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Welcome to the Author Report for March 2022 by J. Clifton Slater
Here’s hoping you are doing well.
This month we focus on How I am like Shakespeare, Julius Caesar’s Death Day, the Goddess Anna Perenna, and a massive thank you.
A feast of ideas for the Ides of March
Let’s get started on this month’s report
1. William Shakespeare and me
2. Julius Caesar and the Ides of March
3. The Goddess of the Circle of the Year
4. Thank you for the pre-orders
William Shakespeare and me
It never occurred to me that I’m like William Shakespeare. Let’s explore that premise.
From the play:
“Beware the Ides of March” was immortalized in Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare. These faithful words were spoken to the title character by a fortune-teller in Act 1, Scene 2. The warning became one of the most famous statements from a work of historical fiction.
Caesar: Who is it in the press that calls on me? I hear a tongue shriller then all the music cry, Caesar! Speak, Caesar is turn’d to hear.
Soothsayer: Beware the ides of March.
Caesar: What man is that?
Brutus: A soothsayer bids you beware the ides of March.
From Encyclopedia Britannica:
Historical fiction is a novel, movie, play, or other work that has as its setting a period of history. And that it attempts to convey the spirit, manners, and social conditions of a past age with realistic detail and fidelity to historical facts.
From History:
Plutarch, 46 to 119 AD, Historian
A certain seer warned Caesar to be on his guard against a great peril on the day of the month of March which the Romans call the Ides; And when the day had come and Caesar was on his way to the senate-house, he greeted the seer with a jest and said: “Well, the Ides of March are come,” and the seer said to him softly: “Ay, they are come, but they are not gone.”
From J. Clifton Slater:
I wrote The Clay Warrior Stories series about the Roman Republic during the 1st Punic War. And in a new series, A Legion Archer, I write about Cretan archers during the 2nd Punic War. Thusly, I am like the great bard, William Shakespeare, a historical fiction writer.
Julius Caesar and the Ides of March
After Julius Caesar was elect, he refused to give up the positions of Consul of Rome and Dictator. One title was supposed to be a yearly office to run the Republic while consulting with a co-Consul. And the Roman Senate awarded the dictatorship to individuals. For a limited time, they appointed a Dictator, to deal with emergencies where a single leader needed the ability to make critical decisions. Neither Consul nor Dictator were permanent jobs until Caesar seized them.
Afraid of his wealth and his growing political and military power, in 44 B.C., 40 Roman Senators stabbed Julius Caesar to death on the steps of the capital. The infamous date was March 15th, the Ides of March.
But the Ides of March was no less or no more cursed than any Ides of any month. As a matter of history, March 15th was a holiday to honor the Goddess of the Circle of the Year.
Anna Perenna, The Goddess of the Circle of the Year
The feast day for the Goddess of the Circle (or the Ring) of the New Year fell on the Ides of March. It signified the New Year and included rituals to assure the entire year-to-come was a success.
Writer Macrobius, 400 A.D. noted the reason for the prayers and sacrifices. “…that the circle of the year may be completed happily.“ Other historical sources perceived the accolades as a request to Anna Perenna to secure a ‘year of health.’
One of my favorite ceremonies had people asking the Goddess to bestow ‘as many more years to the drinker as they could drink cups of wine at her festival.’ To me, it sounds like a fun way to bring in the new year.
Beyond the religious, according to Roman law, ‘all debts must be paid by the Ides of March.’ This assured that old debts didn’t continue into the new year, causing trouble for a borrower and lender from a long-standing agreement.
For March 15, 2022, I wish you a festive Ides of March!
Thank You for the Pre-orders
I don’t care for pre-orders. As I’ve stated before, the pressure of a pre-order when the work requires research, double-checking history, and ancient technology while crafting an adventure story is difficult enough. To install an artificial deadline is ridiculous.
Yet, Abject Authority ended a popular series, and the new series needs a large audience if it’s going to succeed. You made Clay Warrior Stories a success. Based on the large numbers of pre-orders for Journey from Exile, the 1st book in the new A Legion Archer series, it will be a hit.
I want to say Thank you for the pre-orders. Now, I must get back to writing because there is a deadline looming.
Delilah the Rescue Dog, and I appreciate your subscription.
If you have comments about ancient history, books in the Clay Warrior Stories series or my progress on Journey from Exile, my rules of writing, or subjects for future blogs, please e-mail me at
GalacticCouncilRealm@gmail.com
I am J. Clifton Slater and I write military adventure both future and ancient.
Until next month, I wish you faith, courage, and enthusiasm.