Archaeology & Me
As it says in my bio, I’m a former archaeologist, which is one of the reasons I chose to write the Romancing the Ruins Series—romances set in the world of classical archaeology. Though I haven’t worked in the field for a while, I’m still passionate about archaeology and the study of ancient civilizations. If you’d like to know more about my background, here it is.
Education: I have a B.A. in Anthropology with a minor in History from the University of Victoria (Canada), and an M.A. in Archaeology from UCLA. I did all the work for my PhD but never wrote my dissertation (for reasons…), so I never got to call myself Dr. Luna.
Digs/Field Experience: I’ve worked on archaeological projects in California, Cyprus, Israel, Jordan, Spain, and Turkey. My favorite project was probably excavating a Crusader castle located just outside of Jerusalem. I was also fortunate enough to travel to Egypt and Italy and visit lots of archaeological sites there, though I never dug in either country (I wish!).
Lab Experience: In 1993, I spent 5 months working at the Museum of Nautical Archaeology in Bodrum, Turkey, studying the glassware recovered from an 11th-century shipwreck. Thanks to this project, I developed a lifelong love for Turkey (the setting for Troy Story), but I’d be OK if I never saw another piece of broken glass again!
Work Experience: As a grad student, I did contract fieldwork in California and helped archaeologists conduct archaeological and historical record searches at the UCLA Archaeology Center. Once I was done with school I worked for The Getty Center in Los Angeles for eight years, which was a truly awesome experience.
So, that’s it! While I never had any Indiana Jones-type of adventures (no mummies, no wild car chases, no golden idols), I loved uncovering the remains of the past. Plus, every place I worked had its own unique blend of quirky characters and dig shenanigans.
If you have any questions, feel free to hit me up by going to the page with my Contact Form. I’m always up for giving talks about my experiences, especially as they relate to the books I’ve written.