More New Stuff! This time, a Brand New Holiday Novella

Posted byJenniferPosted inAncient Rome Mysteries, Anthologies and Boxed Sets, Ashley Gardner, Below Stairs Mysteries, Gladiator Mysteries, Historical Mysteries, historical paranormal, Holiday stories, Leonidas the Gladiator, Regency Mysteries, Victorian MysteriesTags:, , , , , , ,

I try to write holiday stories whenever I can. This year I went through the timelines of all my series to decide which was in a good place to have a Christmas (New Year’s / Solstice / Etc) tale.

The answer was: Leonidas the Gladiator!

So here is his holiday tale: Saturnalian Gifts (written as Ashley Gardner)

The story:

Leonidas is celebrating one year of freedom in December of AD 63 when his old trainer asks him to open the Saturnalian games. Leonidas has no interest, but the fee Aemil offers will let him purchase the gift he wishes to buy for Cassia. Of course, nothing is as it seems, and Leonidas and Cassia find themselves pitched into another mystery and at the mercy of the temperamental Nero. 

Click to read an excerpt.

Find the ebook here:

My Web Store: https://geni.us/gG5QBP

Amazon: https://geni.us/dRcR7

BN/Nook: https://geni.us/nrUk9BJ

Kobo: https://geni.us/POce

Google: https://geni.us/2rxbAU

Apple: https://geni.us/e14LH5

If you prefer to read in print, I gathered this story and two others into a new anthology called Crimes of Christmas Past.

Amazon: https://geni.us/YaOn2SW

Barnes and Noble: https://geni.us/O3S7 (keep checking for the paperback, should be there soon!)

My Store: https://geni.us/qgzBjVT

Also in ebook from

Kobo: https://geni.us/lWvz

Google: https://geni.us/ZeSU

Apple: https://geni.us/HRqzA

It was such a pleasure to return to Leonidas and Cassia. I haven’t written in this series in a while (not by choice, just time constraints), and I have enjoyed getting reacquainted with the world and everyone in it.

Also fun was to research Saturnalia traditions. Originally a solstice festival, it grew into a national holiday week by Leonidas’s time, with the Saturnalian games being only one part of the festivities. Later Christmas celebrations borrowed a number of traditions from Saturnalia that we still follow: Gift giving, card exchanges (they used scrolls), days off work, feasting, and communal activities.

I write my books mostly in the mornings, and some days, I groan and moan about having to drag myself up and start writing. But with this story, it was “Yay, I get to hang out with Leonidas and Cassia!” I love it when writing is like that.

Anyway: Thank you so much for all your support this year, Happy Holidays, and enjoy Saturnalia!

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