Here’s the link to the Weekend Writing Warriors central page, so you can visit all the participants sharing excerpts today…a fun way to sample new books and find new authors! (Also welcome to the Sunday Snippet visitors!)
This week’s excerpt is from my newly released Ghost of the Nile. Jumping ahead, the goddess Ma’at has plunged Periseneb into a tense standoff between a young woman, her servant and a group of bullies.He intervenes of course! So now let’s meet the heroine of this tale:
Apparently recalling she’d not introduced herself, she said, “I’m Neithamun, of Heron Marsh and this belligerent one is my chief cowherd.”
“Lady Neithamun.” The boy’s reprimand was stern.
She laughed, gesturing at her plain blue cotton dress and rude sandals. “Yes, although our visitor probably won’t believe such a lofty claim.”
“I’ve heard of the great estate of Heron Marsh.” Periseneb stared toward the horizon, mixed emotions over her status churning in his gut. In his time, a daughter of the house wouldn’t lower herself to herding cows – why was she allowed or encouraged to do so?
Spine straight, chin held high, Neithamun said, “Not such a great estate these days, but we do our best, land rich and deben poor – are you from this area then?”
“I’ve some familiarity with the area.”
Two things – I’m in the middle of moving, so I won’t be making the rounds today but I promise to get to everyone else’s post during the week to come, if the cable guy shows up on time to reconnect my internet at the new location! And second, my new science fiction romance STAR CRUISE: MAROONED released on Friday, so I’ll probably put up excerpts from that for the next few weeks.
Here’s the story for GHOST OF THE NILE:
1550 BCE
Betrayed, murdered, and buried without proper ceremony, Egyptian warrior Periseneb is doomed to roam the gray deserts of the dead as a ghost for all eternity.
But then the goddess of truth offers him a bargain: return to the world of the living as her champion for 30 days. If he completes his mission, he’ll be guaranteed entry into Paradise. Periseneb agrees to the bargain but, when he returns to the living world, two hundred years have passed and nothing is quite as he expected.
Neithamun is a woman fighting to hang onto her family’s estate against an unscrupulous nobleman who desires the land as well as the lady. All seems lost until a mysterious yet appealing ex-soldier, Periseneb, appears out of nowhere to help her fight off the noble’s repeated attacks.
Meanwhile, Periseneb’s thirty days are rushing by, and he’s powerless against the growing attraction between himself and Neithamun. But their love can never be. For his Fate is to return to the Afterlife, and Death cannot wed with Life…
I like her spunk, Veronica. She’s got a job to do and she sounds like a woman who gets things done.
I’m curious to know what brought the estate to such a different state.
Yes, Periseneb is going to have a few more shocks and surprises, now that 200 years have passed.
Hmmmm…just HOW familiar is she, and how did she achieve this knowledge?
A mystery lady methinks.
I like her … and her confidence. Well done.
An unpretentious lady. I like her already.
“Spine straight, chin held high…” = dignity. Great job showing that! Hope the move goes well! And congrats on the releases!
This is interesting. I wonder how much he knows and why she is in this state.
I like her already, she’s got a certain air about her that says she won’t take crap, nor will she be looked down on just for how she’s dressed. But she also seems modest by leaving her title Lady out. A nice combination I think.
Great snippet!
Good luck with all the domestic action. May the move fairies keep track of it all for you 😉 poor Periseneb, times have changed too quickly for him
Times have changed, as usual. I’m glad he doesn’t despise her appearance.
Good luck with the move!
A good introduction to her. I feel for Periseneb having been away for so long.
There’s humor in this snippet. I do believe she’s having a bit of fun while taking control.
Moving where? No lifting , young lady.
Things will no doubt get more interesting from here. Great snippet!
Have a safe and easy move, Veronica. Great snippet. I think the aristocracy forget they’re just as capable and everyone will do what they can to survive. 🙂
Land rich and cash poor–it happened to a lot of noble houses, over the generations. Have to adapt to survive!
Outdated familiarity, anyway.
I like that Neithamun can herd cows and retain her pride in her usefulness. Another excellent heroine, Veronica! 😉
Good 8. Lots of info in this short section.I wonder why she doesn’t remember. Will have to go back and see previous excerpts to find out.
I like how she’s not afraid to defy the conventions of her social class. People like that are more realistic and relatable than those who insist on strictly adhering to draconian social codes.
Good luck with moving!
Hey, there’s no reason you can’t be a lady while herding cows! I like her already. Sounds like you have book releases happening all over the place- congrats!
Great job of portraying her as confident and with a sense of humor about her situation. Perisenib has met his match.
Very nice eight – a lot of showing rather than telling and you’ve already made me care for her 🙂
Congratulations on the new release! I’m looking forward to hearing more:).
Love the snippet. You’ve shown a lot about her with just a few words. Great 8.
Hope the move goes off without a hitch.
Great snippet — I really like this lady. (And her servant.) Congrats on the new release,but I’m going to miss seeing snippets of this one.
I just started reading this book. Enjoying it so far. Great intro on how these two meet. 🙂
I imagine a lot of things have changed in 200 years. It’s a lot to take in.
Nothing says change like a lady having to herd cows. Well, I’m glad to meet your heroine because I really like your hero and I bet she’s going to be a great match for him. Loved this snippet!
Our hero is experiencing the changes Time has wrought first-hand, and he seems somewhat uncomfortable. But… it looks like he’s going to be in good hands.
Great snippet and introduction to the heroine. I like her! Good luck with the move–I hate moving!