Category: Ancient Egypt Sports

Book Review | “FAE: an #anthology of Fairies” [edited by] Rhonda Parrish published by #IndiePub World Weaver Press

Posted Sunday, 30 August, 2015 by jorielov , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 0 Comments

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Acquired Book By: Did you ever grow curious about a new publisher who produces science fiction, fantasy, and horror genre selections in both novel length and short stories? Did you ever decide to enquire with the publisher you’ve found to see if they were open to book blogger requests to read and review their selections!? This is the situation I found myself in as I was quite mystified by the offerings of World Weaver Press! Such a delightful discovery on my behalf, and a website full of inspiring reads across SFF!

Choosing which book to select for review was a bit tricky, but as I love short stories and in particular short stories within the realms of Fantasy, I elected to select this collection of stories of the fae! I received a complimentary copy of “FAE” direct from the publisher World Weaver Press in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

A bit of an introduction to World Weaver Press:

World Weaver Press is an independently owned publisher of fantasy, paranormal, and science fiction. We believe in great storytelling. Launched in March 2012 in Kalamazoo, Michigan, World Weaver Press is currently based in Alpena, Michigan, owned and operated by Editor-in-Chief Eileen Wiedbrauk.

We believe in great storytelling. We believe in challenging genre boundaries and engaging the fundamental human drive to tell stories that resonate emotionally. The way we do it is by partnering with great writers to craft and edit the best fantasy, paranormal, and science fiction stories possible. By creating beautiful, well designed paperbacks and ebooks. By growing their publicity. And by fostering a family of authors excited to work with us. We believe that publishing speculative fiction isn’t just printing words on the page—it’s the act of weaving brand new worlds.

Indie publishers are on the cutting edge of encouraging interactive reader to author events, and World Weaver Press has poised themselves to curate one of the most stimulating chats in the twitterverse for booklovers of Speculative Fiction! I’ve been a resident chatterbox in weekly, bi-monthly, and quarterly Twitter chats hosted by a variety of individuals, publishers, authors, and Entertainment Industry outlets as well, however, one of my favourite topics of interest being a writer of SFF myself, is opening up a convo with other readers, book bloggers, writers, editors, and the bookish community surrounding Science Fiction and Fantasy as a whole!

I used to frequent the #FantasyChat on Sundays until time became a bit of a barrier for me at that timeslot, wherein the same group who meets-up on the weekends, happily found the same niche of interest I did in #CreatureChat Wednesdays @ 9pm. This is where you can talk dragons, gryphons, and all other sorts of fantastical and mythical wonders of beasts and animals! It’s a broad chat for Fantasy lovers, but I truly can admit, I’ve been seeking out alternatives to talk with others who are keen on SFF as a whole rather than limited by one group of topics. I found several SFF chats on Twitter, but my favourite now is the #SFFLunch hosted by World Weaver Press.

Ironically or not, I’ve only been able to attend one of these wicked awesome chats (thus far!) as try as I might to *stalk!* the homepage of the publisher, I truly wish they had a newsletter and/or a tweet reminder system in place for those who are busy and forgetful about when these events are happening! I nearly thought I was clued into the June meet-up, except to say I was thinking it was *today!* Wednesday when in all honesty they met-up yesterday on Tuesday! *le sigh* One of these months, the moons shall be kind and align,…

Outside of the chat, I had the pleasure of writing a response to one of the writers whose short is included in FAE: Kristina Wojtaszek, who wrote a #DiverseSFF story involving a character of special needs. She was featured on the publisher’s website with a well-writ Guest Post entitled: A Hob, a Mom, and a son with Asperger’s. Prior to my review, I started to share my discovery of World Weaver Press on my first entry into a new weekly meme feature I am kicking off on Jorie Loves A Story Summer 2015: 10 Bookish and Not Bookish Thoughts! Likewise, I left a comment on the editor’s blog when she announced books two and three in this continuing series of fantastical mischief and mayhem! Be sure to read my highlights of attending my first #SFFLunch!

World Weaver Press Banner of Books provided by the publisher and used with permission.

Keen interest in the world of Speculative Fiction | side note: the fae:

My interest in the fae and the communities of the faeries grew out of my childhood focused on Speculative Fiction as a whole across different mediums of story-telling. My knowledge of the fae is not as evolved as my love of SFF, but my curiosity has become quite piqued by other authors who are writing compelling and wicked stories of these curious people who are short in statue but not in heart! Truly, it was the anthology collection by another Indie publisher (Seventh Star Press) which first perked my attention to anthological collections of shorts being one of the best gateways into appreciating new-to-me authors of Fantasy fiction. (with an empathsis on the fae!) Their collection A Chimerical World: Tales of the Seelie Court proved to be one of my most beloved anthologies read to date.

This led me to seeking out more stories by E. Chris Garrison (due to Ms Chris writing about the Seelie Goose!) and launched a search for other Indies who were publishing wicked quality collections and/or novel length stories within the realms of SFF. My heart is divided equally between science fiction and fantasy, with a slight bent of newfound interest in Cosy Horror (yes, this is a new term I coined during Horror October 2014 and apparently it’s ‘catching on!’)

Yet, whilst I broached a discussion question during a recent #CreatureChat, I noticed there was an absence of response on the merits of where the fae originated in fiction and of whom the grandfathers / grandmothers of this niche of Fantasy originally sourced their ideas or picked up ideas through their research. I realise a heap of story craft is interwoven into our imaginations, but writers are curious creatures, and we do like to research as much as we love to create from scratch.

Here is the Q:

[ more of the same thread of context w/in the convo ]

I suppose you could say I’m on a self-motivated journey into the world of the fae. I seek to understand their nature and to understand their world(s). I have several books earmarked off in mind to read of the fae, but I was hoping perhaps someone out there might have recommendations for me as to help paint the path towards knowing how they started to emerge into popular Speculative Fiction and how they become as established as they are for a muse.

I do not oft talk about my own writerly pursuits as I am living in the season of a book blogger whose an avid reader giddy happy for discovering new genres, new stories, and new authors. However, my heart always had a special place for SFF due to the enormity of freedom on where you could take a story. You can lead your reader down a road of science grounded realism or you can jump the rails directly into the unknown and guide a reader into a world you’ve fully realised and created yourself. It’s such a lovely branch of literature because of the incredible breadth of choice and selection. The very first manuscript I conceived into being was science fiction based on science fact, however, the more I read Fantasy, whilst being tempted by the ‘cosier’ and ‘psychological’ side of Horror, I’m starting to spread my wings on where my own fiction might reside.

I read across the full spectrum of literature from Major Trade to Indies, with a special appreciation and fondness for Indies as I grew up supporting a wicked awesome Indie bookshoppe who first introduced me to ‘local authors’ and ‘local author events’. As I step back through the doors of SFF, I’m settling inside a heap of lovelies from Indie writers moreso than Major Trade, but this is partially due to the fact my own personal collection of stories are ferreted out into boxes and are not accessible to be read. Hence why I rely on my local public library for ILL’ing (inter-library loan) and borrowing through our local catalogue of SFF.

I am an appreciator of stories;
irregardless of their route to publication,
if they are print and bound in an edition I can hold by hand whilst
reading off the printed texture of a page — I’m one bonefide happy reader!

Book Review | “FAE: an #anthology of Fairies” [edited by] Rhonda Parrish published by #IndiePub World Weaver PressFAE
Subtitle: An Anthology of Fairies

Meet Robin Goodfellow as you've never seen him before, watch damsels in distress rescue themselves, get swept away with the selkies and enjoy tales of hobs, green men, pixies and phookas. One thing is for certain, these are not your grandmother’s fairy tales.

Fairies have been both mischievous and malignant creatures throughout history. They’ve dwelt in forests, collected teeth or crafted shoes. Fae is full of stories that honor that rich history while exploring new and interesting takes on the fair folk from castles to computer technologies to modern midwifing, the Old World to Indianapolis.

Fae bridges traditional and modern styles, from the familiar feeling of a good old-fashioned fairy tale to urban fantasy and horror with a fae twist. This anthology covers a vast swath of the fairy story spectrum, making the old new and exploring lush settings with beautiful prose and complex characters.

With an introduction by Sara Cleto and Brittany Warman, and all new stories from Sidney Blaylock Jr., Amanda Block, Kari Castor, Beth Cato, Liz Colter, Rhonda Eikamp, Lor Graham, Alexis A. Hunter, L.S. Johnson, Jon Arthur Kitson, Adria Laycraft, Lauren Liebowitz, Christine Morgan, Shannon Phillips, Sara Puls, Laura VanArendonk Baugh, and Kristina Wojtaszek.

List of Stories included in this anthology:

“Introduction” by Sara Cleto and Brittany Warman
“Rosie Red Jacket” by Christine Morgan
“The Queen of Lakes” by L.S. Johnson
“Ten Ways to Self-Sabotage, Only Some of Which Relate to Fairies” by Sara Puls
“Antlers” by Amanda Block
“Only Make-Believe” by Lauren Liebowitz
“F.C.U.” by Jon Arthur Kitson
“Water Sense” by Adria Laycraft
“The Cartography of Shattered Trees” by Beth Cato
“Possession” by Rhonda Eikamp
“And Only The Eyes of Children” by Laura VanArendonk Baugh
“Seven Years Fleeting” by Lor Graham
“The Last King” by Liz Colter
“Faerie Knight” by Sidney Blaylock, Jr.
“Solomon’s Friend” by Kristina Wojtaszek
“A Fairfolk Promise” by Alexis A. Hunter
“The Fairy Midwife” by Shannon Phillips
“The Price” by Kari Castor


Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

Find on Book Browse

ISBN: 9780692207918

Series: Rhonda Parrish’s Magical Menageries, No.1


Also in this series: Corvidae, Intangible, Beneath Creek Waters


on 22nd July 2014

Format: Paperback

Pages: 250

Jorie Loves A Story Cuppa Book Love Awards Badge created by Jorie in Canva. Coffee and Tea Clip Art Set purchased on Etsy; made by rachelwhitetoo.

Published By: World Weaver Press (@WorldWeaver_wwp)

Available Formats: Trade Paperback, Ebook

Genre(s): Fantasy | Horror | Speculative | Stories of the Fae

Equality in Lit | Diversity in SFF

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Collection No.2 in this series is Corvidae | Info on Parrish Blog | Info on Pub

Collection No.3 in this series is Scarecrow | Info on Pub

Converse via: #DiverseSFF, #SFF, #scifi, #FAE, #Fantasy & #anthology

+ #MagicalMenageries (the series tag!)

About (Editor) Rhonda Parrish

Rhonda Parrish

Rhonda Parrish is a master procrastinator and nap connoisseur but despite that she somehow manages a full professional life. She has been the publisher and editor-in-chief of Niteblade Magazine for over five years now (which is like 25 years in internet time) and is the editor of the forthcoming benefit anthology, Metastasis. In addition, Rhonda is a writer whose work has been included or is forthcoming in dozens of publications including Tesseracts 17: Speculating Canada from Coast to Coast and Imaginarium: The Best Canadian Speculative Writing.

Starting July 1, 2014, Rhonda Parrish will be reading for Corvidae and Scarecrow, two new anthologies in the same series as Fae. Like Fae, each of these new anthologies will focus on a single construct treated in many varied and enthralling ways by new speculative fiction short stories.

The twin anthologies also present a unique opportunity: to create a conversation between the two volumes, between the crows and the straw-men, between the bird tales of Corvidae and the totem tales of Scarecrow. Anthologies to be published in 2015. More information at WorldWeaverPress.com.

Read More

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Posted Sunday, 30 August, 2015 by jorielov in #JorieLovesIndies, Adoption, Animals in Fiction & Non-Fiction, Anthology Collection of Stories, Archery, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Book Review (non-blog tour), Bookish Films, Bookmark slipped inside a Review Book, Castles & Estates, Cliffhanger Ending, Compassion & Acceptance of Differences, Cosy Horror, Dreams & Dreamscapes, Earthen Magic, Earthen Spirituality, Equality In Literature, Faeries & the Fey, Fairy Tale Fiction, Fantasy Fiction, Fantasy Romance, Folklore and Mythology, Good vs. Evil, Haunting & Ethereal, Historical Fiction, Horror-Lite, Indie Author, Indie Book Trade, Inspired by Stories, Inspiring Video Related to Content, Jorie Loves A Story Cuppa Book Love Awards, Orphans & Guardians, Parapsychological Suspense, Re-Told Tales, Short Stories or Essays, Siblings, Supernatural Creatures & Beings, Supernatural Fiction, Superstitions & Old World Beliefs, Twin Siblings, Urban Fantasy, World Weaver Press

+Blog Book Tour+ Daughter of the Gods by Stephanie Thornton {a novel of Ancient Egypt} Egyptology taken to a new level & sphere of literary breadth!

Posted Saturday, 24 May, 2014 by jorielov , , , 0 Comments

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Daughter of the Gods by Stephanie Thornton

Daughter of the Gods by Stephanie Thornton

Published By: New American Library (NAL)
( ) an imprint of Penguin Group (USA
) 6 May, 2014
Official Author Websites:   Site | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads
Available Formats: Trade Paperback, E-book
Page Count: 448

Converse on Twitter via: #DaughterOfTheGods, #DaughteroftheGodsTour,

#StephanieThornton, #Hatshepsut, & #VirtualBookTourFun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Acquired Book By: I was selected to be a tour stop on the “Daughter of the Gods” virtual book tour through Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours. I received a complimentary copy of the book direct from the author Stephanie Thornton, in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Inspired to Read:

My curiosity about Ancient Egypt started as a young child where my fascination with the Ancient Civilisation took a central focal point for aspiring to study Egyptology, as prior to realising I was a writer I felt I was being led into Archaeology. Part of the passion I had for Archaeology was my intense desire to understand the civilisations of the world as they were emerging into existence. I had not realised then, as I do now, that it was my keen interest in Sociological studies that led me more towards an awareness of Anthropological sites verse Archaeological. In full and equal measure, the desire to travel abroad to ancient ruins, temples, and sites of where the ancient’s drew breath and light was always an instinct of mine. The fact that I have already climbed four pyramids of the Mayans only encourages me to believe that I can still find the hours to uncover a way to keep this passion of mine throughout my next travel destinations.

The direct appeal is to bring History into the forefront of my living hours, to where walking and breathing where people lived so very long ago secures you in that setting, locale, and moment. I still recollect how I felt at a ruin in the Yucatán,… as Uxmal had this trance over me. I felt very interconnected to that city and the people who had lived there during its heyday, nearly to the brink I could see a bit past where the ruins still stood and how the city would have been the lifeblood of their era. Time and history are intertwined with one another, and there are certain places in this world where we can dip back into the vortex and draw back out a piece of what once was ‘the living now’.

Egyptology was one of the avenues of pursuit I once considered as a professional endeavour as I loved the aspect of venturing so far back into the living past as to nearly come face to face with one of the most dynamically original civilisations which set the bar for everyone else to follow. Ancient Egypt, Rome, and Greece are the sites of where most of us look back to gain insight into the present. I have carried this zest for the era into my motion picture wanderings as one of my favourite films is a classical one: Cleopatra (1934) starring Claudette Colbert. More recently, the trilogy of Mummy films starring Brendan Fraser took my mind away in imagined bliss of tempting the fates of tombs! To this day, I refer to the third film as “The Mummy in China” as it just made more sense to do so!

The extended trailer for “Cleopatra” (1934) starring Claudette Colbert on TCM! Introduced by Cecil B. DeMille, of whom is now one of the film-makers alongside Alfred Hitchcock and Frank Capra I admire most in the Golden Years of Hollywood. They each brought something genuinely unique to their style of motion pictures and were ahead of their years as far as where they took their stories.

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Book Synopsis:

Daughter of the Gods by Stephanie ThorntonEgypt, 1400s BC. The pharaoh’s pampered second daughter, lively, intelligent Hatshepsut, delights in racing her chariot through the marketplace and testing her archery skills in the Nile’s marshlands. But the death of her elder sister, Neferubity, in a gruesome accident arising from Hatshepsut’s games forces her to confront her guilt…and sets her on a profoundly changed course.

Hatshepsut enters a loveless marriage with her half brother, Thut, to secure his claim to the Isis Throne and produce a male heir. But it is another of Thut’s wives, the commoner Aset, who bears him a son, while Hatshepsut develops a searing attraction for his brilliant adviser Senenmut. And when Thut suddenly dies, Hatshepsut becomes de facto ruler, as regent to her two-year-old nephew.

Once, Hatshepsut anticipated being free to live and love as she chose. Now she must put Egypt first. Ever daring, she will lead a vast army and build great temples, but always she will be torn between the demands of leadership and the desires of her heart. And even as she makes her boldest move of all, her enemies will plot her downfall….

Once again, Stephanie Thornton brings to life a remarkable woman from the distant past whose willingness to defy tradition changed the course of history.

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Author Biography:

Stepanie ThorntonStephanie Thornton is a writer and history teacher who has been obsessed with infamous women from ancient history since she was twelve. She lives with her husband and daughter in Alaska, where she is at work on her next novel.

“The Secret History: A Novel of Empress Theodora” is available from NAL/Penguin, and “Daughter of the Gods: A Novel of Ancient Egypt” will hit the shelves May 2014 and “The Tiger Queens: A Novel of Genghis Khan” will follow in Fall 2014.

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.comA book for lovers of Egyptology:

Illuminated to life by the little details you would expect to find out of an etching of Ancient Egypt unite inside your mind’s eye as you drink in the words of Daughter of the Gods. The fragrances of Myrrh are nearly smelt as I read the opening pages, as Myrrh was regularly burnt alongside Frankincense, Sandalwood, and Patchouli Musk. I always loved the aromatherapy of earthy scents when I used to burn incense whilst creating the words inside my own manuscripts. I even have a bit of a hilarious story when I first attempted to cleanse the air with my first smudging! Laughs. Incense wafts into your nostrils and gives you a sense of calm whilst you create. I always found it a way to dip into the portal of creativity and allow my mind to cart me off to ‘somewhere other than here’ even more readily than listening to music as oft-times I did not always want the interference of chord and tone, but wanted to dig a bit into the internal space where a writer creates their most museful of thoughts. As I started to read Daughter of the Gods I nearly wished I could unpack my sticks of ancient scents and absorb into the story on a different plane! Thankfully, my nose has a long memory and as I happily drank in Thornton’s words (the blessing hand of a wordsmith) I drifted back in reflection of the scents that used to sit in the air and allow my mind to stir a bottomless well of possibilities.

The insertion of references of ka had me smiling as I reflected back upon my studies of Tai Chi Chaun and Qigong, as the elements of the discipline in which I studied is the pursuit of strengthening one’s spiritual energy known as ‘chi’ or ‘qi’. The energy which is quite vital to living and a well of life embedded into our fiber. I had always known the Egyptians were most intrinsically intuitive about elements of life that most cultures do not acknowledge or discuss in modern eras. They are one of the few cultures who attached their lives to their spiritual souls in a way where the transition of life and the afterlife were not merely viewed as passages the soul took in exchange for another life but rather they threaded life and death in a tangible way whilst they lived. They were able to connect and observe the threads of time’s tapestry in gentle observations which led them to have a larger scope of perception knitted into their hearts.

If you think on it a bit, the Egyptians called on their Gods as way of keeping their spirituality a living guide during their everyday lives, as a way of having a spiritual ‘checking’ for their conscience and their actions. In this way, they remind me of Catholics who relate to Saints and turn to the Saints guides to understand how best to proceed. I also had not known the women during Hatshepsut’s time oft walked bare-chested with only a sheath to cover them. This practiced reminded me of the aboriginal tribe featured in one of my favourite childhood films Medicine Man. So much in fact, I found cross-references between aboriginal tribes and Ancient Egyptians! Except to say the main difference here, is that Hatshepsut’s attire was her assertion of power as a woman who was not afraid to dress as a man in order to prove the point of her confidence as Queen.

Lest I bring up that I was most intrigued and deeply savouring the rites of funerals inside Daughter of the Gods? Mummification practices and rituals of death are most fascinating to me! A bit like how I appreciate studying the Day of the Dead as much as the different passages of life for death throughout different World Religions and cultures of whom honour their dead in different ways.Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

My Review of Daughter of the Gods:

Hatshepsut is a woman who approached life in a cavalier attitude prior to the violent death of her beloved sister Neferubity, whose kind heart and love of her younger sister befelled her fate. Neferubity took Hatshepsut’s place on the alter of death whilst a river bull locked a malicious maul of quavering alarm in Hatshepsut’s soul. The story of Daughter of the Gods begins at the very upturn moment in the future Queen’s life where she must decide on the kind of woman she is meant to be rather than the reckless one she was previously. A challenging beginning to insinuate a path of change and one of worth in a soul not yet tethered to a fate of honour, duty, and rule. In the quake of her anguish she took to self-harming and soul gutting sacrifices to resurrect an offering of peace and remorse in an effort to apologise to her sister resting in the Field of Reeds.

As Thornton describes the rituals of Ancient Egypt, I was drawn to noticing similarities to the Native American’s I’ve studied in the past (specifically the Lakotas), as they describe heaven as Happy Hunting Ground. Anubis is both the protector of the Dead as much as he is the equivalent of the Angel of Death in Christianity as he is the go-between guide from the living world to the afterlife. Part of what I loved about Thornton’s touch of giving us a strong representation of Ancient Egypt is that she allows the historical fact of the setting absorb into our bones as readily as drinking in the dialogue and narrative. She paints such a clarity of thought that your mind flickers forward along with the lead characters as they allow you the grace of spending a bit of time with them as they live their hours. I noticed that I did not have any difficulty in shifting into this timescape; which was a bit of a surprise, as I originally felt due to my lack of readings in this period I might falter to grasp it as strongly as I did. A credit to the writer!

Hatshepsut is like most women accustomed to being bourne into a role they do not wish to fill. She rebels against the convention of standard of her time, whilst plotting a way forward without being shackled to provincial roles befit a wife of a Pharaoh. It is how Thornton chose to portray her path I found most interesting, as I am uncertain how much is readily known about her through historical records. What I liked about this portrayal is its plausibility of being true. For a ruler known for her transformative view of her role as Queen, I would imagine she would take steps to ensure her position at all costs available to her. Yet. Her path towards the throne held an obstacle in that of her half-brother who was now her husband.

She is given a fleshing of character that makes you settle into her innermost thoughts as she chooses her next step alongside her fated path. Her life reminds me so much of the Royals in England, as they too, have destinies chosen for them prior to their ascension. To find happiness within the routine and to find joy within the process of the duties which are meant to be carried out of honour. She learnt a painful lesson along the way about how far a woman could carry her rebellion which had my mind reel back to my viewing of The Duchess (2008) starring Keira Knightley. Her husband Thut is a brute as much as the next man whose self-worth is hinged on perception rather than love. You ache along with Hatshepsut as she curls into an internal war of survival. She was betrayed as Caesar by those within her inner circle, as she kept company with a pack of jackals instead of seers.

As she would grow in her reign, so too would her ability to trust her own instincts as to what would be needed to be done. The greatest testament of her power given back to the world was her sincerity of protection and of wanting to ensure the sanctity of the ka of those she ruled. She knew of the depth of sacrifice but she also knew of the honour one needed to ascend through death. Her mind was oft a war-ground of internal conflictions. To lead was not good enough if she could not inspire prosperity through peace.

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.comA notation on the writing style of Stephanie Thornton:

Thornton’s understanding on the metaphoric wordings to gain a reader’s attention in the heart of her story run counterpoint to the setting within Ancient Egypt, to where even the causal reader would acknowledge they were not within the walls of a the modern world! I loved how she could encapsulate the ‘time’ of Hatshepsut’s world with the flavourings of phrases which carved a deep stroke of Egyptian flair for everyday living! She had found a way to etch an eloquence out of the nuances and give us such a startling sense of their reality as to be able to breathe the same air! I loved feeling as though I had not only become transported but transplanted into the 1400s BC! This is not an easy feat and surely more difficult than the eras I am normally ensconced inside such as the Regency, Victorian, and Edwardian eras of England’s past! Within those eras, there is still a living sense of the day, of the regalia of the ton, and the essence of how the differences between the classes was set by station.

To step back into a fully realised realm of Egypt, when the first female ruler would set the foundation for Cleopatra and Queen Elizabeth I, is a triumph on Thornton’s research and her agile eye in knowing which details would be pertinent to share and guide us as we shifted forward in the story itself. I further applauded her ability to give the realism of Ancient Egypt its most coveted veil of truism! I oft find the writers who can breathe life into their novels to where we are in a lucid trance of where their novels are set give us the most joy to read. In this way, I cannot wait to read another novel by Thornton to see where my heart is led to traverse next! Although, part of me wonders, if Ancient Egypt will be re-explored or if there is another in her back-list I have not yet realised available?! It is most surely a realm I want to venture back into once more, for sure! And, now that the pendulum is set as it were, which author to yield to next to eclipse this wicked sweet story? As now that my palette has a taste for Ancient Egypt, I must yield to seeking out more stories to pacify my hunger! Such a happy thirst to have, eh?

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.comThis Blog Tour Stop is courtesy of Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours.

Virtual Road Map of “Daughter of the Gods” Blog Tour is found here:

Daughter of the Gods Tour with HFVBTsFun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.comI am happily honoured to be a blog tour hostess for:

Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours - HFVBT

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.comPlease visit

Bookish Events badge created by Jorie in Canva

to stay in the know for upcoming events!

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Kindly know each post I include “Related Articles” those links were not selected by a computer, they were hand-selected by me! I read each one & felt it was necessary to include the links for reading after you had concluded my own blog post.

Reader Interactive Question:

Which books about Ancient Egypt have you become drawn into yourself!? What is it about the setting, time, and period of the Ancient Rulers that you find an appreciation of enquiry? What do you seek out whilst sourcing writers of the Ancient Times!? Do you like the drinkabliity of the narrative? The combination of a wordsmith’s vision against a researcher’s heart? Of whom is your favourite living history character to be explored in a fictional story!? Is there any Egyptian Ruler or lesser known person that you’d prefer to see come to life?!

{SOURCES: Book cover for “Daughter of the Gods”, Author Biography and Book Synopsis  were provided by HFVBT – Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours and used with permission. Blog Tour badge provided by Parajunkee to give book bloggers definition on their blogs. Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. The documentary “Hatshepsut’s Egypt” via History Stories had either URL share links or coding which made it possible to embed this media portal to this post, and I thank them for the opportunity to share a complimentary feature on the subject of the novel. Bookish Events badge created by Jorie in Canva.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2014.

Related Articles:

Hatshepsut: The Woman Who Was King – (discoveringegypt.com) I loved how this site gives further insight into her legacy as a woman ruler & how she inspired the women who followed her to succeed in ruling where men only dared to previously.

The True (And Sometimes Painful) Story of Publishing Daughter of the Gods – (stephanie-thornton.com) I am beyond grateful Ms. Thornton had a writing friend who championed her passion for Hatshepsut and inspired her to continue to find a loving home for this to become a printed book of which has alighted in my hands to read! A true blessing indeed! There is nothing more precious than a writer’s belief in their stories nor in the determined heart to see a dream realised!

Discover Hatshepsut’s Temple – (youtube.com) This is such a unique video perspective of a slice of her life that unless you travel to Egypt would not be able to see yourself. Gave a grounding of the setting for the novel ahead of reading.

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Hatshepsut’s Egypt by History Stories

Inspired to Share: I wanted to find a video I could share that could draw out the essence of who Hatshepsut was whilst inspiring a visitor to find a tangible connection to her such as the one I found myself attached to whilst reading “Daughter of the Gods”. I realise sometimes it helps to have a visual aide to lay thought and dimension upon a story, which is one reason I am always attempting to find book trailers to include with my ruminations on the stories I love discovering; however in lieu of that first choice, I settled on this video. There is something about the presenters euphoric joy in uncovering bits and bobbles about Hatshepsut that inspired me to share this with you today. Notwithstanding a few errors or non-clarifications of a few historical facts (as evidenced in the comment threads on YouTube), I felt as history is subjective and elusive at the same time, any person who can draw this much of an enthused response of someone who lived and breathed over 3,500+ years ago deserves a bit of a spotlight! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

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Posted Saturday, 24 May, 2014 by jorielov in 1400s BC, Amun (God of Air), Ancient Civilisation, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Egypt Sports, Ancient Olympic Games, Archery, Biographical Fiction & Non-Fiction, Blog Tour Host, Bookish Discussions, Bookish Films, Chariot Racing, Clever Turns of Phrase, Death & Burial Rites, Documentary on Topic or Subject, Egypt, Embalming Preservation, Geographically Specific, Hatshepsut, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, Imhotep, Important Figures of Ancient Times, Marriage of Convenience, Mortuary Science, Mummification Practices, Native American Spirituality, Passionate Researcher, Pharaohs & Dynasties, Qigong, Re (God of the Sun), Rituals for the Afterlife, Rulers of Ancient Egypt, Tai Chi Chaun, Women of Power & Rule, Wordsmiths & Palettes of Sage, World Religions