Great historical fiction doesn’t just revisit the past, it rewrites who we thought it belonged to. Savannah Thorne’s Drusilla turns a Roman footnote into a force of nature.
In this AutoCrit Author Interview, we sit down with Savannah, one of the Grand Prize winners of the Novel90 Writing Challenge, to go behind the scenes of her richly imagined historical novel. Drusilla follows the favorite sister of the infamous emperor Caligula, painting a vivid picture of a powerful, complicated woman.
We talk about Savannah’s passion for the forgotten women in history, how the Novel 90 community helped her cross the finish line, and why she believes the stories that haunt us are the ones most worth telling.
Come meet Savannah and get the inside scoop on Drusilla in this can’t-miss interview.
Tell us about your book? Can you share a synopsis?
“I, Claudius” meets “The Other Boleyn Girl” when Drusilla finds herself thrust into the Roman empire’s most dangerous game.
The price of losing is death—not only for Drusilla, but for everyone she loves. Her bond with her brother, forged in childhood promises and mutual loyalty, becomes strained as his ambitions grow darker and more consuming. All Drusilla wants is to escape this tangled web, but her family and the empire have other plans.
The rules are clear: Don’t challenge the past. Embrace the destiny chosen for you. Drusilla must decide how far she’s willing to go to protect her family—and what price she’s willing to pay to claim her own freedom.
What inspired you to write this story?
I’ve been writing stories of women ignored by history for some time. Wherever you find an interesting man, if you look deeper, you’ll find a fascinating woman. Drusilla was the favorite sister of the infamous Roman emperor Caligula. When I began to research the myths, I found the people behind them—and that was something entirely different. Caligula wasn’t the mad tyrant history made him out to be, and the women around him were so much more than the footnotes they’d been reduced to.
His powerful, ambitious mother. His venomous sister, who would go on to marry Claudius and raise Nero. And of course, his great-grandmother Livia, who single-handedly steered the empire through two generations of emperors. But it was Drusilla—the sister who truly loved him—that pulled me in. How might she have existed in that world? How would her unprecedented power shape an empire? And most haunting of all—how did her absence drive her brother to madness? I wanted to write the forgotten history, and almost immediately, I found Drusilla guiding my pen.
What motivated you to enter the Novel90 Writing Challenge specifically?
Writing is so solitary. When I saw the challenge, I thought—why not? I would work alongside others who were also striving to bring their stories to life. I found a collective momentum, knowing I was not alone. And the idea of “teams” became the perfect catalyst to finish Drusilla and push her out into the world.
What role does community play in your writing/publishing process?
On a personal level, my husband has chronic health issues that leave us physically isolated. And writing is a lone act. Publishing can be even more alienating, as you meander through a labyrinth of doors and gatekeepers. Without a community, it’s easy to lose faith. For me, the online community holds the promise that I’m not alone in this endeavor. It’s the sense of connection, of shared struggle and celebration, that keeps me going.
What was it about Novel 90 that helped you cross the finish line for this project?
It might sound a bit silly, but the division into teams really helped me. All humans want their team to win—even when everyone is actually winning by creating their novels. I didn’t want to let my team down. That structure gave me accountability and a sense of shared purpose. Knowing that others were striving alongside me created momentum. It wasn’t just me sitting alone with the weight of history and narrative—it was all of us, pushing forward, word by word.
Novel 90 gave me a framework to complete the manuscript and a reason to celebrate when it was done.
Tell us about the moment when you learned you won the Grand Prize for Novel 90 Team Plantser! What did that mean for you?
To be honest, I wasn’t even nervous. I was certain I wouldn’t win, and just wanted to know who did so that I could celebrate them and learn more about their work. When I heard my name, I just blinked. I couldn’t have heard the announcement right!
I’ve struggled with writing such vast subjects, and faced rejection after rejection from publishers—some of which were very complimentary, yet still a rejection. To see my work win Novel 90 made me feel incredibly validated.
Are you working on any new writing projects? Can you give us a sneak peek?
Yes! I am currently working on Goddess of Rome, which picks up Drusilla’s journey and expands her role in the empire, exploring her growth and power as her brother rises. I’m also working on Glass House, a deeply personal story set in Chicago, and The Blood Almanack, which dives into gothic horror and history with young Benjamin Franklin at its core. Each of these projects carries with it my love of myth, power, and women who carve their place in history, even when the world tries to silence them.
Well, that sounds amazing! Where can we follow your work?
You can follow my work on my website: www.savannahthorne.com
For more of our conversation, be sure to check out the full interview on our YouTube channel. Registration is now open for Novel 90: Summer Edition and the 2nd Annual Novel 90 Writing Challenge! We hope to see you there!
