Release Day Warrior of the Nile

I’m so happy to say that the Release Day has actually arrived for WARRIOR OF THE NILE, my paranormal novel set in Ancient Egypt. The events are set in motion by the goddess Nephthys, sister to Isis. Khenet, the Warrior of the title, and Lady Tiya have to work really hard to accomplish the assigned task without dying and still satisfy the demands of the goddess.

Whenever twin goddesses are around, it’s tempting to assume one is Good and the other is Evil. But it’s not necessarily so! In Ancient Egypt Isis was the queen of the gods and represented motherhood, magic and fertility. Worship of this goddess endured for centuries and even spread through the Roman Empire. Wife of Osiris, ruler of the gods, her headdress was shaped like a throne and the pharaohs of Egypt were often depicted as being her children. She was associated with the rebirth that Egyptians expected in their afterlife. Pretty much the good stuff came to Isis.

Her twin sister Nephthys, although not depicted as evil, was associated with death, with battling demons, darkness and dangerous places like the edge of the desert. She and Isis were viewed by the Egyptians as different aspects of the same supernatural power.

One thing that is very useful to me in writing my paranormal novels of Ancient Egypt is the many varying interpretations and legends surrounding all their gods and goddesses, enabling me to pick and choose the aspects that work best with my worldbuilding and then I stay consistent in my choices. Nephthys doesn’t get things all her own way in my novel – Isis takes a hand in how events turn out, not exactly as her sister had in mind.

Here’s the story overview:

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?