The Seeker--Lindsay McKenna Coming August 1, 2009 Silhouette Nocturne Book One Time Raider Series USA TODAY bestselling author Lindsay McKenna presents TIME RAIDERS, a thrilling new series of paranormal adventure, time-travel, and passion through the ages. Leap through time with The Seeker, a mesmerizing tale of danger and desire in Ancient Rome. . . . Delia Sebastian is a trained historian and psychic. Former Army Captain Jake Tyler is her swaggering ex-lover, who can read her most intimate thoughts--and desires. Together they will make the risky leap back to 44 B.C. to infiltrate the court of Julius Caesar by posing as Grecian mercenaries. But with assassins everywhere, will old passions reignite to undermine their cover...leaving them trapped in history forever? Lindsay talks about her inspirational historical female figure, Servilia Caepionis. Inspiration | Read Reviews BUY

I just finished your latest book,The Seeker, and enjoyed it immensely. Your characters, as usual, are intriguing, and the storyline is creative. Thank you for another pleasurable adventure. I cannot wait to read the rest of the Time Raiders installments! -- Mary Thomas

THE SEEKER by Lindsay McKenna blog

One of the important reasons we created TIME RAIDERS was to uncover brilliant, powerful and transformational women throughout our history. And, in most cases, history has forgotten them. We wanted to bring them back and reintroduce them to our readers of today!

I chose to utilize Servilia Caepionis who was the half sister of Marcus Porcius Cato the Younger, as the strong secondary character in THE SEEKERS. Servilia came from a Patrician family in Rome. Her parents died young and that may explain her strength that she carried for the rest of her life. She was married twice. Her son by her first husband, General Marcus Brutus grew up to become one of Julius Caesar's most trusted officers in his legion and later, became one of his assassins. She was born in 100 B.C. and died in 42 B.C.

Servilia waited on no man. She was a tour-de-force of her own. A good example of this that is historically noted is that she became the mistress of Julius Caesar while still married to Decimus Junius Silanus. And if she wanted Julius Caesar to show up at her home, she told him so. It wasn’t the other way around. In one love letter from Servilia (who was still married to Silanus) she sent it directly to the Senate to Julius. While Caesar was trying to covertly read the missive, it was Cato the Younger (her half brother) who accused him of secretive and conspiratorial behavior.

Julius tried to deflect Cato’s attack and told them all that it was a letter from his mistress. He wasn’t about to name her! Cato snatched the letter from Caesar because he thought the general was lying to him. Cato read the letter. There is nothing in history to tell of Cato’s reaction to finding out his married half sister was Caesar’s mistress. Shortly after that, however, Servilia was divorced from Silanus.

Servilia was an adroit and highly intelligent Roman woman who had no equal among men or women of her day. She was several years older than Julius Caesar, but that didn’t matter. During the Gallic wars (58-51 B.C.) that involved Gaul, Germania and Britannia, Servilia was at Caesar’s side. It was widely known among the legions that she not only discussed tactics, but actual battle strategy with Caesar and her ideas helped him to win this war. Eventually, the Roman republic annexed Gaul into their expanding empire. There weren’t many Roman women, or indeed, any women who had this kind of power in ancient Rome or the ancient world as a whole. As a thank you and reward, Julius gifted Servilia with a rare and priceless black pearl worth a million and a half denari.

What I admired about Servilia is that she considered herself a EQUAL to any man. She refused to be beneath any of them. She was highly skilled at guiding her son’s twenty year career as a Roman soldier. Marcus Brutus, grew to love Julius Caesar as few men ever would. And, Servilia had great political power over Caesar in Rome while he was alive. After Caesar was assassinated on the Ides of March, Servilia led the Senate and Rome to the start of the golden reign of Augustus.

Her life was high drama and politics. Her beloved son, Marcus Brutus, had loved Caesar and fought at his side like a son for twenty years. When Caesar returned to Rome to become its dictator, the morals and values of Brutus would not allow him to support him. Instead, Brutus joined Pompeii's army. It was on the plains of Greece that Pompeii's army--and Brutus, were defeated by Julius Caesar. Yet, afterward, Julius freely welcomed Marcus Brutus back as the dear old friend he’d been before. Although a traitor, Julius forgave him and took him back into his political and personal fold. Later, Servilia’s son would be one of the assassins that killed her beloved Julius Caesar. And later yet, her son would die. Servilia lived to see many changes in the Roman Republic. And through it all, Servilia was her own woman all the way. She used her power and politics to bring Augustus to power as Emperor of Rome. And it was during the “Golden Age” of Augustus that Rome was at its apex---all thanks to a powerful woman known as Servilia.

Now you know why I honor her and wrote about her in THE SEEKER. There was an HBO movie called Rome and Servilia was one of the many characters in it. Above all, Servilia served no man. She served herself, her ideals and had only the best invested in Rome for everyone. You don’t get much more heroic than that. And yet, history has tarnished this powerful woman’s achievements. Now, you know the ‘rest of the story.’ And why I wrote about her in THE SEEKER.

Writing about Servilia by Lindsay McKenna

A number of my faithful readers are curious about ‘why’ I chose to start TIME RAIDERS with a relatively unknown ‘famous’ woman. In her day, Servilia was a force to be reckoned with--no matter if you were a man or woman of Rome. She ruled in the shadow of the most famous general in all of Roman history: Julius Caesar. And, it was more than idle talk that as Caesar went through Gaul (France) with his legions, that she was there as a tactican and strategist. Just imagine how the Roman senate would have reacted knowing that a WOMAN (of all things!) discussed not only military tactis with Julius Caesar, but that he utilized her ideas!! And his legions continued to win as they pushed toward Brittania.

Servilia has gotten a bum wrap from those who haven’t read her history to appreciate her and her position in Rome. I found her absolutely mesmerizing. She was the consummate politico back in 45 BC. And she was a woman. Don’t forget that the Patriarchy--the male ruled world where woman were considered little more than goods to be bought/sold--Servilia was an empowered woman. She refused to behave like a cowed female. And that’s what I found so interesting. In fact, the more I delved into Servilia, the more I silently cheered her on. Truly, she was a Feminist when it wasn’t a good time to be one.
And, Servilia, coming from a family of “old” power in Rome, was married twice. Her first husband was killed in battle and she divorced the second one. And divorcing in Rome wasn’t looked upon kindly. She had the chuzpah and fell in love with Julius Caesar. And she had the brass b.... to dump her old, doddering husband #2 for this man who changed the world. But, she helped him to change it, too.

And, she was pivotal in ways she could never have fathomed. Who knew that Marcus Brutus, her son, who fought with Julius Caesar for twenty years, would turn on him? Eventually, Marcus, who believed in a republic and not a dictator for Rome, became part of the plot that killed Julius Caesar on the “ides of March.” And Julius was said to have uttered as he lay bleeding from many stab wounds, “Etu, Brutus?” “And you, Brutus?” Julius must have been shocked that his old friend who had fought at his side for twenty years, would turn on him like this.

I can’t imagine how Servilia felt. The man she loved with her soul, was murdered by her son. And yet, through it all, Servilia maintained her indominatable selfhood. In the end, Servilia outlived her lover, Julius Caesar and her son, Marcus Brutus. And, it is said that she had a powerful hand in getting Augustus Caesar as emperor of Rome. And, in the twists and turns of Fate, Julius Caesar had adopted Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (also known as Octavius) in 44 B.C. before his death. Servilia then worked behind the scenes to see Julius Caesar’s adopted nephew to the thorn. Augustus ushered in what is known as the “golden age” when Rome was at its peak of power in every way. Servilia had a deft hand in that, too. What a life she lived. What an incredible woman she was!

In THE SEEKER, she plays a very key role as a secondary character. I hope my readers find her as fascinating as I did. You might consider her a female “Donald Trump” of her time! She was rich monetarily, came from old Roman bloodlines, held the highest seat of power by loving Julius Caesar. And her son topples the great dictator. And then she goes on to politically rally senators to support Augustus as caesar. Whatta gal! Servilia was truly a world changer. Too bad her fame isn’t more well known. But now, in THE SEEKER, I hope that changes!