Tuesday, March 3, 2020

Far Away Bird by Douglas A Burton

I love this book! read more about it and my review here.

Empress Theodora and the Origin of Women’s Rights
By Douglas A. Burton



There are many currents that flow into the story of women’s rights. Many cultures are recognized for their egalitarian traditions and we have countless examples of great women in power—from the pharaoh Hatsheput to Queen Victoria to Eleanor Roosevelt. But one woman—Empress Theodora— achieved such a decisive victory for women in her time that her relative obscurity is breathtaking.

More than fifteen hundred years ago, Theodora helped influence massive legal reforms aimed at improving the plight of women. During her reign, she influenced parts of a legal codex known as the Corpus Juris Civilis, which included a wave of specific rights for women. Historians credit this body of Roman law as central source material to the legal tradition of Western civilization. Whoa. Therefore, Theodora made direct contributions to a legal system that survived into the American Constitution, English common law, and even international public law. It’s rare to see such lofty legalism in the early Medieval era, but rarer still to know the individual woman behind the campaign.


But who the hell is she? What laws did Empress Theodora change? And how could such an influential woman be forgotten?

“Therefore, Theodora made direct contributions to a legal system that survived into the American Constitution, English common law, and even international public law.”

Abandoned by most Western thinkers throughout the centuries, Empress Theodora came off as a salacious novelty, a Medieval prostitute-stripper who made it to the top through a lucky marriage. The scandalous gossip[i] of her past, which is handed down to us by a single male source, Procopius of Caesarea, no doubt stirred the imaginations of Western historians through the centuries. The general consensus throughout history is that prostitutes have little historical value and make poor role models. But missing from this harsh judgment is the fact that as a prostitute, Theodora was part of an institutional system that marginalized women to an extreme. Her perspective was necessary for addressing women’s rights because she had firsthand knowledge and experience about the reality for women. She dared to articulate the specific problems women faced at a time when no one cared or listened. Even so, Theodora insisted on designing real-world solutions, defined in legal terms, to fix the problems she knew existed.

Theodora’s personal ideas and solutions became law[ii]. And she didn’t eff around about it.

Under Empress Theodora, rape was made punishable by death. This law extended to anyone present during the rape, regardless of position or rank, and the rapist’s property was even transferred to the rape victim[iii]


Theodora also saw to it that women could own and inherit property[iv], which is quite a breakthrough because it gave daughters and wives real social power. A family’s wealth could now continue through a daughter, and should a woman’s husband die, the wife could claim the property and fortune. This greater legal right alone gave women throughout the empire real power in real terms.

Unlike today, professional outlets for women were severely restrictive. Besides the socially acceptable “work-from-home-and-raise-a-family” jobs, such as weaving, innkeeping, or baking, the very concept of ‘professional women’ as a large and recognizable class did not exist with one exception. A large number of women worked in theaters and brothels. So, although this professional class of women carried a huge social stigma, their industry was one of the few places where women worked publicly outside the traditional family structure and earned real income.

Therefore, laws that addressed legal matters for this lowly and socially powerless group is bold and unashamedly supportive of women in general. Theodora meant to treat the professional women of her society, sex workers though they may be, as professionals. She understood that these prostitutes, actresses, mimes, and singers earned money and could technically sustain themselves independently. But brothel keepers had legal authority over these women. So, Theodora shifted that legal authority back to women.

“These reforms should be regarded as revolutionary since they 
shattered the most powerful class barriers.”

Under the new laws, no woman could be forced into prostitution[v]. If a woman willingly chose prostitution, but later wished to leave the profession, Theodora’s laws made it illegal for a brothel-keeper to stop her. And Theodora followed up relentlessly to ensure enforcement of the laws. When Theodora discovered that brothel keepers undermined the new regulations by making girls swear oaths never to leave the brothels, she responded by rendering such oaths illegal[vi]. She mandated that the provincial governor and the head bishop had the responsibility to enforce this law, giving her direct oversight over a manageable number of men in high positions. She chose two men to enforce, because if the governor, himself, blocked a woman’s departure from a brothel, then the bishop could override the governor. You see, Theodora had once been a concubine in the service of one of these provincial governors. She knew only too well the kind of power these men had over women. She curbed that power at the highest levels.

And Theodora didn’t stop there. She helped to overhaul the marriage laws of her time. These reforms should be regarded as revolutionary since they shattered the most powerful class barriers.

For centuries, there was a ban on intermarriage between the upper and lower classes[vii]. By law, a prostitute could never marry a nobleman. Such a rigid class system was characteristic of a Roman world view that regarded high title and rank as self-evident. Secondly, even under the new Christian perspective, prostitution was regarded as immoral and sinful. Therefore, when Theodora helped to facilitate the removal of the marriage ban, she did so without the support of either the secular or religious tradition. Her personal world view alone guided the legal reform. By removing the marriage ban[viii], prostitutes could now marry into noble houses and gain legal status. Like it or not, this represents unparalleled social mobility for women at the time. It gave women access to power.

By having the marriage ban removed, Theodora saw to it that her sister, her daughter, and numerous other theater friends all married into noble houses. Just like that, several women crossed an impossible barrier and gained incredible social power, and they achieved this change in fortune seemingly overnight.

“Therefore, when Theodora helped to facilitate the removal of the marriage ban, she did so without the support of either the secular or religious tradition.”

Once, Theodora arranged a marriage between one of her theater friends (an ex-prostitute) and a nobleman named Saturnitus[ix]. When Theodora heard that this Saturnitus complained that his prospective bride wasn’t a virgin, she had the nobleman rolled in a blanket and flogged with a cane. She asked Saturnitus just one question: why could he frequent the brothels with impunity and dare demand virginity in his wife? Theodora didn’t believe in double standards.

Other laws, too, applied to all women regarding marriage. In Byzantium, there was a law of ‘mutual consent’ in divorce cases. A divorce was granted only if both the husband and the wife agreed to void the marriage. By the way, this legal concept is still practiced in some countries today. If the wife seeks a divorce, but not the husband, she stays married against her will. You might point out that this law works in both directions. However, if a man was forced to stay in a marriage because his wife vetoed the divorce, especially back then, he could easily visit a brothel, hippodrome, amphitheater, or tavern and enjoy a full life outside the home. Wives did not have this luxury. (They weren’t even allowed on the street without a male escort[x]). So, the law of mutual consent worked disproportionately against women.

So, Theodora had the law of mutual consent struck down.

Secondly, women of the time were expected to offer a dowry to their grooms. By Theodora’s time, the custom had expanded to make it fashionable for men to offer something minor in return. This minor offering was called an “antenupital.’ Under the new laws, the antenupital had to be equal to the bride’s dowry. Equal to the bride. Theodora’s message is consistent and clear.

She also knew that prospective brides could sometimes be pressured into a marriage. A woman might give consent initially when put on the spot, but as the marriage date grew near, she might think differently. Therefore, a new law came out that required the prospective bride to give her consent twice—once at the original proposal, and then again before the marriage took place. This allowed women to change their minds before entering into a lifelong commitment[xi].


Finally, in what I regard as a remarkable example of Theodora’s scope, sympathies, and real-world knowledge, she even dared to protect criminal women. In the Sixth Century, protection for male criminals wasn’t even a concern. That’s why I regard Theodora’s intervention on behalf of criminal women to be truly groundbreaking. If a woman required prison time, the new laws forbade her imprisonment in common jails where she had no protection from male guards who could abuse these women without recourse. She saw to it that criminal women were removed from common prisons and detained in a nunnery (that she constructed), under the supervision of other women.

Empress Theodora was known to hold court in her opulent imperial bedchamber. There, surrounded by a retinue of her most trusted women and eunuchs, she ruled over what has been described as an almost “parallel government[xii].” Many women (and men) came directly to Theodora to plead for justice, and the formidable empress meted out justice with purpose. The scene in Theodora’s bedchambers must have mirrored the impressive throne room of the Byzantine Empire, just a few hundred feet away. In the words of James Allan Evans in his book about the empress, “In the eyes of the upper-class beholder, what Theodora represented was revolutionary.”

What’s more about this incredible woman is that she acted out her beliefs on equality. She inspired an unprecedented partnership with her husband, Justinian. Far from a great woman who ruled in the absence of a male ruler, Theodora ruled right alongside Justinian the Great, who is considered one of the greatest emperors in Byzantine history. When he addressed the Byzantine court in the throne room, Theodora sat exactly beside him, which was not typical. Theodora was free to address whomever she pleased. The emperor did not grow angry when she disagreed with him before the court. Instead, they actively debated the merits of different policies openly. She and Justinian were also faithful to each other. Their relationship was considered bizarre by their contemporaries, but I see it as a shining example for any of us. Theodora insisted on being treated as an equal, and Justinian unapologetically treated her an equal.

“The scene in Theodora’s bedchambers must have mirrored the impressive throne room of the Byzantine Empire, just a few hundred feet away.”

Theodora’s mark on history is a powerful, immovable example for us. The body of laws that came into being during her reign is known as the Corpus Juris Civilis and, according to Wikipedia: “The Corpus continues to have a major influence on public international law. Its four parts thus constitute the foundation documents of the Western legal tradition[xiii].” Uh, wow. If this is true…if the corpus is at the heart of the Western legal tradition, then Theodora stands front and center to the tradition of women’s rights. Official credit goes to Justinian for the Corpus, and he deserves plenty of it. But no historian can doubt Theodora’s presence in the laws that pertain to women. History, it seems, remains uncomfortable with Theodora’s sexualized past. But it’s time to recognize the crucial connection between her early life experiences and the incredible legal reforms she oversaw as an empress.

Our culture is taking a second look at history and rediscovering the many contributions of women throughout the ages. I say, look further eastward, beyond Europe, and deeper into the past. In my view, Theodora should finally take her place among the Pantheon of our greatest women in history.



Web-Douglas_Burton-1723-Edit (1).JPGDouglas A. Burton is on a crusade to introduce Theodora to as many people as possible. His award-winning novel, Far Away Bird, which details Theodora’s early life, is available in paperback (Amazon, Barnes & Noble) and as an amazing audiobook (Audible.com, iTunes, Author Republic). Learn more at douglasaburton.com.

Buy the book
B&N:



[i] The Secret History, Procopius [9. p15]
[ii] The Empress Theodora: Partner of Justinian p. 37
[iii] Codex Justinianus [Book IX Title 13]
[iv] Novellae 5.2 cf. Evans (1996a), pp 209-10
[v] Codex Justinianus [I.4.33]
[vi] Novellae 51
[vii] The Empress Theodora: Partner of Justinian p. 37
[viii] Codex Justinianus (Book V Title 4-23)
[ix] The Secret History, Procopius [17. p24-26]
[x] Constantinople: Birth of an Empire
[xi] The Emperor Justinian and the Byzantine Empire p. 27
[xii] Theodora: Empress of Byzantium p.175
[xiii] Wikipedia ‘Corpus Juris Civilis’
[1] The Secret History, Procopius [9. p15]
[1] The Empress Theodora: Partner of Justinian p. 37
[1] Codex Justinianus [Book IX Title 13]
[1] Novellae 5.2 cf. Evans (1996a), pp 209-10
[1] Codex Justinianus [I.4.33]
[1] Novellae 51
[1] The Empress Theodora: Partner of Justinian p. 37
[1] Codex Justinianus (Book V Title 4-23)
[1] The Secret History, Procopius [17. p24-26]
[1] Constantinople: Birth of an Empire
[1] The Emperor Justinian and the Byzantine Empire p. 27
[1] Theodora: Empress of Byzantium p.175
[1] Wikipedia ‘Corpus Juris Civilis’

Friday, February 28, 2020

Book Review of historical Far Away Bird by Douglas Burton


Far_Away_Bird_Cover_artist_ George Frei at treehou…hine.com (1).JPG

Read about the book and review below.
On March 3 return to read a special article:Empress Theodora and the Origin of Women’s Rights
By Douglas A. Burton

Far Away Bird
Douglas Burton
Historical romance

February 2020
Silent Music Press
394 pp
ISBN 978-1733022101
Ebook $7.99
Print $16.95

Buy on Amazon

About the Book
Inspired by true events, Far Away Bird delves into the complex mind of Byzantine Empress Theodora. This intimate account deftly follows her rise from actress-prostitute in Constantinople's red-light district to the throne of the Byzantine Empire.

Her salacious past has left historians blushing and uncomfortable. Tales of her shamelessness have survived for centuries, and yet her accomplishments as an empress are unparalleled. Theodora goes on to influence sweeping reforms that result in some of the first ever Western laws granting women freedom and protection. More than a millennium before the women's rights movement, Theodora, alone, took on the world's greatest superpower and succeeded. Far Away Bird goes where history classrooms fear to tread in hopes that Theodora can finally take her seat among the greatest women in history.

Theodora seems impossible—yet her transcendence teaches us that society can't tell us who we are deep down. Before there was a legendary empress, there was a conflicted young woman from the lower classes.

And her name was Theodora.


My review
Great Rome has fallen a generation earlier, yet the Empire, the myth, undulates onward across Eurasia and Africa, a headless snake with the power still to crush. Burton sets his epic, heroine-centric, fictional biography of 6th century world-changing Empress Theodora in Constantinople, modern-day Istanbul, Turkey. The title’s theme echoes throughout the narrative as Theodora observes and bonds with the idyllic freedom of a bird.

Faithfully and lavishly researched, Burton brings these people to life in a way that is true to culture and time, yet without creating a history lesson for his readers. Please be aware that the author spares little when it comes to the sexual depravity of the era, and Theodora’s life as a prostitute. Especially because of this lifestyle, Theodora joins a political underground movement as an informer. With a frail emperor and even frailer empire, it would be easy to usurp power. Justinian, son of the man closest to the emperor, means to keep the succession to the throne in the best interest of the empire.

Justinian and his adopted father/uncle, Justin, rose to power from humble means. They don’t mean to flaunt that power nor abuse it and are willing to do anything, even hire prostitutes as spies, to ensure the empire isn’t splintered into the political factions that will ultimately destroy the centuries of Roman dogmatism. One of these prostitutes enlightens Justinian to the realities of common life; the true plight of the empire’s subjects. They are drawn to each other, yet Justinian attempts to keep his distance and focus on his mission. Theodora, however, isn’t content to let the world of powerful men subjugate women and through her circumstances begins to manipulate both the ruler and the rules of the world.

In her role as spy, Theodora attracts the attention of the nephew of the emperor, the weak Hypatius. Burton writes, “Theodora had two men who needed her, she thought, two men who loved her, yet neither man could touch her, one out of weakness, the other out of strength.” Hypatius has knowledge of an insurrection and agrees to meet with Justinian in exchange for protection.

Theodora’s understanding of the world is revelatory. Burton notes: “They called this devastating weapon (political control) democracy, the Greek way, the old way. And they used this ancient tradition to bludgeon any man who dared to wear a crown and declare himself their ruler. A Roman emperor was a foreign title, after all, brought into the East from a failed regime whose mother city of Rome was already dead. The eastern populace was mostly Greek, not Roman; they never asked to become a Roman capital; the people couldn’t have known that the West would collapse and they alone would be tasked with the survival of the Roman Empire. Many still resisted the idea of imperial order. And it was this resistance, this process, and these people that Theodora tried so desperately to understand in the late hours.”

Burton deftly weaves the known facts of Theodora’s life into a pleasing tapestry, melding her various dwelling stops about the empire into a triumph of maturity and ultimately Christianity through her interaction with the Alexandrian pope. Returning eventually to Justinian and Constantinople, Theodora proves that laws are not meant to be broken frivolously, but rewritten. She, a woman, fights for a more democratic society and the ability of people, men and women, to rise out of their circumstances, much as Justinian had done. This book is about Theodora’s early life. Although the reader is not left hanging and the story ends with an appropriate conclusion, the saga continues.

Told through Theodora’s eyes in distant third person, Burton never falls into dry staleness. The book itself is beautifully designed and a pleasure to read.

About the Author

Douglas Alan Burton is a speaker, author, and expert storyteller whose work depicts heroic figures and their deeper connection to the human experience. Doug blogs about heroes, heroines, and villains in pop culture with some unexpected and refreshing perspective. He grew up in what he describes as "the heroic boyhood culture of late Generation X" that has gone mainstream around the world. He also shares strategies with fellow writers for writing compelling heroic characters in fiction.

Douglas recently began outlining a breakthrough storytelling model that reveals a fascinating "heroine-centric" model for story structure he calls The Heroine's Labyrinth. He believes a powerful new archetype is emerging for women in fiction. His novel, Far Away Bird, which centers on the early life of Byzantine Empress Theodora, won the 2019 Manuscript Content for Historical Fiction from the Writers' League of Texas. Follow Doug on Facebook and Twitter and stay in the conversation, and follow his blog at www.douglasaburton.com


Douglas A. Burton is on a crusade to introduce Theodora to as many people as possible. His award-winning novel, Far Away Bird, which details Theodora’s early life, is available in paperback (Amazon, Barnes & Noble) and as an amazing audiobook (Audible.com, iTunes, Author Republic). Learn more at douglasaburton.com.

Tuesday, February 25, 2020

Jody Robinson and Money Messages

Money Messages: Get Out of the Red and into the Green, Emotional and Financial Freedom to Transform Your Life


Money Messages: Get Out of the Red and into the Green, Emotional and Financial Freedom to Transform Your Life
Jody Robinson
non-fiction, self help, adult and continuing education
Robinson Publications, January 13, 2020
212 pp
$14.99 Print
$5.99 Ebook

Buy on Amazon 

About the Book
This isn’t just a book about money, it’s a book about the emotional side of how we choose to live in relationship with our past stories and money messages we’ve internalized.

With Karen Putz (best selling author of Unwrapping Your Passion), Jody Robinson weaves stories, interviews, and practical exercises to reflect deep to understand your relationship with money and how it is present in your life today.

Stop listening to that voice in your head that says you’ll never make it. It’s time to transform your Money Messages to live your financial dreams.

Filled with Jody’s personal stories, her interviews with everyday people like you who have found financial freedom and happiness, and practical exercises to help you reflect on your finances and set financial goals, Money Messages is the book you should have been given in school. Once you open it, you will be standing on the brink of your new financial future. Get ready to dive in!


My Review
“Money is a sensitive topic,” Jody Robinson says. A self-described humanitarian and financial counselor, Robinson is a fiduciary, certified Accredited Wealth Management Advisor, former public school educator and librarian. Experience matters. Robinson shares from her heart and her past situations in a well-laid out interactive workbook to encourage her readers “to move to a better lifestyle and mindset with money.”

I found myself copying quotes every few pages. Robinson talks the reader through a series of lessons geared to encourage a positive and healthy, happy outlook on personal finance. Each chapter includes a section called Reflection and Soul search with a place to jot answers. Money Messages has three sections: Understanding Your Money Messages, Rewriting Your Money Messages, and Investing in You. The introduction defines money message as the perceptions about money that we’ve absorbed and developed throughout our lives. The reader is encouraged to not only ponder but write down how we view fulfillment, success, using money, and mistakes in money management. The goal is to think of our lives, our money, and our time “in terms of purpose.” While pegged as a financial management book, Robinson shows the reader how to understand our motives and take control of our actions.

Making use of lessons she has learned from other professionals both money managers, life coaches, clients, and even TV reality stars, Robinson says her happiest clients are those who can save and spend as they wish, are not jealous or lustful of others’ possessions or lifestyle, and are not in deep credit card debt. Little quotes pegged on the pages create pleasant visual callouts. A bonus section at the end includes advice when seeking a financial advisor, and includes other practical tips for making the most of what we buy.

Robinson’s friendly, folksy voice makes me trust her. From the first inkling of money awareness to planning our last days, she shares her own ups and downs, down-to-earth interviews, and client stories to get her message across. About debt, Robinson says “pay it off.” A simple set of charts help the reader visualize income and spending. If our expenses exceed our income…the message is clear but too often ignored: Find a way to make more money, or spend less. A few examples and exercises help the reader sort needs and wants.

Personally, I learned that I didn’t feel deserving of professional fees, even though I am proud of my work and do a good job. My clients are generally happy, but I will obsess over the one person who looks for a problem, or the one who doesn’t come back. I need to work on challenging my message of worth, and allowing myself to shift my happiness quotient. I feel confirmed in an earlier decision to begin scaling back and move on. Plus, plus, plus!

Money Messages is a great, readable book on developing positive life habits which encompass our financial habits. Highly recommended for everyone, high school and up, although parents who mind should be aware there is minor cussing and some sections more suitable to adults with established careers.

About the Author
Jody  Robinson
An English teacher by training, Jody Robinson bumped around after quitting teaching, including janitorial work. She snagged a job at a top financial software company in the Silicon Valley during the tech bubble and bust. After moving to Chicago, the twists and turns in life led her to over a decade of financial advising in her own practice.  As a fiduciary, Jody addresses Money Messages (perceptions of money) so people can live their best lives.

Jody enjoys cooking, gardening, swimming, and enjoying audiobooks. You can also find her out walking her dog or singing like a crazy woman while driving.