(If you’re here for the SFR Brigade excerpt blog hop, which is from Star Cruise: Songbird, go here.)
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!)
Continuing on with excerpts from my newly released paranormal romance set in ancient Egypt…Lady of the Nile.
I’ve skipped a bit from the first excerpt. This is from the beginning of a vision Tuya has, where the goddess Mut reveals a truth to her. The excerpt (please excuse the edited punctuation to fit our rules here):
She stood on a hill, in the shade of a beautiful palm tree, watching groups of people walk along a path across the river from her. They danced and laughed and kissed and talked amongst themselves, as if going to a wonderful festival or special event. Men and women strolled hand in hand, oblivious to anything but each other. Families traveled in little groups, the babies in adult arms, toddlers and young children skipping and running ahead, only to rejoin their parents.
“How do I get over there?” Shielding her eyes with her hand, she searched for a path leading away from where she stood, or a bridge to cross the river.
“But you positioned yourself here, why do you now want to leave?”
Surprised, Tuya turned to the woman standing beside her whose presence she hadn’t noticed before, being so intent on the parade across the way. She seemed familiar, but no name came to Tuya’s tongue, “I didn’t choose to stand here.”
“Indeed you did – you worked hard and cleverly to achieve this elevated role. Don’t you remember all the times you chose the path of service over more demanding—and perhaps frightening—opportunities?”
Here’s the story:
Tuya, a high ranking lady-in-waiting at Pharaoh’s court, lives a life of luxury, pageantry and boredom. Khian, a brave and honorable officer from the provinces temporarily re-assigned to Thebes, catches her eye at a gold of valor ceremony. As the pair are thrown together by circumstances, she finds herself unaccountably attracted to this man so unlike the haughty nobles she’s used to. But a life with Khian would mean leaving the court and giving up all that she’s worked so hard to attain. As she goes about her duties, Tuya struggles with her heart’s desires.
When Tuya is lured into a dangerous part of Thebes by her disgraced half-brother and kidnapped by unknown enemies of Egypt, Khian becomes her only hope. Pharaoh assigns him to bring the lady home.
Aided by the gods, Khian races into the desert on the trail of the elusive kidnappers, hoping to find Tuya before it’s too late. Neither of them has any idea of the dark forces arrayed against them, nor the obstacles to be faced. An ancient evil from the long gone past wants to claim Tuya for its own purposes and won’t relinquish her easily.
Can Khian find her in time? Will he and his uncanny allies be able to prevent her death? And if the couple escapes and reaches safety, what of their fledgling romance?
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Congrats on your recent release, Veronica! Isn’t it the truth that we all choose our place and path? Good snippet.
I love the imagery in your first paragraph and how you used it to showcase her loneliness. Excellent job.
Well, that’s certainly a personal revelation she’s going to have to contemplate. Great snippet! 🙂
Intriguing snippet, great first paragraph.
What a lovely picture this evokes- I can really feel her yearning!
Another story set in Egypt! Yay! Added to my TBR list. Her yearning is palpable in the snippet and that last line about choosing more demanding work instead a more frightening path of opportunity rings true in any age. Great snippet!
Interesting snippet.
Perhaps having the vision will allow her to choose a different path now. Sometimes we grow out of our current path and want to take a bigger risk at last. Great snippet! And congrats on the new release!
Not only has she apparently isolated herself, it sounds as if she’s not living up to her full potential.
Such vibrant visuals emphasize her distance from all they seem to be enjoying. A poignant, restless scene. Nice tease, Jean!! Just adore that cover!
Beautiful scene and a splendid cover Hugs from Charmaine
She chose to forego family like for status at court. Understandable ambitions, but now she might be regretting her choice.
Curious. I wonder if she’ll hold onto what she worked toward or set a new goal.
Interesting scene, I want to see where it goes!
I love how her mysterious respondent interprets her question so differently than she intended.
I wonder how this vision will change things for her. I’m curious to find out.
Beautifully descriptive scene, this is such an interesting snippet – I just love stories set in ancient Egypt!
Great first paragraph. I’d like to be there too. She certainly has a lot to think about now.
That last question leaves me wondering… 🙂 Good snippet.
Congrats on the new release!
Love the descriptions on this.
Intriguing question. It all boils down to choices, doesn’t it? Even when we don’t chose, that’s a choice. Best wishes with this new release.