Thea Burgess cannot recall when her fascination with Ancient Rome began, but growing up in Aquae Sulis (modern day Bath, England), she was aware of the city’s Roman heritage from a young age, and learnt to swim in the warm spa waters so coveted by the Romans.

When she wasn’t writing stories, her early childhood leisure time – weather permitting – was spent in the garden: building camps, carving spears and arrows from dead branches, and digging in vain for Roman artefacts.

Nowadays, although she seldom builds camps or sharpens sticks, her interest in Ancient Rome endures. The Fates have brought her to a village near the beautiful Roman city of Noviomagus Reginorum (modern day Chichester), where she lives with her very patient husband and several angelfish.

When not researching, visiting ancient sites, or writing about Verendus, she attempts to keep the garden presentable, encouraged by the hope that while digging out a stubborn weed she might unearth a treasure from the past.