Guest Author: Elysa Hendricks

THE SCIENCE OF WRITING

People often ask me “how” I go about writing a book with paranormal elements.  What comes first?  The characters?  The setting?  The plot?  The whoo-whoo factor? Well, I've found that the whether you're writing a short, sweet contemporary romance or a sexy, werewolf/vampire romance the secret formula is basically the same. But what is that secret formula? It's different for every writer, but here's mine.

W5H

What the heck is W5H?  Well, if H2O is the chemical formula for water – two parts hydrogen to one part oxygen – then W5H – is my chemical formula for writing.

Five Ws?  One H?  What are they?  Can I buy them at the chemist’s?  No, they aren’t that kind of chemical.  You’ll only find them in the curiosity shop you keep in your mind.  Let’s look at each one.  As we do I’ll give you a  general idea of what I’m talking about and a few specific examples from my latest release MUST LOVE CATS to illustrate.

Who – Who are the characters in the story? 

Example: Frodo is the hero in Lord of the Rings.  The Dark Lord is the villain.

(In MUST LOVE CATS  Daniel Bishop is the hero, Katherine (Kat) Clark is the heroine and Thomas Cash (TC) Riley is a matchmaking cat.)

What – What do they want?  What the characters want are their goals.

Frodo wants to destroy the One Ring before the Dark Lord gets hold of it and takes over the world.

(In MUST LOVE CATS Daniel is a widower trying to rebuild his life with his young daughter. Kat is a veterinarian and an unwed mother raising an adventurous nine year old son. TC is a man who has been returned to life to redeem his soul by bringing these two people together. Only catch - he has to do it in the form of a cat.)

Where – Where does the action in this story take place?  Where is the story set?

In Lord of the Rings Tolkein created Middle Earth.

(MUST LOVE CATS takes place in the small town of Council Falls, IL.)

When – When does this story take place?  Is it set in a specific time period?  Are there any events happening as the story unfolds?

Lord of the Rings takes place as the Dark Lord is massing his army to take over Middle Earth.

(MUST LOVE CATS is a contemporary story with paranormal elements - a match maker cat.)

And Why – Why do the characters want what they want?  These are your characters’ motivations.

Frodo wants to save the Shire from being destroyed.  The Dark Lord wants power so he can rule the world.

(Daniel has moved to his wife's small town to give his daughter the happy childhood he never had. Kat  has been hurt before, so she fights against her attraction to the handsome Daniel. TC struggles to remember his past life and redeem his soul as he attempts to bring Daniel and Kat together.)

These are the 5 W’s – Who, What, Where, When & Why.

And finally there’s the H of my formula.  The HOW.

How – How does each character go about obtaining their goals?  Or what do the characters do in the story to get what they want?

Froda joins forces with others who help him in his quest to destroy the one ring.

(To bring Daniel and Kat together, TC enlists the help of Daniel's young daughter, the only person who knows he's not really a cat.)

When these ingredients are mixed together properly the result is a good story that grabs the reader.  Journalists have used this formula successfully for years.  But to create fiction with this formula I add my special ingredient - The WHAT IF factor.

The What If factor is what takes the elements of W5H and transforms them into compelling fiction.  It’s the special seasoning that adds flavor to a story.  This is the ingredient that pulls all the others together – it’s the catalyst – or what some people might call the plot.

Sometimes my stories will start out with What If.  What If a young man dies, is reincarnated as a cat, and is given the task of playing matchmaker?  Interesting premise, but by itself it’s not a story.

Once I have my premise I start adding the W5H.  Who is he?  What does he want?  What does he have to do to reach his goal?  When does this happen?  And how does he accomplish this?

Other times it’s the Who that sparks a story idea – an unusual character or characters who inspire me.  (A matchmaking cat. A hero who's allergic to cats. A heroine who's a veterinarian.)

Or the What might trigger me – a character’s specific goal – it could be something as simple as going to a wedding or as grand as saving the universe.  (TC needs to redeem his soul.) Or the Where might be what gets me going – a special location whether it’s the American West, England, a tropical island, a far flung universe, or a small Midwest town.

Or the When –yesterday, today or tomorrow.

Or maybe the Why of the story intrigues me – a quest for love, for revenge, or maybe for the character to find themselves.  (In MUST LOVE CATS in order to save his soul, TC needs to learn to care more about others than himself.)

And don’t forget the How – In Star Wars, Luke goes with Obe Ben Kenobi to learn to use the Force and join the rebels.

W5H and What If are the ingredients I use to write compelling fiction.  But unlike a true chemical formula the ingredients aren’t always the same, they change and vary from story to story, writer to writer.  This is where the science of writing ends and the art takes over.  Each writer uses these basic components to create their stories in their own unique way.

Just remember that by themselves none of these elements makes a story.  All must be present in whatever amount or form the writer chooses.  But every story needs a Where and a When.  Each Who needs a What, a Why, and a How.  And after you determine these throw in some What Ifs and let your imagination take off.

~~~~~

I've always loved cats and been support staff for a few. To me cats are more human than animal, so creating a man reincarnated as a cat was fun. He's all cat at the same time he's all male. I'm looking forward to helping him grow and mature as he lives The Nine Lives of Thomas Cash Riley.

MUST LOVE CATS - The Nine Lives of Thomas Cash Riley - Book 1

Thomas Cash (TC) Riley is mad, bad and –dead. Killed in a one car wreck the twenty-nine-year old playboy is given one last chance to redeem himself for living a selfish, unfulfilled life and to determine his soul’s final destination.

To help his young daughter recover from the loss of her mother, Daniel Bishop, a widower who dislikes the country and is allergic to anything with fur, has moved back to his wife’s rural hometown to be close to her large family.

Katherine (Kat) Sinclair, the local veterinarian and the single mother of an adventurous ten-year old son, is wary of the handsome newcomer. Once before she’d given her heart to a wealthy, charming man and she’d ended up pregnant and alone.

With the help of a lonely little girl and a brash young boy, can TC find a way to bring these two damaged people together? Can he remember his past and save his soul in the allotted time?

And can he do it all as a cat?

~~~~~
Buy Links:

Amazon:

http://is.gd/mustlovecats

Smashwords:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/366089

Web site:

http://www.elysahendricks.com

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Elysa-Hendricks-Author/137316289643103

Nightmare Publishing Experiences

I've had a rough few days. As I popped aspirin today at the day job, I thought about how stressful and awful some parts of the last 7 years have been. Ever since I signed my first "traditional" publishing deal. This past weekend, another chapter ended. With a disappointing whimper. I'm somewhere in the vicinity of sad/pissed off. And I'm feeling demonic.

So, I invite you to share your most horrific publishing experiences here in the comments, simply because I am hoping they will make me feel better. [Yeah. It's all about me.]

Let's not use any names of publishing companies or editors or agents. I don't need any more bad karma. Give them a nice fake name and tell your tale. I won't breathe a word. Promise.

The more gruesome, the better.

Kismet Series Covers

Hopefully, these UK covers will show up in the USA after the first of the year. I like them!

Guest Author: Sapphire Phelan

Paranormal Halloween

 

It’s that time of year again, when ghosts, goblins, witches, monsters, and all manner of scary things haunt the night of October 31^st.  Whether you call supernatural or paranormal, it’s all about Halloween.

It is said that on Halloween, the veil between the world of the living and the world of the dead is at its thinnest. This allows the spirits of that dark unknown place to more freely walk among us—making Halloween the spookiest time of year. Whether that is true or just a tradition, it's certain that the living is more focused on ghosts and the possibilities of the paranormal throughout October. Yes, thanks to Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventurers, people know that phantoms are all year long, but when creepy things happen at Halloween, the feeling of the season makes them all the scarier.

Bonfires are held on Halloween. Today, it’s just for furn. But attribute this as a hold over from a time when people still worshipped the Syrian sun god Baal. The fires were meant to represent the sun, and thus, honor him. This tradition predated Samhain, making it one of the oldest customs. Fires were also thought to be used as a way to scare off any supernatural being which might wish to bring harm or misfortune. During the spread of Christianity in Europe, people gathered around communal bonfires to feast and make merry all night, often times telling ghostly tales. They’d do this ’til sunrise, fearing to sleep because of the ghosts and goblins which were abroad. Another thing that is done back then that we still do today—wearing costumes to Trick or Treat or to Halloween parties—was masquerading or guising on Halloween because of the belief that wearing a disguise hid you from wicked spirits and fiends seeking to harm mortals, or to frighten or confuse otherworldly entities.

The custom of Trick or Treat also had its start in a paranormal Halloween of ancient times. In ancient Ireland, there would be a “White Mare procession,” where someone would dress in a white sheet, carry a horse’s skull, and lead a parade of children. Gifts were given to the children, who’d say prayers to keep bad spirits away. In Medieval Europe, impoverished adults and children alike, would go “souling,” singing songs and offering prayers to the dead on All Hallow’s in return for soul cakes.  On the night of the Feast of Samhain, people would go door-to-door collecting provisions for the feast. They’d often be dressed in costumes to confuse the supernatural beings lurking about that night. Gifts of food were also left out for real faeries and goblins who were roaming about in autumn.

Carving a Jack ‘O’ Lantern was yet another way to frighten away spirits. In Ireland, These were originally lanterns made from carved turnips. The light, as well as the ghoulish faces carved into the lanterns, was another way to scare off trouble making creatures. In America, the custom became carving pumpkins, likely because it was much easier than carving a turnip. There’s even an Irish tale that says the reason, called Legend if the Jack-O-Lantern.

Stingy Jack was a miserable, old drunk who loved playing tricks on anyone and everyone. One dark, Halloween night, Jack ran into the Devil himself in a local public house. Jack tricked the Devil by offering his soul in exchange for one last drink. The Devil quickly turned himself into a sixpence to pay the bartender, but Jack immediately snatched the coin and deposited it into his pocket, next to a silver cross that he was carrying. Thus, the Devil could not change himself back and Jack refused to allow the Devil to go free until the Devil had promised not to claim Jack's soul for ten years.

The Devil agreed, and ten years later Jack again came across the Devil while out walking on a country road. The Devil tried collecting what he was due, but Jack thinking quickly, said, "I'll go, but before I do, will you get me an apple from that tree?"

The Devil, thinking he had nothing to lose, jumped up into the tree to retrieve an apple. As soon as he did, Jack placed crosses all around the trunk of the tree, thus trapping the Devil once again. This time, Jack made the Devil promise that he would not take his soul when he finally died. Seeing no way around his predicament, the Devil grudgingly agreed.

When Stingy Jack eventually passed away several years later, he went to down to Hell to see the Devil, but the Devil kept the promise that had been made to Jack years earlier, and would not let him enter.

Thinking, Ah, Heaven will surely let me in then!, he wandered up to the Gates of Heaven, but was refused entrance because of his life of drinking and because he had been so tight-fisted and deceitful.   
 
Jack went back to Hell to see the Devil.

"Where can I go?" asked Jack.

"Back to where you came from!" replied the Devil. "You doomed yourself to roam the earth, a restless soul who can find no rest ever." Lucifer tossed him a turnip and a ember straight from the fires of Hell itself. "Here, hollow out this turnip and place this ember inside. Use its light to find your way through eternity." 

And to this day, Jack wanders, never stopping in one place, a hauntingly lost soul, who learned you never ever really beat the Devil at his own game.

So dust off that costume in the closet, carve that pumpkin, and make sure your home is properly protected, for as that old poem remarks:

“From goulies and ghosties and long-leggedy beasties
And things that go bump in the night
Good Lord, deliver us!”

 

What kind of legends or myths have you heard about Halloween? Leave a comment about one of them and be entered to win a download of Just Another Paranormal Halloween anthology that includes my paranormal romance story, “His Girl.”

 

HAPPY PARANORMAL HALLOWEEN!

Sapphire Phelan

Dark heroes and heroines with bite...sink your teeth into a romance by Sapphire Phelan today.

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The Witch And The Familiar Blurb—my latest book:

Mortal woman Tina discovers she is part of a prophesy that says she and Charun, her demon Familiar, must make love so she can become the witch she is fated to be. If she doesn't do it and stop the demon army bringing Armageddon to the Mortal Realm on Halloween, she won't stand a chance in Hell.

A year later, just when Tina and Charun thought it was all over and that their life would be normal—another prophesy pops up. If Lucifer snatches Tina and mates with her before the last chime before midnight of the new year and gets her pregnant with his son, that the real Armageddon would begin, spelling the end of life as they knew it. This time they get help from an archangel, Jacokb, but with demons, Lucifer, and a cute demon bunny with fangs out of a Monty Python nightmare, out to stop them and Heaven not lending a hand, will Tina this time lose the battle and become the mother of the Antichrist and the start of a new Hell on Earth?

About Sapphire Phelan:

Sapphire Phelan has published erotic and sweet paranormal/fantasy/science fiction romance along with a couple of erotic horror stories. Her erotic urban fantasy, Being Familiar With a Witch is a Prism 2010 Awards winner and a Epic Awards 2010 finalist. The sequel to it is A Familiar Tangle With Hell, released June 2011 from Phaze Books, Both eBooks were combined into one print book, The Witch and the Familiar, and released April 24, 2012. Her male/male paranormal romance novella, Dark Leopard Magic, second book in the Beast Magic series was just released as an audio book.

She admits she can always be found at her desk and on her computer, writing. And yes, the house, husband, and even the cats sometimes suffer for it!

Find out more about Sapphire Phelan at http://www.SapphirePhelan.com.

The Witch And The Familiar Buy Links:

Phaze Books  BarnesandNoble.com , Books A Million  and Amazon    For those in Uk, find it at AmazonUK

 

Exposure!

For some reason my novella, UNDEAD IN THE CITY, isn't showing up in any of its usual categories. That means nobody can find it!

I tweaked it on my Amazon dashboard and am going to shine a light on the story. I've always liked this one. It's bloody, sexy [hot!], funny -- like all my writing!

Lead guitarist Tempest Moon and vampire assassin Malveaux sizzle in the inner city of Detroit. Check them out.

I'd appreciate if you could help me spread the word about it.

http://amzn.to/1gSEFRz

Thank you!

Guest Author Shara Lanel

The Sabbat Samhain

Samhain, often said to be pronounced “Sow-in” is the sabbat of the New Year for most Wiccans, the name coming perhaps from the Irish Gaelic word for “summer’s end.” This is at the time we celebrate Halloween (“Hallowed Evening”). The veil between worlds is said to be the thinnest at this time, thus its association with death and divination. This was the time of the very last harvest, when the less healthy animals were slaughtered so that the healthier animals had more feed to survive until spring. Therefore Samhain was a feast day. At this time the Horned God dies and the Crone aspect of the Goddess reigns until Yule when the God is reborn, promising the return of the light.

The Norse god Loki, the trickster, is considered at his height during this time, perhaps having something to do with our handed-down tradition of trick-or-treat. And the goddesses Hekate and Cerridwen are often associated with Samhain because of their crone/Dark Mother/Underworld goddess aspects.

Since the veil between the world of the living and the dead is thin, Samhain is a great time to set out plates of food for our ancestors, perhaps in front of a window lit with a candle to light their way. We may also try to contact them for divination purposes. We may wear masks of our ancestors to help. We can also share our experiences of the past year with our passed loved ones, such as writing a letter to them with our accomplishments and failures of the past year, which can be cathartic for the living.

One of the key elements of Samhain, when all seems dead or dying, is the reminder that the Wheel of the Year turns and all will be reborn again at the Yule sabbat.

Resources:

Sabbats by Edain McCoy

Celebrating the Seasons of Life: Samhain to Ostara by Ashleen O’Gaea

The Real Halloween by Sheena Morgan

Halloween by Silver Ravenwolf

An article on simple Samhain rituals: http://hubpages.com/hub/Simple-Samhain-Rituals-and-Traditions

I have also have pins to Samhain/Halloween pics and info under two of my Pinterest boards:

http://www.pinterest.com/sharalanel/witchcraft/

http://www.pinterest.com/sharalanel/october-celebrations/

 

BLURB for A TWISTED MAGICK by Shara Lanel:

 

Shylah, a small-town teacher, has put her arcane history behind her, until two students are murdered occult style. Her Wiccan religion is outed. She loses her job and deals daily with ridicule. The obvious thing would be to leave town, but she refuses—she’s innocent.

Gabriel is a PI from California dealing with his aunt’s cold shoulder. She wants him to fly to Virginia to solve his cousin’s murder, but he doesn’t have the money or the time until he breaks a big case he’s been working on. Now his cousin’s case is three months cold with one hot witchy suspect and no proof. As soon as he sees Shylah, he wants her, for a lot more than just questioning.

Gabe has the power to make Shylah’s insides melt and her judgment fade. She knows he can bring her down if he discovers the twisted magick of her past, but every time he touches her, she can’t say no. She needs to get him to see past prejudice and help her find the real killer. Together, they make magic in more ways than one.

A Romantica® paranormal erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave Twilight line.

BUY LINK: http://www.ellorascave.com/a-twisted-magick.html

Excerpt: http://sharalanel.com/books/a-twisted-magick/excerpt-from-a-twisted-magick/

 

Contest: A TWISTED MAGICK Blog Tour needs a fab prize at the end, don’t you think? How about a $20 Amazon gift cert! Comment on any of my blog posts during the tour, then refer to the contest page (http://sharalanel.com/2013/09/05/enter-to-win-amazon-gift-card/) on my Shara blog to get yourself entered to win! I’ll draw the winner on Nov. 1^st.

 

Guest Author: Shelley Munro

Alien Cats in Middlemarch

Writers are collectors of ideas and information. We read myths and legends from around the world, take bits and pieces of these and personal experience and weave them into paranormal tales.

One news story that caught my attention was in our New Zealand Herald about a mysterious black cat sighted in the Canterbury region of the South Island, New Zealand. This internet article on Mysterious New Zealand details some of the sightings of what are thought to be black leopard. http://www.mysteriousnewzealand.co.nz/mysteries_strangeness/animals/bigcats/bigcats_sample.html

So what, you say. Big deal.

The big deal is that leopards are not native to New Zealand. We don’t have any native mammals except a very small bat. Private individuals are not allowed to keep exotic animals, and although we have zoos and a few safari parks that keep big cats, it would be a big deal if one escaped. The public would hear about it, believe me!

Animals that are sighted in areas where they wouldn’t normally live are referred to as aliens. Some people who believe in conspiracies say that they really are released by aliens. From a writer’s point of view, this could add an interesting element to a story, but I digress.

Back to alien cats. New Zealand isn’t the only country with alien cats roaming the countryside. In England they have the Beast of Dartmoor, a big cat that roams the lonely moors of Dartmoor. Popular opinion says a big cat could easily live on the moor, given the isolated land and the large number of stock that graze the moors. http://www.legendarydartmoor.co.uk/beast_dart.htm In England they passed a law in 1976 called the Dangerous Animal act where owners were legally bound to register exotic animals and keep them in secure conditions. Many couldn’t or wouldn’t comply and were thought to have released their animals into the wild. Here’s a link to a 2010 article about big cats on the loose in England. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1282333/Leopards-big-cats-ARE-loose-Britain--just-dont-tell-soul.html

Sightings of alien cats are also prevalent in Australia. It’s said that American soldiers are responsible for their presence. They took mascots to Australia with them and released them into the wild before they returned home to the US. http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2013/04/australian-big-cats-not-so-alien/

The idea of a big cat roaming Canterbury had plot bunnies jumping through my brain, but I couldn’t find the right fit until one night I watched a news article about the country town of Middlemarch and their shortage of marriageable women. The two ideas blended into one, which then became the basis for my Middlemarch Mates series.

In my Middlemarch, a community of black leopard shapeshifter lives and loves while I chronicle their adventures. Learn more about my Middlemarch Mates series at my website. http://www.shelleymunro.com/series-guide/

CONTEST: Win an ebook from Shelley’s back list. To enter, please tell me if you’ve heard of alien cats before or tell me about your favorite type of paranormal species.

Excerpt from Scarlet Woman, Middlemarch Mates, book one.

“Cut it out, the pair of you,” Saber said, trying to scowl his boisterous younger brothers into obedience. Despite laying down the law this afternoon, the four were out of control. He had to get them settled before one of their harmless pranks boiled over into something that threatened them all.

“Yeah, gotta remember, this is punishment,” Leo chided, humor dancing in his dark eyes.

Joe let out a low whistle. “I vote the lady in red administers my punishment.”

Saber relaxed a fraction. Good. His plan was working already. If he managed to get each of his brothers mated, they’d cut out the mischievous shenanigans and settle down to raise a litter or two. And he wouldn’t have to worry about articles in the paper like the one he’d seen last month.

Black panther sighted again.

At least the article had lit a match under the council elders. Finally. Agreement that they needed to do something to help the younger males settle. Saber’s mouth firmed in introspection as he recalled the heated meeting. The council had discussed the lack of females of marriageable age. They knew the causes—the feline families tended to have male offspring while the human females seemed to enjoy the lifestyle offered in the city of Dunedin or farther afield. They attended high school and university in the city and never returned to their birthplace. The human males left too, but they tended to return after exploring a little of the world outside Middlemarch. Until the reporter’s story had appeared, no one had tried to solve the problem of a lopsided gender ratio. The article in the paper had been the catalyst. They’d all swung into action to organize a dance they hoped would benefit both the young shifter and human males living in Middlemarch. The task they’d called impossible suddenly became imperative.

Saber eyed Felix and Leo, the brothers standing closest to him, feeling the tension brought about by responsibility coalesce into a solid lump in his chest. They both strenuously denied taking part in the prank, but Saber wasn’t so sure. He knew his brothers—where there was fun to be had, they were in the thick of it.

Felix nudged Sly. “Big bro’s looking serious. He’s got Mission Mate on his mind again.”

Joe leaned closer and whispered, “Can’t have shape shifters roaming around Middlemarch for the humans to see.”

“Enough,” Saber snapped. His brothers sobered, knowing they’d pushed him far enough tonight. Dammit, he had to find them mates. It was too late for him. But not for them.

Ellora’s Cave - http://www.ellorascave.com/scarlet-woman.html

Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0032UDTMQ

Shelley Munro lives in New Zealand with her husband and a rambunctious puppy called Bella. She writes spicy romance for Carina Press, Ellora’s Cave and Samhain Publishing. To learn more about Shelley and her books visit her website www.shelleymunro.com.

Guest Author: Veronica Scott

Using the Gods Of Egypt As Characters

They always say you should write the book you can’t find enough of on the shelf and for me, that would be romances set in Ancient Egypt, with the gods actively taking part in events. I write in the 1550 BCE time frame, a period of great change for the Egyptians as they threw off a foreign invader. The true events of history create many plot opportunities. I do tons of research in order to put my characters in a setting which feels real and evocative of the time but I also take some deliberate liberties with history. My Pharaoh is a composite of several men who sat the throne at this time, for example.

One of the best things about employing the Egyptian gods as characters is that there were many varying legends and beliefs about each deity, so I can pick and choose the aspects that work best for my story. A true lightbulb moment for me was when I was studying a statue of Sobek, the Crocodile God, in his half human form and realized I was looking at a shifter. While the Egyptians never depicted him in full human guise, what if that was just because they never happened to see him that way? And what if he enjoyed walking as a human on his favorite part of the Nile’s riverbank at twilight and happened to hear a priestess singing one of his favorite paeans? (Crocodiles have very sensitive hearing as it turns out.) Romance ensues…that was the beginning of my debut novella, Priestess of the Nile from Carina Press. Sobek has his challenges, understanding the human heart and what it means to truly love.

For my current release, Warrior of the Nile, I started with opposing sister goddesses, Isis and Nephthys.  What if Nephthys was trying to solve a problem and needed humans to assist her? She’s a goddess of death, a fierce deity with the power to incinerate enemies of Pharaoh, one who can wield significant magic.  In my world, she’ll do anything to protect Egypt from a black magic threat, but she’s not very sympathetic to individual men and women. “Humans are but tools to accomplish the goal, pawns to play in the game,” the goddess said (in my novel). Isis, on the other hand, is willing to intervene on occasion.  She was regarded by the Egyptians as the ideal mother and wife and everyone felt they could ask her to help them with their individual problems, despite her lofty role in the pantheon of gods. (Did I mention she appears in Priestess of the Nile as well?). Here’s what she had to say in my novel, in part: “Perhaps I believe there can be an even better outcome. Perhaps I argued with my sister to no avail about the deliberate sacrifice of human lives and immortal souls, no matter how noble the cause. Such actions are the start of a slippery path. Perhaps I think oaths shouldn’t be sworn for all time, levied on innocent descendants of the oath giver.”

And finally, in Dancer of the Nile, which comes out October 15^th, I had great fun with Renenutet the Snake Goddess.  She was particularly involved with the harvest but as a woman with the head of a cobra, she has her deadlier aspects, believe me. Some Egyptian myths designated her as the wife of Sobek, but I chose to go with the idea they’d been lovers at some point, not married. As Sobek says, “Snakes and crocodiles, we’re among the oldest creatures. We took pleasure together from time to time. “  Yes, I’ve made Renenutet the ex girlfriend in effect.

Here’s the story for Warrior of the Nile:

Lady Tiya is bound to the service of the goddess Nephthys, who plans to sacrifice Tiya’s body to protect Egypt from an ancient terror. She embarks to meet her grim fate alone but for the hardened warrior Khenet, who is fated to die at her side. Tiya’s dreams of love and family now seem impossible, and Khenet, who is the last of his line, knows his culture will die with him. Struggling with the high cost of Nephthys’s demands, both resolve to remain loyal.

Neither expects the passion that flowers when Tiya’s quiet courage and ethereal beauty meet Khenet’s firm strength and resolve. On a boat down the Nile, their two lonely souls find in each other a reason to live. But time is short and trust elusive.

Without the willing sacrifice of Tiya and Khenet, a great evil will return to Egypt. How could the gods demand their deaths when they’ve only just begun to live?

Buy Links: Amazon  for kindle and audiobook  Carina Press   AllRomance eBooks       Barnes & Noble

You can find Veronica Scott: Blog  @vscotttheauthor   Facebook  Amazon Author Page

Veronica is giving away an Amazon gift card to one commenter!