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| Khamsin |
Throughout April I have invited 26 authors who had been selected as Editor's Choice by the Historical Novel Society Indie Reviews
to help me out with the 2016 A-Z Blog Challenge...
Except to be a little different I interviewed
their leading Character/s...
Today's Character is
from :
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| Khamsi |
Interview
with Princess Nefret,
Royal Daughter and Heiress to Hor-Aha,
Second Horus-King
of the First Dynasty of Egypt
HH : Hello! I believe you exist in Inge
H. Borg’s KHAMSIN, The Devil wind of the
Nile, A Novel of Ancient Egypt.
Nefret: I do indeed. My name is Nefret. It means ‘beautiful.’
I am, if I say so myself. At the time my story is being told, I am only 15 1/2
years old, and about to be formally introduced to my father’s court as his
Royal Heiress. Father is King Hor-Aha, Second Horus-King of the First Dynasty
of Egypt, successor to the legendary King Narmer. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hor-Aha#Successor_to_Narmer
HH : Where and when are you? (i.e. time and place of the
novel) Are you a real historical person or did your author create you?
Nefret: We lived in the newly built palace
compound at Injeb-hedj, the City of White Walls, just south of the widespread
delta the Rivergod Hapi had carved out for himself before pouring into the
Great Green. My author, who saw fit to endow me with a sinner’s soul that was
yet to endure many other storms and cataclysms, gives this as the year 3080
BCE.
HH : In a few brief sentences: what is the novel you feature in
about?
Nefret: While this saga of Ancient Egypt is
comprised of several intersecting stories about greed, court intrigue, warfare,
and mysticism, it is my forbidden love for the young surgeon-priest Tasar that leads
to my terrible transgression against our strict laws of Ma’at, punishable by a cruel death.
HH : I ‘met’ my pirate, Jesamiah Acorne on a beach in Dorset,
England - how did your author meet up
with you? (i.e what gave your author the idea to write about you)
Nefret: I believe my author literally picked me
out of the blue after a chance suggestion. Not very royal of her, I’d say. I
still have a bone to pick with her for all my suffering.
HH : Tell me about one or two of the other characters who
feature with you - husband, wife, family? Who are some of the nice characters and who is the nastiest one?
Nefret: I love Tasar, the handsome young
surgeon-priest. I also love Ramose—he was like a father to me; until he ignobly
sends me scurrying into the desert like a hunted gazelle. He says it’s to save
my life—really? After he condemns me to death and pours my death mask to fool
everyone into believing I had died?
From the beginning, the scourge
of my father’s court is Ebu al-Saqqara, the treacherous Vizier (a lowly man from
a family of grave diggers at Saqqara). He actually tried to persuade Father I
should become the vile man’s wife (he doesn’t even like women). But my
half-brother Dubar is actually the one who changes my fate forever.
HH : What is your favourite scene in the book?
Nefret: When I first lure Tasar into my bed chamber,
I tell him I am a slave to the royal princess. After he changes me from girl to
woman, I then tell him I am a virgin consecrated to Ramose, the High Priest of
Ptah. That shakes him up to no end. That may not have been kind; but I am given
to being quite mischievous.
HH : What is your least favourite? A frightening or sad moment
that your author wrote.
Nefret: I don’t want to give the plot away, but
when my deranged half-brother Dubar assaults me and pries my mouth open with
his disgusting tongue, I bite it almost in half. After that, in a frenzied
rage, I do something much worse for which even the powerful Ramose cannot protect
me.
HH : What are you most proud of about your author?
Nefret: How she takes real places (with
their old Egyptian rather than Greek names) and then weaves some historical events
smoothly into her stories. She also gives my soul, my eternal Ba, a hint of salvation in her four subsequent
books. But for now, I can only hope…
HH : Has your author written other books about you? If not, about other characters?
Nefret: There are four modern-day sequels to
KHAMSIN, all with strong connections to me through my death mask (and old soul).
Just to get even, I am having a bit of fun torturing the ‘new me’ endowed with
my sinner’s ba.
HH: How do you feel about your author going off with someone
else!
Nefret: At first, I felt betrayed. But when the
‘new’ character is half-Egyptian, very pretty as well, and called Naunet after a mythical Egyptian Red
Sea goddess, I try to help her to overcome the storms raging in her soul, especially
during those desperate times when she is drawn to join me in the Field of
Rushes.
HH : As a character if you could travel to a time and place
different to your own fictional setting
where and when would you go?
Nefret: Ah, but that’s just what I am
doing in Sirocco, Storm over Land and
Sea. Followed by After the
Cataclysm, The Crystal Curse, and
The Nile Conspiracy (all through the soul of the beautiful archaeologist
Naunet Wilkins).
The question is: Will she and I
at last find peace on this earth? We hope so, for as the great Ramose said: “The
end is but a new beginning for the eternal soul.”
Thank you that was really interesting!
Now where can readers of this A-Z Blog
Challenge find out more about you and your author?
Check out Khamsin and its Sequels:
Here is the company we will be
keeping on this
A-Z Blog Challenge!
APRIL
A 1st Friday
- Aurelia - Alison Morton
B 2nd Saturday - Bloodie Bones - Lucienne Boyce
C 4th
Monday - Man in the Canary Waistcoat Susan Grossey
D 5th
Tuesday - Dubh-Linn - James Nelson
E 6th
Wednesday - Evergreen In Red And White - Steven Kay
F 7th
Thursday - Fortune’s Fool- David Blixt
G 8th
Friday - Gift For The Magus - Linda Proud
H 9th
Saturday - The Love Letter of John Henry Holliday - Mary Fancher
I 11th
Monday - In Liberty’s Wake - Alexandra Norland
J 12th
Tuesday - Jacobites' Apprentice - Dave McCall
K 13th
Wednesday - Khamsin- Inge Borg
L 14th
Thursday - Luck Bringer - Nick Brown
M 15th
Friday - Murderat Cirey - Cheryl Sawyer
O 18th
Monday - Out
Of Time - Loretta Livingstone
P 19th
Tuesday - Pirate Code - Helen Hollick
Q 20th
Wednesday - To Be A Queen – Annie Whitehead
R 21st
Thursday - The Spirit Room - Marschel Paul
S 22nd
Friday - Sower Of The Seeds Of Dreams - Bill Page
T 23rd
Saturday -Tristan & Iseult - Jane Dixon Smith
U 25th
Monday - A Just And Upright Man - John Lynch
V 26th
Tuesday - Victoria Blake – Far Away
W 27th
Wednesday - When Sorrows Come - Maria Dziedzan
X 28th
Thursday – The FlaX flower – AmandaMaclean
Y 29th
Friday - Young, Josa - Sail upon The Land
Z 30th
Saturday OZgur Sahin The Wrath of Brotherhood
So call back tomorrow
To meet the next exciting Character!
(unless it is Sunday - in which case, I'll have something different
but just as interesting !)
but just as interesting !)
* * *
And as an aside.... Happy Birthday Helen
who has had 63 years of loving listening to stories today!
who has had 63 years of loving listening to stories today!
Great stuff -I know very little about this area so I found it very interesting. Can't believe we're nearly halfway through the alphabet already!
ReplyDeleteHello, Annie. I've got to get up early with you lot since most of you are six hours ahead. But then, I am an earlier-than-most Egyptian. It's great to be alive again - at least for Helen's Great Challenge.
DeleteThanks Annie!
DeleteHello, Nefret, when did Inge first become interested in the history of you and your people. Was it when she was a child or an interest that developed as she grew up? The hint of salvation sounds promising!
ReplyDeleteHi, Victoria. I think Inge became interested when I imbued her with my "sinner's soul." Somebody has to atone for my trespass against Maat.
DeleteActually, it was around 1990 AD; she had to do a lot of studying from actual books - no Internet then.
And, yes, I still do hope for salvation (hence the four sequels).
Goodness I remember those days of studying from books borrowed from the library!
DeleteWe all know Cleopatra and Tutankhamon (spelling?) so isn't it nice to hear about these other Egyptians?
ReplyDeleteHelen! Did somebody shout "Happy Birthday!" Same from here, and thank you for letting me emerge from the hot sands the Khamsin has piled up on poor little me.
Delete:-) Yes its my birthday today - having a great time so far!
DeleteHallo Inge. Thanks for this. I was hugely interested in Ancient Egypt when I was younger and this has rekindled my fascination - another one for the TBR pile!
ReplyDeleteWell, Lucienne, as my gym tyrant says" "Was" isn't good enough. Be interested again! People don't seem to know much about my grandfather, the great Menes - some call him Narmer - perhaps a good thing for Historical FICTION as my author took plenty of advantage there.
DeleteWould love to make it onto your TBR pile, for sure.
Thanks Lucienne - these TBR piles are growing quite big aren't they? :-)
DeleteNefret, your story sounds so very tempting, as befits one of royal blood.
ReplyDeleteAnd Happy Birthday, Helen. Have a wonderful day.
Yes, Loretta, I was a spoiled little princess - until my royal blood condemned me for a slight transgression; I couldn't help myself. My half-brother deserved what he got. Glad I had Ramose, the High Priest of Ptah, on my side.
DeleteThanks for being "tempted." We need that in life. Didn't somebody say "Life's like a box of chocolates."
Thanks Loretta - I'm having a lovely day so far!
DeleteThis took me back! I was a real Ancient Egypt fan when I was younger. Couldn't get enough of it, both in books and museums. My dad's fault! We've got an old black & white photo of him - 1923, I think - when he was in the Navy and part of a shore-party guarding one of the British archaeological excavations. We've got so many links to the period, quite remarkable really, and brilliant that Inge (and Nefret, of course) have breathed new life into it!
ReplyDeleteIsn't it remarkable, David, how drawn everybody was and still is to the past lives of my people. Still, you don't know the half of it; like where the first Egyptians really came from. No worry, Inge is working on that one, reaching back to 6500 BC.
DeleteAh, it's good to see the light of day again and be in such great company here.
My husband, Ron, was in the army during the Suez Crisis (National Service) He often talks of his days in the desert - he didn't get to see any Pyramids though!
DeleteNefret’s story has me intrigued, as does reading about Ancient Egypt of which I know little. It sounds very interesting. Your enthusiasm for Egyptian history shines through.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Alexandra - beautiful name. By the way, the city of Alexandria plays a large role in The Nile Conspiracy (Book 5).
DeleteMy interest in Egypt was awakened through someone's chance remark. Pity, in all my travels, I never made it there. While most authors concentrate on the later dynasties, I really want to know: Where did the first Egyptians really come from...I guess, I'll just have to answer (dream up) my own version.
I think that's the wonderful thing about Historical Fiction - its a great stepping stone to learning about the past!
DeleteThis is very engaging. Ancient Egypt is such a mysterious and fascinating subject. And the interview questions are fun, too.
ReplyDeleteMeet My Imaginary Friends
#AtoZchallenge http://www.kathleenvalentineblog.com/
Thanks for stopping by, Kathleen. Indeed, the interview was fun (for us Characters), and a lot of work for the inimitable Helen.
DeleteAh, mischievous Nefret - you're like one of those hot and swirling desert winds that come out of nowhere and leave quite some havoc in their wake. That was not a nice trick you played on poor Tasar, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed your ba finds peace - once your dear author has decided you deserve it :)
ReplyDeleteAh, Anna, you are so beautifully softhearted - I wish you had been my author; then hopefully I wouldn't have had to wait until 2016 AD to find peace for my wandering sinner's ba. Living through all those storms just plain tuckered me out leaving no room for any more of my little trick.
DeleteHi Inge. Do you have plans to go to Egypt? I like to go to my locations and spend some time there thinking. Have you found a substitute for that or are you able to travel in your mind?
ReplyDeleteMany happy returns, Helen)
Hello, Steven,
DeleteI am afraid "these days" (substitute: market crash) I am no longer flitting about the world. Instead, I keep a large Atlas close-by, Google the more intrinsic locations with pictures and, yes, dream of bygone days (and youth). Sounds dreary. Not at all. My flights of fancy can take me anywhere now - and I no longer have to pack those ten pairs of necessary high-heel shoes (something your Rabbie Howell probably wouldn't understand).
A question for Inge about her villain Ebu al-Saqqara...
ReplyDeleteDid you enjoy writing him?
Alison: There is no way you could know about Ebu al-Saqqara unless you read Khamsin! That's awesome. Yes, I loved to hate him, the nasty, slimy, scheming villain.
DeleteWe all do elaborate on our bad boys. Bugger them! Still, they create the struggle for our protagonists, making our story so much more fascinating.
Getting to know Nefret sounds like such an engaging way to learn proper facts about a period of history that I really "know" only from Hollywood movies (shame on me). I shall look forward to reading her story, Inge. (By the way, this is Susan Grossey - I'm having such trouble persuading my comments to go out under my own name!)
ReplyDeleteSusan, I think you might enjoy the more complex story of the time (mostly as envisioned by me), involving not just Nefret and her fate, but a whole segment of that Ancient Egyptian society; the priesthood, court, temples along the Nile and the king's four armies with its own pecking order.
DeleteOf course, once the Khamsin starts to blow, any semblance to Maat, their orderly way of life, is gone.