Vicky Alvear Shecter's Blog, page 12

Pompeii Movie--Who's Planning to See it?

I have to see it, of course. I found out the movie was being made when I was deep into writing Curses and Smoke: A Novel of Pompeii. I'm very curious about the creative decisions they've made. 


I cannot wait. Anybody with me? It opens February 21st. Until then, there's this: 



And, of course, this:

New Cover for Pompeii Book!

Release date: May 27At a Facebook party in celebration of  Stephanie Dray's latest novel,  Daughters of the Nile , I posted the new cover for my upcoming novel, Curses and Smoke: A Novel of Pompeii. Only later did I realize that I had yet to formally announce the change here.

Oops.

So, ta-da!  It's striking and beautiful, isn't it? Plus, it connects visually with Cleopatra's Moon, which is awesome!

How lucky can one author be? 

My publisher decided to go with this cover over the one that is currently on the advanced reading copies (ARC). And while I will miss a special someone's biceps, they made the right call in terms of visual impact. I'm so psyched!

The book is being released in the U.K. in February to coincide with the Pompeii movie (Kit Harrington, aka John Snow!). The American version of the novel releases in May, just in time for some explosive (sorry) summer reading fun. As much as I like Tag's biceps, this was too dark.

Keep watch for giveaways and promotions as we get closer to the release date.

Meanwhile, it's Friday and I usually post "Friday Funnies"--comics or visual jokes about the ancient world. Today, in honor of the new cover, I'm posting volcano jokes:

Q. What did the mother volcano say to the baby volcano?
A. "Don't erupt while I'm talking!"

Q. What did the volcano say its spouse? 
A. "I lava you."

Q. What did the lava say to the crater as it left?
A. "I pumice I'll be good!"

Groan. I know. Rest assured, there are no lame jokes in the novel. But I couldn't resist. It is Friday, after all!

A Peek Inside A Conservator's Lab

Attic horse pyxiz getting restored in the lab.Last weekend, Dr. Renee Stein, conservator at the Carlos Museum gave a talk on the process of conserving and restoring ancient artifacts. The objective of the work, she pointed out, is to suggest the way a piece looked and was used thousands of years ago, without overwhelming it with modern overlays or "fixes."

The talk was for a program sponsored by the Georgia Chapter of the American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE). It was fascinating to hear about the incredible attention to detail that is required to match paint colors, surfaces, linen and even glues as repairs are made. 
Vaccum tubes for removing dust and decay...
The best part of the event was a tour of the museum's lab. Several artifacts in the process of being repaired, restored or conserved where laid out on tables. I can't wait until these pieces are displayed in the galleries so I can have a before and after look.

The next ARCE event takes place on February 11, 7:30 pm, at Emory. Dr. Lawrence Berman, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, will give a lecture on A Complete Cosmos: The Tomb of an Egyptian Governor and Its Secrets.  Sounds like another great program!

Friday Funnies--Ancient Style!

Friday Funnies--Ancient Style!

On why the Romans always won:

The first umpire:

Friday Funnies--Ancient Style!

(Thanks, Justin Mansfield for this one!)