Cleopatra’s Daughter: A Novel (56 page)

A
CKNOWLEDGMENTS

As always, I owe the greatest thanks possible to my infinitely patient and incredibly supportive husband, Matthew. After more than a decade together, you still inspire me to choose the great love stories of history to write about. To my mother and brother, who have always been supportive of my writing career, I am deeply indebted to you both. And to my father, who instilled in me his love of ancient Roman history—I only wish you could have been here to read this. I think you would have enjoyed a break from your heavy ancient tomes to do some lighter reading, and I feel sure that you would have loved the Red Eagle, given your interest in the doomed Spartacus and his slave revolt. An homage to the dashing heroes who populate the works of Baroness Emmuska Orczy, Alexandre Dumas, and Barbara Michaels, the antics of the Red Eagle—who was based on historical rebels who came before and after him—would have pleased you no end. Thank you for always taking the time to teach me and for being such a wonderful father.

I must also mention my debt of gratitude to the brilliant classics scholar, Dr. James (Jim) T. McDonough Jr., and his wife, Zaida, who
were there to answer my many questions about ancient Rome. Jim, your careful notes and historical advice were absolutely invaluable to me, and this novel is immensely richer for your detailed input. Any mistakes are entirely mine.

For those who would like to read more about Selene’s life, I highly recommend Duane W. Roller’s excellent book
The World of Juba II and Kleopatra Selene
. Thank you so much, Duane, for taking the time to answer my questions about Selene’s world. And to Jon Corelis, whose translation of Ovid’s poem “Disappointment” appears in the book, I am incredibly thankful. Your website is a gold mine, and your translations inspired me during many a marathon writing session.

To my former students Amalia Calvillo, Chantelle Doss, Brynn Grawe, George Mejia, Ashley Turner, and Ashley Williamson, who helped me sort through my towering piles of research on such subjects as fermented fish sauce and peacock brains, I am deeply appreciative. If I can persuade you to be my research assistants for my next book, I promise to give you notes on things that are much less revolting! And to Shaun Venish, whose intricate map of Augustus’s Rome appears at the front of the book, I am in awe of your talents. (An interactive version can be found on my website.)

Of course, no acknowledgments page would ever be complete if it did not recognize the editors who molded the clay into something worth reading. Heather Proulx and Suzanne O’Neill have been absolutely magnificent, and I am a lucky author indeed to have had their discerning eyes on my manuscript. It’s not all the time that an author can say she’s found a great friend in her editor, so, Heather, I know how lucky I am to be working with you! And I am very much looking forward to exploring the world of Madame Tussaud in our next book together.

I also owe my gratitude to the wonderful copy editor Janet Fletcher, who worked tremendously hard to make this novel gleam.
And, of course, a huge thank-you goes to Crown’s amazing team: Patty Berg, Tina Constable, Dyana Messina, Jennifer O’Connor, and the many people who have worked behind the scenes. I am deeply grateful to Allison McCabe, who originally purchased
Cleopatra’s Daughter
for Random House. And I’d like to thank my agent, Anna Ghosh, as well as my foreign rights agent, Danny Baror, who has seen to it that my novels can be read in more than twenty languages. With every published book, an author is indebted to more people than he or she can ever name. So to everyone who helped to bring
Cleopatra’s Daughter
to readers around the world, thank you so much.