Who Obsesses Over Rome...

 

Have you heard the latest meme going around, in which girlfriends and wives ask their romantic partners how often they think about Rome... and are shocked by the answers!

Bizarrely, a lot of guys think about Rome once or twice a month, or a week, or even multiple times in a day!

Which is weird, because I thought only fantasy novelists like me did that!

Yeah, I do think about Rome quite often. Not so much the Roman Empire, but the Roman Republic. Why did it fall into tyranny? Are there analogies to our current situation? When did the first tyrant appear in the Roman Republic and how did his example make it easier for Caesar to take over as a permanent dictator eighty years later? (Whoops, I gave away the answer there.)

And sometimes I do think about the Roman Empire too, particularly when I'm researching history's worst and craziest dictators, like Nero and Caligula, to see if I can find models for villains in my stories.

And when I'm researching battle, of course, I always refresh myself on the most famous battles and less famous battles of the Romans, because these are so well-documented. One can find illustrated battlefields, even entire videos walking you through the strategy.

After I finish The Unfinished Song, I even hope to work on a five-book epic fantasy inspired by the Punic Wars.

So, yeah... I do think about Rome quite a bit, actually... but, hey, it's not out of the blue. It's my job.

Yes, yes, I see your point. I deliberately chose a job--writing fiction--which gives me an excuse to think about things like the rise and fall of republics and empires. That's what I love about being a writer!

'Fess up... do you think about Rome?