What the Romans smelled

Whatever the period, my novels are adventure stories, intended as escapist tales rather than searing insights into the human condition. That said, historical accuracy is very important to me, and as far as possible I try to get the setting right and have the characters behave in plausible ways. While I have always loved historical novels and reckon that the best ones give a flavour for a period far faster than reading non-fiction, I'll admit to being a tough audience, and tend not to stick with anything that does not convince historically. Little errors bother me far more than they would - or indeed should - bother most readers.