IF I COULD GO BACK IN TIME, I'D LOVE TO GO BACK TO...

Ancient Rome.

To actually see the greatest city in the world when the Coliseum was filled with people (okay, they were blood-thirsty, but still) and the Forum temples held daily rituals, that would be amazing. Gladiators, Vestal Virgins, Emperors, oh my.

I was never much of a history buff. Sure, I read historical romances when that was all there was but it was never the history that captured my attention. It was the romance.
Then I started researching this idea I had about ancient Etruscans. And I got hooked on the time period BCE. If you're not a devoted watcher of the History Channel, then BCE is Before Common Era. It used to be BC which I always thought meant Before Christ but I'm sure there was another meaning-

Sorry, off track. Anyway, I started looking for books to read about the ancient Etruscans, from whom the Romans stole most of their culture. Except for children's books like the ones from DK (which is full of useful knowledge for beginners), there wasn't a lot. But then I discovered the wonderful world of college presses.

Yes, these books read like textbooks because they are. But for a devoted reader like me, they are something I can sink my teeth into, gnaw on for a while then pick out bits and pieces to create my own stories.

They're filled with information about human sacrifice and blood rituals and Goddesses and Gods and they're better than any fairytale I'd ever read. And they've made me into something of an Amazon stalker, always looking for new research material.

Now, if I could just find a book on time travel...