Phyllis T. Smith (Author of I Am Livia)

0 ratings | 0 reviews | avg rating:0.0

Phyllis T. Smith鈥檚 Followers (184)

Phyllis鈥檚 Bookshelves

read (0)
currently-reading (0)
to-read (0)

Phyllis鈥檚 Friends (5)

Shannon Pifher

1,345 books | 150 friends

Jody Austin

2,344 books | 54 friends

Alexis Jacobs

39 books | 62 friends

Terri

205 books | 33 friends

Denise Fezza

50 books | 78 friends

Phyllis T. Smith

欧宝娱乐 Author

Born

Brooklyn, New York, The United States

Twitter

Genre

Historical Fiction

Influences

Mary Renault, Robert Graves

Member Since

September 2013

edit data

I was born in Brooklyn, NY and still live about a mile from where I grew up. I received a bachelor鈥檚 degree from Brooklyn College and a master鈥檚 degree from New York University, and pursued a practical career, teaching computer applications to workers who needed new skills to succeed on the job.

I enjoyed helping my students realize their dreams. But I always yearned to write historical fiction and in my spare time immersed myself in the literature, art, and history of the ancient world. Eventually, I wrote a novel called I Am Livia about the unjustly maligned wife of Rome鈥檚 first emperor. My second novel The Daughters of Palatine Hill focuses on Livia鈥檚 stepdaughter Julia, and Cleopatra鈥檚 daughter Selene. I look forward to writing more nov ...more

Ask the Author

To ask Phyllis T. Smith questions, please sign up.

Popular Answered Questions

Where did you get the idea for your most recent book?

Phyllis T. Smith My first novel, I Am Livia, ended after Caesar Augustus defeated Mark Antony and Cleopatra. My interest in Rome in the time of Augustus didn鈥檛 end the鈥辞谤别My first novel, I Am Livia, ended after Caesar Augustus defeated Mark Antony and Cleopatra. My interest in Rome in the time of Augustus didn鈥檛 end there. My new book, to be released February 16, was born out of my continuing fascination with the characters that peopled Livia鈥檚 world. In The Daughters of Palatine Hill, I focus on Livia鈥檚 stepdaughter Julia, and Antony and Cleopatra鈥檚 daughter Selene. They were almost exactly the same age and both lived eventful, dangerous lives.(less)

flag

5 likes · like
Comment

I just wanted to let you know that I loved the book and very much appreciated the way you chose to write it. Even though the story took place 2000 years ago, in parts of today's world your story is contemporary and real. Have you considered putting this in a stage play format? I think it would be a great stage play. Again, thanks.

Phyllis T. Smith Hi Jim,

It makes me so happy to hear that you loved I Am Livia. I do think we can hear echoes of what happened then now, in our own time.

There has bee鈥辞谤别Hi Jim,

It makes me so happy to hear that you loved I Am Livia. I do think we can hear echoes of what happened then now, in our own time.

There has been some talk of a mini-series in the future but I never considered a stage play. You gave me something new to think about!

I loved the audiobook of I Am Livia. It鈥檚 a thrill for an author to hear his or her characters coming to life, the next best thing to play. The narrator who played Livia, Joyce Bean, is absolutely great. She has the role of Livia again on the audiobook of The Daughters of Palatine Hill. That new novel has three narrators, and other actresses will take the roles of Julia, Livia鈥檚 stepdaughter, and Selene, the daughter of Cleopatra.

Thanks for your question!
(less)

flag

4 likes · like
Comment

See all 4 answers from Phyllis T. Smith鈥�

Combine Editions
Phyllis T. Smith鈥檚 books

Average rating: 4.0 · 15,816 ratings · 1,273 reviews · 3 distinct works 鈥� Similar authors

	I Am Livia 3.97 avg rating — 12,124 ratings — published 2011 — 22 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Daughters of Palatine Hill 4.08 avg rating — 3,755 ratings — published 2016 — 10 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	I Am Livia - excerpt from 2011 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Entry really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 5 ratings — published 2011	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

* Note: these are all the books on 欧宝娱乐 for this author. To add more, click here.

4 posts
Phyllis T. Smith's Blog

IS IT OKAY TO LIE IN HISTORICAL FICTION?

Well, lying is too harsh a word. If you want to pen a novel about Abraham Lincoln hunting vampires, you have a perfect right to do so, and it doesn鈥檛 make you a liar. Historical novels are by definition fiction. Novelists should be able to write whatever they please, and so should screenwriters. I enjoyed the movie Gladiator even though it鈥檚 not remotely historically accurate. To start with, Emper Read more of this blog post »

4 likes · Like • 2 comments • flag

Published on March 14, 2016 15:08

View all 4 posts »

Quotes by Phyllis T. Smith (?)

“I have often thought,鈥� she said, 鈥渢hat women are the only true adults in the world, and men are a species of children. When babies are born, when the sick are struggling for life, when the old die, you will see women about, but rarely men.”
― Phyllis T. Smith, I Am Livia

14 likes

“It is a joy to be appreciated for the thing you want to be appreciated for. To be appreciated as a woman, and also to be appreciated as a creature with a mind鈥攚hat more could I have wanted?”
― Phyllis T. Smith, I Am Livia

6 likes

“When I was a girl, I imagined love was a kind of prize for virtuous behavior. That was how the philosophers described it. Love was a tribute that flowed naturally only to those with undivided spirits and pure hearts. It occurred to me now that it was something else, wilder and less comprehensible. An affinity of the soul? Even that did not encompass it.”
― Phyllis T. Smith, I Am Livia

4 likes

See all Phyllis T. Smith's quotes »

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
Catching up on Cl...: "Kindle First"	24	146	Jun 11, 2014 04:13PM
The Seasonal Read...: Completed Tasks (Do Not Delete Posts)	2519	646	Aug 01, 2014 02:12PM
Historical Fictio...: Summer Vacation (July-Aug 2014): Reporting Thread	14	100	Aug 13, 2014 10:15AM
Nothing But Readi...: Team The Detectives	618	260	Aug 30, 2014 11:17PM
The Seasonal Read...: Completed Tasks: Do Not Delete Posts	2625	598	Aug 31, 2014 08:59PM
2025 Reading Chal...: Jaclyn's Book Nook	22	102	Oct 25, 2014 07:37PM
All About Books: Anastasia's reads in 2014	92	111	Nov 08, 2014 05:37AM
The Seasonal Read...: 5.8 - History	139	191	Nov 16, 2014 04:45PM

More…