When Harmony Jane Jones loses her cat, her car, her job and her boyfriend, all within the space of a week, she does what any twenty-something woman would do-she runs away and joins the circus. With finesse rather than a whip, Harmony takes charge of her life, finds a new career and possibly the man of her dreams. Excerpt: "Sorry, professional habit. Name, what's your name?" "Harmony Jane Jones." He was quiet for so long, I thought he'd hung up. "Are you shitting me?" "No, unfortunately I'm not." I silently cursed my parents for my weird name, again. "Okay, kiddo. I'll see you at one." "Wait! What's your name? How will I know you?" But already dead air filled my ear. Well, he sounded very tall, and with that deep masculine voice, probably handsome. My nerves jangled at the thought of meeting the man. I used the rest of the morning to take a bath, paint my nails a ladylike pale coral, do hair, makeup and then took an hour to pick out the perfect outfit. That posed a problem. Just what did one wear to impress the owner of a circus? Pale white make up? Big red shoes? I needed help, but all my friends were working and I hadn't yet told my mother about my temporary unemployment situation. She'd had to bail me out of too many sticky situations, so I wanted to try and find a job and save her the worry. I finally settled on a classy periwinkle Donna Karan suit I'd picked up at Nordstrom's Rack two years ago. The trolley took me to within a block of the office building and got me there fifteen minutes early. I found the place with no trouble, pulled back my shoulders, slapped a smile on my face and marched into the office. The outer lobby was empty, so I poked my head into the only open doorway. "Hello? Anyone here?" "Take a seat, I dropped my friggin' pencil. Ah, here it is." A head popped up from behind the desk, but not too far. The man's chin was even with the desktop. Bushy eyebrows squatted above eyes the color of soot. He had a fat cigar clenched in the corner of his mouth and a pencil stuck behind his ear. The cigar smelled like burning tires. My eyes started to tear and I only hoped my black mascara wouldn't run. "Well, you certainly ain't the fat lady so you must be Tranquility." With a whoosh he plopped into the swivel chair behind the desk and I realized he wasn't going to get any taller. He was a dwarf, midget, sheesh, what was the politically correct term anyhow? Oh, right, little person. Well, this was a circus, after all. "Actually it's Harmony, Harmony Jones." "Yeah, yeah, whatever." He twisted his head to look up at me. "You're a big one, ain't ya? Take a seat, sweetie and let's palaver." "I'm sorry; I didn't catch your name." "That's 'cause I didn't throw it." His cackle pounded against my eardrums. "The name's Zander." "Is Zander your last name or your first name?" "Yes." The corners of his mouth turned up in a wicked grin and he wiggled his big ears at me. I decided to ignore him and stop his fun right away. I wobbled across the room on my four-inch heels and sat in the leather chair opposite him. It made a farting noise when I landed. I hid my embarrassment by pawing through my purse and pulling out my resume. "Now, Zander, as you can see . . . ." He waved away my resume with short, stubby fingers. "Don't matter. You're a good-looking gal, seem smart enough, so if you want it, the job is yours." Alarm bells clanked in my head. This was too easy, way too easy. I opened my mouth to decline then I remembered I had to pay my rent by the end of the week, my car payment, insurance, credit card and cell phone bills were sitting unopened on my desk. Before I had a chance to ask questions, Zander mentioned the salary and hooked me.

"Conceived as a companion volume to Porphyrius the Charioteer, this study traces the history and significance of what are generally known as 'circus factions' from the principate of Augustus to the eve of the Crusades, dealing mainly with the late Roman to early Byzantine periods. Other historians have analysed the activities of the factions, particularly the urban riots, in social, political, and religious terms, ignoring their sporting allegiances. Cameron offers a thorough-going criticism of the 'traditional' presupposition 'that racing was a thin façade for social and religious conflict'. In its place he presents what is essentially the history of chariot racing, its organization, participants, and spectator supporters. He shows how circus entertainments developed from privately mounted games to publicly funded entertainments; he examines the role of the hippodrome and theatre within political life; and he studies the changing nature of factions--from sporting rivalry, through 'partisan' gangs and hooliganism, to their incorporation in the games' imperial ceremonial and consequent decline." -- Provided by publisher

Circus Maximus, the greatest sporting stage of the ancient Roman world, where the best horses and charioteers compete in a race to the death, and one girl dreams of glory. Ben Hur meets National Velvet in the ultimate 9-12 adventure story by debut children's author, Annelise Gray. Twelve-year-old Dido dreams of becoming the first female charioteer at the great Circus Maximus. She's lost her heart to Porcellus, a wild, tempestuous horse she longs to train and race. But such ambitions are forbidden to girls and she must be content with helping her father Antonius – the trainer of Rome's most popular racing team, The Greens – and teaching the rules of racing to Justus, the handsome young nephew of the Greens' wealthy owner. When her father is brutally murdered, she is forced to seek refuge with an unlikely ally. But what of her dream of Circus triumphs and being reunited with the beloved horse she left behind in Rome? And the threat to her life isn't over as she faces a powerful and terrifying new enemy... the emperor Caligula. 'I loved this adventure – full of brilliant horses, and a determined heroine following her dreams against all the odds. Looking forward to discovering what's in store for them next' Pippa Funnell, MBE

*Includes pictures *Includes ancient accounts *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading The ambitious and fearless emperors that built the legendary Roman Empire from scratch, the broad-shouldered and bronzed gladiators with their iconic plume helmets and glinting swords, and elaborate parties attended by toga-wearing Romans fueled by alcohol, violence, orgies, and other godless acts all paint a picture of Roman life. At the Circus Maximus, the guttural cheers of the spectators reverberated across the enormous open space, but their cries could hardly be heard over the rumble of the ground. On the ellipse-shaped track, 5 charioteers would skew their bodies and steer their magnificent vehicles around the curves. Gusts of sand and dirt flew up from the whizzing wheels and encircled the pounding hooves of the stunning stallions. Distracted personnel and guards dragging their feet were considered fair game. As one chariot careened to the side, preparing to collide with another chariot, a row of guards might have to try to duck out of the way in the nick of time. Some would be trampled by hooves. Chariot races were dangerous for participants too. A charioteer could become disoriented and fail to position himself as his horses moved instinctively, sending his body catapulting forward out of the chariot. Needless to say, chariot racing in Rome was a nail-biting spectacle. When the Colosseum was built in the late 1st century A.D., the Romans, a people known for their architectural acumen, managed to amaze themselves. Martial, a Roman poet writing during the inauguration of the Colosseum, clearly believed the Colosseum was so grand a monument that it was even greater than the other Wonders of the Ancient World, which had been written about and visited endlessly by the Romans and Greeks in antiquity. Indeed, although the Wonders were wondrous to behold, the Colosseum was a spectacular achievement in architecture, something new and innovative, and therefore an amazing "Wonder" in its own way. The Colosseum was designed to be both a symbol and show of strength by the famous Flavian emperors, most notably Vespasian and his sons Titus and Domitian. Vespasian had started the construction of the Colosseum shortly after becoming emperor in 69 A.D., but he died before he could present any spectacles in his giant amphitheatre. That honor went to his son Titus, who celebrated the inaugural opening in 80 A.D. with 100 days of games, despite the fact that the Colosseum was not completely finished. When his brother Domitian came to power in 81 A.D., he finished the amphitheatre, but not without making some changes to the overall design. By the time it was truly finished, the Colosseum stood about 150 feet tall, with the oval in the center stretching nearly two football fields long and over 500 feet across. The Colosseum is a large stadium even by today's standards, and its great size conveys the power of the empire as it dominates the landscape and towers over nearby buildings. Nearly 2,000 years later, the Colosseum still amazes millions of people who come to visit it, and when asked to visualize a monument that represents the Roman Empire, many conjure up an image of the large amphitheater. As Keith Hopkins and Mary Beard put it, the Colosseum is "the most famous, and instantly recognizable, monument to have survived from the classical world." At the same time, the Colosseum also represents the Roman games and spectacles, particularly the gladiatorial combats that so many people today find both abhorrent yet fascinating. Given its massive size and the architectural ingenuity involved, the Colosseum played host to all sorts of games, including massive hunts of exotic animals and even sea battles.

The charioteer in his purest form. The supreme master of destiny and the elements. A man who made a circus out of life, and life out of a circus. 'A.D. O'Neill peels back the veil of time and shines a light on the intrigue and excitement of chariot racing in ancient Rome. With exquisite attention to detail and an authentic and engaging voice, Circus Maximus is endlessly and effortlessly entertaining.' MATTHEW HARFFY, author of The Bernicia Chronicles series THE CHAOTIC A.D. 69 When the tyrannical Aulus Vitellius seizes the reins of power in Rome, the empire is already in the grip of a fierce civil war. But the new emperor's first priority is both personal and deeply symbolic: he plans to crush the Green chariot racing faction - the mortal enemies of his beloved Blues - at the Plebeian Games in the Circus Maximus. To save the Greens from certain extinction, two former charioteers - the stoical and determined Corax and the flamboyant and cocksure Alector (once the firmest of friends, now the bitterest of rivals) - have just twenty-six days to transport four champion chariot horses across the breadth of Europe to Rome. Braving blizzards, bandits, floods and wild storms at sea, theirs is an unforgettable odyssey and race-against-time adventure. A.D. O'Neill steers a thundering epic around historical events and real-life characters to a breathtaking climax in the greatest sporting arena of all time - the Circus Maximus.