_____ Nothing is ever Tasha's Malone Fidelli's fault. She's a wily coed living away from her parent's grasp in Brooklyn. The phone nags. Ignore them. Doorbell rings. No problem.

Escaping her parent's suspicious questions, Tasha logs onto the Internet at college, soon, losing her cares in a chatroom meeting with Zeus, lord of Olympus, father of charm. The skies darken. Time shifts. But, nothing is ever Tasha's fault. Parked in the middle of a dirt road nowhere, she awakens to the beguiling scenery of Ancient Mythology. Greek gods act like presidents. UFOs own the sky. Simple nomads plague any direction that might lead to an expressway home. No problem.

In the rough, a different person emerges in Tasha. Romantic detours bring her new friends, new enemies, and startling changes in regards to Amazon and Roman politics. She learns, she cares. Someone's encouraging covert battles between the gods. The price is people, and it's escalating. Sequences of events don't chime with popular facts of Ancient History 101. In order to earn a way to the future, Tasha must save her stakes in the past and deal with a crafty murderer targeting a particular wily New Yorker.

*****

_____I hope you enjoy DAMSEL IN THE ROUGH for the chuckles and escapades. Most historical references reflect theories and conjecture posted at university Internet pages. The age of Octavian began Augustus Caesar's rule over the Roman Empire. Unlike many of the Roman emperors, Octavian died in his seventies with the populous mourning his departure--so the history books say.

Most survival skills discribed in this story are techniques used by the US Army, Native Americans, and / or avid campers. References to herbal remedies loosely reflects practices by Native Americans and early European apothecaries. Check into the information on time-travel. How much is fact and fiction boggles me, too!

DAMSEL IN THE ROUGH concludes five years of dedicated rewrites, research, and thoroughly enjoyable tense moments called work. Life is best as an adventure. May you find many challenges you can greet, peace in your soul, and love for a world seeking harmony with the humans it is lent.

_____Ann Mary