Authors get asked so many different questions. But perhaps the one I'm most frequently asked is "How long did it take for you to write your book?"

The answer: "A long time."

What most people who are NOT authors don't realize is the the actual writing is only a fraction of the entire process. So, in this week's blog, I thought I'd briefly share the basic process of what's involved in creating a historical novel, independently. 

First is the research. I am researching even when I'm writing. Sometimes I have to stop cold and fish out a book to look up facts. One nagging subject early on in Son of Rome was what Roman saddles were like. Believe it or not, some have been discovered by archaeologists and recreated. Roman saddles made up for their lack of stirrups by having four saddle horns. So regardless of whether a cavalryman looped his leg around one for balance on the fly or used them for hanging tack and saddlebags, they were obviously practical. But a well-researched novel stands alone, and as an author, that's my intent.

Writing the novel itself is a creative and fun task. However, we do it in multiple drafts. The first draft is always one that we look back and laugh at. Full of errors, too many words, scenes that don't tie in to each other, and holes in plot and character... I could go on and on. Yet a first draft is a vital skeleton upon which we go back to in the second draft, third, fourth... and so on, fleshing out, editing, and correcting. For people (like me!) who love writing, it's how I love to unwind after the workday. I write.

After the manuscript is as complete as possible, an in-depth developmental edit is essential to tightening the entire plot and solidifying each character. It's also a good way to get input on descriptive elements in scenes, along with dialogue. After a developmental edit, I rework the entire manuscript. Sometimes, this means cutting or adding an entire scene. Many authors find it painful, but for me, it's cathartic, because it makes the whole package more appealing to the reader. It's my favorite part of the entire book-writing process!

After that, comes a copy-edit. This is where an editor makes certain that every 't' is crossed, and every 'i' is dotted. It's where grammatical issues are cleared up and any clumsy phrases or inaccuracies in historical detail are corrected. Yes--a good copy-editor has to research too! My editor, Jenny Quinlan and I have discussed Latin word endings a great deal, trying to come up with ones that will serve my work the best, in context. She has also questioned me on Roman saddles, so it's a good thing I did my homework!

Now that I have a fantastic network of author-friends, I'm able to send my work to them to read as a "beta-reader". It is one of the professional favors we authors do for one another, since the more eyes that are on a manuscript, the better. Once I read and make decisions on their suggestions, I go ahead and send my work to my "advance readers" who will be the very first people to write reviews on Amazon for me. 

Right now, Second in Command is in the final phase before publication: formatting. Formatting is when a manuscript is placed into the appearance it will have in either a print or e-book. I have to have both, since I sell both. Roseanna, my formatter, knows her stuff and adds elegant little details, such as the Greek meander pattern  at the beginning of each of my chapters and the lovely rosettes readers see between each of my scenes. I might add that she also inserts the maps I have had designed especially for the book.

During a formatting, I'm required to proofread the entire manuscript. This enables me to catch computer glitches that have over-corrected paragraph placement, left out punctuation (always a scary thing to try to catch!!!), and even be sure there's no deleted text. (Yep, that's happened, too.) Because I'm an OCD perfectionist, this is the most stressful part of the entire process for me. However, I'm more than half way through the first proofing. There will be a second and possibly a third before October 25th's launch date. 

So, there are only a few more weeks before Antonius: Second in Command will be available. I hope you join in the journey with me, because it's a real roller-coaster ride!  If you've not yet read Antonius: Son of Rome, there is still time to do so before Second in Command's release. And I hope you'll consider subscribing to my web-page for updates and weekly blogs.

Lastly, I have great news, in case you haven't heard. A reviewer in England, Mary Anne Yarde of The Coffee Pot Book Club, awarded Antonius: Son of Rome a FIVE-STAR review! For an author, that's pretty awesome, and Mary was most gracious with her review. You can read it here:
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 https://maryanneyarde.blogspot.com/2019/09/bookreview-antonius-son-of-rome-by.html

                    The little world of Brook Allen--proofing my formatted print version of Second in Command.

Unlike slavery taking place in the U.S. prior to the Civil War, Roman slavery wasn't ever based upon race.

In Rome, slaves were of various nationalities and races. They could come from all walks of life. Many were from conquered provinces, others were simply sold into slavery as children, while some were born into it. 

Now we can all agree that slavery, in and of itself is heinous. However, not all slaves in the Roman period led equal lives of misery and toil. Like free plebs and nobles in Rome, there was a social status even among enslaved individuals. Perhaps the ones that labored on latifundia (farms owned by nobles), gladiators, or slaves working in mines and brothels had the worst lives. But if you were a slave with a skill, or fortunate enough to belong to a wealthy household, life could be fairly tolerable and even lead to eventual freedom. Some household slaves were cooks, others worked as personal slaves, who assisted their domina or dominus when bathing, dressing, or with secretarial duties, etc. Many of these slaves were literate, acting as scribes or tutors in large homes. Another position was that of a janitor--which doesn't have the same connotation as it does today (i.e. school janitor). In Roman times, a janitor was a trusted doorman, in that he was responsible for ushering and welcoming guests into the domus--or keeping them out!

Interestingly enough, there are records showing that some slaves purchased their freedom by saving enough money on their own. Others were freed by their owners because of loyalty or as a reward for a special deed. One of my favorite museum exhibits in Rome is in the lower level of the Capitoline Museum. This part is actually in a portion of the ancient Tabularium, which was built in the 70's BC, when Marc Antony was a boy. Displayed for all to see are countless funerary steles, inscriptions, and reliefs, each with a translation. A particular plaque that was once attached to a stele caught my attention.The inscription reads:

The tomb of Maritimus, freedman of Antonia Minor, wife of Drusus, employed for receiving guests. 

Maritimus was one of the fortunate ones... he had been freed. We don't know the details regarding his manumission, but he had been in the household of none other than Antonia Minor, one of Marc Antony's daughters. What IS important is that whenever he was freed, his relevance as a human being was important enough to Antonia to be given a burial plaque a his passing. Maritimus was a janitor in Antonia's domus. She may have had several. But he must have been especially trustworthy and held a special place in her esteem to have been memorialized and honored by her, as she was the mother of an emperor and daughter of a legendary general.

Indeed, Maritimus was fortunate to have been freed by Antonia. However, many other slaves memorialized in the Capitoline Museum were not. It's a poignant exhibit, in that it shows that regardless of their lack of rights, slaves were oft-times beloved within a family and given special thought when they died. Certainly, this doesn't change the brutality and horror of "owning" an individual in our present-day mindset. Yet, these people were valued and I find it remarkable and touching that they were given the honor of being memorialized in death.

Another slave mentioned by the ancient historian Plutarch, and remembered for posterity, was named Eros. We know very little about him, other than his name. However, he was a servant of Antony and is an important character in my trilogy. In Second in Command, Eros's position at Antony's side increases in importance as does the level of trust bestowed upon him.

And in the end, Eros's fate will remain bound to that of his dominus.

I invite you to keep reading and hang in there with me as I continue learning and writing. Feel free to respond to my blogs. I'd love hearing from you. And if you haven't already, be sure to go to my webpage that says "CONTACT", fill out the online subscription form and join me on my author journey. 

Antonius: Second in Command will launch on October 25!!!

The funerary plaque that honor Maritimus, a freedman and former janitor in the domus of Antonia, daughter of       Marc Antony. (The Capitoline Museum, Rome)

In all of my travels to research the Antonius Trilogy, I was struck by two big things when it came to broad swaths of land. First, the scale of some ancient battles was enormous. When it comes to battles scenes in my upcoming book, Antonius: Second in Command, we're talking about a twenty to twenty-five mile radius. And this was without walkie-talkies, radios of any sort, cell-phones, or Morse Code. The second thing that amazes me is how many sites are yet untouched archaeologically. Sometimes this has to do with land ownership. But (probably) it also has to do with the fact that the Mediterranean has so many sites that could be excavated, yet the money and grants to bring in a team of noteworthy archaeologists is limited. Naturally, it's also important to maintain sites that are already excavated and popular with tourists.

So the exact location of the Battle of Pharsalus (Farsala, in Greek), still remains unknown.

Four years ago, I had the opportunity to visit Greece and the many sites that would factor into my novel's story line. The Battle of Pharsalus was fought on a large plain in Thessaly. Ancient sources tell us that Caesar and Pompeius Magnus slugged it out someplace near the ancient city of Pharsalus. On the day of my visit, my friend Kathryn and I actually climbed a good portion of the ancient acropolis of the city, overlooking the plain. Someplace out there, two-thousand years ago, a Roman civil war was underway. I had limited information for my driver to explain "where" it may have taken place. However, we do know from ancient sources that Antony commanded the left wing of Caesar's forces, and that he was alongside a river called the Enipeus. 

Our driver that day kept stopping and asking people, "Where's the Enipeus River?" Most didn't even know. Apparently, even in Antony and Caesar's day, the Enipeus wasn't that big a deal, either. We kept driving, kept looking, I kept HOPING that maybe we'd get lucky and run into this river. I just wanted to get a general idea for where the fight took place. Suddenly, I saw a sign with both Greek and English, stating that we were crossing the Enipeus River!!! I've never been as excited to cross a river that was probably no bigger than a creek back home, known as Peter's Creek. In fact, this river flowed lazily and murkily. It wasn't very pretty. Nor was it impressive in size. But HERE, someplace along this inconsequential stream, a portion of my novel's story played itself out. 

That day, Marc Antony took several of Caesar's most undermanned legions and held his position through the worst of the fighting. While Caesar maneuvered his cavalry around to entrap Pompeius's men, Antony's wing held steady and didn't budge. 

From the top of that acropolis, looking out over the plain in Thessaly, my imagination ran wild! What a sight the townspeople of ancient Pharsalus must have had! I imagined them hunkered down on top of their acropolis, fearful of the possible looting of their town, when Romans were so close by. That day, sixty to seventy thousand Roman legionaries fought it out in a war that would settle the rivalry between Caesar and Pompeius once and for all. It must have been one incredible sight!

And the research continues. I'm not one to intentionally leave stones left unturned. 

The Enipeus River is more like a creek. But one can clearly see the surrounding plain and somewhere near here, Caesar faced off with Pompeius Magnus. 

I've dealt with some pretty fascinating characters in my research for Antonius: Second in Command. One of those people with a commanding aura is certainly Julius Caesar. Here was a man who founded a dynasty without any living children, is still known as a formidable commander among modern military strategists today, and whose very name "Caesar" became a title, not only in Rome but in Germany (Kaiser) and Russia (Czar).

Caesar was a pretty intriguing guy. He was himself an author. His Gallic Wars are a primary source that historians and Classicists use to teach about ancient Britain and Gaul. Granted, he used a lot of propaganda in the work, and never alludes to his own weaknesses, but for anybody interested in learning more about the Gallic War and how Romans fought, it's worth a read.

While writing Second in Command, I had to ask myself repeatedly what MY Caesar was to be like. I wrote him as a man chock full of ulterior motives, a grand-scheme manipulator, exceptionally shrewd, and someone who believed that he was born to rule. My Caesar wants it ALL. However, it's generally agreed that he had some physical issues after the Battle of Munda in Spain. I have embraced the epilepsy theory in my story, and that will feature prominently in one scene. Romans were never keen on physical weaknesses of any kind. Therefore, whatever ailments Julius Caesar may have had, I'm sure he attempted to conceal them.

Though his descendants were not from his own children, Caesar had (most people believe) two: a daughter named Julia, by his wife Cornelia, and Ptolemy Caesar (Caesarion), by Cleopatra. Julia eventually married Pompeius Magnus and died in childbirth. Sadly, the baby was also lost. Caesarion was only a teenager when he was executed during the last of the Roman civil wars in 30 BC. And yet, the incredible thing was that Caesar's legacy lived on. He was deified and a temple was erected in his memory on the very spot in the Forum Romanum where he was cremated. A small portion of it remains to this day, and people in Rome still bring flowers there to honor him. 

Julius Caesar was  beloved by the plebs, Rome's common people. He even left them a hefty sum of money, as well as a lovely plot of land across the Tiber. It was the "Optimate" political party, composed of rich and powerful Senators who opposed him, especially after he was proclaimed dictator for life. A real Renaissance man, Caesar's last year was eventful. An entire series of Triumphs were celebrated in Rome to fete his victories. Apparently, these days of wine and roses were the biggest party Rome had experienced, to date. To honor his patron goddess, Venus, he built a phenomenal Temple and used Cleopatra as a model for the cult statue! (Brutus and Cassius must have loved that!) And even while the last dagger was plunged into his heart, a brand new forum complex was being built and paid for by him. When completed, it would be the first added forum to Rome's already crowded Forum Romanum. Caesar introduced the Egyptian calendar that Cleopatra revealed to him in Alexandria. It became known as the Julian Calendar and the Gregorian Calendar (our calendar today) was based upon it. Oh, and because Caesar was such a big deal in Rome by 44 BC, the Senate renamed one of their months after him. It was the month of JULIUS--what is now known as July. Hail Caesar!

Please be sure to share my posts and blogs with your friends who enjoy history. Let them know that they can join my adventure in writing by subscribing to brookallenauthor.com. And don't forget--Antonius: Second in Command is coming on October 25!

                                                             Brook with Gaius Julius Caesar in Naples, Italy.

Never in a million years did I think I'd be launching not one, but TWO books in one year's time. What an exciting road I've traveled this year. I've met so many new and delightful people. Some live in other countries but we've found ourselves united through our love of words, books, writing, and history. I've met bestselling authors who have encouraged and inspired me. And even though I'm an "old fart" I must be young at heart, because I've learned the art of blogging, managing a web-page, and constantly continue to learn methods of marketing. My first public speaking gigs were this summer and earlier this past April, I had my first big interview on a syndicated radio talk-show: JOY ON PAPER. 

Never say you're too old to learn something new!  

Speaking of new...

Today I get to reveal the cover art  for Antonius: Second in Command. The cover was done by Jennifer Quinlan (Jenny Q) of Historical Editorial. When we initially put our heads together, we discussed the direction this book was taking, because that would also influence the cover. In this book, Marcus comes into his own, despite his weaknesses. For any man of standing in ancient Rome, position was everything--on the battlefield, in politics, and in society. If you were born into an aristocratic family, you were expected to succeed, to bring honor to your gens (family name), and prove yourself in the "big three": battlefield, politics, and society. 

First of all, I wanted Marcus head-on in the cover-art, as well as in a toga. You'll note that his toga is pure-white. This was the toga candida, which was supposed to be as pure white as possible. Marcus would have had someone (probably Eros) rubbing his toga with chalk prior to donning it. This garment was traditionally worn by any man standing for office. In Second in Command, Marcus begins his political career, so I felt like a toga candida was the perfect choice for his cover attire. Behind him is a legionary soldier, because don't let the cover fool you. This book isn't just about political intrigue. Second in Command is chock-full of action--epic battle scenes, plenty of daring-do, and thrilling escapes. Marcus will also travel a lot, as he will in each of my books. In fact, there will be a brand new map in front, so people can get a feel for distances, locations, and places he journeyed. Lastly, the coin rondel on which Jenny did such a fabulous job in designing actually portrays the real Marcus Antonius. It's an aureus, meaning a gold coin, and is proof positive that in Second in Command, Marcus makes a name for himself.

My hope is that you'll continue with me on this author journey. Should you read one of the books be sure to post a review on Amazon or Goodreads​--also a great help to me. And please let your friends know about Son of Rome and my new book coming out. Kindly do me the favor of sharing this post on your social media pages. It is truly the best method of advertising there is. Friends can subscribe to my website at: https://www.brookallenauthor.com/contact.html

And now... drumroll, please! Here is the big COVER REVEAL: