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Twilight Empress: A Novel of Imperial Rome
Twilight Empress: A Novel of Imperial Rome
Twilight Empress: A Novel of Imperial Rome
Ebook499 pages6 hours

Twilight Empress: A Novel of Imperial Rome

By Faith L. Justice

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She lives a life of ambition, power, and intrigue she didn’t seek, but can’t refuse.

Daughter of Rome, Placidia expects to do her duty to God and country, marry appropriately, and raise imperial heirs. But in AD 410, the city of Rome falls to the Goths, and she must save the tottering Roman Empire from the incompetent hands of her brother. She marries once for love and once for duty, experiencing heartbreaking loss in both.

Empress Placidia must outwit scheming generals and defeat usurpers to win the devotion of her people and secure the throne for her young son. It’s not just the enemies within that threaten her rule. Vandals invade the African provinces and Attila masses his Huns on her border. But it’s the knife in the hands of those closest that cuts the deepest. Will a confrontation with her rebellious children be the battle she can’t survive?

Twilight Empress is the exciting first novel of the Theodosian Women series by Faith L. Justice featuring the remarkable women who reigned during the Roman Empire’s twilight years. Don’t miss this “addictive read” (Kirkus Reviews); “filled with romance, political intrigue, and drama that will keep you turning the pages.” (History from a Woman’s Perspective)

LanguageEnglish
PublisherFaith L. Justice
Release dateMay 31, 2017
ISBN9781370214716
Twilight Empress: A Novel of Imperial Rome
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Author

Faith L. Justice

Faith L. Justice writes in her historic land marked home “The Suffragette House” in Brooklyn, New York where she lives with her family and the required gaggle of cats. Her award-winning fiction has appeared in such publications as Circles in the Hair, The Copperfield Review, and Beyond Science Fiction and Fantasy. She’s published articles in such venues as Salon.com, Writer's Digest, and The Writer. Faith is Chair of the Historical Novel Society--New York City chapter and Associate Editor for Space and Time Magazine. She co-founded a writer’s workshop many more years ago than she likes to admit. For fun, she digs in the dirt – her garden and various archaeological sites.

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    Twilight Empress - Faith L. Justice

    To Gordon Rothman,

    without whom I couldn’t write about love.

    ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

    IT HAS BEEN MY PLEASURE to write this story and bring these characters and this time to life. Among the many people who helped and encouraged me, I want to particularly thank the members of my writers’ group Circles in the Hair. For over twenty-five years, they have been there for me; reading drafts of my stories and novels, providing insightful feedback, and encouraging my dreams. Special and loving thanks go to my husband Gordon Rothman for supporting me in countless ways; and to my daughter Hannah, who grew up sharing me with my writing career and showing no sibling rivalry whatsoever.

    No historical fiction acknowledgement would be complete without thanks to the many librarians and collections that tirelessly answer questions and find obscure documents. My special thanks go to the New York City Research Library—a world class institution. I consulted dozens of books and hundreds of articles, but relied most heavily on the research of Stewart Irvin Oost from his Galla Placidia Augusta: A Biographical Essay and Kenneth G. Holum from his Theodosian Empresses: Women and Imperial Dominion in Late Antiquity. A bibliography of the most useful works can be found on my website (faithljustice.com).

    Although I tried to get it right, no one is perfect. If the reader should find some errors in the book, please know they are my own and not those of my sources.

    Again, thanks to all who helped make this book possible with special thanks to those of you who read it and share it.