He’s a soldier, a survivor, and a man
haunted by choices. Now, Traian Aelius Propacius steps forward in a format as
raw and unflinching as his truth.
This AI-generated virtual character
interview captures Traian’s stoic intensity with startling realism. His voice
carries the weight of Rome’s decline, his eyes reflect the cost of loyalty, and
his words reveal the fragile line between justice and vengeance. It’s not just
an interview—it’s a confession.
Watch the full interview here:
This is part of our ongoing series
exploring the world of Forgiving Nero through immersive storytelling.
Each character adds depth to the drama, and Traian’s appearance reminds us that
redemption is never simple—and never free.
Mary Ann Bernal is a distinguished
alumna of Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, NY, where she earned her degree in
Business Administration. Her literary journey began with the 2009 publication
of her debut novel in The Briton and the Dane series, marking the start
of a richly diverse body of work that spans historical fiction, contemporary
short stories, science fiction/fantasy, and fast-paced adventure novellas.
Her recent publications include Crusader’s
Path, a poignant redemption tale set during the First Crusade; Forgiving
Nero, a compelling exploration of familial bonds in Ancient Rome; and the
award-winning AnaRose adventure series, chronicling the daring escapades of a
museum curator-turned-relic hunter. Mary Ann’s work has been honored by the
Independent Press Award, the NYC Big Book Award, Chanticleer International Book
Awards, the B.R.A.G. Medallion, and the Reader Views Reviewer’s Choice Awards.
Her short fiction anthologies have likewise earned distinction, most notably
from the American Legacy Book Awards. She was also recognized with the Editor’s
Choice Award for Literary Excellence by Reader’s House magazine.
A dedicated supporter of the United
States military since Operation Desert Storm, Mary Ann has actively engaged in
letter-writing campaigns and related initiatives. Her advocacy has been
featured on KMTV’s The Morning Blend and in the Omaha World-Herald.
As a celebrated author, she has appeared on numerous reader blogs and book
promotion platforms. Mary Ann currently resides in Elkhorn, Nebraska, where she
continues to craft stories that inspire and endure.
Torchlight flickered across the marble
halls of Rome. The empire whispered of treachery, and every oath was tested by
fire. From the heart of Nero’s court, where loyalty could mean salvation or
ruin, Praetorian Guard Traian Aelius Propacius steps forward to speak of duty,
conscience, and the cost of guarding a man history would never forgive.
Interviewer: Traian, thank you for joining us. For
readers unfamiliar with your role, how would you describe your duty in Nero’s
Rome?
Traian: I was first sworn to guard a child,
not an emperor, a boy barely past his second year, spirited and curious, who
bore the name Lucius. His mother had been sent into exile, and in her absence,
I became his shield. My duty then was simple: to keep him safe from harm, to
guide his steps, to be the steady presence he could trust. Yet even in those
tender years, I understood I was protecting more than a child’s body. I was
guarding the promise of what he might become. Later, when Rome began to call
him Nero, my oath remained unchanged. To me, he was always Lucius, the boy I
once carried on my shoulders, the boy who dreamed of justice before the world
taught him fear.
Interviewer: Many saw Nero as a tyrant. From your
vantage point, what kind of man was he?
Traian: He was both boy and emperor, burdened
with a crown too heavy for his years. There were moments when he longed to rule
with mercy, to be remembered as more than his bloodline’s curse. But Rome was
merciless. The Senate whispered, the people demanded spectacle, and cruelty
became the coin of survival. I saw him hesitate at the edge of mercy, and I saw
him push past it.
Interviewer: The Great Fire of Rome remains one of
the most infamous events of his reign. From what you learned, how did it change
him?
Traian: I was not in Rome when the fire began.
When I finally found him, he told me what had happened. He had been at his
estates outside the city, and when word reached him, he rode into Rome. He
opened his gardens to the homeless, ordered supplies, and tried to fight the
flames. For a time, he was the Lucius I remembered, desperate to help,
desperate to be loved by his people. But when the whispers began, when the
blame turned toward him, everything shifted. To protect himself, he struck
back. That was when the Christians became his scapegoats. It was not mercy or
cruelty that guided him then, but fear.
Interviewer: Do you believe he wanted to be a good
ruler?
Traian: Yes. In his heart, he wanted to be loved,
to be remembered as more than his bloodline’s shadow. But Rome is not kind to
dreamers. Every step he took toward mercy was met with suspicion, every attempt
at justice twisted into weakness. In the end, he became what Rome demanded and
what Rome feared.
Interviewer: The palace halls were rife with
treachery. How did you endure such a world?
Traian: With silence, vigilance, and with the
knowledge that every ally might one day be an enemy. Even among the Guard,
trust was fragile. I stood between Lucius and conspirators cloaked as friends.
But the greater battle was within myself; how long could loyalty endure when it
began to feel like complicity?
Interviewer: History judged Nero harshly. Do you
believe he deserved forgiveness?
Traian: Forgiveness was not mine to grant. I
can only say this: he was not the monster the poets would write about, nor the
saint he once dreamed of being. He was a man caught between fear and destiny.
Perhaps that was the tragedy of Rome, that even emperors were prisoners of the
crown they wore.
Interviewer: And what of you, Traian? What future
did you see for yourself beyond Nero’s shadow?
Traian: When I was discharged, I found myself
standing at a crossroads. I had given my years to Rome, my loyalty to Lucius,
and in return, I carried scars no one could see. What comes next is not glory,
nor triumph. It is simply the search for peace, a life lived quietly, away from
marble halls and whispered conspiracies. Whether I will ever find it, only the
gods know.
Interviewer: Do you have anything to add before we
wrap up?
Traian: Only this: be careful how you judge
the past. History is written by those who survived it, and in Nero’s case, by
men who came long after his death, men who had never seen him, who shaped him
into villain or monster to serve their own ends. All documents are hearsay,
colored by fear, politics, or faith. If Rome teaches us anything, it is that
truth is fragile, and if we are not wary, history will repeat itself.
Mary Ann Bernal is a distinguished alumna of Mercy College
in Dobbs Ferry, NY, where she earned her degree in Business Administration. Her
literary journey began with the 2009 publication of her debut novel in The
Briton and the Dane series, marking the start of a richly diverse body of work
that spans historical fiction, contemporary short stories, science
fiction/fantasy, and fast-paced adventure novellas.
Her recent publications include Crusader’s Path, a poignant
redemption tale set during the First Crusade; Forgiving Nero, a compelling
exploration of familial bonds in Ancient Rome; and the award-winning AnaRose
adventure series, chronicling the daring escapades of a museum
curator-turned-relic hunter. Mary Ann’s work has been honored by the Independent
Press Award, the NYC Big Book Award, Chanticleer International Book Awards, the
B.R.A.G. Medallion, and the Reader Views Reviewer’s Choice Awards. Her short
fiction anthologies have likewise earned distinction, most notably from the
American Legacy Book Awards. She was also recognized with the Editor’s Choice
Award for Literary Excellence by Reader’s House magazine.
A dedicated supporter of the United States military since
Operation Desert Storm, Mary Ann has actively engaged in letter-writing campaigns
and related initiatives. Her advocacy has been featured on KMTV’s The Morning
Blend and in the Omaha World-Herald. As a celebrated author, she has appeared
on numerous reader blogs and book promotion platforms. Mary Ann currently
resides in Elkhorn, Nebraska, where she continues to craft stories that inspire
and endure.
Smoke coils above Rome’s marble spires. The boy who would be
emperor stands at the edge of greatness and ruin.
Watch the Trailer
Witness the rise and unraveling of Nero like never before.
Behind the Crown: Where Loyalty Ends and Power Begins.
Before the tyranny, there was longing. Before the cruelty,
confusion. A boy raised in shadows, taught to fear love and trust no one. In the
palace halls, whispers of revolt echo. In Nero’s heart, a storm brews.
This quiet moment, fraught with dread and fragile hope,
captures the soul of Forgiving Nero. It’s a story of unraveling. Of how power
distorts intention, and legacy exacts its toll. A boy once desperate to do good
becomes a man shaped by betrayal, forced to choose between survival and
surrendering to the darkness he was born into.
A Note from the Author
I wrote Forgiving Nero to explore the making of a legend and
the unraveling of a man. Was he a monster, or a victim of Rome’s brutal design?
This book invites you to witness his metamorphosis and decide for yourself.
About the Book
Nero enters manhood beneath the shadow of a bloodstained
throne. Raised on fear and betrayal, he wears his crown with equal parts of
dread and defiance.
He longs to rule justly, but Rome is built on secrets and
sharpened blades. As treachery grows within the Senate and whispers of revolt
echo through the corridors, Nero leans on the one man who’s never abandoned
him: Traian, a soldier sworn to protect him since boyhood.
But even loyalty has limits. As power corrodes what remains
of his soul, Nero faces a final choice. Rise above the cruelty that shaped him,
or embrace it and be remembered only as a monster.
Forgiving Nero is a sweeping historical epic that explores
ambition, faith, and the human price of legacy in a world where mercy is
weakness and silence is survival.
Ready to Read?
Step into the heart of ancient Rome. Witness the fall.
From the moment Henry
VI's new queen, Marguerite of Anjou, sets foot on English soil she is despised
by the English as a foreigner, and blamed for the failures of the hundred years
war in France.
Her enemies
impede her role as the king’s consort and when Henry sinks into apparent
madness, her bid to become regent is rejected. Marguerite must fight, not only
for her own position but to maintain Henry’s possession of the crown.
The ambitious Duke,
Richard of York, seizes control of the country, thrusting Marguerite aside and
inflating the mutual hatred between the houses of York and Lancaster. But the queen
refuses to relinquish power and fights determinedly for the rights of her son,
Edward of Lancaster.
The long and bitter
civil conflict, that has come to be known as the War of the Roses, commences.
This title is available to read on
#KindleUnlimited.
A lifelong history
enthusiast and avid reader, Judith holds a BA in English / Creative Writing and
a Masters in Medieval Studies. She lives on the coast of West Wales where she
writes both fiction and non-fiction. She is best known for her novels set in
the Medieval and Tudor period, focussing on the perspective of historical women
but recently she has written a trilogy from the perspective of Henry VIII
himself.
Judith is also a
founder member of a re-enactment group called The Fyne Companye of Cambria
which is when and why she began to experiment with sewing historical garments.
She now makes clothes and accessories both for the group and others. She is not
a professionally trained sewer but through trial, error and determination has
learned how to make authentic looking, if not strictly historically accurate
clothing. A non-fiction book about Tudor clothing, How to Dress like a Tudor,
was published in 2023 by Pen and Sword.
She runs a small
seaside holiday let in Aberporth and when she has time for fun, likes to garden
and restore antique doll’s houses. You can find her on most social media
platforms.
Her novels include:
A Song of Sixpence: the
story of Elizabeth of York
The Beaufort Chronicle:
the life of Lady Margaret Beaufort (three book series)
The Henrician
Chronicle: comprising of:
A Matter of Conscience:
Henry VIII, the Aragon Years (Book One of The Henrician Chronicle)
A Matter of Faith:
Henry VIII, the Days of the Phoenix (Book Two of The Henrician
Chronicle)
A Matter of Time: Henry
VIII, the Dying of the Light (Book Three of The Henrician Chronicle)
The Kiss of the Concubine:
a story of Anne Boleyn
The Winchester Goose:
at the court of Henry VIII
Intractable Heart: the
story of Katheryn Parr
Sisters of Arden: on
the Pilgrimage of Grace
The Heretic Wind: the
life of Mary Tudor, Queen of England
Peaceweaver
The Forest Dwellers
The Song of Heledd
The Book of Thornhold
A Daughter of Warwick:
the story of Anne Neville, Queen of Richard III
In the heart of tumultuous times, amidst the grandeur of Victorian
opulence, there existed an American socialite whose influence altered the
course of the Anglo-Irish treaty: Lady Hazel
Lavery
Boston-born Hazel
ascended from her Irish roots to become the quintessential Society Queen of Chicago,
and later London, where she lived a delicate dance between two worlds: one with
her esteemed husband, Sir John Lavery, a portrait artist to royalty, and the
other with Michael Collins, the daring Irish rebel whose fiery spirit ignited
her heart. Together, they formed a love triangle that echoed through the
corridors of power at 10 Downing Street, London.
Hazel's wit and charm
touched on the lives of the who's-who of England, including Winston Churchill,
George Bernard Shaw and Evelyn Waugh. The image of her memorable face graced
the Irish note for close to half-a-century.
Lois Cahall began her writing
career as a columnist for Cape Cod newspapers and local periodicals,
including Cape Cod Life. She spent a decade writing for
national magazines (Conde Nast/Hearst). Her articles have been published
in Cosmo Girl, Seventeen, SELF, Marie Claire, Redbook, Ladies Home
Journal, Reader’s Digest, Men’s Journal, and Bon
Appetit. In the UK she wrote for RED, GQ, Psychologies,
and for The Times. In addition, Lois wrote profiles for The
Palm Beach Post.
Lois’s first novel, Plan
C: Just in Case, was a #1 bestseller in the UK, where it remained in
the top three fiction for the year before selling into foreign translation
markets. In July of 2014, her novel hit #1 on the Nook “Daily Deal” in America.
Her second novel, Court of the Myrtles, was hailed as “Tuesdays
with Morrie on estrogen” by the Ladies Home Journal. Her
newest book, The Many Lives of Hazel Lavery, is a work of
historical fiction and will be published in 2025.
Lois is the former Creative
Director of Development for James Patterson Entertainment. She credits her
friend, Jim Patterson, the world’s most successful bestselling author, with
teaching her about the importance of children’s reading and literacy. As a
result, she founded the Palm Beach Book Festival in
2015, an annual event bringing in NYT bestselling and
celebrity authors. The event is for book lovers, nurturing the written word for
the children and adults of southern Florida.
In 2024 Lois also
founded The Cape
Cod Book Festival, an annual autumn event that promises to
be a new cultural footprint in Massachusetts. It will be for locals and
‘washashores’ alike – a magical place where charitably minded readers can rub
elbows with great writers and thinkers.
Lois divides her life between
New York and Cape Cod, although her spiritual home is London. But most
importantly, Lois can do the Hula Hoop for an hour non-stop and clear a
Thanksgiving table in just under ten minutes.
What
if Taylor Swift found herself penning songs about love in Elizabethan England
when women were required to be chaste, obedient, and silent?
Isabella
Whitney, an ambitious and daring eighteen-year-old maidservant turned poet,
sets out to do just that. Having risked reputation and virtue by allowing her
passions for her employer's aristocratic nephew to get the better of her,
Isabella Whitney enters the fray of the pamphlet wars, a scurrilous debate on
the merits of women.
She's
determined to make her mark by becoming the first woman to write a poem
defending women in love, highlighting the deceptive practices of the men who
woo them. Her journey to publication is fraught with challenges as she
navigates through the male-dominated literary world and the harsh realities of
life in sixteenth-century London for a single woman.
Loosely
based on the life of Elizabethan poet Isabella Whitney, this is a compelling
tale of a young woman's resilience and determination to challenge the status
quo and leave her mark in a world that was not ready for her.
On
a brisk September morn in the ninth year of Queen Elizabeth’s reign, I arrived
at the Bramwell House, the London estate of Lady Bramwell, a widowed baroness
and my new mistress. The fiery hue of the red brick facade made the house seem
indestructible as it stood bold and vibrant in the late morning sunlight on the
bank of the Thames. I counted eight chimney stacks and forty mullioned windows
with diamond-shaped glass and mused whether I would find friend or foe within.
As
I gazed at the gables and corner turrets, my sisters’ sweet laughter
reverberated in the cool breeze that swept across my cheeks. How they twirled
and giggled with delight when my mother promised that, like me, when they reach
the age of eighteen, they too will venture from home to work for a grand lady,
acquiring superior housewifery skills that would help them snag a well-bred
gentleman.
Constance Briones has a Master's in Woman's History,
which informs her writing.
She first learned about the subject of her debut
historical fiction novel, the sixteenth-century English poet Isabella Whitney, while
doing research for her thesis on literacy and women in Tudor England. Isabella
Whitney's gusty personality to defy the conventions of her day, both in her
thinking and actions, impressed Constance enough to imagine that she would make
a very engaging literary heroine.
As a writer, Constance is interested in highlighting
the little-known stories of women in history. She is a contributing writer to
Historical Times, an online magazine. When not writing, she lends her time as
an educational docent for her town's historical society.
She contently lives in Connecticut with her husband
and Maine coon sibling cats, Thor and Percy.
In the fall of 1907,
Katharine decides to drive from Newport, Rhode Island, to her home in Jackson,
New Hampshire. Despite the concerns of her family and friends, that at the age
of 77 she lacks the stamina for the nearly 300-mile journey, Katharine sets out
alone. Over the next six days, she receives a marriage proposal, pulls an
all-nighter, saves a life or two, crashes a high-society event, meets a kindred
spirit, faces a former rival, makes a new friend, takes a stroll with a future
movie mogul, advises a troubled newlywed, and reflects upon a life well lived;
her own!
Join her as she
embarks upon her remarkable road trip.
Katharine Prescott
Wormeley (1830-1908) was born into affluence in England and emigrated to the U.
S. at the age of eighteen. Fiercely independent and never married, Kate
volunteered as a nurse on a medical ship during the Civil War, before founding
a vocational school for underprivileged girls. A lifelong friend and trusted
confidante of landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, she was a
philanthropist, a hospital administrator, and the author of The Other Side of War: 1862, as well as
the noted translator of dozens of novels written by French authors, including
Moliere and Balzac. She is included in History’s
Women: The Unsung Heroines; History of American Women: Civil War Women; Who’s
Who in America 1908-09; Notable American Women, A Biographical Dictionary:
1607-1950and A Woman of the 19th Century: Leading
American Women in All Walks of Life.
Katharine’s
(semi-solicited) advice to a troubled newlywed
I am
probably the last person qualified to give relationship advice. But since
you’re asking me, I’ll tell you what I think. Go home. Not to your parents’ but
to the home you share with Charlie. Talk to your husband, but wait until he’s
had a bath after work. And maybe serve him a special dinner too. It’s much
easier to talk to someone who’s well-fed. I know what you’re thinking. You’ve
got a little one to keep fed and clean and now you’ve got Charlie, too? Dear,
I’m not saying you must run his bath or cook a three-course meal every night,
but you both have a job to do. Currently, his is to go to work every day in a
factory that I can only imagine is loud and dirty, get his weekly pay, put food
on the table and keep a roof over your heads. Yours is equally important, but
for the time being, lacks much in the way of tangible rewards. But it's vital
work. Caring for your son, tending to your home, loving your husband: it’s all
very important. She seemed unconvinced, so I tried a different, more direct
approach.
What I’m
saying in a nutshell is, it’s time to grow up. You chose to get married, and
that comes with responsibilities. You’re not playing house, my dear. Real life
is hard and now you’ve got a third person added to the equation. One that
relies on you for absolutely everything. You are his entire world. You must
tell Charlie what you need from him and, at the same time, assure him you’re
quite capable of running the house and caring for your son. Can you do that, Hannah?
Gail Ward Olmsted was a
marketing executive and a college professor before she began writing fiction on
a fulltime basis. A trip to Sedona, AZ inspired her first novel Jeep
Tour. Three more novels followed before she began Landscape
of a Marriage, a biographical work of fiction featuring landscape
architect Frederick Law Olmsted, a distant cousin of her husband’s, and his
wife Mary. After penning a pair of contemporary novels featuring a
disgraced attorney seeking a career comeback (MirandaWrites,
Miranda Nights) she is back to writing historical fiction featuring an
incredible woman with an amazing story. Watch for Katharine's
Remarkable Road Trip on June 13th.
Two men, two dreams, two new towns on the
plains, and a railroad that will determine whether the towns—one black, one
white—live or die.
Will Crump has survived the Civil War, Red
Cloud’s War, and the loss of his love, but the search for peace and belonging
still eludes him. From Colorado, famed Texas Ranger Charlie Goodnight lures
Will to Texas, where he finds new love, but can a Civil War sharpshooter and a
Quaker find a compromise to let their love survive? When Will has a chance to
join in the founding of a new town, he risks everything—his savings, his
family, and his life—but it will all be for nothing if the new railroad passes
them by.
Luther has escaped slavery in Kentucky
through Albinia, Will’s sister, only to find prejudice rearing its ugly head in
Indiana. When the Black Codes are passed, he’s forced to leave and begin a new
odyssey. Where can he and his family go to be truly free? Can they start a town
owned by blacks, run by blacks, with no one to answer to? But their success
will be dependent on the almighty railroad and overcoming bigotry to prove
their town deserves the chance to thrive.
Will’s eldest sister, Julia, and her
husband, Hiram, are watching the demise of their steamboat business and jump
into railroads, but there’s a long black shadow in the form of Jay Gould, the
robber baron who ruthlessly swallows any business he considers competition. Can
Julia fight the rules against women in business, dodge Gould, and hold her
marriage together?
The Founding tells the little-known story
of the Exodusters and Nicodemus, the black town on the plains of Kansas, and
the parallel story of Will’s founding of Lubbock, Texas, against the background
of railroad expansion in America. A family reunited, new love discovered, the
quest for freedom, the rise of two towns. In the end, can they reach Across the
Great Divide? The Founding is the exciting conclusion to the series.
Praise for The Founding:
“Michael
is an excellent storyteller and has done a wonderful job depicting Luther, and
the other black characters in this book. He has done his homework and
depicts many historical facts about Nicodemus in a most enlightening and
creative way. It has been a pleasure working with someone who has made a
concerted effort to get things right.
~ Angela Bates
Nicodemus Descendant/Historian Executive Director The Nicodemus Historical Society and Museum
The Atchison,
Topeka, Santa Fe railroad had as its president at one point one of the most
incompetent Confederate generals - Braxton Bragg
170,000 miles of
railroad tracks were laid in 1860-1900. Some of it was never used. 140,000 miles
of tracks are in use today. Old railroad tracks are recycled as metal T posts
for fencing.
It took one full
year (minus a month for COVID) to research and write The Founding.
I re-visited
Lubbock, Texas in March 2022, spending a few days at the Southwest Collection
at Texas Tech University. They have huge boxes of paper material on the Crumps,
none digitized. It includes such material as the genealogy of all the cows Will
Crump raised, deeds for land, court cases, and - my thrill - papers signed by
Will Crump, his wife Mary, his son Bob, and my own parents and
grandparents.
Nicodemus still
exists, and people still live there - it may not be thriving, but this quiet
little town in western Kansas still has the heartbeat of history. In its
heyday, it produced two famous NFL running backs (the families have requested
me not to identify them), a state auditor, and its own newspaper.
Angela
Bates
(Image used with permission.)
Angela Bates is the driving force behindNicodemus today.
Kansas Historical Foundation
Board of Directors
Elected to board: 1995
Elected to executive committee: 2007
Angela Bates’s ancestors were among the
original settlers of Nicodemus in 1877. She grew up in Pasadena, California,
but her family’s trips to Kansas drew her to relocate to the state. She
received a bachelor’s degree in education from Emporia State University.
Bates has devoted much of her career to
sharing the history of African American migration and the preservation of
history and architecture in Nicodemus. She is a member of the National Parks
Conservation Association and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. She
served as president of the Nicodemus Historical Society. She shares her stories
through performances, documentaries, radio, and television.
She received the Kansas Sampler
Foundation’s “We Can” award for her work in historic preservation. She received
the Brown Foundation’s award for excellence in preserving African American
history. She has been honored by the Kansas Humanities Council for outstanding
contributions. The National Trust named her a “Preservation Hero.” She was
named a woman of distinction by the Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Committee
of Topeka.
Bates was first elected to the Kansas
Historical Foundation Board of Directors in 1995 where she served until 2016.
Michael Ross
Michael Ross is a lover of history and
great stories.
He’s a retired software engineer turned
author, with three children, and five grandchildren, living in Newton, Kansas
with his wife of 39 years. Michael graduated from Rice University and Portland
State University with degrees in German and software engineering. He was part
of an MBA program at Boston University.
Michael was born in Lubbock, Texas, and
still loves Texas. He’s written short stories and technical articles in the
past, as well as articles for the Texas Historical Society.
Across the Great Divide now has three
novels in the series, "The Clouds of War", and "The
Search", and the conclusion, "The Founding". "The
Clouds of War" was an honorable mention for Coffee Pot Book of the Year in
2019, and an Amazon #1 best seller in three categories, along with making the
Amazon top 100 paid, reviewed in Publisher's Weekly. "The Search" won
Coffee Pot Cover of the Year in 2020, and Coffee Pot Silver Medal for Book of
the Year in 2020, as well as shortlisted for the Chanticleer International Book
Laramie Award.
Rome. The jewel of the civilized world is no longer what it
was. Strength has failed the Senate. Her legions are in disarray, and the
Empire has fallen into Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus Nero’s hands. His reign
begins under a cloud of scrutiny, for he is the depraved Emperor Caligula’s
nephew. Nero is determined to overcome that stigma and carve a name of his own.
One worthy of Rome’s illustrious history.
Politics and treachery threaten to end Nero’s reign before
it begins, forcing him to turn to unexpected sources for friendship and help.
Many of the Praetorian Guard have watched over Nero since he was a small child,
and it is in Traian that the young Emperor places his trust, despite the
inherent threat of reducing his mother’s influence. Traian is the father he
never had and the one man who does not judge him.
When Traian secretly marries the hostage Vena, it sets in
motion a collision of values as Traian comes to odds with his former charge.
The whirlwind that follows will shake the very foundations of the greatest
Empire the world has ever known, and survival is far from guaranteed.
The rhythmic noise of the turning wheels had Nero closing
his eyes momentarily. His thoughts wandered, pleasant at the onset, recalling
time spent with Acte at Misenum. He loved her with childish innocence,
developing a friendship based on trust.
Lucius reflected on that precious time,
pushing aside Nero’s persona. He envisioned the balmy days when they walked
along the coastline, exploring sea caves, climbing the rock-strewn hills, and running through green meadows filled with wildflowers being blown by the wind.
As if in a trance, Lucius held out his hand, his fingers closing over hers. He
felt her presence, breathing in her scent, her hair brushing against his face.
Lucius heard her silent words, delighting in his poetry, verses written primarily
for her and none other, pledging to take her for his wife.
A solitary tear
escaped, staining the side of his face, as he wiped the liquid away with his
cloak.
•*´¨)✯ ¸.•*¨) ✮ ( ¸.•´✶
Praise
This story demanded all of my attention from beginning to
end. The narrative was utterly enthralling, and Bernal told Nero’s story with a
keen understanding of what makes history worth reading. Bernal has brought Nero
back to life, and she has explored that life with a profound sweep and
brilliance.
Bernal writes with such elegance and authority, not to
mention with a keen attention to the historical detail, that a reader can
comfortably immerse themselves in this story. Forgiving Nero by Mary Ann Bernal
is a must-read for anyone who enjoys quality Historical Fiction.
Mary Anne Yarde. The Coffee Pot Book Club
2021 Gold Medal Winner
Historical Fiction Ancient World
The author does an excellent job remaining neutral and presenting each viewpoint factually and without bias. Therefore, regardless of your personal beliefs, you should be able to enjoy this book and make your own conclusions without feeling led to view Nero one way or the other.
Rome. The jewel of the civilized world is no longer what it
was. Strength has failed the Senate. Her legions are in disarray, and the
Empire has fallen into Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus Nero’s hands. His reign
begins under a cloud of scrutiny, for he is the depraved Emperor Caligula’s
nephew. Nero is determined to overcome that stigma and carve a name of his own.
One worthy of Rome’s illustrious history.
Politics and treachery threaten to end Nero’s reign before
it begins, forcing him to turn to unexpected sources for friendship and help.
Many of the Praetorian Guard have watched over Nero since he was a small child,
and it is in Traian that the young Emperor places his trust, despite the
inherent threat of reducing his mother’s influence. Traian is the father he
never had and the one man who does not judge him.
When Traian secretly marries the hostage Vena, it sets in
motion a collision of values as Traian comes to odds with his former charge.
The whirlwind that follows will shake the very foundations of the greatest
Empire the world has ever known, and survival is far from guaranteed.
Reader Views
“Playing out
much like the Greek tragedies Nero enjoyed acting in!”
“The writing flows effortlessly between the viewpoints of each of the characters, telling a clear narrative that is easy to follow and rather difficult to put down.”
“If you love Roman history, this book should delight you. Although Nero's and his family's
wickedness is not sugarcoated, it is not described in a way that is lewd or gratifying.”
“The author does an excellent job remaining neutral and presenting each
viewpoint factually and without bias. Therefore, regardless of your personal beliefs, you should
be able to enjoy this book and make your own conclusions without feeling led to view Nero one
way or the other.”
The Coffee Pot Book Club
“This story demanded all of my attention from
beginning to end. The narrative was utterly enthralling, and Bernal told Nero’s
story with a keen understanding of what makes history worth reading. Bernal has
brought Nero back to life, and she has explored that life with a profound sweep
and brilliance…”
“Nero is one of the infamous emperors whose
history has been dictated by those who wanted to see his downfall. History,
after all, is not written by the loser. Bernal does not pretend that Nero was a
beloved emperor, but nor does she make him quite as monstrous as we have all
been led to believe.”
