Drusilla's father leaves her, at age 6, to be fostered by Julia Felix in Pompeii. She's lost her mother in the 62 AD earthquake, and now her father's disappearing as well -- because he doesn't want to be hampered by a little girl while he establishes a new business (and life) in nearby, wealthy Herculaneum. Drusilla's only companion for the moment is Invictus, her puppy ... but she becomes friends with Julia's daughter Claudia. Still, she's effectively orphaned for convenience.
#WordWeavers 20: How did you settle on your antagonists' appearances?
In "Pompeii Fire," my antagonist is an actual, documented person: Stephanus, the fuller. Now, he may have been the nicest guy in town for all any of us know ... but not in my book. He's way older than my female protagonist (he's her father's age), and wants to marry her. He's not particularly good-looking, and he's always trying to hide that his hair is thinning. But the worst part of him really is his odious personality.
#writerscoffeeclub 23. What's your strangest source of writing inspiration?
I was playing a game where you designed an English country cottage (interior and exterior) and a London townhouse interior. When I finally had both where I wanted them, I began to imagine who lived in what dwelling ... and how the two might meet.
#WordWeavers 18: Do you write primarily in the same genre you read as a child?
I was a voracious reader across genres ... but the thing that suddenly occurred to me was how much I loved Victoria Holt's gothic novels as a tween (although we didn't have that term then) and teen. Reading Anya Seton's "Green Darkness" as a teenager made me a historical fiction fan for life ... and that's the primary genre I write. So, the answer is "yes, and ..."