Its OLD School – Ancient Style! discussion

I'm happy to see that other authors have found their way to this group. Please feel free to post links and/or info about your works of fiction and non here. We'd love to help promote your work!

Thanks, Jessi. That's great to hear - I know it's always wise to be a bit circumspect till you know the rules.
I'm a YA author with a new book out called Murder at Mykenai, published by Walker Books Australia last June.
Odysseus and Menelaos are the two teenage heroes, and the book is as much about their growing friendship as it is about the events leading up to and following the murder of Menelaos's father Atreus.
It's a historical novel, set in the Bronze Age, rather than the retelling of a myth, so angry gods are replaced by scheming bureaucrats and spies.
I have a website - www.catherinemayoauthor.com which has lots of extra historical information.

I know we have more authors here! Well, now its my turn to share my book. "The Forgotten: Aten's Last Queen" published under the name J. Lynn Else.

Here are a few links:

My webpage - http://www.teasippinnerdymom.com/my-w...

Amazon.com where its currently up for sale -
http://www.amazon.com/The-Forgotten-A...

Hi Jessi, and hi everyone else at It’s OLD School,

I recently read Jessi’s email regarding her love of free books and I couldn’t agree with her more. I’m releasing my second novel, The Scarab Heart, as an e-book on September 20th. It’s a YA featuring a young Victorian medium, so I realise it may be of little or no interest to this group. On the other hand, it is set in the Valley of the Kings, and it does have a rather lengthy back-story (one-third of the book) detailing Egypt’s 18th Dynasty from Amunhotep III’s marriage to Ti through to the ascension of Tutankhamen and Ankhesen. It’s currently getting four- and five-star reviews from LibraryThing Early Reviewers, some of whom have cross-posted to Goodreads. Check them out by clicking on the cover.



If any member of It’s OLD School would like a free copy, please message me between now and October 1st and I will happily send you details.

Cheers!
Michael

My historical fiction book is called The Horizon of the Sun Disc. Its an ebook compatible with ipad, nook, or if you don't have that you can download adobe digital editions from my site and read it on your laptop. My webpage is wwww.lulu.com/spotlight/JudgeMiran

Pharaoh Akhenaten changes the focus of ancient Egyptian religion by making the sun disc, Aten, the chief god. This announcement plunges the city of Thebes into chaos. Chief Justice Miran, who resides in Thebes, has fallen in love with a foreign princess, Kiya, who has escaped war in her homeland. The two cling to their love for one another as they fight to survive in a city that has been shaken to its core by the religious announcement. An assassination attempt on the pharaoh forces Miran to navigate the shifting allegiances of the royal court in his pursuit to bring the perpetrators to justice.

The US edition of my second e-book, The Scarab Heart, is released on December 20th. As you may know, the main story is set in the Valley of the Kings in Victorian times, so it may be of limited interest to this group, but the lengthy back-story (one-third of the book) traces the Amarnan period from Amunhotep III’s marriage to Ti through to the ascension of Tutankhamen and Ankhesen. Between here and LibraryThing it’s had a barrage of four-star reviews.



If anyone would like a copy, Seventh Rainbow is giving it away free on December 23rd and 24th at Smashwords. Quote coupon code LH29U when it comes time to pay.

Wishing J. and everyone else here happy holidays and a great new year,
Michael

Michael wrote: "The US edition of my second e-book, The Scarab Heart, is released on December 20th. As you may know, the main story is set in the Valley of the Kings in Victorian times, so it may be of limited int..."

Thank you. I'd be happy to check it out! You may need to send a reminder email out though. I lose track of dates easily.

Did you know there is a Goodreads Creative Writing section? Check out the info I just cut and pasted below. I have not tried it yet, but intent to explore more. Let me know your thoughts if you've tried it!

"For published writers it’s important to stay on the radar of readers in order to build a platform. One way for authors to do this is to share their writing on Goodreads. After all, the more content you provide, the more discoverable your work will be. Uploading an excerpt of the finished book to the book page is one of the most common strategies to introduce new readers to your writing style, and regular blogging or posting status updates is another way to stay on readers' minds.

The creative writing section on Goodreads offers authors another engaging platform to share their writing. Your writing shows up at the bottom of your author profile, providing your readers with the opportunity to discover and engage with your content to build social amplification. Here are some great examples of authors using their Writing sections to add value for their readers:

▪ Sylvia Day offers preview chapters of her upcoming books to the delight of her readers. ("SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!" writes Goodreads Member Alice.)
▪ Kailin Gow uploaded reading group discussion questions about her books to help book clubs get the conversation going.
▪ Karren Russell interviewed Stephen King—and both of them shared the conversation in their respective writing sections.

Just think of all the creative possibilities this platform gives you! The format is a great way to test out a chapter of a book without it appearing on the actual book page. Encourage feedback on your writing or solicit ideas for alternate story lines. Experiment with writing in a different genre than your previously published work, and include relevant tags to make your content more discoverable. You can also group stories by chapters for easy navigation.

Ready for your challenge? Start writing!"

I haven't tried it, but will probably repeat writing a serialized novel next summer, and will certainly check it out. Thank you!

When I drive through the streets of Egypt, today, I see a land of Once Upon a Time... I see the Pharaohs, the temples, and the lore. As a modern day descendant of this ancient land, the land that I've adopted as the setting of my novella, The Ankhs, I carry the deserts in my eyes, the Nile in my veins and you can see the 7000 years spinning right under my skin.

In the novella, The Ankhs, young Hathor is raised and sheltered by her parents, Sinoueh and Seena far away from "their kind". She adores the human society around her (which she's adopted as her own), but is commonly disregarded by the general mass of the laboring public. In time she accepts the status of "outcast".

When Hathor comes of age, she leaves her remote home town of Salhagaar and heads to Thebes where Kemet's Pharaoh becomes the center of her adoration. However, something unexpected happens. In a moment of frantic desperation, Hathor travels by Fire. Her own world is then disclosed to her; she is not human.

Knowledge of an ancient prophecy, a river of Fire, and the inevitable unification of three objects called "The Ankhs", sets the world of Humans and Djinn into a race against time. Sinoueh, Seena, Hathor, Anpu, Bitaah, Mirr-Ha, The Legai, and so many others, are characters that verily jump off the page and collide with the reader's mind like bullet trains.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Ankhs-Red-M...

The Ankhs: Red Marks The Child

Hi Amira,
Thanks for your account of your novella and your background. How exciting to see your ancient world all around you!

@Amira: A big congrats on all those 5-star reviews! I'm a bit jealous!!! ;)

I cannot wait to start reading your story. Thanks for the intro.

Best!

Hello everyone :D It's nice to see similar minded people brought together by something so mystical and wonderous!

I'm Damian from Ft. Lee, N.J. Pleasure to meet you all.

Oh! I've also read The Ankhs: Red Marks The Child by Amira Awaad.

Brilliant story! @Amira: I'm a big fan. HUGE! When I read the book, I couldn't help feeling that there was "more" (fingers crossed). Is there more?

Hi Catherine and J. and Damian! How nice to meet you all!

@J. I really hope you like it. My goal was to take fantasy writing to a different place. So, no dragons or witches or werewolves; but something else is out there. :)

@Damian. Wow. I'm elated that you liked the story. I am working on Part 2 now. There is more.

Elated? Elated doesn't begin to describe it! I am excited to read more, let us know if you will release any samples or sneak peeks. :)

Hey all! Here's some info for you. I've found a new location for Indie authors! Check it out! Its called Indie Book Discovery! Its a new website. I would recommend taking a peek. You can also find them on Twitter.

Here's my profile (PS - which is currently free!): J. Lynn Else is on #IndieBookDiscovery http://shar.es/1fkVv8

The Sierra Waters time travel trilogy begins with The Plot to Save Socrates http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AMUDJNS/r...

"...challenging fun" - Entertainment Weekly

"Da Vinci-esque thriller" - New York Daily News

"...a fun book to read" - Dallas Morning News

"resonates with the current political climate . . . . heroine Sierra Waters is sexy as hell . . . . there's a bite to Levinson's wit" - Brian Charles Clark, Curled Up With A Good Book at curledup.com

"a journey through time that'll make you think as it thrills ... so accessible, even those generally put off by sci-fi should enjoy the trip." - Rod Lott, bookgasm.com

"Levinson spins a fascinating tale ... An intriguing premise with believable characters and attention to period detail make this an outstanding choice... Highly recommended." - Library Journal, *starred review

"engaging time-travel yarn . . . neatly satisfies the circularity inherent in time travel, whose paradoxes Levinson links to Greek philosophy." - Publishers Weekly

"A thinking person's time travel story... I felt like I was there." - SF Signal

Free Midsummer downloads of Gooseberry!

If anyone is interested, I’m giving away free downloads of my novel Gooseberry on Wednesday 24th 2015. Based on characters from Wilkie Collins’s The Moonstone, it has been described by reviewers as “an absolute treat for fans of Collins’ novel”, “a fast-moving, rollicking and compelling read”, and a “total delightful mystery which moves along at a great pace”. Please visit my website for details of the code you’ll need. Downloads will only be available from Smashwords.com.

Guess I'm the odd one out for writing novels set in ancient Egypt.

My books are set in Mycenaean Greece and Minoan Crete.

I've just published a non-fiction work , a retelling of Greek creation myths including the struggles between the first generations of the Gods, the defeat of the Titans and victory of the Olympian Gods and myths about the creation of the first humans and Prometheus' theft of fire.