The great thing about writing a series of books, particularly four of them, is that it gives you the space to expand characters and fill in some of their back story.

Lysander is a good example. In Palatine he functions as the announcer. We learn that his friends with Philo but otherwise he is fairly blank.

In Galba’s Men Lysander gains his freedom and we get a little more insight into his character. There is his desperation to bag himself a ‘freebie’, that is a freeborn girl and a hint of the insecurities that lay behind this. We also have mention of his mother and stepfather.

In Otho’s Regret we hear more about his mother, Lysandria and some further insights into his and Philo’s background and friendship.

Epaphroditus has always been a very sketchy character and he likes it that way. But in Otho’s Regret with the introduction of his former mentor Antonia Caenis there is a hint as to quite why he feel the needs to put it about so much.

Straton gets a bit more depth too. At the end of Galba’s Men we learn the name of the person who inflicted his dreadful throat injury. In Otho’s Regret further details are dropped in regarding this and Straton’s life before he became a slave overseer.

Unfortunately Otho’s Regret is so jam packed full of plot I had to drop some scenes of Felix’s home life. But I still have one book to go so I hope to include them in Vitellius’ Feast because I’ll admit to being intrigued by Felix and particularly his relationship with his wife Vallia.