Fire in the Year of Four Emperors

“Deragon weaves an expansive tapestry as four generals vie to become the next Roman emperor just before the beginning of the Christian era. “Political corruption is nothing new in this novel, which vividly explores the historical influences—and brutalities—on the modern psyche.” ~ Gay Courter (The Midwife, Flowers in the Blood) In 69 AD, as four Roman generals vie to become the next emperor, Batavian prince Julius Civilis, called Rokus by his tribesmen, journeys from Rome to his homeland under the escort of Marius, a former comrade from the wars in Britannia. The sweetness of liberty is soured when Rokus realizes corrupt senators employ Marius, and that their plan for him means more suppression for the northern tribes. On the road, Rokus, inspired by the people, the land, the soothsayer Veleda, and Ulla, a resilient little orphan girl, experiences a transformation from a valiant warrior to a shrewd leader of his people.

I was born on March 12, 1952 in upstate New York and had a peripatetic childhood living in Ohio, Maryland, Georgia, Texas, Virginia, and Los Angeles. The moving around really nursed my imagination as I trekked into the nearby woods, fields, hillsides, or coast looking for the meaning of life. I graduated from California State University with a BA in Art, and then travelled extensively though Europe to see the art I’d studied. I had important extended stays on the island of Crete, Greece, and the Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides, and, especially, Paris, France. Later, I got an MA in Art (Painting) and an MA in Art History, also from California State University. My working career has been varied: café manager; chef; museum curator; high school teacher and football coach; newspaper art critic; museum director; university art and art history instructor, all the while pursuing writing and painting. I’ve written short stories, and two novels, the second one is featured in this website. I live in Napa, California, with my wife and our teenage son, teaching art studio and art history courses at Notre Dame de Namur University, while developing a new series of paintings, as well as the sequel to Fire in the Year of Four Emperors. We enjoy traveling to Japan and, of course, France.