Wanted to share the news with Readers on this blog that Carina Press has acquired my next paranormal romance set in Ancient Egypt! WARRIOR OF THE NILE will be published in September 2013 - I was so excited. I'm hard at work on the next two adventures, so I hope there are Readers out there who enjoy visiting the banks of the river Nile as much as I enjoy setting stories there LOL.
This is a connected series, with my Pharaoh at the center so while we don't see my characters from the first book PRIESTESS OF THE NILE in this novel, the story does find the goddess Isis definitely involved - Nepthys is her sister - and there are other supernatural influences at work as well.
Here's the unofficial blurb for WARRIOR:
The goddess Nepthys informs Pharaoh he must send his best warrior to accompany a young noblewoman on her journey to marry the ruler of an Egyptian province – a man who is experimenting in dangerous black magic. Nepthys plans to use the warrior and the lady to defeat the schemer but the successful outcome of the magical struggle will also mean their deaths. Khenet, the warrior, takes an oath to accomplish his mission, while secretly hoping to find another way to achieve what the goddess wants without either Lady Tiya or himself perishing. And of course it never crosses his mind how much Tiya will come to mean to him on their voyage down the Nile and across Egypt – he despises high born Court ladies. But even when his heart has become involved, can he trust her? Will they survive, while still saving Egypt?
I'll share more details with you as we get closer to the publication date....here's a short, unedited excerpt from Khenet the Warrior's first encounter with the goddess:
Not knowing what
he expected, never having been in the innermost sanctum of a temple before,
other than once as a boy to swear allegiance to Horus, Khenet sized up the room
in a quick glance as he crossed the threshold. The room was dominated by a ten
foot tall statue of the goddess, arms out to the sides, palms up, her
proud face carved as if she was staring directly at anyone foolish enough to
enter her domain. The sculptor had depicted Nephthys wearing a tightly fitting,
pleated sheath and the entire statue had been covered in gold, which gleamed in
the unearthly light. A gleaming collar of
turquoise, coral and lapis lay across the statue’s chest, matching earrings
affixed to the shell-like ears. The strong scent of the lotus threatened to
choke him
“The goddess is
present,” whispered the priest, going to his knees, arms crossed over his
chest, head down.
Lady Tiya muttered a
little prayer and knelt, copying the man’s pose.
Khenet planted his
feet well apart, in a fighter’s stance and stood. I’m here in Pharaoh’s place and he wouldn’t kneel to any goddess.
Besides, I swear no fealty to Nephthys.
“Humility and
obeisance are safer choices in the presence of the Great Ones.” Where the statue
had been, Nephthys herself now stood on the pedestal in front of them, taller
than Khenet, wrapped in black robes and tendrils of gray mist. Black wig adorned
with golden and emerald beads, the goddess was crowned with an ebony headdress proclaiming her
name in one stark cartouche. Flickers of red shimmered in the air surrounding
her, bringing the heat of the desert furnace to the chamber. His ears rang with a muted buzzing
sound as if a hive full of wasps flew all around the small sanctuary. Nephthys
pointed her index finger at him, two great, ruby rings on her hand winking like
the fire she could summon at will.
“I’m here on
behalf of Pharaoh, Great One.” Khenet felt sheer stubbornness sweep over him at
her words.
Nephthys surprised him, throwing her head back and
laughing. “I see Nat-re-Akhte has chosen his representative well."More to come in September!
Do you have a favorite Egyptian god or goddess you'd love to see in one of my novels?
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