Ready for time travel to Ancient Rome? This is an upcoming trilogy that Susan has been wanting to write for more than a decade, and she has finally taken the plunge. Prepare to be immersed in a time vastly different than our own, but in surprising ways, also similar. How? You’ll have to read the book to find out.
Grace King, the main character, is twenty-eight and recently divorced when she decides to go on a vacation to Rome. While touring the city in the present day, she is magically transported to the first century. A chaotic series of events ends with her at the famous Ludus Magnus gladiator school, where she’ll have to learn to fight and survive if she wants to earn her freedom. As if that weren’t enough, adapting to life in this period isn’t easy either, but she has a mysterious sponsor who knows how she really came to this time and is willing to help her for a price. Whether that price will be worth it or not remains to be seen.
A TIME OF GLADIATORS AND FATE (BOOK 1)
A toxic marriage ending was supposed to be her hardest battle. Falling through time into the blood-soaked sand of ancient Rome wasn’t part of the itinerary.
While a 28-year-old Kansas woman is on a solo vacation to Rome, a mysterious stone hurls her and her rental car through time—dropping them straight into the 1st-century Colosseum amid active games. To survive an unforgiving empire that’d gladly execute her for her chaotic interruption, she must trade her modern life for the brutal reality of a slave. Relying on her raw, farm-built strength, she is forced to master the blade and shield to become a gladiator.
Navigating this world means enduring the raw degradations of Roman slavery—from the dehumanizing body inspections to the predatory whims of the imperial elite. Her fate rests in the hands of two dangerous, contrasting men. In the training dust of the Ludus Magnus, a demanding lead instructor pushes her body to its absolute limits while challenging her with sharp, addictive banter. Meanwhile, a wealthy, enigmatic sponsor offers a shield against the arena’s darkest exploitations, though his own hidden time-travel secrets weave a dangerous web of their own.
Written from the tactical mind of a female combat veteran and history major, A Time of Gladiators and Fate follows the gripping journey of a modern woman who must become a force that ancient Rome fears and admires if she ever hopes to earn her freedom and find a way home.
If you’ve ever wished for a story with Spartacus-meets-Outlander vibes, including the grit, this might be the book for you.
Book releases October 12th, 2026. Pre-order the ebook on Amazon HERE.