Blog
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Elijah and Olive Oil
People have asked me how I went about researching a historical novel. Here’s one example. Developing Elijah was a major challenge, both in my first and second novels. He appears in the Bible quite suddenly, a full-blown champion of justice, complete with miracles. All we know about his past is that he was from a…
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Blood Sacrifice in Israel
Thirty years ago I visited Israel for the first time, partly to do research for my novels about Jezebel. In Jerusalem I passed a store window with small but colorful posters—artistic imaginings—of the ancient Temple, supposedly built by Solomon. The storefront was the information center of a religious group that wanted to tear down the…
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Medusa Coils mentions Stars in their Courses
Martha’s The Stars in their Courses was mentioned in Medusa Coils. “I have started reading Martha Shelley’s latest novel, The Stars in their Courses. I hope to have a full review in a month or so after I have recovered from carpal tunnel syndrome. But I wanted to let you know that if what I’ve…
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Martha Shelley reading in Portland
Martha Shelley is doing a reading at the St. Johns Booksellers of her book, The Stars in their Courses. There’s not a huge crowd but they’re very lively and interested. Martha just read a scene where a Canaanite medical student and priestess of Anat assists in an amputation in Sais, Egypt. Martha is happy to…
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Martha reading right now! in Santa Cruz
We’re in Santa Cruz where Martha is reading from her new novel, The Stars in their Courses. The energy in the room is great! People keep asking Martha to read more so she keeps reading more. Right now she’s reading a passage where Bez, the female guard, takes down four drunks who attacked her in…