Chez Maximka: Shadows in the Ashes by Christina Courtenay (guest post)

Friday 19 January 2024

Shadows in the Ashes by Christina Courtenay (guest post)

Chez Maximka, historical fiction set in Pompeii

I'm absolutely thrilled to invite Christina Courtenay to my blog today to talk about the inspiration for her latest book, Shadows in the Ashes.

Like Christina, I was also fascinated by the story of this ancient tragedy, looking at the reproductions of Karl Bryullov's painting The last day of Pompeii.

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I first heard about Pompeii when I was a child, and I was fascinated by the story of the fateful eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. It was such a terrible tragedy, and I could imagine the horror and disbelief of the inhabitants when the mountain suddenly exploded. Photos of the plaster casts of people who had died tugged at my heartstrings, their faces and poses showing their fear and sadness. It was the perfect background to a dual time story and I just had to write it – SHADOWS IN THE ASHES is the result.

Last year, I was lucky enough to visit Pompeii and the area around the Bay of Naples. It was one of the most interesting research trips I’ve ever made. I spent a day and a half walking around the ruins, and another half day in nearby Herculaneum, which was also buried by ash from the volcano. Walking in what is left of the two cities, it is easy to imagine yourself back in time. The streets are still there, paved with smooth lava stones, and some of the houses are partly intact. I soaked up the atmosphere and tried to take note of every detail.

Since my hero is a gladiator, I spent some time in the impressive amphitheatre. It must have been terrifying to walk into the sandy arena, not knowing whether you would come out of there alive. I felt a chill as I passed through the dark passage and out into the sunlight. The crowd would have cheered for their favourites, and the noise must have been deafening. A real spectacle, but so cruel and deadly!

Naturally, I also had to take a trip up the mountain itself. Standing by its crater looking down was as breath-taking as the views across the bay, although a lot scarier. These days Vesuvius is monitored 24/7 so that everyone who lives in the area can be warned if there is going to be an eruption. The people of Pompeii back in 79 AD were not as fortunate. Scientists believe the volcano had been dormant for about 700 years before the eruption, so the inhabitants would not have thought it might happen. Some of them must have suspected that something bad was going on, though, as there were increasingly frequent earthquakes leading up to the event. There were other signs too – a drought despite normal rainfall, dead fish floating in the nearby river, failed crops, smoke coming out of the mountainside, and loud noises seemingly emanating from inside the earth. They didn’t realise what these portents signified.

There is an eye-witness account by Pliny the Younger (although it was written many years after the event so may not be completely reliable). He was watching from Misenum, a port at the far end of the bay, and saw the various stages of the eruption. His most famous comment is that the first ash cloud resembled an umbrella pine. I saw some of those during my visit and found his description spot on. That cloud eventually collapsed in on itself, and the surrounding towns were covered in ash and pumice. Later, pyroclastic surges followed, killing anyone who was still there instantly. Those who escaped – and fortunately they were many – must have been both thankful and also incredulous. The towns they left behind were obliterated, and anything they hadn’t brought with them was gone forever.

I’m grateful I live on an island without volcanos or earthquakes, although at least these days we know the science behind them and understand what is happening. The poor inhabitants of Pompeii probably blamed it on their gods – perhaps feeling that they were being punished for bad behaviour. And if they didn’t leave as soon as the eruption started, they didn’t stand a chance.

Will my hero and heroine make it out alive? You’ll have to read SHADOWS IN THE ASHES to find out!

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Shadows In The Ashes

Brimming with romance, adventure and vivid historical detail, Christina Courtenay's gripping dual-time novel travels from the present day to the fires of ancient Pompeii.

The sunlight caught her gold bracelet, sending a flash that almost blinded her.

She closed her eyes, but jumped when the earth started shaking and there was an almighty boom behind her.

Present Day
Finally escaping an abusive marriage, Caterina Rossi takes her three-year-old daughter and flees to Italy. There she's drawn to research scientist Connor, who needs her translation help for his work on volcanology. Together they visit the ruins of Pompeii and, standing where Mount Vesuvius unleashed its fire on the city centuries before, Cat begins to see startling visions. Visions that appear to come from the antique bracelet handed down through her family's generations...

AD 79
Sold by his half-brother and enslaved as a gladiator in Roman Pompeii, Raedwald dreams only of surviving each fight, making the coin needed to return to his homeland and taking his revenge. That is, until he is hired to guard beautiful Aemilia. As their forbidden love grows, Raedwald's dreams shift like the ever more violent tremors of the earth beneath his feet.

The present starts eerily to mirror the past as Cat must fight to protect her safety, and to forge a new path from the ashes of her old life...