Tag Archives: Ancient Egypt

Mar 24 2014

Discussing My Writing Process

???????????????????????????????My friend from the Here Be Magic author group, Jody Wallace, tagged me to participate in this meme. I love to answer questions – we all know that LOL – so here goes and Happy Monday to everyone!

What am I working on? Other than this blog post? And the dayjob stuff I brought home? Well, I’m on the second revision of my new science fiction romance/adventure, MISSION TO MAHJUNDAR. I’m also doing advance thinking for my next paranormal novel set in Ancient Egypt, tentatively entitled GHOST OF THE NILE. I’m mulling ideas for a series, researching books and authors for my USA Today/HEA column “Sci-Fi Encounters”…and kinda feeling overwhelmed. But I LOVE writing!!!

How does my work differ from others of its genre? It’s um written by me??? How does one answer a question like this, seriously? I will say, though, that when it comes to the novels set in Ancient Egypt, I research them as if I was going to write a historical and then I put in paranormal twists involving the gods. I’ve had Readers and Reviewers tell me they enjoy the matter of fact way the Egyptian pantheon takes part in the action and how the everyday warriors, dancers and other characters accept and expect this. So perhaps that’s my unique twist there! I began the series with Priestess of the Nile, featuring the Crocodile God Sobek as a shifter, who falls in love with a human woman…As far as the science fiction, I try to tell a good story, have pretty much nonstop action and of course some romance. Maybe not unique but hopefully enjoyable for the Reader.

Why do I write what I do? I’ve always been fascinated by the ancient world and especially the Egyptians. I loved the YA book Mara, Daughter of the Nile  by Eloise McGraw Jarvis and always wanted more of that kind of fiction to read, but with a lot more romance and magic. So I write those! On the science fiction side, I was heavily influenced by all the SF my Dad kept in the house, especially Andre Norton, and again, I wanted more romance to go with the action…

How does your writing process work? I’m very superstitious about my Muse so I frankly don’t delve too deeply into my process. I sit down, the words flow, the story happens. I usually know the opening, the ending and a few key scenes when I start writing a book and the rest fills itself in as I go. I always know who the hero and heroine are, but the other characters introduce themselves as the story unfolds. I sit here at my great grandmother’s desk, which I inherited, and I bang away on a laptop (learned on an old Royal typewriter to of course I still pound the keys LOL). Periodically my cat Jake will insist on attention. He usually wants me to throw various items for the other cat, Keanu, to chase, which amuses Jake. Eventually I have to get up and retrieve All The Items because Keanu loses interest when the toy stops moving. He doesn’t fetch.

I think this meme is losing steam so I’m only tagging two authors for next week:  Beth Matthews, author of The Beauty’s Beast and Shawna Reppert, author of The Stolen Luck.

Best wishes with your week!

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Mar 23 2014

Who Is He? PRIESTESS OF THE NILE Weekend Writing Warriors

WeWriWa buttonA fun way to sample new books and find new writers! Here’s the link to the Weekend Writing Warriors central page, so you can visit all the participants sharing excerpts today…

PRIESTESS OF THE NILE was my first published work and MAGIC OF THE NILE is the sequel to PRIESTESS.

You can read the beginning of Chapter One of PRIESTESS here on my website.

VS_PriestessOfTheNileMerys has been tending an abandoned temple of the Crocodile God Sobek and doesn’t realize she’d been talking to him (in his human form and calling himself “Bek”).

Sobek forms a habit of stopping by the beach in the evenings to chat with Merys. He grows ever more attracted to her, she falls in love with him (of course or there’d be no story)…but she still doesn’t know who he is. Isis intervenes with serious threats….but eventually Sobek can’t resist sneaking back to the beach to catch a glimpse of Merys… “just to hear her sing”.

Merys has been fishing with a net in the Nile shallows when she loses her protective amulet, which unbeknownst to her Sobek had bespelled to keep his crocodiles from attacking her. With it gone, she’s easy prey…seized by a crocodile…rescued by Sobek and…I’m skipping the part where he magically heals her injuries. This will be the final excerpt from Priestess. I’ll be switching over to the recently published sequel Magic of the Nile.

She put a trembling hand on his cheek, saying “Who are you, Bek?”

“Sobek,” He said, clearing his throat as he stroked her back with one hand, resting his lips next to her ear, he whispered, “I am Sobek.”

New adrenaline pumped through her, making her heart pound and sending a hot pulse along her nerves. “The Crocodile God?” I’ve been sitting and talking to the Great One all this time, treating him like a human man? I fell in love with him – how could I have been so blind? “The Crocodile God himself?”

“Yes,” He nodded, watching her closely, his green eyes steady on her face, his brows slightly raised, “I’m sorry I misled you.”

(The above excerpt has been edited somewhat from the published text to fit the Weekend Writing Warrior rules and give you a complete scene. )

As always, I love your comments and feedback. Although this is a published work, the input helps for the future novels… 

The story:

Drawn to his abandoned temple on the banks of the Nile by an enchanting song, Sobek the Crocodile god is even more captivated by the sight of the singer herself. Appearing to her as a man, he learns she is Merys, a descendant of his last priestess. Though filled with lust, Sobek believes Merys deserves to be more than just his mistress. But the rules that govern the Egyptian pantheon forbid anything beyond a physical joining of a Great One and a human.

Merys is attracted to the handsome stranger, who arouses passions in her that no man ever has. But with no dowry and no hope of ever leaving her village, she dares not dream of the future—or love.

Sobek takes every opportunity to visit Merys, taxing his resolve to leave her pure. And when he saves her life, their mutual desire must be sated. But can a love between a human and an immortal survive the ultimate test of the gods?

Available: Amazon    Barnes & Noble    Carina Press   All Romance

Mar 16 2014

Escaping the Crocodile Snippet PRIESTESS OF THE NILE

Cover by Fiona Jayde

PRIESTESS OF THE NILE was actually my first published book…

Merys has been tending an abandoned temple of the Crocodile God Sobek and doesn’t realize she’d been talking to him (in his human form and calling himself “Bek”).

Sobek forms a habit of stopping by the beach in the evenings to chat with Merys. He grows ever more attracted to her, she falls in love with him (of course or there’d be no story)…but she still doesn’t know who he is. Isis intervenes with serious threats….but eventually Sobek can’t resist sneaking back to the beach to catch a glimpse of Merys… “just to hear her sing”.

Merys has been fishing with a net in the Nile shallows when she loses her protective amulet, which unbeknownst to her Sobek had bespelled to keep his crocodiles from attacking her. With it gone, she’s easy prey…seized by a crocodile…

…something huge flashed by her in the water and struck the crocodile with enough force to shove it sideways a few feet against the current. The predator opened its jaws to deal with the threat and Merys floated free. A tiny hope of survival bloomed within her – a spurt of energy sizzled through her nerves, giving her new strength. Kicking as hard as she could with the injured leg, heart pounding, Merys clawed her way to the surface.  Something solid rose from the murky depths behind her.

As Merys screamed and flailed, too weak to swim, a hard surface lay under her, lifting her completely out of the water, supporting her as if she were stretched out on a board or a raft. 

When Merys regained consciousness, she was held safe in Bek’s muscular arms, nestled against his broad chest. Too exhausted to question the miracle of his presence she curled closer to him in relief while he strode across the beach toward her favorite spot under the palm trees.

(As you can see, being extremely angry and upset, Sobek shifted into his crocodile form to rescue his lady….

From Author’s Collection

The story:

Drawn to his abandoned temple on the banks of the Nile by an enchanting song, Sobek the Crocodile god is even more captivated by the sight of the singer herself. Appearing to her as a man, he learns she is Merys, a descendant of his last priestess. Though filled with lust, Sobek believes Merys deserves to be more than just his mistress. But the rules that govern the Egyptian pantheon forbid anything beyond a physical joining of a Great One and a human.

Merys is attracted to the handsome stranger, who arouses passions in her that no man ever has. But with no dowry and no hope of ever leaving her village, she dares not dream of the future—or love.

Sobek takes every opportunity to visit Merys, taxing his resolve to leave her pure. And when he saves her life, their mutual desire must be sated. But can a love between a human and an immortal survive the ultimate test of the gods?

Buy Links: Amazon     Apple Books     Kobo     Nook     Google

HQN does retain the rights to the audiobook. They kept the rights to the original cover art by Frauke of Croco Designs, which I still love…

Audiobook: Amazon or  Apple Books

Mar 9 2014

In the Grip of the Crocodile PRIESTESS OF THE NILE Snippet

Cover by Fiona Jayde

Merys, who has been tending an abandoned temple of the Crocodile God Sobek, didn’t realize she was talking to him (in his human form).

Sobek forms a habit of stopping by the beach in the evenings to chat with Merys. He grows ever more attracted to her, she falls in love with him (of course or there’d be no story)…but she still doesn’t know who he is. The goddess Isis intervenes with serious threats….but eventually Sobek can’t resist sneaking back to the beach to catch a glimpse of Merys… “just to hear her sing”.

Merys has been fishing with a net in the Nile shallows when she loses her protective amulet, which unbeknownst to her Sobek had bespelled to keep his crocodiles from attacking her. With it gone, she’s easy prey…she was seized by a crocodile…

The bone-crushing force sent a sheet of hot pain up her leg and through her body until adrenaline pulsed in her system.

The beast dragged her under the surface of the Nile, pulling her toward the center of the river. Cold water rushed over her face, into her open mouth. Merys gagged, tried to hold her breath, beating on the animal’s closed jaws with her fists, then trying to jab at the nearest eye. Her stomach heaved, nausea and weakness from the intensity of the pain in her leg spreading outward from her gut.

The crocodile rolled her over and over, tossing her like Tyema’s puppy with a rag doll. Black spots danced before her eyes and she scrunched them tightly closed against the dizziness. What do I do to get away before I drown? I have to breathe. My chest is going to explode. I’ve got to have air. Just as her lungs were bursting, something huge flashed by her in the water and struck the crocodile with enough force to shove it sideways a few feet against the current. The predator opened its jaws to deal with the threat and Merys floated free.

A tiny hope of survival bloomed within her. A spurt of energy sizzled through her nerves, giving her new strength. Kicking as hard as she could with the injured leg, heart pounding, Merys clawed her way to the surface. The water in her vicinity churned bright red. Something solid rose from the murky depths. Merys screamed and flailed, too weak to swim. A hard surface lay under her, lifting her completely out of the water, supporting her as if she were stretched out on a board or a raft. Thank the gods for helping me. Nausea and dizziness overwhelmed her and the world faded from her view.

Next Sobek will have to deal with her injuries and reveal his true identity….

Depositphotos

The story:

Drawn to his abandoned temple on the banks of the Nile by an enchanting song, Sobek the Crocodile god is even more captivated by the sight of the singer herself. Appearing to her as a man, he learns she is Merys, a descendant of his last priestess. Though filled with lust, Sobek believes Merys deserves to be more than just his mistress. But the rules that govern the Egyptian pantheon forbid anything beyond a physical joining of a Great One and a human.

Merys is attracted to the handsome stranger, who arouses passions in her that no man ever has. But with no dowry and no hope of ever leaving her village, she dares not dream of the future—or love.

Sobek takes every opportunity to visit Merys, taxing his resolve to leave her pure. And when he saves her life, their mutual desire must be sated. But can a love between a human and an immortal survive the ultimate test of the gods?

Amazon     Apple Books     Kobo     Nook     Google

HQN does retain the rights to the audiobook.

Audiobook: Amazon or iTunes 

Mar 2 2014

Never Lose the Amulet PRIESTESS OF THE NILE for Weekend Writing Warriors

WeWriWa button

A fun way to sample new books and find new writers! Here’s the link to the Weekend Writing Warriors central page, so you can visit all the participants sharing excerpts today…

VS_PriestessOfTheNileMy new book is still a week or two (finished the copy edits yesterday) away from being Released, so I thought I’d fill the gap with excerpts from PRIESTESS OF THE NILE, which was my first published work, because the new book is a sequel to PRIESTESS.

This excerpt is a tiny bit edited from the published book to meet the eight sentence requirement.

You can read the beginning of Chapter One of PRIESTESS here on my website so for the excerpt I’ll go a bit further into the story. Last week, Merys, who has been tending an abandoned temple of the Crocodile God Sobek, didn’t realize she was talking to him (in his human form).

Sobek forms a habit of stopping by the beach in the evenings to chat with Merys. He grows ever more attracted to her, she falls in love with him (of course or there’d be no story)…but she still doesn’t know who he is. Isis intervenes with serious threats….but eventually Sobek can’t resist sneaking back to the beach to catch a glimpse of Merys… “just to hear her sing”.

And now the events begin that cause him to reveal his true identity….she’s been fishing with a net in the Nile shallows when she loses her protective amulet, which unbeknownst to her Sobek had bespelled to keep his crocodiles from attacking her. With it gone, she’s easy prey…

She pushed her hair out of her eyes roughly and sighed in frustration, checking her neck one more time, not quite accepting the loss of her necklace. The slithering sensation against her skin as the old leather thong parted and the amulet fell had been so startling, she had not grabbed for it in time. Peering uselessly into the murk of the Nile, Merys blinked back tears. The only possession of my great-grandmother’s I had left, the symbol of my being a priestess—gone. I’ll wait for the silt to settle and then hopefully I can find it. Taking a moment to enjoy the soaring flight of a flock of white ibis against the blue sky, she stood straighter, easing her muscles. 

The sky tilted and vertigo assailed her as her feet were violently yanked out from under her. A crocodile closed its mighty jaws around her ankle, ripping a desperate scream from her throat.

Next week we’ll see what Sobek does…I  love your comments and feedback!

The story:

Drawn to his abandoned temple on the banks of the Nile by an enchanting song, Sobek the Crocodile god is even more captivated by the sight of the singer herself. Appearing to her as a man, he learns she is Merys, a descendant of his last priestess. Though filled with lust, Sobek believes Merys deserves to be more than just his mistress. But the rules that govern the Egyptian pantheon forbid anything beyond a physical joining of a Great One and a human.

Merys is attracted to the handsome stranger, who arouses passions in her that no man ever has. But with no dowry and no hope of ever leaving her village, she dares not dream of the future—or love.

Sobek takes every opportunity to visit Merys, taxing his resolve to leave her pure. And when he saves her life, their mutual desire must be sated. But can a love between a human and an immortal survive the ultimate test of the gods?

Available: Amazon    Barnes & Noble    Carina Press   All Romance

Feb 23 2014

Does He Appreciate Her? Priestess of the Nile Weekend Writing Warriors

better wewriwaA fun way to sample new books and find new writers! Here’s the link to the Weekend Writing Warriors central page, so you can visit all the participants sharing excerpts today…

So we’ve closed the door on DANCER OF THE NILE (although now you guys have me thinking about sequels…)

VS_PriestessOfTheNileMy new book is still a few weeks away from being Released, so I thought I’d fill the gap with excerpts from PRIESTESS OF THE NILE, which was my first published work, because the new book is a sequel to PRIESTESS. You can read the beginning of Chapter One of PRIESTESS here on my website so for the excerpt I’ll go a bit further into the story. Merys, who has been tending an abandoned temple of the Crocodile God Sobek, doesn’t realize she’s talking to him (in his human form). Sobek is somewhat amused by her fierce loyalty:

“I’m sure your efforts are appreciated.” He tried to keep the smile off his face, biting his cheek.

The girl frowned at him and shook one finger saying,  “The god protects us even now.” Her tone was cold, her eyes narrowed. “We have had only one ox and two cows seized by crocodiles in the past year, and no small children.” She furrowed her brow as some memory surfaced. “Well, one man was taken, but he was suspected of being a thief so no one mourned him. And the flooding of the Nile has been generous in bringing us fertile fields.”

The Story

VS_PriestessOfTheNileDrawn to his abandoned temple on the banks of the Nile by an enchanting song, Sobek the Crocodile god is even more captivated by the sight of the singer herself. Appearing to her as a man, he learns she is Merys, a descendant of his last priestess. Though filled with lust, Sobek believes Merys deserves to be more than just his mistress. But the rules that govern the Egyptian pantheon forbid anything beyond a physical joining of a Great One and a human.

Merys is attracted to the handsome stranger, who arouses passions in her that no man ever has. But with no dowry and no hope of ever leaving her village, she dares not dream of the future—or love.

Sobek takes every opportunity to visit Merys, taxing his resolve to leave her pure. And when he saves her life, their mutual desire must be sated. But can a love between a human and an immortal survive the ultimate test of the gods?

Available: Amazon    Barnes & Noble    Carina Press   All Romance

Feb 16 2014

What’s Following Us? Snippet from DANCER OF THE NILE Paranormal Romance in Ancient Egypt

 

New cover SEPT 2019

DANCER OF THE NILE,  paranormal romance set in Ancient Egypt. Nima the dancer and Kamin, one of Pharaoh’s warriors, have been traveling with a caravan for a few days as they seek to escape the pursuing enemy and get vital information to Pharaoh to stop an invasion. Nima was exposed to various temptations involving her future as a dancer and Kamin realized how much she means to him. But he’s got secrets he can’t share…they’ve quarreled, made up and then some (it’s in the book)… the caravan has now stopped in the mid-morning, which is totally unheard of and signals danger. The duo leaves the caravan while the caravan master distracts the enemy for them.

They hiked, soon increasing their speed to an easy run, Kamin holding his pace to hers.

Every couple of minutes, he checked the empty landscape behind them, walking backward for eight or nine paces, scanning the horizon.

After the fifth time he performed this ritual, Nima challenged him, “What’s wrong?”

Frowning, he said, “I can’t shake the feeling something is following us. Even if we haven’t heard howling for a few minutes now.”

Eyes wide, she glanced at the horizon behind them, saying as she did so, “Why would anything follow us, except for the Hyksos?”

He rolled his shoulders and said, “I don’t know – the common predators out here on the open desert should be afraid to tangle with humans, at least in broad daylight.”

Cutting across his words was a definite howl, from more than one animal’s throat.

VS: Turns out what’s after them is powered by black magic and quite a threat…

Depositphotos

The story for DANCER OF THE NILE:

Egypt, 1500 BCE

Nima’s beauty and skill as a dancer leads an infatuated enemy to kidnap her after destroying an Egyptian border town. However, she’s not the only hostage in the enemy camp: Kamin, an Egyptian soldier on a secret mission for Pharaoh, has been taken as well. Working together to escape, the two of them embark on a desperate quest across the desert to carry word of the enemy’s invasion plans to Pharaoh’s people.

As they flee for their lives, these two strangers thrown together by misfortune have to trust in each other to survive.  Nima suspects Kamin is more than the simple soldier he seems, but she finds it hard to resist the effect he has on her heart.  Kamin has a duty to his Pharaoh to see his mission completed, but this clever and courageous dancer is claiming more of his loyalty and love by the moment. Kamin starts to worry, if it comes to a choice between saving Egypt or saving Nima’s life…what will he do?

Aided by the Egyptian god Horus and the Snake Goddess Renenutet, beset by the enemy’s black magic, can Nima and Kamin evade the enemy and reach the safety of the Nile in time to foil the planned attack?

Can there ever be a happy future together for the humble dancer and the brave Egyptian soldier who is so much more than he seems?

Amazon   Apple Books     Kobo     Barnes & Noble    Google Play

 

Feb 12 2014

Ancient Egyptian Love Poems

Here’s one from the Archives, that I originally wrote for a guest post on Romancing the Book in 2012. The occasion was the Release of my first story set in Ancient Egypt, PRIESTESS OF THE NILE. I’m going to be publishing the sequel, MAGIC OF THE NILE, in March:

???????????????????????????????The heart of Priestess of the Nile is the love story between Sobek the Crocodile God and Merys, the priestess of one of his temples. Set in Ancient Egypt around 1500BC, the romance plays out against a paranormal background, as Sobek is a shifter who can be fully human (and very hot if I may say so!), half human/half crocodile or fully crocodile (along the scale of a dinosaur or dragon). The Ancient Egyptians were a romantic people and wrote many poems about love and romance.  With Valentine’s Day rapidly approaching, I thought that made a good topic….

“Poetry is perhaps the greatest forgotten treasure of ancient Egypt,” said Richard Parkinson, an expert on ancient Egyptian poetry at London’s British Museum, home to the largest collection of Egyptian artifacts outside of Cairo. (Interview for National Geographic News 4/20/2004).

Love poems have been found in many excavations of Egyptian ruins, from the tombs of the rich to the ruins of humble workers’ villages. It is believed that originally the poems were passed down through memorization, much as the minstrels of the Middle Ages would preserve their tales of chivalry and the love between knights and fair ladies. Eventually the poems were committed to papyrus or even scribbled in hieratic on shards of pottery and therefore preserved for us to enjoy. Students may have copied out parts of poems when practicing to become scribes.

Sobek didn’t happen to recite any poetry to Merys in the course of the novel (although I’m sure he probably made up for that lapse later LOL) but here’s one fragment of a poem dating to the time where my story occurs:

The Flower Song (Excerpt)
To hear your voice is pomegranate wine to me:
I draw life from hearing it.
Could I see you with every glance,
It would be better for me
Than to eat or to drink.
(Translated by M.V. Fox)

Here’s another fragment which I enjoy, taken from a much longer poem:

She looks like the rising morning star

At the start of a happy year.

Shining bright, fair of skin,

Lovely the look of her eyes,

Sweet the speech of her lips,

She has not a word too much.

VS_PriestessOfTheNile There was no specific celebration or day devoted to love and lovers that we know about, but the goddess Hathor was the Egyptian deity personifying love, beauty, music, motherhood and joy. We can imagine her festivals probably served as an excuse for many a pair of young lovers to enjoy each other’s company. I didn’t include Hathor in Priestess of the Nile but she’s definitely involved in a key scene in  MAGIC OF THE NILE.

Sobek and Merys managed to fall in love and find joy together without needing intervention from Hathor! My best wishes to you for a Happy Valentine’s Day.

Feb 9 2014

The Hyksos Arrive in DANCER OF THE NILE Weekend Writing Warriors

better wewriwa???????????????????????????????Continuing on with my paranormal romance set in Ancient Egypt. Nima the dancer and Kamin, one of Pharaoh’s warriors, have been traveling with the caravan for a few days as they seek to escape the pursuing enemy and get vital information to Pharaoh to stop an invasion. Nima was exposed to various temptations involving her future as a dancer and Kamin realized how much she means to him. But he’s got secrets he can’t share…they’ve quarreled, made up and then some (it’s in the book)… the caravan has now stopped, which is totally unheard of and signals danger.

This snippet follows directly after last week’s excerpt. Thala is a friend Nima made among the Minoan dance troop. Artistic punctuation warning (and a run-on sentence or two)!:

Face set in worried lines, Thala was swathed in  her cloak, walking as fast as she could without breaking into an attention-drawing run. “You’ve got to flee,” she said as soon as she drew near. “There’s a party of Hyksos determined to search the caravan. Their leader is a man by the name of Amarkash, and he seems sure you’re here.” She thrust a parcel at Nima. “Water, some food – a map. Ptahnetamun is trying to delay the enemy commander, saying they’ve no right to search his caravan and he passed the word to his men to make as much confusion with the camel strings as they could, while I came to find you.”

“But he’ll have to submit eventually,” Kamin said, “He won’t get embroiled in a fight on our behalf.”

I’m having a hard time leaving Kamin and Nima, who are two of my favorite characters. So possibly another excerpt or two from Dancer of the Nile before I switch to Magic of the Nile. (Don’t you just looove my amazingly creative titles LOL???)

The story for DANCER OF THE NILE:

Egypt, 1500 BCE

DancerOfTheNile_1600x2400Nima’s beauty and skill as a dancer leads an infatuated enemy to kidnap her after destroying an Egyptian border town. However, she’s not the only hostage in the enemy camp: Kamin, an Egyptian soldier on a secret mission for Pharaoh, has been taken as well. Working together to escape, the two of them embark on a desperate quest across the desert to carry word of the enemy’s invasion plans to Pharaoh’s people.

As they flee for their lives, these two strangers thrown together by misfortune have to trust in each other to survive.  Nima suspects Kamin is more than the simple soldier he seems, but she finds it hard to resist the effect he has on her heart.  Kamin has a duty to his Pharaoh to see his mission completed, but this clever and courageous dancer is claiming more of his loyalty and love by the moment. Kamin starts to worry, if it comes to a choice between saving Egypt or saving Nima’s life…what will he do?

Aided by the Egyptian god Horus and the Snake Goddess Renenutet, beset by the enemy’s black magic, can Nima and Kamin evade the enemy and reach the safety of the Nile in time to foil the planned attack?

Can there ever be a happy future together for the humble dancer and the brave Egyptian soldier who is so much more than he seems?

DANCER OF THE NILE, an Amazon Best Seller, is AVAILABLE on Amazon   Barnes & Noble   All Romance eBooks iTunes   Smashwords   Google Play

Feb 2 2014

The Caravan Halts DANCER OF THE NILE Weekend Writing Warriors

better wewriwa???????????????????????????????Continuing on with my paranormal romance set in Ancient Egypt. Nima the dancer and Kamin, one of Pharaoh’s warriors, havebeen traveling with the caravan for a few days as they seek to escape the pursuing enemy and get vital information to Pharaoh to stop an invasion. Nima was exposed to various temptations involving her future as a dancer and Kamin realized how much she means to him. But he’s got secrets he can’t share…they’ve quarreled, made up and Nima said she’d do a private dance for Kamin. Last week we had the beginning of the dance and now this week, I’m going to jump ahead to more peril for these two…the excerpt  takes place the next morning, after Nima’s dance and the intimate evening that followed (all of which is in the book of course). Artistic punctuation warning!:

They’d been marching for several hours, hand in hand, chatting about inconsequential things, when suddenly the rhythm of the caravan stuttered, camels ahead of them jerking to a stop with much cursing on the part of the drovers. There was mild chaos.

Kamin stopped, looking around with his eyes narrowed as he said, “I don’t like this – the one thing a caravan never does all day is come to a halt before the appointed hour or at the desired destination. Even if a camel died under its load, the others would be walked around it so something must be seriously wrong.”

Nima clutched his arm, “Could it be the Hyksos?”

“Perhaps.” He checked the nearest drovers but didn’t see anyone he recognized, much less someone he’d trust with Nima’s safety. “I should go reconnoiter, but I hate to leave you here alone.”

I  love and appreciate your comments and feedback every week! Go here  to find all the other Weekend Writing Warriors and read  an amazing variety of  terrific excerpts…

Maybe another week or two and then we ARE switching off to the soon-to-be-released MAGIC OF THE NILE.

The story for DANCER OF THE NILE:

Egypt, 1500 BCE

DancerOfTheNile_1600x2400Nima’s beauty and skill as a dancer leads an infatuated enemy to kidnap her after destroying an Egyptian border town. However, she’s not the only hostage in the enemy camp: Kamin, an Egyptian soldier on a secret mission for Pharaoh, has been taken as well. Working together to escape, the two of them embark on a desperate quest across the desert to carry word of the enemy’s invasion plans to Pharaoh’s people.

As they flee for their lives, these two strangers thrown together by misfortune have to trust in each other to survive.  Nima suspects Kamin is more than the simple soldier he seems, but she finds it hard to resist the effect he has on her heart.  Kamin has a duty to his Pharaoh to see his mission completed, but this clever and courageous dancer is claiming more of his loyalty and love by the moment. Kamin starts to worry, if it comes to a choice between saving Egypt or saving Nima’s life…what will he do?

Aided by the Egyptian god Horus and the Snake Goddess Renenutet, beset by the enemy’s black magic, can Nima and Kamin evade the enemy and reach the safety of the Nile in time to foil the planned attack?

Can there ever be a happy future together for the humble dancer and the brave Egyptian soldier who is so much more than he seems?

DANCER OF THE NILE, an Amazon Best Seller, is AVAILABLE on Amazon   Barnes & Noble   All Romance eBooks iTunes   Smashwords   Google Play