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dear caroline lawrence,
my name is sophie and i have read all of the roman mysteries apart from the beggar of volubilis, the prophet from ephesus and the man from pomegranate street.
i have some questions:
is green fountain street a real place in ostia?
Was Nathan a real roman or greek name that was around in those times?
from, sophie
Caroline says: I made up Green Fountain Street. Flavia's house lies in an unexcavated part of Ostia Antica. The name Nathan was around in ancient times but it isn't Greek or Latin... it's Hebrew! It means 'Given' [by God].
Dear Caroline,Our sister Anna has just finished reading us 'The Man From Pomegranate Street' and it was ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS!!! The way you kept making the story twist unexpectedly was really clever and we read for 3 hours yesterday because we simply couldn't put it down!!! ...Will the Flavian Trilogy be for all the family or is it going to be 'adult' in content (when it does come out)? We think you are a very talented author and your books have been the BEST history lesson on the Ancient World that one could ever wish for!! Thank you very much!
Love, Becky, Anna, and Dominic
Caroline says: Yes, Anna. The Flavian Trilogy turned out a bit too 'adult' so is on hold for the moment while we think what to do with it. In the meantime, I hope you will check out the Roman Mysteries Mini-Mysteries, Quiz Books, Travel Guide and Treasury!
Salve Caroline Lawrence
I really liked your books and will you write the Flavian Triogily because I loved reading about Flavia and her friends. When I'm older I want to be a writer when I grow up. What made you want to write about the Roman times? Please can write some more about Flavia and her friends because I love reading about them I'm going back to school soon.
Georgia
Salve, Georgia! The bad news is that the Flavian Trilogy is postponed indefinitely. The good news is that you can see my best writing tips on my WRITING TIPS page!
Hi Caroline Lawrence
My name is Nadia and I am 12 yrs old. I live in ... New Zealand. Mum home schools me and my little sister and brother, Sarah (9) and Sam (5) and this year we did a project on Ancient Rome and Pompeii! We all learnt heaps and enjoyed learning about it! Our friends Aimee and James are really interested in it too and I’m sure James has read pretty much ALL of your books!!! We all travelled to Wellington together (this is a two hour drive from our house) with our Mums to go to a big exhibition about Pompeii at the museum there. We got to watch an animated 3D eruption of Mt Vesuvius and see a REAL gladiator’s helmet! Wow! My 5 year old brother loved that!!! We also saw some casts from the eruption- that was sad but really amazing! A few weeks later we got together again and had a Roman Feast!! Yum! We had chicken in honey and lots of dried fruit and nuts! We cut holes in old sheets for tunics and set up our living room with mattresses to lie on! Sarah, Sam, Aimee, James and I all made up a roman play and preformed it for our parents! It was about two girls getting kidnapped by a slave trader. We made up chants and songs to put in as well. (right: Nadia with brother, sister & friends)
After all that James said I should read the Roman Mysteries! He leant me the first book and I fell in love with it instantly! I am now up to the fourth book, The Dolphins of Laurentum. I am reading it at the moment. My favourite book so far was The Pirates of Pompeii! Wow! That was very exciting!!!!
I chose today to write to you because it is the 24th of August! The day Mt Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD!!! I am planning to make cupcakes with extra batter in the tins so they rise up like little volcanoes and then put red icing on them! Haha
Thank you so much for writing real page turners!
From Nadia
Caroline says: Thank you, Nadia! Happy Vesuvius Day! 
...I just finished The Man from Pomegranate Street. It is, I think, my second favourite (after Slave-girl)... The Jonathan parts were my favourite (thanks a bunch for not making him fall in love with someone--esp. Pulchra. Blagh) and I was also glad he didn't get some stock happy ending. Because after going through all that you can't just waltz off and live happily ever after, can you? I thought it was significant that unlike with the others, our last glimpse of him was one of exhaustion and defeat... don't know if that was intentional or not.
I read that the Flavian Trilogy is cancelled (sad)...what was it going to be about?
Also, I was thrilled to hear that the main character in your new series has Asperger's. My dad and brother both have it... So thank you for that. :D Looking forward to reading it!
Cheers, Kelsey
Caroline says: I'm really glad that you liked the not-totally-happy ending of The Man from Pomegranate Street. I wanted Jonathan kind of sad because I was planning to bring him back for the Flavian Trilogy. But my publishers thought the first book was a bit too grown-up, so the trilogy may have to wait a while to be published. In the meantime, I hope you will like The Western Mysteries. You can see some snippets from it on one of my many Twitter pages.
Dear Caroline Lawrence, Salve.
I am sending you this picture as a thank you for giving me the signed poster.
Also it is a very late Birthday present.
I hope you like it...
from Harry
Caroline says: Gratias ago maximas, Harry! I LOVE it!
Dear Caroline Lawrence,
I have just finished reading the whole series in sequence for the 4th time... it never fails to thrill me! I have a few questions I wanted to ask:
What is the mystery that Pulchra has for Flavia at the end of 'Man from Pomegranate Street'?
Will we find out in a book?
Who will 'The Flavian Trilogy' be about?
When will it come out?
I have really enjoyed reading your books over the last 5 years and I am sad to see the series come to an end :(
Thank you for writing such a wonderful series for many to enjoy,
Helen (13)
Caroline says: I'm not sure if I will come back to write about Pulchra's mystery in the near future. Sadly, the Flavian Trilogy has been cancelled indefinitely. But I might write a different spinoff. Have you read my second collection of Mini-Mysteries about Flavia and her friends? It came out in March and was called The Legionary from Londinium. It has a mystery for Threptus, the beggar boy from The Man from Pomegranate Street. I might do an illustrated spin-off series for younger readers (aged 7+) about him.
Dear Caroline
...I was about 15 when I first picked up "The Thieves of Ostia" of the shelf at my local library. My reasoning? "This looks cool." I devoured it that night, finishing about 1.00 am... The next time I was at the library, I wanted to borrow all of them, but was limited to just three, as per library rules. I finished those in a matter of days, too. I read every Roman Mysteries the library had over the course of a couple of months ... Then we moved from my home in Ontario Canada, to Sydney, Australia. For the most part, the books sank to the back of my mind as I dealt with everything else. New friends, new culture, new school, new McDonald's store to work at. :P Suddenly I'm the one with the funny accent, etc. I wasn't going to take Ancient History for Grade 11, because it was offered at the same time as 'Modern' history, which I still preferred. But then we moved from one part of Sydney to another and I had to change schools after only three weeks. This new school had a full Modern Class, but there was room in Ancient History. It was fate that decided on that subject for me. Pompeii and Herculaneum is the core study for Grade 12 Ancient History. I felt really confident going into that subject, with the knowledge I had already of 10-year-old Flavia Gemina's experience with the eruptions of Vesuvius. Later, we did a case-study of Pliny the Younger, and an analysis of his letters to Tacitus. Again, I was confident going in. (I got 96% on the Pompeii task, which isn't at all typical for me. :) I have searched the three libraries near me, to see if any of them have any copies of the Roman Mysteries. I want to read them again, once I finish grade 12 (only 3 months to go), because I think you are a wonderful author and the books were so well written, that I didn't feel like I was reading something that was meant to be for Primary-school kids. The plots were always so complicated, yet in the end everything fit together. I loved that! I have tried writing myself, though I don't think I could ever do mysteries (I'm not clever enough to come up with such plots). Thanks so much for writing such a gripping series that I still remember vividly [although] I've been forced to read and remember the likes of 1984, Wuthering Heights and Macbeth since then. ;) ). Also, I'm doing an in-depth study of the Romantic Era in English Extension class, so I have to ask: Do you have a favourite Romantic classic? I like the Bronte sisters' works the best. ;)
Sophia
Caroline says: Thanks for that lovely email, Sophia! I confess I'm not keen on the Romantic classics. My fave books from the 19th century are actually the primary sources from the American Civil War. Letters, diaries, etc. Some of them are as romantic, moving and exciting as any fiction!
Hi,Your books are amazing! I loved them so so much, i have read them over three times!!!
I watch the program every night and hope to get all the dvds for my birthday. If anyone hasn't read the books then they defiantly should they are the best ever!!! As you express your love for greek myths could you tell me which your favourite one is? Which book did you enjoy writing the most? Which character do you like the most? And finally do you enjoy the Western Mysteries more than the Roman mysteries?
Abigail
Caroline says: Salve, Abigail! My favourite Greek myth is probably the one where Achilles falls in love with the Amazon Queen Penthesilea at the very moment he kills her. It's so dramatic! You can see the answers to your other questions on my FAQS page. I am enjoying writing the Western Mysteries just as much as I liked writing the Roman Mysteries!
Dear Caroline
When I first started reading the books I thought I wouldn't enjoy them but actually read them all in about three weeks. I really enjoyed them and I wish you would write more, I can't wait to read legionary from londinium, does it say what happens to the 4 friends... after the man from pomegranite street? If not is there going to be another which reveals this info? I recommend you should do one more because you are an amazing author! Im looking forward to reading the legionary from londinium and the western mysteries. Can you drop me some hints about what the western mysteries are going to be like?
From Emma
Caroline says: I like the way I ended The Man from Pomegranate Street because it suggests that the lives and adventures of Flavia and her friends will go happily on for many years... The Western Mysteries will be set in Virginia City, Nevada Territory in the early 1860's. The first one is called The Case of the Deadly Desperados and it will be out in June 2011. For a glimpse into my research, visit my Western Mysteries Blog.
Dear CarolineI am only 11 and I come from Australia. So, all the books are not here.
I have just one question:
What was the most favourite book, to write, in the series?
I do hope you reply. Thank you for writing them
Matthew (Australia)
Caroline says: My favourite book to write in the series is a tie between The Pirates of Pompeii and The Man from Pomegranate Street. They are both really exciting and romantic and I LOVED writing both of them!
Hello Ms.Lawrence,
I wonder if you remember me? I was in 6th grade last year when you came to Rome to visit my school, The American Overseas School of Rome. I had a few questions i wanted to ask you, it would be very kind of you to take your time answering these. I am in no hurry for your replies. The questions i have are the following,
1. How are you?
2. Who do you think you resemble in your books?
3. Did you think of the entire plot of your series before you wrote The Thieves of Ostia?
4. How did you come up with the Flaccus-Flavia plot?
5. How long did you study the roman culture?
6. Did you have all the names of the characters in your mind before you started writing your books?
7. Now that the series is finished, are you thinking of writing another series?
I thank you deeply for writing such a delightful series that attracts any reader's attention from the first page turned and wish you a joyous day,
Amish
Caroline says: Here are the answers to your questions, Amish. 1. I am really well, thanks! I hope you are well, too! 2. Flavia! 3. Most of it, but not all. 4. I thought it was time Flavia was interested in a suitable Roman rather than Felix! 5. I've been studying Roman culture and Greek and Latin since I was 19... a LONG time! 6. I had some of them, but not all of them. Originally, Nubia was going to be 'Palmyra'! 7. YES! I am now working on a whole new history mystery series: The Western Mysteries. The books will be set in Virginia City, Nevada Territory in the early 1860's. The first one is called The Case of the Counterfeit Indians and it will be out in just over a year.
CONGRATULATIONS...for having written the best book-series ever. Thank you for giving me so many wonderful hours of reading with all imaginable emotions: tension, fear, joy, terrible sadness and always great fun. No matter if I was sitting with a cup of hot chocolate on the couch in winter or on a chair in the warm summer sun, it was always a pleasure to read your books and now that they have accompanied me for almost 7 years the only thing left for me to say is THANK YOU ♥ They have made a great part of my childhood much better than it would have been
To thank you I have invited a star guest from your series who actually isn't alive any more since the "Slave Girl from Jerusalem"...
Cura ut valeas, Maria-Anna (Germany)
Caroline says: Thank you SO much Maria-Anna. I am really touched. And you make a beautiful Roman girl!
Dear Caroline Lawrence
My name is Tilly ... and I am 10 years old. I used to live in England but in 2008 I moved to Germany with my family. I love your books, The Roman Mysteries. I especially like The Beggar of Volubilis. My favourite part is where Ungula the leopard attacks all the people. In the English lessons at school I am making a reading roll to this book. A reading roll is an empty Pringles tube. I decorated my reading roll with a picture of a leopard. Then I had to write lots of things about the book. I had to write out my favourite part and I had to draw a new title page. I copied a picture of Africa out of the atlas. Did you always want to be an author? Where do you get your ideas from? How do you know so much about the Romans?
Yours sincerely, Tilly (Germany)
Caroline says: Salve, Tilly! You can see the answers to all those questions on my FAQS page! I hope you get top marks for your reading roll!
Dear Caroline LawrenceI adore your books. I am ... a pupil of Chandlings. Would you be kind enough to answer some of my questions? What made you think of basing your books in Italy? Did you use to like classics at school? Did you get to go to Italy when writing your books? What was it like to write the books, was it scary, calm or even funny? What made you base your books on the Romans? Did you base your books on the television series of Roman Mysteries or did you write your books and then the television series came out? Thank you for reading my letter. Our summer holidays are coming up so please send a reply by the end of summer holidays. I will still be at Chandlings.
Yours sincerely, Rebecca
Caroline says: You can see the answers to most of those questions on my FAQS page, Rebecca. Here are the answers to the others: The answer to how did I feel when writing the books was: excited! And the answer to did I go to Italy to research the books is YES! Also Greece, North Africa & Turkey. I even wrote a Roman Mysteries Travel Guide: From Ostia to Alexandria with Flavia Gemina. Oh, and the books came before the TV series!
Dear Ms Lawrence,
I have been reading your Roman Mysteries Series. I have two favourite books to tell you about. The first is The Thieves of Ostia, my best part in this is where Flavia buys Nubia off the slave platform and gives her a new life. The other book I like is The Secrets of Vesuvius. My best part is where Ferox leads Flavia, Nubia, Jonathan and Lupus to Uncle Gaius. Now I have some questions to ask you:
1. How do you know so much about Roman times?
2. Do you speak Latin?
3. Are you going to write any more Roman Mysteries?
4. Were the people in the storys such as Lupus the mute beggar boy real people or did you make them up?
5. Are the names in the books real Latin names or not?
from your seven year old fan (and best fan!)
Matilda
Caroline says: Salve (hello) Matilda! What good questions! You can see the answers to some of them on my FAQS page. Here are the answers to the others: I studied Classics (Greek & Latin) at University for many years and also taught Latin to primary school children! I have written over 17 Roman Mysteries. Check the bottom of this page. Some of my characters are real and some are made up - like Flavia, Jonathan, Nubia and Lupus - but all the names are real (or could be).
Dear Caroline,
I'm writing to you for one reason: I LOVE YOUR BOOKS. (I'm 12 years old, just so we can get somewhere.) I read avidly. Sometimes I read at college level, though I prefer to read in juvenile. However, I only write to authors whose books catch my attention. I always write to them if they catch my special attention. To be honest, I have never read a more honorable series of juvenile mysteries, much less one that stays persistantly interesting for a whole (as far as I've read) 13 books...
Sincerely and Obsessively, Ivy Jamaica Indigo (pirate name)
Caroline says: Thanks so much, Ivy Jamaica Indigo! You are in for a treat: you still have four books to go, and the last one is my favourite!
Dear Mrs Lawrence
my name is Harrini and i live in australia. i am in year seven and i am 12 years old.
i adore your roman mystereies books. i fact adore isn't enough to describe how good they are. i have never enjoyed a series this much!!! i really whish you'd write more roman mystereies!!! i became hooked up with the books after watching the t.v series!
i love the last book, and i acually cried when i finished reading it. i've read all your books not once not twice but more than 10 times each!!!!!! i am sooo obessed with them! it took me weeks to stop thinking about the last book and concentrate on school! you are a really talented author and i hope to become one like you too!!! my favourite character is flavia because shes just like me!!!! will you write anoher roman mysteries book?
from your biggest ever fan
harrini!!
Caroline says: Thank you, Harrini! I might write some more books. See if you can find any clues here on my website. (clue: FAQS)!
The ENTIRE Roman Mysteries series:
I The Thieves of Ostia - the friends meet and solve their first mystery
II The Secrets of Vesuvius - a riddle and danger as Vesuvius erupts
III The Pirates of Pompeii - who's taking children from the refugee camp?
IV The Assassins of Rome - Jonathan's search takes him to Rome
V The Dolphins of Laurentum - sunken treasure and Lupus's past
VI The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina - romance and mystery in and around Ostia
VII The Enemies of Jupiter - plague and fire in Rome, early AD 80
VIII The Gladiators from Capua - opening of the Colosseum, AD 80
IX The Colossus of Rhodes - the four friends take a cruise in May...
X The Fugitive from Corinth - then pursue a fugitive around Greece
XI The Sirens of Surrentum - the Bay of Naples for poison & decadence
XII The Charioteer of Delphi - a famous racehorse goes missing
The Code of Romulus - a World Book Day booklet (now a collector's item)
The First Roman Mysteries Quiz Book
XIII The Slave-girl from Jerusalem - courtroom drama in Ostia
Trimalchio's Feast and other Mini-Mysteries - a collection of short stories
The Second Roman Mysteries Quiz Book
XIV The Beggar of Volubilis - a caravan across North Africa
From Ostia to Alexandria with Flavia Gemina (a Travel Guide)
XV The Scribes from Alexandria - Egypt and Nubia in Roman times
XVI The Prophet from Ephesus - the four go to Asia Minor (Turkey)
XVII The Man from Pomegranate Street - who killed Titus & whom does Flavia marry?
The First Roman Mysteries Omnibus (new edition)
The Legionary from Londinium and other Mini-Mysteries
THE ROMAN MYSTERIES TREASURY
and...
Roman Mysteries TV series Season One DVD
Roman Mysteries TV series Season Two DVD
Roman Mysteries Box Set; Seasons 1 & 2 DVD