Stephanie Thornton's "The Conqueror's Wife"

Stephanie Thornton is a writer and high school history teacher who has been obsessed with infamous women from ancient history since she was twelve. Her first two novels, The Secret History: A Novel of Empress Theodora and Daughter of the Gods: A Novel of Ancient Egypt, focus on two of history's forgotten women: Theodora of the Byzantine Empire and Pharaoh Hatshepsut. Her third novel, The Tiger Queens: The Women of Genghis Khan, is the story of Genghis' wife and daughters.

Here Thornton dreamcasts an adaptation of her new novel, The Conqueror's Wife:

I'm not much of a movie-goer, but I can tell you that Sam Claflin (Finnick Odair of Hunger Games fame) would make a perfect Alexander the Great if The Conqueror's Wife was ever made into a movie.

I also imagined Gwendoline Christie (Brienne of Tarth of Game of Thrones fame) as Alexander's kid sister Thessalonike as I was writing the novel. (Only Christie would need a long blond braid to complete the ensemble.)

Penelope Cruz would make a lovely Roxana, but she'd have to perfect an evil scowl and accompanying diabolical laugh.

A Gladiator-era Russell Crowe would round off the cast as Alexander's boyhood companion, Hephaestion.

Visit Stephanie Thornton's website.

The Page 69 Test: The Conqueror's Wife.

Writers Read: Stephanie Thornton.

--Marshal Zeringue