other characters in the story are fictional.
Q: The story is rich in describing how life might have been in Ancient Rome. How did you go about researching the book?
A: Of course, the internet was particularly useful. But I also poured over the biographies of two highly respected historians of the era: Cornelius Tacitus and Suetonius. And Pliny the Elder's encyclopedia “Naturalis Historia,” which served as the template for all future encyclopedias.
Q: What is your next writing project?
A: I’ve completed the research and prepared a synopsis. The working title is “Branded for Life.” It will be a novel based on real-life events about how social media impacts relationships, particularly marriages. The main character uses a social media website to find and reunite with his first-time lover, but his life is turned upside down when his wife of over forty years learns of the tryst and the ex-lover finds out he’s married. I’ll be describing life in The Bronx, NY in the 1960s and then weave the story over five decades into the present day.
To learn more about Reluctant Conspirator: The Legacy of Pliny the Elder visit Amazon.com. The novel is available in print and ebook.
About the Author
Martin Diano is a retired public relations practitioner living in Casa Grande AZ USA with his wife, Annette, of 49 years.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)