Children of Apollo - now available in paperback

Greetings fellow fiction readers, writers and fans of ancient history in general. This has been a long time coming but I'm pretty pleased to be able to announce that my first novel, Children of Apollo, is now available in trade paperback from Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/Children-Apollo-Book-Eagles-Dragons/dp/0987762400/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1332036960&sr=8-1).

Children of Apollo is the first book in my Eagles and Dragons series, set in the Roman Empire during the reign of Emperor Septimius Severus (reigned A.D. 193-211). Over the next few months I'll be writing some posts about the world of Children of Apollo from the towns of Roman North Africa and the Sahara to Etruria and Rome itself. I'll share some of my experiences researching and writing the book and take you on what will hopefully be some very interesting pictorial tours of a few of the sights that inspired the story.

If your curiosity is piqued, here is a brief synopsis:

Children of Apollo is the tale of Lucius Metellus Anguis, a young warrior who is inspired by the deeds of his glorious ancestors and burdened by the knowledge that he must raise his family name from the ashes of the past. Having achieved a measure of success in the Emperor’s legions in North Africa, Lucius is recalled to Rome where he finds himself surrounded by enemies, cast into the deadly arena of Roman politics. Amid growing fears of treachery, Lucius meets a young Athenian woman who fills his darkening world with new-found hope. Their love grows, as does their belief that the gods have planned their meeting but, when an ancient oracle of Apollo utters a terrifying prophecy regarding his future, Lucius’ world is once more thrown into chaos. Ultimately, he must choose sides in a war that threatens to destroy his family, his faith and all that he has worked for.

So, that is the story in a nutshell. If you do pick up a copy, I sincerely hope you enjoy it! I look forward to any questions or comments people might have and any reviews you care to post. I will make further announcements as Children of Apollo becomes available in other countries, on other websites and through other outlets. And for those of you with e-readers, fear not, as the e-book will be out in the coming weeks.

Cheers and happy reading!