The Author
Debra May Macleod
B.A., LL.B.
Debra is an author of historical fiction and non-fiction focusing on the ancient Roman religion of Vesta and the Vestal Virgins. She respectfully works to (re)introduce this important tradition to the modern world in an intelligent, mainstream way.
Why the Interest in Vesta? While traveling in March of 1989, then only twenty years old, Debra found herself at the ruins of the Temple of Vesta in the Roman Forum. Here, she met an elderly woman who still honored the ancient flame by burning a candle near the temple. This woman passed on to Debra knowledge of the Vesta tradition, as well as the Flamma Vesta candle that had been in her family for generations.
This remarkable travel experience sparked Debra’s lifelong fascination with ancient Roman history and religion, particularly Vesta and her priestesses. It is that fascination that still fuels her writing, and which she hopes to pass on to readers.
Debra has a Bachelor of Arts degree (English, Classics) as well as a Law degree. She is an authority on the Vesta tradition and serves as an expert resource for the media. She has spoken about Vesta on television and radio, online (i.e. The Huffington Post, Vox) and her work with the Flamma Vesta has been featured in Watkins Mind Body Spirit Magazine’s “Most Spiritually Influential” edition. She is privileged to have been invited to participate in research excursions in the Forum Romanum, Forum of Caesar and Imperial Fora – including places inaccessible to the public – and informs her writing and work with this invaluable perspective. She lives in Canada with her husband and son, visiting Italy often for writing legwork (and sun).
