Welcome to Brook's Scroll. As promised we have a LOT going on this month, as I prepare to launch Antonius: Soldier of Fate, the final book in the Antonius Trilogy.

BOOK NO FURTHER, a local bookstore in Roanoke, Virginia will be teaming with me in a Virtual Book Launch on Thursday, October 16 from 6-7:30 Eastern Standard Time. This will be a fabulous event and for my European readers, consider taking a nap and staying up late to join us for at least a few minutes. I would LOVE to meet some of you face to face. This event does require you to sign up. So click HERE to do so. Space is limited, so be sure to sign up TODAY! Print versions of my books will be on pre-order, so if you want an authographed, pre-ordered copy, HERE'S YOUR CHANCE!!!

Also, remember to be sure you're subscribed to my website, because on October 30th, I'll be GIVING FIVE BOOKS away. Winners may choose whichever of the Trilogy they'd like to have.​

When Bly returned on September 22, Cockerill had his answer. He wanted Bly to fake her way into an insane asylum for women on Blackwell’s Island (above), a slim strip of land in the East River that was home to the city’s misfits and malcontents. She was to remain for ten days and report upon what she found when she returned.
 
For a woman who was just twenty-three, Bly had already shown a remarkable predisposition to grasp whatever opportunities that came her way and think about the risks later. Cockerill, for his part, was just the sort to dish them out without compunction. He was also, of course, testing Bly. Did she really have the nerve to execute such a bold feat?
 
He left all the planning to her. She’d have to figure out on her own how to convince nurses and doctors (and a judge and a few police officers as it turned out) that she was mad. All Cockerill promised was that, in ten days’ time, a representative of the paper would come get her out.
 
Bly accepted. 

Why the Blackwell’s Insane Asylum? For one, the island itself was just the sort of vulgar backdrop that would pique the interest of the World’s legion of readers. The island had long been known as a place of misery. A ferry ride over was often a one-way trip to hell.
 
It was home to a penitentiary for the criminal, a charity hospital for the poor and infirmed, an almshouse for the poor and disabled, and a workhouse for minor criminals, vagrants and the able-bodied poor. The women’s asylum housed the lunatic poor, where 1600 female inmates lived in a space originally built to accommodate just 850.
 
The asylum had a long history of mismanagement but in the summer of 1887, just months before Bly showed up in Cockerill’s office, some interesting tidbits had surfaced in the papers. The Times reported that two young nurses had filed charges against doctors that brought the doctors’ characters into question (a veiled Victorian reference, no doubt, of unwanted, ungentlemanly behavior toward them). Both the nurses and the two doctors were later suspended.
 
Additionally, the World alleged in two editorials that on Ward’s Island (which housed the city’s lunatic males), gross mistreatment of the inmates had taken place. Two attendants at the Ward’s asylum were indicted for manslaughter for the killing of an inmate.
 
These stories, and others, triggered the papers to call for an overhaul of the men’s and women’s facilities. However, further investigation by the press was thwarted. Those who ruled at Blackwell’s and Ward’s apparently wanted to keep their goings-on under wraps.
 
Bly’s assignment couldn’t have come at a better time.

The path to Blackwell’s required commitment from a doctor at Bellevue Hospital, about 2 ½ miles southwest of the island on the river. Bly and 4 other women soon found themselves taking the Bellevue ferry up river to their fate.
 
Two of these women were around Bly’s age and it was they whom Bly got to know the best. One of them was Anne Neville, a girl who had been let go from her position as a domestic maid when she became too ill to work. The other, Tillie Maynard, had also lost her position due to recent illness. Sick and without work, they had fallen victim to sudden poverty, a situation Bly soon realized applied to many of the women she would encounter.
 
But not all of them. There were others, kept in separate areas of the asylum, who had their own dark stories.


---
Tonya Mitchell is the author of A Feigned Madness, the tale of pioneering journalist Nellie Bly and her ten-day undercover ordeal in an insane asylum in 1887. It will be published by Cynren Press in October 2020 but is available for pre-order here. Tonya’s short fiction has appeared in The Copperfield Review, Words Undone, and The Front Porch Review, as well as various anthologies, including Furtive Dalliance, Welcome to Elsewhere, and Glimmer and Other Stories and Poems for which she won the Cinnamon Press award in fiction. She is a self-professed Anglophile and is obsessed with all things relating to the Victorian period. She is a member of the Historical Novel Society North America and resides in Cincinnati, OH with her husband and three wildly energetic sons.

Find her on social media:
Website: https://www.tonyamitchellauthor.com/
Twitter @tremmitchell
Instragram @tmitchell.2012
Facebook @TonyaMitchellAuthor
Email: tremitchell.2012@gmail.com

Before each blog, I always tend to take care of any business, and this week's business is FUN! I will be holding a GIVEAWAY for anyone subscribed to my website for a FREE BOOK! Though I'm celebrating the upcoming launch of Antonius: Soldier of Fate, winners will get to choose from any of my three books. I will hold the random drawing on Friday, October 30. Five winners will be notified by email. Winners must respond to my email to receive their free book. So let your friends know about the Antonius Trilogy so they can subscribe and participate, too!

This week, I'm introducing a superpower in the East that rivaled Rome in greatness and mystique. The Parthian Empire lay beyond the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in what is now Iraq and Iran. I'll begin this tale in 53 BC with the wealthy Marcus Licinius Crassus, who was a part of the First Triumvirate at the time, along with Julius Caesar, and Pompeius Magnus. 

Despite his wealth, Crassus lacked what both his colleagues possessed--military prowess. Since the Parthians were causing trouble along Rome's newly conquered Syrian borders, the Senate agreed that Crassus would be the man to lead legionary force into Parthia to subdue them, once and for all. Crassus was delighted at his appointment, for now he'd get his chance at flexing military muscle. His son, Marcus Licinius the Younger was notified immediately, as Dad wanted him to join his campaign. Crassus the Younger was serving with Caesar at the time in Gaul, and was considered a capable officer. However, Caesar released him from command to join his father.

Crassus's campaign was disastrous, ending at a stronghold called Carrhae. Parthians used cavalry in their method of warfare. These horsemen, known as cataphracts--were armored and could fire arrows from both in front and behind their mounts. They were incredible riders, and their skill was known throughout the Roman world as being formidable. Though the stele above at the right shows a cataphract wielding a spear instead of bows and arrows, his horsemanship is obvious. He's using both hands to manage his weapon while riding and confronting the lion, controlling his horse with leg cues. Pretty phenomenal!

Both Crassus and his son were killed at Carrhae, as was most of his army, leaving very few survivors. It is believed that prisoners were taken into Media and held at Phraaspa, along with Crassus's captured legionary standards--a big hit to Roman pride. Julius Caesar planned on taking up Crassus's campaign after he finished off the last of his civil wars. However, only days from his departure to head East on what may have been another Caesarian victory, history intervened upon the Ides of March.

Thus, it was Marcus Antonius who picked up the torch to vanquish the Parthians. Before he even began his campaign, Parthians and their allies began more incursions along the Syrian and Armenian borders. This strife caught Antonius at a difficult time--during more civil strife in Italy that involved both his wife Fulvia and his brother, Lucius Antonius. Needless to say, it added much fuel to the fire in his quest to conquer the Parthians.

It was vital that Antonius have loyal allies at his back. He was far from Rome and his dealings with Octavian by this time had been shaded with bitter rivalry. He couldn't expect much support from him. For several years now, Antonian constituents had courted the favors of Artavasdes II of Armenia (see coin at left). This king had an artistic flair for play-writing and some of his works were popular throughout the Hellenized East. In his account on Antonius's life, Plutarch states that Artavasdes gave to Antonius "... six thousand horse and seven thousand foot..." However, while passing through Media, Artavasdes betrayed Antonius, resulting in a dreadful massacre.

For his part, Antonius did make it farther into Media than Crassus did. This was probably due to his route, as he had access to Caesar's original plans, which it is commonly believed he used. However, due to insurmountable problems, partly due to Artavasdes's betrayal, he was forced to turn back after making it as far as Phraaspa, the heart of Media, which (at that point) was 100% loyal to Parthia.  furnished six thousand horse and seven thousand foot" 

​Unfortunately for Antonius, this is where things went south. Though the mercurial King Phraates of Media (coin at right) assured the Romans that they'd be allowed to leave without pursuit, his assurance was nothing but lie. Median and Parthian cataphracts pursued the Romans on a daily basis, hounding them like the Furies.

Antonius's "escape" from Parthia will be a highlight in Antonius: Soldier of Fate, and both of these royal despots will make appearances in my story.

To close, I'm sharing a map (below) which will be featured in my third book, designed by Cathie Helms of Avalon Graphics. It shows the route both in and out of Parthia that Antonius is believed to have taken. Imagine traversing this distance as a Roman legionary--on foot--carrying a kit of 50-60 pounds, and being harassed night and day by mounted archers. In closing, I'll add that Rome never did "best" Parthia with their military. Eventually, it was Augustus's negotiations that finally returned the lost standards to Rome, not military might. 

Be sure to share my Giveaway details with friends. Encourage them to join the Antonius adventure online and subscribe to my website, here at brookallenauthor.com. There will be FIVE WINNERS!!!
​

Before launching into this week's blog, I want to be sure everybody is aware that the Kindle edition of my upcoming book, Antonius: Soldier of Fate is now available for PRE-ORDER on Amazon. For those readers interested in print copies, I will let everyone know when they are available for pre-order, as well. Hopefully in a few weeks. 

This week, I'm delighted to introduce the antagonist of my story: Gaius Octavian Caesar Augustus. This humble-looking bust at right is Octavian at a very young age--probably around the time of Julius Caesar's assassination and Octavian's ascension into the world of politics. He would have been nineteen or twenty years old. I've always loved seeing this work, found at the Capitoline Museum, for it captures Octavian at his most vulnerable--before he assumed absolute power. It's also much more veristic, unlike the Augustan art following his principate, which is idealistic--more like Classical Greek sculpture. Unfortunately, this one is a difficult piece to photograph, for it's high up on a shelf about four feet above my own height, and whenever I'm there and attempt a picture, I wind up wishing for a ladder!

In my story, it's never easy to reveal Octavian's pleasing traits, since he was Antonius's enemy, and my books are all from Antonius's point of view. So this blog is an opportunity to sing Octavian's praises, for my story reveals some of his ruthless cruelty all too well.

​The stunning aureus at left was minted by some of Antonius's constituents in 41 BC. This was right after the Battle of Philippi and the fall of Brutus and Cassius, when Antonius chose the East and Octavian chose to remain in the West. Again, this beautiful coin depicts Octavian when he was extremely young--still getting his feet wet in the political scene.

Octavian's father died in his early youth and his mother, Atia, remarried Lucius Marcius Philippus. Young Octavian maintained close ties to his stepfather, but when Philippus encouraged him to reject his inheritance from Julius Caesar, Octavian refused to do so.

As great nephew to Caesar, it's unclear how close he was to the Dictator. However, Caesar obviously valued him. Around the time of his Triumphs in 45 BC, Caesar either visited Octavian in his ill health or sent trusted colleagues in his place. Yes,Octavian suffered a great deal of his life from un-named maladies. Whether they were severe allergies, asthma, or maybe malaria, the young man just wasn't healthy. As a result, he never excelled at the same physical training as most men of his social status. Perhaps it was due to this that he befriended a young man of his own age, who would serve him faithfully and remain close to him through middle age--Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa--a man who did have the martial skills needed to help Octavian rise to prominence. 

Allow me to apologize for the poor photo at right. However, I wanted to include it because it helped me immensely in my own portrayal of Octavian. Taken from primary sources, Anthony Everitt, in his fabulous Augustus: The Life of Rome's First Emperor, describes the future emperor: 

"He was not very tall, perhaps only five feet, six inches, but, writes Suetonius, 'with body and limbs so beautifully proportioned, one did not realize how small a man he was, unless someone tall stood close to him.' He had near-blond curly hair, small teeth, and clear, bright eyes."

Inside the phenomenal collection at the Vatican Museum, resides a statue that Classicists visit as though it was Mecca. The Prima-Porta Augustus is one of the sublime examples of Augustan art--for indeed, it was crafted during the years when Octavian--having been named Augustus (exalted one) by the Senate, was at the height of his power. It found a home inside a villa at Prima Porta, Italy, where his wife, the Empress Livia, had a villa. One can still see the spot where historians believe it once rested. Among the many artistic analyses the Prima Porta Augustus has endured, one was especially fascinating. It's no secret that ancient statuary were painted--sometimes garishly. The Prima Porta Augustus was no different from any other statue, and fortunately, enough tiny flakes of pigment remained for art historians to determine what the statue's colors were like in ancient times. Though Everitt's description, based upon Suetonius, described him as "blond", I chose to give my Octavian strawberry-blond hair, based upon this recreation.

It took me three visits to Rome before I finally stood before Octavian's Prima Porta presence. The first two trips (frustrated me!) left me behind barriers within the Vatican Museum that had been closed off to guests. Last year, was my best shot at it of any, as it had finally been opened and I got to view it within its original niche in the building. The photo I took bears testimony to what a spectacular piece it is. 

Octavian was big on symbolism in his rule. He gave tax-breaks to Romans who married and had multiple children, frowned on extra-marital affairs (even though he had them himself, and so did members of his family), and he glorified the god Apollo and the deity's many symbols, for he believed Apollo bestowed upon him the right to lead the Roman state. 

I have spent years analyzing this unique, gifted, yet cold and calculating man, who had oft-times been near death in his early years. Octavian struggled for supremacy against Antonius, and finally lived on to lead Rome through her Pax Romana--the great Augustan peace, I found that his most powerful advantage had been his dearest motto: "festina lente"-- "hasten slowly". But another of his assets was that Octavian was the original spin-doctor. His greatest power over people was his willingness to use rhetoric (and often lies) in the Senate to turn the tables on his enemies--and his greatest enemy was Antonius. Whether it was manipulating the Roman Senate to his favor, or using a declaration of war to appear as the savior of his country, Octavian was truly a prince of propaganda. 

​One of my favorite museums in Rome is the Palazzo Massimo--a museum of ancient Roman civilization. Inside is another likeness of Octavian--the Pious Augustus. This statue captures Octavian Augustus at worship to the Roman gods. If the hands had not been broken, perhaps they would have held a small plate of offerings. One clue as to what he was doing is that his head was covered. Ancient Romans often covered their heads in worship or grief. And Octavian liked to appear as the "traditional" Roman against Antonius's free thinking.

In 14 AD, following a good forty years of successful rule of Rome's Empire, which virtually paved the way for western civilization, Octavian Augustus took ill at Capri. He and Livia returned to Neapolis (Naples) and there, it is believed that Livia poisoned some figs, which he ate. Most likely, she did this so that her own son, Tiberius, could become the next "Caesar". And he did, beginning more tumultuous years of terror and violence which would ever haunt the Julio-Claudian dynasty.

Octavian Augustus died, just inside from the garden where a fig-tree stood, the fruit of which had been poisoned by his wife. Truly, he'd brought Rome out of the horror of one-hundred years of civil war. However, Rome was to be ruled by one man for the rest of her preeminence as a super-power in the Mediterranean. Buried in the tumulus he had started building while Antonius was still his rival, the Tomb of Augustus is still standing today, and has been undergoing recent renovations in anticipation of a celebration in the Emperor's honor. I look forward to going there upon my next visit. 

Rome's first emperor was titled "princeps", meaning "first citizen". Despite his many building projects, level-headed governance, and his claim that "I found Rome built of clay: but I leave it in marble," Octavian's earlier years had been drenched in the blood of those who he had conquered, many of them innocent souls.

As I begin this week's blog, I'd like to thank my incredible web-designer, Michelle Gill. Last week, my homepage got a much-needed updating and as always, Michelle did a phenomenal job. I send her my appreciation and I know readers will be drawn in by her professional and detailed designing.

I know a lot of people have been awaiting this week's blog post. Not a century that has passed without artists, dramatists, and writers being captivated by Cleopatra VII. It's incredible really, how one woman has held court from the grave and commanded such mystery, commentary, argument, and creativity about her life's history.

At right, is a bust, believed to be of Cleopatra. Indeed it resembles coin images. There are many misconceptions about her, and perhaps the most common, is that she was Egyptian, for she was not. After the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC, one of his generals--Ptolemy--won the right (in 321 BC) to bury Alexander in Egypt--in a city the deceased Macedonian founded--Alexandria. So on the northern coast along the Mediterranean Sea, Ptolemy I, by then called Soter (savior), built a magnificent tomb for Alexander's mummified remains, called the Soma. It has never been found, and probably remains hidden beneath Alexandria's tall modern-day buildings.  

Cleopatra, born some three-hundred years later in 69 BC, was Ptolemy Soter's descendant and fated to be the last reigning Pharaoh of Egypt. Her father was Ptolemy XII, Auletes--the flute-player. He wasn't a very impressive king, and when his people rebelled in favor of his daughter, Berenice (Cleo's older sibling), he fled to Rome, pleading for help. He was known for his love of music, art, and flute-playing. Apparently, he fared better in the arts than in ruling his country! 

During this time, his famous daughter, Cleopatra, was an adolescent and probably afraid for her life. She remained in peril, either by her sisters or younger brother (another Ptolemy) along with his advisors, until Julius Caesar visited Egypt shortly after his victory over Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus. Whatever ever else happened between them, two things are certain. Cleopatra became pregnant AND gained the throne of Egypt with Caesar's backing. Her brother, unwilling to take her as his Queen (Ptolemies had continued the nasty habit of incest), fought Caesar and lost on an epic scale.

A great deal of what we know about Cleopatra VII comes to us from a man who lived over one-hundred years after she did. His name was Plutarch, and he wrote a huge compilation of biographies that classicists cling to, since they delve into the personal histories of ancient Roman men such as Antonius, Caesar, Cicero, Sertorius, Brutus... I could go on and on. If you've never read Plutarch's Lives, this collection is fairly easy-reading and very eye-opening. It's a great way to begin interest in Classics. The bulk of Cleopatra's story is told in the Life of Antonius. And it's interesting that Plutarch says this: 

"For her actual beauty, it is said, was not in itself so remarkable that none could be compared with her, or that no one could see her without being struck by it, but the contact of her presence, if you lived with her, was irresistible, the attraction of her person, joining with the charm of her conversation, and the character that attended all she said or did, was something bewitching. It was a pleasure merely to hear the sound of her voice, with which, like an instrument of many strings, she could pass from one language to another..." Life of Antonius, Plutarch.

​At left is Cleopatra portrayed as an Egyptian queen. If one looks at her coinage or many of the other busts which historians believe to be her likeness, you won't find very "Egyptian-looking" portrayals. We must remember that by the time of her reign, the Greco-Roman world was far more influential than that of Egypt. Her everyday attire probably reflected more of a Greek look, though archaeologists in Alexandria are finding that much architecture, art, and religious beliefs in Ptolemaic Egypt were blendings of styles. Alexandria and Rome were "global" communities as are New York, London, and other large cities today. However, there were obviously times when it was important for the Queen to "play the part" of an Egyptian in both custom, ceremony, and attire. There are a number of statues and busts, similar to this one, portraying her as truly Egyptian. 

And there is plenty of evidence that, unlike many of her forbears in the Ptolemaic Dynasty, Cleopatra was anxious to show the Egyptian people in Upper Egypt--the country's real natives--that she cared for them deeply. She was the only Ptolemaic ruler to learn the ancient Egyptian tongue and speak it fluently. It was just another language, as she was particularly astute in languages--speaking at least seven! 

​Though Octavian Augustus tried to suppress it, the Egypto-mania that resulted in the Roman world after the Augustan Age began was NOT part of his plan. Cleopatra's reign, her influence, and religious beliefs (the cult of Isis had an enormous following in Rome, despite its initial banning) became so popular that it bled into Roman art. 

This wall-painting from a wealthy home in Pompeii is believed to be Cleopatra. It resembles some of her busts and coins, along with Cleopatra-esque jewelry and the hairstyle that she made famous during her lifetime. The painting's subject is also wearing a white diadem on her head, indicative of Eastern royalty of the period.

Other art proving Egypt's popularity among the Romans included Nilotic scenes, capturing reed marshes, very much like Lake Mareotis near Alexandria. Such works would always incorporate ibis, crocodiles, and other fauna that suggest Egypt.

It's poignant that Cleopatra became such a fascination to the Romans AFTER her death, for she was much hated by them during her lifetime. One of the nails in Julius Caesar's coffin was allegedly the likeness of her he installed in his brand new Temple of Venus Genetrix. He actually had the cult-statue of the Temple modeled off of Cleopatra herself during her visit to Rome! It wasn't long after the Temple's dedication that Brutus and Cassius started putting their heads together to plan the Ides of March.

When I visited Egypt back in 2008, I spent nearly a full week in Alexandria, and seeing some of the actual places where Antonius and Cleopatra went--not to mention Caesar and Cleopatra, too, was sensational. At left is a photo I snapped of Lake Mareotis (Lake Mariout), where Plutarch records Cleopatra taking Antonius fishing. Today, Lake Mareotis has become infested with a lot of plant-life, which wasn't the case two-thousand years ago. It was much larger in ancient times--more open and grandiose-looking, but still a real thrill for this author to be able to see.

 








For my last image, I happened on this brilliant sketch by A.M. Faulkner who was an illustrator for publications in the Edwardian Age. I thought the detail was stunning, and was struck by how much "blending" there was between the Egyptian and Greco-Roman styles here. The Queen's throne looks Imperial Roman, but one can clearly see hieroglyphics on the palace walls behind it. Her guards at the top of the stairs wear armor that looks like something between Egyptian and Hellenism. I felt Faulkner NAILED it!

Here, Cleopatra is welcoming Antonius to her court, which I simply couldn't resist. 

Below, I'm sharing something else extra-special. My cover-designer, Jenny Quinlan has out-done herself on my next book's cover and I'm mighty pleased with it. Antonius: Soldier of Fate will launch on Friday, October 16th! Pre-orders should begin in the next few weeks, so I will let everyone know once they're available. 

​In the meantime, READ ON!

​At last: the Antonius Trilogy’s riveting conclusion…                             
 
Antonius: Soldier of Fate
 
Marcus Antonius has it all—power, prestige, a heroic military reputation among his countrymen, and the love of Queen Cleopatra. But as master of Rome’s eastern provinces and kingdoms, he must maintain peace, and in so doing, sacrifices his own happiness, yoked within a loveless marriage and an eroding alliance. As his colleague Octavian’s star rises, Marcus must compete with his rival’s success, though it leads to an embittered struggle threatening to end their unity.
 
Once Marcus finally takes matters into his own hands, his fate becomes tied to the east—far from Rome and his seat of power, to a horrific campaign that will forever alter him. He is a man torn between two countries and two families, and ultimately—a soldier fated to be the catalyst transforming Rome from Republic to Empire.