About the Author
Debra May Macleod
Debra Macleod, B.A., LL.B., is an author of historical fiction and non-fiction focusing on the ancient Roman religion of Vesta and its priesthood of Vestal Virgins.
She respectfully works to (re)introduce this important and beautiful tradition to the modern world in an intelligent, mainstream and relevant way. This website is part of that endeavor. You will find her work in books, blogs and in the media.
Why the Interest in Vesta? Debra grew up in a non-religious home. She found it difficult to reconcile her personal values and love of science with the doctrines of those religions she was exposed to through family and friends. Yet despite this, she was always drawn to religious places and rituals.
While traveling in March of 1989, then only twenty years old, she found herself at the ruins of the ancient Temple of Vesta in the Roman Forum. Here, she met an elderly woman, named Camilla, who still honored the ancient flame. She was burning a Vestal candle near the ruins of the temple’s hearth. Camilla passed on to Debra not just knowledge of the Vesta tradition, but also the Flamma Vesta candle that had been in her family for generations.
This remarkable travel experience sparked Debra’s lifelong fascination with Classical history and ancient faiths, particularly the Vesta tradition. It is that fascination that still fuels her writing, and which she hopes to pass on to readers.
