Odes to Olympians Poetry Contest
Buy Iokaste at Barnes & Noble.
Iokaste: Description of the Novel
Iokaste:
Reading Guide - for Readers' Circles, Students, Teachers and Professors Pronunciation Guide to Characters in Iokaste and Works in Progress
Current
Writing Project:Niobe & Pelops: Children of Tantalus Collaborative
Writing: Why Two Heads Are Better Than One Iokaste's Cover (English version)
News & Events!
Niobe & Pelops: Children of Tantalus (Greek version) will be published in 2008 by Kedros of Athens, Greece!
***
Neo Magazine published an article about Two American Women writing a book about ancient Greek women.
Thanks to the staff at Neo!
***
Kedros Publishing published Iokaste in Greek
in March, 2006!
***
Global Hellenism is printing a story about us and the publication of
Iokaste in the February / March 2006 issue - in Greek, of course.
Thanks to the staff at Global Hellenism and in particular to Nancy Biska, the author!
***
On October 17, 2005, Dr Susanna Roxman from Lund University discussed Iokaste on
the National Radio of Sweden. Unfortunately, we don't
speak Swedish...
***
In September 2005, Breakfast with Pandora interviewed Victoria about Iokaste. To read it, click
Here!***
New review! From the Associated Press. The first place we saw it was in the August 7th, 2005
edition of Alabama's The Huntsville Times. It has also appeared in Central
New Jersey's Home News Tribune; Olympia, Washington's The Olympian; North Andover,
Massachusetts' The Eagle Tribune; and North County Times from the area of
North San Diego
and Southwest Riverside County; Omaha World Tribune; Oklahoma's The Oklahoman;
Carlisle, Pennsylvania's The Sentinel; and Windsor, Ontario's The Star:
"This well-written book, about an intelligent, observant and questioning woman to whom big events happen, is riveting."
***
Victoria spoke at the Swiss-Anglo club of Luzern (Lucerne)
on Wednesday March 9, 2005. Here is an excerpt from the thank-you
note they sent on March 10, 2005:
"Just a few lines to thank you very much indeed for yesterday evening. At
our meeting today everybody spoke very enthusiastically about your talk and
reading. They loved your style of writing ...so clear that everybody could
understand the story you were telling despite the unfamiliar names of the
characters. The printed sheet certainly helped the listeners a lot....as it
gave them a quick introduction to those involved in the plot..." John Askins.
***
Victoria did a book-signing at Orell Füssli,
the English bookstore in Zürich, Switzerland at Bahnhofstrasse 70,
on 05 December 2004. Here is what Sabine Haarmann, one of the
managers, wrote to Victoria on 08 December:
Dear Victoria
I'm so happy it worked out fine for you. Andrew told me that you did a
really good job!!!
So far we sold 26 copies. The ones you sent from
the US have arrived
on Monday!!! I will display the left copies nicely and I'm rather optimistic
that we will sell more!
Thanks again for joining us on Sunday.
Best
Sabine
***
Alice spoke about Iokaste at Bard High School in New York, November
1, 2004.
Promotions and Publications!
Historical Novels Review Online (Fall 2004) called
the Sphinx "a brilliant creation of the authors" and that
"IOKASTE [is] a wonderful follow-up to Oedipus Rex—a fast-paced, enjoyable read for
anyone who has imagined how this tragedy came to pass.
The authors’ portrayal of the desperate human
struggle against prophecy is as spirited as the Queen herself." Click
here
to see it.
The Actuarial Review (November 2004) congratulated Grossack and Underwood for their
"novel achievement". Click
here
to see it.
The October 28, 2004 Battery Park City Broadsheet wrote an article featuring Alice Underwood and her new
novel. Scroll down to see it.
Bob Mielke's review was published in the August 15 2004 edition of the
Historical Fiction Review. Click
here
to see it.
Several other publications have interviewed either one or both of us or are
currently reviewing the novel. Updates on this information will be posted here!
Thanks to Special People!
Friends and Family have been particularly active in promoting our book. We
especially want to thank Jennifer Torneden, Mark Kimmey, Marshall Grossack,
Karen Kenworthy and Michael Kahn for their efforts. If you want to help spread
the word, we would be thrilled! And if you want any ideas on how to do this,
please contact us!
Article from Battery Park City newspaper, October 28, 2004:
"Scandal? The Truth, 3000 Years Later"
Oedipus killed his father and married his mother…but how much did his mother/wife know, and when? As Alice Underwood says, “It’s about time we heard her story!”
In her just-published novel, “Iokaste: The Novel of the Mother-Wife of Oedipus,” Ms. Underwood and her co-author Victoria Grossack bring the turmoil of ancient Greek mythology to life. Advance readers say that the book is not only educational but a page-turner. On November 1, Ms. Underwood will speak at Bard High School, where students are studying the Oedipus plays.
Ms Underwood, a BPC resident who holds degrees in mathematics and works as an actuary,
says “classics are my escape.” She and her co-author, who lives in Switzerland,
are working on a prequel about the king and queen of Thebes. Their writing
strengths are complementary, with Ms Underwood taking the lead on
[action scenes] and historical details, and Ms Grossack good at pacing and plot. E-mail, Ms Underwood says, “is a godsend.”
Return to Home for
Tapestry of Bronze
***
In September 2005, Breakfast with Pandora interviewed Victoria about Iokaste. To read it, click
Here!***
New review! From the Associated Press. The first place we saw it was in the August 7th, 2005
edition of Alabama's The Huntsville Times. It has also appeared in Central
New Jersey's Home News Tribune; Olympia, Washington's The Olympian; North Andover,
Massachusetts' The Eagle Tribune; and North County Times from the area of
North San Diego
and Southwest Riverside County; Omaha World Tribune; Oklahoma's The Oklahoman;
Carlisle, Pennsylvania's The Sentinel; and Windsor, Ontario's The Star:
"This well-written book, about an intelligent, observant and questioning woman to whom big events happen, is riveting."
***
Victoria spoke at the Swiss-Anglo club of Luzern (Lucerne)
on Wednesday March 9, 2005. Here is an excerpt from the thank-you
note they sent on March 10, 2005:
"Just a few lines to thank you very much indeed for yesterday evening. At
our meeting today everybody spoke very enthusiastically about your talk and
reading. They loved your style of writing ...so clear that everybody could
understand the story you were telling despite the unfamiliar names of the
characters. The printed sheet certainly helped the listeners a lot....as it
gave them a quick introduction to those involved in the plot..." John Askins.
***
"This well-written book, about an intelligent, observant and questioning woman to whom big events happen, is riveting."
***
Victoria spoke at the Swiss-Anglo club of Luzern (Lucerne)
on Wednesday March 9, 2005. Here is an excerpt from the thank-you
note they sent on March 10, 2005:
"Just a few lines to thank you very much indeed for yesterday evening. At
our meeting today everybody spoke very enthusiastically about your talk and
reading. They loved your style of writing ...so clear that everybody could
understand the story you were telling despite the unfamiliar names of the
characters. The printed sheet certainly helped the listeners a lot....as it
gave them a quick introduction to those involved in the plot..." John Askins.
***
"Just a few lines to thank you very much indeed for yesterday evening. At our meeting today everybody spoke very enthusiastically about your talk and reading. They loved your style of writing ...so clear that everybody could understand the story you were telling despite the unfamiliar names of the characters. The printed sheet certainly helped the listeners a lot....as it gave them a quick introduction to those involved in the plot..." John Askins.
***
I'm so happy it worked out fine for you. Andrew told me that you did a really good job!!!
So far we sold 26 copies. The ones you sent from the US have arrived on Monday!!! I will display the left copies nicely and I'm rather optimistic that we will sell more! Thanks again for joining us on Sunday.
Best
Sabine
Several other publications have interviewed either one or both of us or are currently reviewing the novel. Updates on this information will be posted here!