I really struggled with what to offer today, since the Shifter story is off the table for now (but going well in rewrites). So here’s a taste of Ancient Egypt, paranormal style, from WARRIOR OF THE NILE, out from Carina Press on September 16th. (I’ve done some creative editing to make it fit the eight sentence requirement!) The story blurb is at the end of the post but briefly in this excerpt the warrior of the title, Khenet, is asked by his Pharaoh to take on quite a task.
“What we speak of must not go beyond these walls because the Great Ones are involved.”
Suddenly needing a drink himself, Khenet reached for the beer. “I give you my oath. No one’s hearing a word from me.”
“Let me set out the terms of the mission – the goddess Nephthys wants a woman escorted south to the Viper Nome, to marry the provincial ruler, Smenkhotep. The journey is to be by boat and chariot. I’m to supply a single bodyguard, no other soldiers, no retainers. Nephthys decrees that the man must be from my personal guard, must be someone close to me.”
And Pharaoh has even more bad news to impart to Khenet in this conversation, trust me!
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And the blurb for WARRIOR OF THE NILE (which is available for pre-order at Amazon:
Egypt, 1500 BCE
Lady Tiya is bound to the service of the goddess Nephthys, who plans to sacrifice Tiya’s body to protect Egypt from an ancient terror. She embarks to meet her grim fate alone but for the hardened warrior Khenet, who is fated to die at her side. Tiya’s dreams of love and family now seem impossible, and Khenet, who is the last of his line, knows his culture will die with him. Struggling with the high cost of Nephthys’s demands, both resolve to remain loyal.
Neither expects the passion that flowers when Tiya’s quiet courage and ethereal beauty meet Khenet’s firm strength and resolve. On a boat down the Nile, their two lonely souls find in each other a reason to live. But time is short and trust elusive.
Without the willing sacrifice of Tiya and Khenet, a great evil will return to Egypt. How could the gods demand their deaths when they’ve only just begun to live?
Great snippet, l love your character’s names!
Wonderful snippet and I love the blurb. Great, great, great!
Awesome 8! The mood is definitely set, and I’m interested to see what happens next!
Veronica! That blurb gives me the shivers. Fabulous. And the 8 eight, wow, powerful stuff.
Wow, the blurb? SO awesome! This books sounds amazing! I really hope you share more from this story next week! 🙂
LOVE THE EGYPT STORY! Seriously, awesome choice! We need more stories from this era. I love the authentic feel to this! i’m looking forward to further posts!
Way to use an oft-ignored setting, and nice character building in your 81 Love it!
Wonderful excerpt! You’ve got suspense and a description of the goddess’ demand that guarantees readers will want more. I also like what I see so far of how you handle dialogue. I like characters from antiquity who speak so I can understand them, but still have a feeling of being from a time far away from mine. 🙂
Thanks for all the comments, glad people are enjoying this change of pace from me. I actually have three novels in this connected series coming out in the near future – Warrior in September, Dancer of the Nile in October, and (tentative title) Magic of the Nile in January. Can’t WAIT to have the covers to reveal! I really love this era and being able to put a paranormal spin on things.
I’m intrigued. And I loved the blurb, too. What a story this will be.
Excellent eight. I’m very intrigued!
Oh, this sounds sooooo good! I love the premise, the characters and the ancient Egyptian setting – can’t wait to read more:)
A lot of research went into this. I admire your tenacity and writer’s skill to bring a story to life. Seriously fine eight!
Ancient Egypt eh? We were in Egypt this past winter and my weekly bloggy for my other group is a photo blog from my husbands camel ride (just advance advert and coincidence) and don’t know if you’ve ever traveled the Nile, but it is serene
oh yes you want a comment on your post – of course
Obviously your research was intense – and then to translate the history into a story, talent indeed
Makes me want to read more! Nice job!
Great snippet and certainly piques the interest. The only question I had is if beer would have existed in this world (but that may be covered in background/history earlier)
Oh yes, beer was a staple drink in those times. There are even tomb paintings of the whole beer making process. Good question though! Since I’m writing paranormal, I do take some liberties with Ancient Egypt but beer wasn’t one of them LOL!
My stomach was sinking with Khenet’s, Veronica. (What’s with those gods and goddesses always making unreasonable demands? Sheesh!)
LOL, so true! But fortunate for my plots…
It’s perfect to love the period you’re writing about, and I love the paranormal spin. I look forward to reading more, Veronica!
Question is, what is the goddess’s design behind the demand?
Shades of Tristan and Isolde. Can’t wait to read more.
Great snippet.
Sounds like a fascinating concept!
Excellent! Hope you post more from this one…
Wow. Fabulous, and even more impactful after reading the book blurb.
An intriguing excerpt there.
Oh wow! And my TBR list continues to grow! This sounds so good, Veronica! I can hardly wait to read it! 🙂
This should be interesting—and there’s too few Egyptian stories out there.
I agree about not having enough Ancient Egyptian romance out there, lots about Cleopatra, who is actually too “modern” for me LOL! I’m doing my best to fill the gap, with a paranormal spin on it because I love having the gods take a more active role. Also very fascinated by that time in history…Thank you!
Adding you to my TBR list, Veronica. Ancient Egypt is a new venue for my romance reading! Great snippet–I’m in!
This story sounds awesome! The blurb is great.
The sound of Verde play through my head. It was a difficult time and you captured it well. I so want to save these two people but knowing the time, there seems slim chance of that.
Well, since I write in the paranormal romance genre, there is a Happily Ever After, I promise, but it’s hard earned in this case, for sure! Thanks for the kind words!
Heavy moment here for both of them. Love the little detail about the beer. Great snippet.
Let’s hope he’s up to that task!
Looks like the Pharoah might have left out the little tid-bit about Khenet having to die. It sounds like an interesting story. I studied archaeology at university so ancient Egypt holds a special place in my heart. Thanks for sharing.
Oooh, the only way to save all they love is to die, but they just found personal loves. Perfect! 😀 Sounds like a good premise, Veronica. And I love the Pharaoh’s laying out the rules. Nicely done.
Wow, I loved the premise, though it sounds a bit tragic (hope not!). Great snippet, Veronica!
Ooh, intriguing. Either someone’s trying real hard to keep a secret, or someone’s being set up for something…
This sounds like such an interesting story and I like the premises. The nile alone can be so romantic.