Last year at this time I was into the thick of writing Powers of Death, and missed many of the wonders of Florida sunny March and warm April. This time I am reveling in the sunsets on Venice Ave., the drumming on the beach, and trying to relax. It will snow at home a couple more times yet, I’m sure.
A WRITER’S JOURNEY
In a previous blog, I discussed the murky and treacherous waters of vocabulary that historical authors must navigate when describing the world their characters live in, by finding a perfect balance between authenticity and reader confusion. Too many agoras, pallas, and strigels can lose a reader, but calling agoras marketplaces, palla’s sleeveless robes, and strigils – well – what do you call a curved blade used to scrape sweat and dead skin from your body after a stint in the caldarium?
Are you confused yet?
Another issue I struggle with is peering into the past while not knowing all the facts. This confronts us with an impossible task — disconnecting from our present-day selves, our modern ideas, and our evolved knowledge base.
Developing sympathetic characters while distancing them from modern-age perspectives can be difficult, requiring a suspension of judgment on the culture, rules, and practices of the Roman Empire, 2,000 years ago — depicting slavery as neither right nor wrong, simply an accepted way of life, killing people for entertainment, or exposing newborns to nature to die as a common-sense solution for an unwanted child, ignites modern moral outrage—is there a limit to how far we can suspend our beliefs, especially when it comes to our values, good and bad, right and wrong?
Each reader (and author) must answer that for themselves.
NEW BOOK OUT
Amazon – In these short stories, LeAnne Smith Hardy brings the
biblical world to life with emotional depth and historical texture,
inviting readers to encounter Jesus through the eyes of those who
stood at the crossroads of faith—and chose their path.
Across Judea and Galilee, ordinary men and women meet Jesus of
Nazareth at the most fragile moments of their lives—moments of
longing, doubt, desperation, and irreversible loss. Some recognize
the Messiah and are transformed. Others hesitate… or turn away.
www.leannehardy.net
Stories-yes, but I could see using this as a personal devotional, that explores the miraculous way God interacts with his children. Liisa
BIBLE VERSE
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. — Colossians 3:12-14
BLOG POST HIGHLIGHT
Navigating Power: The World of Roman Women
Were Roman women truly powerless?
History often paints them that way—but the legal reality was far more complex.
In my newest blog, I take a closer look at the world of Roman women—exploring citizenship, marriage laws, property rights, and the surprising protections they held under Roman law. These weren’t just abstract rules; they shaped everyday life for women like Sabina, the sleuth in my Secrets of Ephesus series, as she navigates both privilege and limitation.
Come explore how Roman citizenship worked for women, the legal protections they possessed, the loopholes some used to gain independence, and the cultural boundaries they still could not cross.
The ancient world is rarely as simple as we imagine.
