for Jewel of Persia

Man, these Biblical stories are involved! Once again I spent countless hours in research. And because obviously if it interests me it must interest you (ahem), I’m going to provide you with the fruits of that research. Aren’t you lucky?

Unlike with A Stray Drop of Blood, this story is set almost entirely around recorded historical events. The fiction comes in with that whole motivation-thing–and by revolving it all around my made-up heroine, Kasia. But so that you can tell fact from fiction, I’m going to give you a rundown of the actual historical figures and point out where my imagination came in.

My main sources were Histories by Herodotus, an Ancient Greek who wrote down the events of the war that happened just before his lifetime; the Bible, both the book of Esther, from which I take the historical events, and Daniel, which is where I get my spiritual references. I also did a lot of outside research for architectural, cultural, and stylistic questions.

I’d also like to take this opportunity to extend a special thanks to Aris Vaphiadis of the Greek Jewelry Shop. The bracelet (called a torc) you see on the cover of Jewel of Persia is his design–when I emailed him to ask for permission to use it, he was gracious enough to agree and very excited to realize that one of his designs plays a crucial role in my story. And if you’re ever in Paris, swing by the Louvre, where his lion collection can be purchased in the gift shop! (How cool is that??!!)

And so, without further ado . . .