Quotes from Caroline Lawrence

Death either destroys us or frees us.

Just as I choose a ship when I am about to go on a voyage,' said Jonathan, 'so I shall choose my death when I am about to depart from this life.

Love is the worst poison. Love has driven more men to murder than hate or greed ever did. And for love there is no known antidote.

The cliffs and mountains of this region were honeycombed with caves

I pity the man she marries.

Finally, as the stars began to prick the lavender sky in the east

If anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because of me, he will not lose his reward,' quoted Jonathan softly.

But I must forgive him. Why? Because we are told to love our enemies. Besides, until I forgive him, (said Mordecai, tapping his black-robed stomach), I carry him here, within me. And that is a terrible thing.

Faith is a kind of imagination. It's imagining a world we can't see, but hope is there.

Power is a dangerous thing,' said Ben Aruva in a quiet voice. 'Any kind of power. If you have it, be careful to use it for good.

Jonathan looked surprised, but Flaccus did not seem to notice. He was staring at the bronze charm that Flavia was absent-mindedly fingering. When she saw the direction of his gaze she blushed furiously and dropped the amulet back under the neck of her tunic. And for the first time in a week, Gaius Valerius Flaccus smiled at her.

Great Juno's peacock!' cried Flavia again. 'A peacock.

With a cry of horror, Nubia turned to hide her face in Aristo's tunic, and she felt his strong arms encircle her protectively. The giant was Mindius's evil bodyguard, Ursus.

One step at a time, Jonathan moved towards his destiny.

Nubia closed her eyes and prayed silently. 'Dear Lord, I am not afraid to die. But please help us do the right thing. Amen.

The mountains had exploded and for three days darkness covered the land. When the sun returned at last, it was not the same golden sun which had shone down on the Roman Empire a week before. It was a counterfeit, gleaming dully in a colourless sky above a blasted world.

The sun, enormous and blood-red, began to sink into the sea. Its dying rays lit the ash-covered mountains and cove, so that the whole landscape seemed to be bathed in blood. The sky above it was livid purple, the colour of an angry bruise. There would be no stars that night

Now, if I had an Indian name, it would be 'Stands in Confusion'.

Plot is what happens in your story. Every story needs structure, just as every body needs a skeleton. It is how you 'flesh out and clothe' your structure that makes each story unique.

When I was nine, we moved to Stanford University in San Francisco so that my father could do a Ph.D. I went to Terman Junior High in Palo Alto. It was terrible, because my hormones were all over the place, and I became an ugly adolescent full of rage and loathing.

At 16, when I was at Henry M. Gunn High School, I had a crush on the English teacher, and my grades improved dramatically. This great school had only 400 students, mostly children of Stanford professors, and it was more usual to have classes under one of the oak trees dotted around the campus than in the classroom.