It’s been a while since I was here to talk about ancient
Egypt instead of scifi romance! Thanks for having me as your guest once more to
share an excerpt from Song of the Nile!
I generally try to write one Egyptian paranormal romance novel
per year but 2018 got too and before I knew it we were here in 2019 and I was
determined not to lose any more time. (I did release quite a few scifi romances
in that time though.)
I’ve been fascinated by ancient Egypt since I was in elementary
school and read Mara, Daughter of the
Nile, by Eloise Jarvis McGraw. At the time it was quite a revelation to me
that an author could write a novel set thousands of years ago and make the
vanished world so vivid and the people so real. I of course wanted more romance
and more magic, which is why I make sure to have the gods directly involved in
the plots of my own books.
In 2018 I was able to view the current traveling collection
of selected pieces from King Tutankhamun’s tomb and as he lived about 200 years
after the time where my novels are set, it was very inspiring. I’ll share some
of my photos from the collection here.
The blurb:
Merneith,
a harpist of rare talents, blessed by the goddess Hathor, has recently arrived
in Thebes and joined Pharaoh’s court, but must hide secrets from her past. As
she settles into her new life in the palace, the one man she can’t forget and
followed to Thebes is unaccountably absent.
Nikare,
a Medjai police officer serving under Pharaoh’s direct orders, is now deep
undercover investigating high crimes against Egypt and forbidden to contact
Merneith. Masquerading as a priest to deceive the plotters, he watches over her
from afar and longs for the day he can approach her openly.
When an
unscrupulous noble ensnares Merneith in the web of evil Nikare is pledged to
bring down, the two must stand together against earthly and magical forces to
save their own lives and protect Egypt.
How
much help will the gods provide? Will the pair survive the final showdown
between Pharaoh and the conspirators and find the happy future together they
desire?
This is
a standalone novel but is also a direct sequel to Lady of the Nile, which is where Merneith and Nikare were first
encountered as supporting characters. Now they move front and center in the
fight to protect Egypt from a new threat. Mild
spoilers for Lady of the Nile.
The excerpt: Merneith
meets another harpist who’s been assigned to mentor her in her first days at the
palace:
“I’m to be your guiding light for your first month with us.
I’ll tell you everything and, if I don’t, be sure to ask.” She sat on the bed
and tilted her head, pointing at the clothing lying on top of the baskets.
“Quite the wardrobe for a girl from a remote village.”
Blushing, Merneith hastily folded the fine linen sheath
she’d been examining, admiring the exquisite embroidery at the hem, which was a
pattern of lotus flowers and birds, and stuffed it hastily in the basket.
Smoothing down the plain dress she was wearing, she said, “It was a gift. I’ll
probably won’t need such fancy garb.”
“Yes, you will, I guarantee it. Musicians at the palace—especially
those who are young and comely—receive many invitations.” Isetemkheb fluffed
the braids on her wig and winked. Her makeup was intricate and bold, and her
demeanor made it clear she spoke from experience.
“From who?” Merneith quailed at yet another complication in
her new life. Couldn’t she simply play music and be allowed to enjoy using her
talents? She sighed.
“Nobles, army officers, priests…any man who enjoys music and
those who make it.” Now the woman examined her short fingernails, frowning, and
studied a large gold and turquoise scarab ring on the same hand. “They can be
most generous as well.”
“I—really—I’m just here to play the harp, learn new songs,
earn my room and board.” A wave of vertigo swept over Merneith as she wondered
what kind of life she’d fallen into.
“You have a man already? Back home perhaps?” Isetemkheb’s
eyes narrowed and her expression sharpened. “A noble sponsor who helped bring
you to the queen’s attention?”
Surprised by the questions, Merneith blinked. “No.” Anxious
to put a stop to the direction the conversation was taking, she said, “I’m to
go to the supply room and get wax for the harp I was assigned. New strings too.
If you don’t mind showing me where the room might be.”
The other woman waved a hand. “Plenty of time for the
drudgery of routine tasks. You’re going to need fittings for your performance
dress as well. Luckily, Pharaoh and the queen don’t stint when it comes to what
we wear.” She studied Merneith, as if measuring her for the aforementioned
dress. "Is it true the Great Royal
Wife herself appointed you to our group?”
“I came highly recommended.” Merneith made her answer short.
The series of guesses and inquiries was becoming annoying and too inquisitive.
Isetemkheb’s eyes widened, disrupting the smooth flow of the
malachite framing them on her lovely face. “Ooh, tell me more, because how does
someone from a rural province even come to the attention of the Great Ones in
Thebes?”
“Hathor blessed me. And I can’t discuss it beyond her
generosity.” Merneith walked toward the door. “Can we go to the storage rooms
now? I need to get my harp serviceable so I can practice properly before the
Master calls on me to participate actively in rehearsals.”
As she’d hoped, the other harpist rose from the bed and
followed her into the corridor. “Well, welcome to the troupe in any case. I
rather like the fact you embody so many mysteries. It’ll be quite interesting
to watch your career with us.”
VS Note: and of course Merneith isn’t going to tell her nosy new friend
about Nikare, the Medjai police officer she really longs to see again…
Author Bio and Links:
USA Today Best Selling Author
Veronica Scott grew
up in a house with a library as its heart. Dad loved science fiction, Mom loved
ancient history and Veronica thought there needed to be more romance in
everything. When she ran out of books to read, she started writing her own
stories.
Seven time winner of the SFR Galaxy Award, as well as a
National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award, Veronica is also the proud
recipient of a NASA Exceptional Service Medal relating to her former day job,
not her romances!
She read the part of
Star Trek Crew Member in the official audiobook production of Harlan Ellison’s
“The City On the Edge of Forever.”
4 comments:
Thanks for having me as your guest today! Always fun to be here...
Welcome back, Veronica. Since you were very involved in Paranormal Romantics, it's always a pleasure having you return. You did release a LOT of sci-fi romances last year. I could barely keep up. I'm anxious to read this story. I don't know the Egypt mythology the way I do Roman/Greek myths, so this should be great.
Congrats on your new release! Love the cover!
Thanks Diane and Maureen! Yes, I enjoy the ancient Egyptian setting and it's fun to incorporate mythical elements that aren't Greek or Roman, for sure...so far my scifi romances have a much bigger readership so I kind of have to prioritize writing them, but I do enjoy a 'trip' to the Nile as a creative refresher. Always fun to write in such a totally different time frame.
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