TOP FIVE PLACES I WANT
TO VISIT IN EGYPT
Writing LADY OF THE TWO LANDS
involved a lot of research. Along the way, I put together a list of the top
five places I’d like to see in person someday.
1) Hatshepsut’s Temple:
The most unique funerary temple in
ancient Egypt, in my opinion.
2) The Sphinx and Pyramids
The most recognizable image of
ancient Egypt
3) The Temple at Abu Simbel
When the Aswan Dam was built, this
temple had to be cut apart, moved to higher ground and reassembled so it
wouldn’t be flooded.
4) 1)
The Temple at Luxor
The Avenue of the Sphinxes
5) Cairo Museum
Where you can see “wonderful things,”
as archaeologist Howard Carter said when he entered King Tut’s tomb.
LADY OF THE TWO LANDS
By Elizabeth Delisi
Amber Quill Press
Time-travel romance set in ancient Egypt
One minute, Hattie Williams is in a museum, sketching a gold
necklace that belonged to Hatshepsut, first female Pharaoh of Egypt; and the
next, she's lying in a room too archaic to be the museum, with a breathtakingly
handsome, half-naked man named Senemut bending over her.
Hattie soon discovers she's been thrust into the body and
life of Hatshepsut, with no way back to her own time. Tuthmosis, the heir to
the throne, hates her; the High Priest of Amun and the commander of the army
want to kill her and Tuthmosis; and the best bathroom facilities in the country
are the equivalent of a cat-box.
To make matters more difficult, she's falling helplessly in
love with Senemut, and soon, she's not sure she even wants to return home. To
protect Tuthmosis from assassination, the lovers arrange to put Hattie on the
throne. But, what should she do when she suddenly finds herself, an obscure
artist from Chicago, crowned ruler of all Egypt?
Hattie banged on the door. "Is anyone there? Let me out!" She
shouted and beat on the door with her palms, but all was ominously silent. If
someone had been watching her, they had no intention of helping her out of her
dilemma.
At last, resigned to her
fate, she returned to her sketch pad. "If I'm going to be stuck in here, I
might as well finish my work," she murmured. "Tom's bound to come
back--I'm sure he will." Her voice echoed unconvincingly in the dusty,
claustrophobic room.
Picking up her pencil, she
focused deliberately on copying the tiny hieroglyphics with extreme precision.
Gradually, she became absorbed in her work and forgot her predicament. Minutes
flowed by with the only sound in the room the scratching of her pencil on the
paper.
At last, she completed the
final symbol on her detailed drawing and set down her pencil with a twinge of
disappointment. She was curiously drawn to the glittering possession of the
ancient, yet strangely modern woman. Hatshepsut had ruled Egypt fifteen-hundred
years before Christ, at a time when women were considered no more important
than servants or dogs. How had she managed it?
The vagrant breeze whispered
past her face again, leaving a whiff of exquisite perfume in its wake. A
rustle, like the caress of costly linen against bare skin, drew her attention.
She felt a strong presence, though she knew she was alone in the tiny room.
"Touch it."
The words were so faint,
Hattie wasn't sure she'd actually heard them. "Who's there?" she
asked, though she didn't expect to get a response. The room was too small to
hide anyone.
"Touch the
necklace."
Hattie spun around, searching
for the source of the barely audible words. "Tom, is that you? If it's
you, I don't think this is funny! Open the door right now." She thumped it
with her fist for emphasis.
There was no response.
Hattie turned back to the
exquisitely fashioned falcon. Maybe it was her overworked imagination playing a
trick on her; but the advice seemed sound. Perhaps if she touched the necklace,
she could make a connection--psychic, empathic?--with the long-dead monarch.
The necklace was strangely compelling, like a long-forgotten yet treasured
memory.
She reached out slowly,
cautiously. As her fingertips gently grazed the golden bird, an electric shock
pulsed through her and a sudden wave of dizziness sapped her strength.
"Come to me," the
ghostly voice whispered, stronger now. "Come to me--I have need of
you."
The sweet, cloying scent of
incense filled Hattie's nostrils, and flashes of light exploded behind her
eyes. Her vision blurred; she felt as if she were reeling, falling down a long,
dark tunnel. Gasping, she reached out blindly for something, anything, to
steady herself. Her fingers skimmed across the surface of the table and
fastened around the necklace. Clutching it, she fell heavily to the floor as
everything went black.
~~from “Lady of the Two Lands”
by Elizabeth Delisi, Amber Quill Press, Copyright 2005 by Elizabeth Delisi
About the Author
Elizabeth
Delisi has wanted to be a writer since she was in first grade, and probably
would have written in the womb if she could have convinced her mother to
swallow a pencil. But life hasn't always gone the way she planned, and on her
road to publication she worked as a motel maid, waitress, secretary,
administrative aide, substitute teacher, and newspaper reporter.
Elizabeth
is a multi-published, award-winning author of romance, mystery and suspense..
In addition to her writing, Elizabeth edits and teaches online writing courses
for Writer's Digest.
Elizabeth
lives in New Hampshire with her handsome husband and noisy parakeet. She enjoys
hearing from her readers at elizabeth@elizabethdelisi.com and invites everyone
to visit her website at www.elizabethdelisi.com
Or, check her out here:
1 comment:
Thanks so much for hosting me, Dawn! I enjoyed coming up with five places I'd like to visit. It's been fun!
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