Back in September 2009, a lady named Stephanie Thornton made her first comment on this humble blog.  She became a regular reader and commenter.  She was interested in history and historical fiction, you see.  Probably you are too!

Since then, those of us who know a good writer when we see one have been following Stephanie's adventures.  Because Stephanie was writing a novel.  Like many of us.  She wrote, and then she revised, and revised, and revised, and revised, and revised...I could go on for some time here...  

And then she signed with an agent.

And then she revised some more.  But I always thought she'd make it.

Penguin's New American Library agreed.

And so on bookstore shelves this week we have The Secret History, the story of Theodora, who rose from desperate poverty to become Empress of the Byzantine Empire, by none other than our Stephanie Thornton.