I’ve always had a great love for history and myths after I was given a copy of E.M Berens’ Myths and Legends as a child that was aged over 100 years old. Decades later, my obsession lay with the ancient Etruscans but now I’m absorbed with Trojan treasure and twisted Germanic history. I live in Sydney with my husband in a house surrounded by jacarandas. My two sons have long flown the nest. A former lawyer, I’m proud to be the founder of the Historical Novel Society Australasia and the $155,000 ARA Historical Novel Prize. I’m also a member of the History Girls.
Inspired by the true story of Troy’s Treasure of Priam during WW2, my latest release, Fables & Lies, has been endorsed by Olivia Hawker and Kate Forsyth. The book charts the unsung bravery of German museum curators who safeguarded their nation’s treasures, the Nazi’s weaponisation of history, and how courage can be found in the smallest acts of defiance.
I wrote my A Tale of Ancient Rome trilogy after finding a photo of an Etruscan sarcophagus depicting a man and wife embracing for eternity (you can learn more about my inspiration below). This led me to the little-known war between Etruria and Rome. I’m excited The Wedding Shroud, The Golden Dice and Call to Juno were endorsed by legends Ursula Le Guin, Ben Kane and Kate Quinn. You might enjoy the story of how I approached Le Guin in Snail Mail, Rome and Ursula Le Guin.
Another highlight is thanks to the archaeologist, Iefke van Kampen, who loved my A Tale of Ancient Rome saga so much she created an audio-visual exhibition featuring my characters voicing Etruscan statuary. And I was thrilled when Altre Voci Edizione translated the trilogy into Italian with Il Velo Nuziale, I Dadi D’oro and Il Patto di Giunone now on sale. A bit of trivia is I had great fun visiting the Museo dell’Agro Veientano near Rome when Il Velo Nuziale was launched. It was quite an experience to stand beside an Etruscan noblewoman wearing gorgeous red slippers, and a helmeted warrior named Christian!
I’m currently writing a companion novel, The Pinocchio Door. Spanning 4,000 years, the book explores the creation and discovery of Priam’s Treasure and its mysterious disappearance after WW2 through the stories of four women with their own secrets: a goldsmith, an archaeologist, a Soviet trophy hunter and the granddaughter of Freyja, my protagonist in Fables & Lies. Subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on Bookbub or Amazon to be the first to hear of its release.
My advice to aspiring authors is to never give up. You’ll understand why if you read the journey of the girl in red.
In short, I love history – both trivia and the serious stuff! Visit my Triclinium blog where you’ll find plenty of both.
Inspiration for Fables & Lies
The genesis for Fables & Lies came from my fascination with Priam’s Treasure discovered by the archaeologist, Heinrich Schliemann who proved the ancient city of Troy existed. My favourite photo portrays Schliemann’s beautiful young wife, Sophia, modelling ‘Helen’s Jewels’. Schliemann subsequently gave the treasure to a Berlin museum where it disappeared mysteriously for 50 years after the Soviets plundered the city in 1945.
When researching the story of the Trojan gold’s disappearance, I discovered the museum curator who braved air raids to protect it was a member of Himmler’s SS Ahnenerbe. This research institute twisted prehistory to concoct the Aryan Myth which was used by the Nazis to brainwash Germans to believe in their supremacy, and ultimately justify conquest, dispossession and murder. My protagonist, Freyja, is a museum assistant raised on Nazi dogma whose eyes are opened when she falls in love with Darien, an archaeologist who shows her the rot beneath the Regime’s lies, as both strive to safeguard their nation’s treasures.
Elisabeth has long had a passion for history, art and legends.
I was inspired to write my A Tale of Ancient Rome trilogy after I came across a photo of a sixth-century BC sarcophagus depicting a husband and wife – a piece I later tracked down in the Louvre. What struck me immediately was how unusual it was. In that era, women were rarely commemorated in funerary art, let alone portrayed alongside their husbands in such an affectionate, intimate pose.
That image stayed with me. I kept wondering: what kind of culture exhalted marital fidelity while also showing such openly sensuous connection? What ancient society revered women as much as men? My search for answers led me to the decadent and mystical Etruscan civilisation, and to the little known story of the war between Rome and the city of Veii.
There have been very few novels that explore the world of the Etruscans and early Roman Republic which makes the trilogy an unusually engrossing read for historical fiction lovers. An archaeologist, Iefke van Kampen, loved the A Tale of Ancient Rome saga so much she created an audio-visual exhibition featuring Elisabeth’s characters voicing votive statuary at the Museo dell’Agro Veientano near Rome.
Inspiration for the Title of The Wedding Shroud
The title The Wedding Shroud came to me after discovering another Etruscan sarcophagus from the 4th Century BC with an even more powerful image than the casket of the married couple which inspired her to write the novel. A man and woman lie naked in each others arms beneath a mantle that I came to understand could symbolise the large veil under which an Etruscan bride and groom stood when they took their vows.
In effect the husband and wife were swathed in their wedding shroud for eternity in a sensuous embrace; a potent symbol against evil and death that invoked the force of regeneration.
Thanchvil Tarnai and Larth Tetnies © 2010 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
