Rai Aren's Blog - Posts Tagged "egyptology"

We have been approached by Hollywood film producers (the real deal!) on the movie option for Secret of the Sands , they indicated the book seems to have "BLOCKBUSTER MOVIE POTENTIAL" - very exciting!! In the meantime, check out which actors Rai has cast in the lead roles on Storycasting.com.

Here's the link:

Cast the movie version of Secret of the Sands on Storycasting.com



Feel free to cast your own votes! Have fun :)





Rai Aren, co-author of Secret of the Sands

Hi friends,

I was absolutely delighted to come across another 5-star review of our adventure novel, Secret of the Sands. I thought I would share it with you:

reposted from Amazon:

"Can't wait for the Movie!", October 27, 2009

"Secret of the Sands is a very entertaining and exciting tale of ancient Egypt and modern archeology. The authors succeed in painting the ancient world and its characters in realistic and memorable fashion. Secret of the Sands is a story of adventure, wonder, betrayal, forgiveness, suspense, and action - all the elements that so often can be weaved together into a blockbuster movie. A hope this tale gets the opportunity to reach the big screen - i'll be amongst the first in line to see it! Fans of adventure tales like Indiana Jones will love this book." --P. Martucci

*******

If you are interested in buying our mystery novel, here is the link to the trade paperback version:

http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Sands-Ra...

and here is the link to our Amazon kindle version:

http://www.amazon.com/Secret-of-the-S...











Happy reading always, my friends!

Rai Aren, co-author of Secret of the Sands
www.secretofthesands.com

For 12,000 years a dark and deadly secret has been hidden deep below the Great Sphinx of Giza. In present day Egypt, a frightening, yet awe-inspiring story unravels as archaeologists race against time to decipher an ancient truth...

"A deep probing mystery riddled with prophecy and danger, Secret of the Sands uses Egypt and her mythology as a backdrop to delve into the meanings of life and religion." -McNally Robinson

"Rai Aren and Tavius E. have crafted a fast-paced, exciting novel overflowing with mystery and intrigue. The tension is constant. The characters fully developed. And the plot gripping. Ancient history and present day relevance are so expertly intertwined, that you might forget you are reading a work of fiction." -- Thomas Phillips, author of The Molech Prophecy

I am extremely pleased to announce that we have won two medals in the category of “Fiction-Mystery” in the Readers Favorite 2009 book contest, a silver medal for Secret of the Sands and a bronze medal for its upcoming sequel, Destiny of the Sands (coming in 2010!). How cool is that?!?! This is truly an honor for us and I am thrilled to say that we are now award-winning authors! Here is the link to the announcement:

Readers Favorite 2009 Winners



It is immensely gratifying to receive this praise and to know that our stories resonate with readers and reviewers alike. It really is a dream come true… ☺

I just had to show off our super cool Certificates of Award:






I would also like to share the judge’s comments we received on each book:

SECRET OF THE SANDS:

“Authors Rai Aren and Travius E. bring the ancient past to life. Secret of The Sands is a fast paced adventure reminding me of The Indiana Jones Series. The authors successfully weave the past and present together playing out two stories at once. In the past, we watch the story of King Traeus and Queen Axiana unfolds. There is strife in Traeus’’ kingdom. He builds a secret chamber under the Sphinx to hide a powerful machine that he hopes will help his people.
In the present Archeology students, Mitch and Alex discover a box hidden in a secret chamber under the Sphinx. The box contains two scrolls and a metal unknown to humankind but predating the iron age. They more they learn the more they question.
This is my kind of book. Please, please make a continuing series and a movie! The authors are extremely talented. I cannot praise this book enough. Fast paced, page turner, character development, fascinating plot…….what more could I ask for.” – ReadersFavorite.com


DESTINY OF THE SANDS:

“Destiny of the Sands is the second book in this series. The first book was Secret of The Sands. The story continues in 1941. The war continues and the mysterious box resurfaces. Mitch and Alex must return to once more study the strange alloy. The past and the future intertwine to create an adventure that the reader will not want to end. Danger lurks around every corner as the Nazis fight for world dominance.
(The authors) allow reader to observe life in ancient Egypt and during WWI. There descriptions are fascinating. The characters are realistic. I was very partial to the ancient Egypt scenes. While the stories are parallel for me the past was almost hypnotic. I wanted to experience more. I hope there is another book in this series.” – ReadersFavorite.com


Happy reading always my friends!

Rai Aren, co-author of the mystery novel Secret of the Sands
Destiny of the Sands to be released in 2010
www.secretofthesands.com

I just wanted to give folks an update on the ETA of the new version of Secret of the Sands, the Readers Favorite 2009 "Fiction-Mystery" silver medalist. The proof copy is scheduled to arrive this Monday, Mar.8th, 2010. It should only take me a day to review it, then if all is well, it will be approved for publication. Hopefully it will be back on the market by the end of next week. I will post updates as I get them!

In the meantime, our kindle edition remains on the market through our publisher, Maine Desk, LLC - that version won't be changing. If you are an eBook reader, do check out our ancient Egypt book and find out what has been hidden deep below the Great Sphinx of Giza for 12,000 years...here's the link:

Kindle edition of mystery novel Secret of the Sands

Happy reading, my friends!

Rai Aren, co-author of the award-winning mystery novel SECRET OF THE SANDS









For 12,000 years a dark and deadly secret has been hidden deep below the Great Sphinx of Giza. In present day Egypt, a frightening, yet awe-inspiring story unravels as archaeologists race against time to decipher an ancient truth...

"A deep probing mystery riddled with prophecy and danger, Secret of the Sands uses Egypt and her mythology as a backdrop to delve into the meanings of life and religion." -McNally Robinson

"Rai Aren and Tavius E. have crafted a fast-paced, exciting novel overflowing with mystery and intrigue. The tension is constant. The characters fully developed. And the plot gripping. Ancient history and present day relevance are so expertly intertwined, that you might forget you are reading a work of fiction." -- Thomas Phillips, author of The Molech Prophecy

I am very pleased and proud to announce that Canadian distributor, Red Tuque Books, has struck a deal to carry our award-winning mystery novel Secret of the Sands . This will more easily allow all of those super-cool Canadian bookstores & libraries to stock the book on their shelves - yippee! :)

Our ISBN for ordering is: 9781419675522

Here is our ad, which appears in their 2010 Spring catalogue:




Here is the link to the Red Tuque website where you can learn more about them:

www.redtuquebooks.ca






Red Tuque (what a cute Canadian name, eh!) has been invited to present at the 2010 BC Library Conference happening April 22nd, 23rd and 24th, where there will be representatives from about 350 BC libraries. If you are attending the conference, be sure to say hello to Red Tuque and ask about adding our Indiana-Jones style adventure novel to your shelves. Help support indie efforts & fellow Canadians by ordering from Red Tuque!

Don't forget, Secret of the Sands has undergone an upgrade, so it is even more polished & awesome than ever! The new version should be on the market in two weeks or less (I'll let you know as soon as it's there!).

Who would love it? Anyone from ages 12-112, people who love National Treasure, The Mummy movies, and Indiana Jones, readers who love suspense, adventure, alternate historical fiction, speculative sci-fi, unique mystery tales, and those who are fascinated by ancient Egypt and the enigmatic Great Sphinx of Giza…covers a lot of people, doesn't it?! That was the idea ;)

Happy reading always, my friends!

Rai Aren, co-author of the award-winning mystery novel SECRET OF THE SANDS

Hey all you libraries, bookstores, other retailers & wholesalers out there - as part of the upgrade/revision process to our award-winning mystery novel, Secret of the Sands, we have registered the novel with the Library of Congress. The new version should be ready & on the market in a couple of weeks. This registration will make it easier for all of you to add us to your esteemed shelves and choose where to categorize the novel :)




Here is our info:

ISBN-10: 1-4196-7552-4
EAN-13: 978-1419675522

Library of Congress Control Number (LCCN): 2010904965

Book Industry Subject and Category (BISAC) codes for Secret of the Sands:

1. FIC002000    FICTION / Action & Adventure
2. FIC030000    FICTION / Suspense
3. FIC040000    FICTION / Alternative History
4. FIC028010    FICTION / Science Fiction / Adventure
5. FIC024000    FICTION / Occult & Supernatural

Those categories sum up very well some of the various genres and characteristics of this adventure story, which is suitable for ages 12 to 112, and is a little like mixing Indiana Jones with The Mummy with National Treasure. There are even shades of The Golden Compass and The Chronicles of Narnia in it...

For 12,000 years a dark and deadly secret has been hidden deep below the Great Sphinx of Giza. In present day Egypt, a frightening, yet awe-inspiring story unravels as archaeologists race against time to decipher an ancient truth...





I will let you all know as soon the new version of our ancient Egypt book, Secret of the Sands is available!

Happy reading always!

Rai Aren, co-author of the award-winning mystery novel SECRET OF THE SANDS


"A deep probing mystery riddled with prophecy and danger, Secret of the Sands uses Egypt and her mythology as a backdrop to delve into the meanings of life and religion." -McNally Robinson

"Rai Aren and Tavius E. have crafted a fast-paced, exciting novel overflowing with mystery and intrigue. The tension is constant. The characters fully developed. And the plot gripping. Ancient history and present day relevance are so expertly intertwined, that you might forget you are reading a work of fiction." -Thomas Phillips, author of The Molech Prophecy

I am extremely pleased to announce that SECRET OF THE SANDS, our award-winning, bestselling mystery novel has successfully undergone a great new upgrade. It has been polished inside & out. This endeavor took two months to complete and was initiated by the exciting award our adventure novel received of a silver medal for "Fiction-Mystery", in the ReadersFavorite.com 2009 Book contest.

The new cover has the medal on it and new wording. Here is what it looks like:



In the new interior, there's lots of new things including a couple of new quotes and some very cool hieroglyphs...you'll love it!

The new version is available on Amazon & even better - they have put it on sale! I don't know how long that will last & I have no control over that, so get it while it's hot, avid readers!! Here's the link:

Secret of the Sands - new version, on sale!




Amazon's "Search Inside the Book" feature is going to take 6-8 weeks to update to the new interior, but rest assured, it's the new version you will get!

The other changes to the interior include new blurbs & excerpts from numerous great reviews this ancient Egypt book has received along the way, an update to our author bio at the back of the book (it was time), the fixing of the handful of typos (egads!) that gremlins must have inserted into the book when we weren't looking ;) and the mention of our bronze medal award for the sequel, Destiny of the Sands - also from ReadersFavorite.com in the "Fiction-Mystery" category (which can also be found at the back of the book). We are thrilled to bits to have won two medals! I have also included our new tagline for the sequel on that page:

Some secrets cannot remain hidden, some cannot be forgiven…

Those words perfectly capture the story of both books, if you've already read Secret of the Sands, you will know what I am talking about... ;)


Here is a screen shot of the awards that we won:
























If you are a Canadian bookstore or library, you can also order SECRET OF THE SANDS through our new distributor, Red Tuque Books:

www.redtuquebooks.ca
















Here is our ad, which appears in Red Tuque's 2010 Spring catalogue:






















Here is the ordering info. Readers can use the ISBN or LCCN to request the book at their fave library or bookstore if they don't already carry it:

ISBN-10: 1-4196-7552-4
EAN-13: 978-1419675522
Library of Congress Control Number (LCCN): 2010904965

BISAC codes:

1. FIC002000 FICTION / Action & Adventure
2. FIC030000 FICTION / Suspense
3. FIC040000 FICTION / Alternative History
4. FIC028010 FICTION / Science Fiction / Adventure
5. FIC024000 FICTION / Occult & Supernatural


So, who would love Secret of the Sands? This adventure novel has a double storyline, where the past & present intertwine & is intended for both young adult & adult audiences. It would appeal to people who love National Treasure, The Mummy movies, and Indiana Jones (it even has shades of The Chronicles of Narnia & The Golden Compass in it), readers who love suspense, adventure, alternative historical fiction, speculative sci-fi, unique mystery tales, and those who are fascinated by ancient Egypt and the enigmatic Great Sphinx of Giza…covers a lot of people, doesn't it?! That was the idea ;)

Secret of the Sands has made numerous appearances as an Amazon.com BESTSELLER in the categories of "Ancient Civilizations", "Books, Religion & Spirituality, Fiction", "Fiction, Action & Adventure", and "Historical Fiction", so having a new version of the book that has been shined & polished is very special :)

Happy reading always, my friends!

Rai Aren, co-author of the award-winning mystery novel SECRET OF THE SANDS


In the shadow of the Great Sphinx of Giza, two young archaeologists unearth extremely unusual artifacts over 12,000 years old, but the find is wrong - very wrong. The artifacts shouldn’t be there…they shouldn’t exist at all. The greatest discovery in human history may turn out to be the deadliest…










"A deep probing mystery riddled with prophecy and danger, Secret of the Sands uses Egypt and her mythology as a backdrop to delve into the meanings of life and religion." -McNally Robinson

"Rai Aren and Tavius E. have crafted a fast-paced, exciting novel overflowing with mystery and intrigue. The tension is constant. The characters fully developed. And the plot gripping. Ancient history and present day relevance are so expertly intertwined, that you might forget you are reading a work of fiction." -Thomas Phillips, author of The Molech Prophecy

Hey fellow book peeps,

I know many of you are also on Twitter, so I thought I would pass on the link to my Twitter page if you'd like to connect there:

http://twitter.com/raiaren





I typically post genre-based book & movie links & info, book news in general, things related to Space exploration, Egyptology, inspirational/motivational quotes, updates about Secret of the Sands, and whatever else I find interesting, funny and worthwhile sharing... :)

Tweet on, my friends!!

Rai Aren, co-author of the award-winning sci-fi / mystery novel SECRET OF THE SANDS

Hi avid readers,

I just wanted to pass along the great news that both Barnes & Noble & Amazon have our award-winning mystery novel, SECRET OF THE SANDS, on sale RIGHT NOW at a great discount. Whoohoo!!

Here is the link to the book on Amazon.com:

ON SALE NOW!! Secret of the Sands mystery novel on Amazon.com





And on Barnes & Noble:

Purchase Secret of the Sands adventure novel also ON SALE NOW at Barnes & Noble!!






I'd be honored if you would give it a read :)

Happy reading always, my friends!

Rai Aren, co-author of the award-winning mystery novel SECRET OF THE SANDS

In the shadow of the Great Sphinx of Giza, two young archaeologists unearth extremely unusual artifacts over 12,000 years old, but the find is wrong - very wrong. The artifacts shouldn’t be there…they shouldn’t exist at all. The greatest discovery in human history may turn out to be the deadliest…

"Rai Aren and Tavius E. have crafted a fast-paced, exciting novel overflowing with mystery and intrigue. The tension is constant. The characters fully developed. And the plot gripping. Ancient history and present day relevance are so expertly intertwined, that you might forget you are reading a work of fiction." -- Thomas Phillips, author of The Molech Prophecy