"Yesterday at Going West I read from a section of an advance copy of a new novel from Cloud Ink Press. Author J A Grierson's first book in her Roman trilogy of novels set between 410 and 476 AD, the last decades of the Roman empire. The trilogy begins with 'Rivers Ran Red', to be launched in November. I had my first look at it yesterday.

This novel also developed from a Master of Creative Writing thesis I had the pleasure of working with, in 2014. This would make 4 full length books published in the last 12 months by authors I've mentored through their MCW at AUT. I have been fortunate to work with so many talented writers.

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The 'Last of the Romans' trilogy follows a group of key characters, both historical and fictional, including famed figures from history such as Flavius Aetius and Avitus (featuring one of the most nuanced and powerful portrayals of a Roman emperor I have seen) and the character of a female gladiator, Sola. The author was inspired to create Sola from a single inscription that wrote of an (un-named, as was so often the case with women in Rome) female gladiator and warrior. There is very little known of such women, in a classical society that wrote of great deeds of great men, and left modern scholars with paltry records of much of those who contributed to its iconic (and heavily contested) status."