Vestal Virgin: Suspense in Ancient Rome

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Suspense in ancient Rome Elissa Rubria Honoria is a Vestal Virgin--priestess of the sacred flame, a visionary, and one of the most powerful women in Rome. Vestals are sacrosanct, sworn to chastity on penalty of death, but the emperor, Nero, holds himself above the law. He pursues Elissa, engaging her in a deadly game of wits and sexuality. Or is Elissa really the pursuer? She stumbles on dark secrets. No longer trusting Roman gods, she follows a new god, Jesus of Nazareth, jeopardizing her life and the future of The Roman Empire.            *New York Times bestselling author Terry Brooks says,"A writer of real talent, a promising new voice."           *  New York Times bestselling author Tess Gerritsen says, "Suzanne Tyrpak weaves a spell that utterly enchants and delights. Her writing is pure magic."                                                             If you enjoy historical suspense, check out Hetaera--Suspense in Ancient Athens, Book One of the Agathon's Daughter Trilogy. Sale priced for .99 cents till January 1, 2012ReviewA fascinating and intriguing work of historical fiction.Midwest Book Review -- 5 stars With a fluid writing style, Suzanne Tyrpak has created a gripping tale that immerses you in another time and culture. From the very beginning, I was pulled into the storyline.--Mother Lode Book Reviews There is a tension throughout that is well worth savoring, a sort of dread that fills the reader as things start to go wrong.  -- Alice Y. Yeh  (5 Stars)  --Stimulated Outlet Book ReviewsHistorical fiction readers will relish this powerful thriller that brings vividly to the armchair audience first century Rome. --Harriet Klausner --The Merry Genre Go Round Reviews (5 stars)This book begins with the poem, "The Silent Dead" by Catullus and perfectly sets the stage for the beginning of this most inspiring and heartbreaking work. 5 Stars from J. Lynn--Red Adept Reviews From the AuthorAbout seven years ago (before my divorce, when I had some expendable income) I traveled to Rome with a group of writers. I fell in love with Italy, Rome in particular. A travel book I read contained a short blurb about vestal virgins; it mentioned they were sworn to thirty years of chastity and, if that vow were broken, they would be entombed alive. That got me going! Plus, on a tour of the Coliseum, a guide pointed out the seats designated to the vestal virgins--the six priestess of Vesta were educated, and therefore powerful, at a time when most women weren't even taught to read.I traveled to Rome twice, and on my second trip I hired a scholar who specialized in the year I'm writing about, A.D. 63-64, to give me a tour of the Forum. One of the most useful books I found was History of the Vestal Virgins of Rome, published in 1934 by T. Cato Worsfold. I also wrote to Colleen McCullough, and she was kind enough to write back. She gave me the name of an out-of-print book that I've used a lot, Festivals and Ceremonies of the Roman Republic, by H.H. Scullard. I have shelves of books about Roman history and Paul of Tarsus. Very little has been written about vestal virgins--but that gave me quite a bit of leeway. After all, I'm writing fiction!