Do you remember your first...?

My Twitter buddy and stablemate at Carina Press, Veronica Scott is visiting my blog today and I'm stoked about it. Veronica's debut novel looks very sexy and very unique and I can't wait to delve between the pages...

I’m so happy to be visiting Rachel’s blog today! She’s one of my best friends in the world of writers, always generously supportive and encouraging!

Do you still remember the first Harlequin book you ever read? My first was Outback Man by Amanda Doyle. Not only did I enjoy the romance and appreciate the resilient heroine (my recent review of it here ), that book started me off on a lifelong fascination with Australia. Flash forward a generous number of years, to this week and my debut novella Priestess of the Nile…published by…..wait for it – Carina Press, a branch of Harlequin! It’s a double thrill. Signing the contract with the big Harlequin logo on every page still seems a little unreal.

Priestess of the Nile is a paranormal romance novella, set in Ancient Egypt, around 1500 BC and tells the story of Sobek the Crocodile God. Drawn to his abandoned temple on the banks of the Nile by an enchanting song, he’s even more captivated by the sight of the singer herself. Appearing to her as a man, he learns she is Merys, a descendant of his last priestess. Though he desires her greatly, Sobek believes Merys deserves to be more than just his mistress.

Merys is attracted to the handsome stranger, who arouses passions in her that no man ever has. But with no dowry and no hope of ever leaving her village, she dares not dream of the future—or love.

Sobek takes every opportunity to visit Merys, taxing his resolve to leave her pure. When he saves her life, their mutual desire must be sated. But of course in the world of paranormal romance nothing can be uncomplicated, the gods have rules about such romances, the goddess Isis is very unhappy and so the couple face many challenges along the way.

I started writing this book because in my research for another WIP I became fascinated with the idea of the Crocodile God, eventually concluding he was a shifter (as we paranormal romance writers understand the concept).  Therefore he could appear as a fully human man and fall in love with a woman. But what kind of a woman would be the right person to touch the heart of an Egyptian god?

Fortunately for me and the plot of my novel, the Ancient Egyptian society gave women many rights and freedoms, which encouraged them to be strong, equal partners. The head of the household was the man but women were equal in the eyes of the law and could own property, borrow money, sign contracts, appear in court as witnesses, obtain a divorce…sounding pretty modern in a lot of ways, yes? And to an Egyptian, home and family were major sources of happiness and joy. Children were greatly desired and treasured. There are many happy family scenes depicted in various tomb paintings and statuary.

Merys intrigues Sobek at first purely with her beauty and her voice, as well as the fact that she tries to keep his abandoned temple in some kind of acceptable condition. But as he talks to her and visits her, he learns how strong she is, living in her father’s house yet denied a dowry by her stepmother, forced to shoulder a large part of the household burden. Not a complainer, my heroine does what needs to be done and finds time for herself as best she can. Merys has her valid reasons for putting up with her living conditions. Sobek is used to thinking on the grand scale – maintaining the Nile river, standing with other gods in battle against their enemies – but Merys teaches him the simple joys of a human’s life, touches a place in his heart he never even knew he had. And then events threaten to break that immortal heart unless Sobek  can figure out a way to overcome the challenges life throws at them.

I’m thoroughly fascinated with the world of Ancient Egypt, especially with the paranormal twist I couldn’t resist applying to it and I hope you’ll enjoy it as well. The culture, the rich mythology and tradition, the sheer history gave me a lot to work with…and bottom line, the people who lived all those thousands of years ago weren’t that different from you and me.

Veronica is VERY generously giving away a copy of her book AND a $25 Amazon giftcard to one lucky commenter. All you have to do to enter is tell us what the first romance you ever read was!

Blurb - Priestess of the Nile

Egypt, 1500 BC

Drawn to his abandoned temple on the banks of the Nile by an enchanting song, Sobek the Crocodile God is even more captivated by the sight of the singer herself. Appearing to her as a man, he learns she is Merys, a descendant of his last priestess. Though filled with lust, Sobek believes Merys deserves to be more than just his mistress. But the rules that govern the Egyptian pantheon forbid anything beyond a physical joining of a Great One and a human.

Merys is attracted to the handsome stranger, who arouses passions in her that no man ever has. But with no dowry and no hope of ever leaving her village, she dares not dream of the future—or love.

Sobek takes every opportunity to visit Merys, taxing his resolve to leave her pure. When he saves her life, their mutual desire must be sated. But can a love between a human and an immortal survive the ultimate test of the gods?

You can find Veronica on Twitter and Facebook or visit her at her blog. 

AND you can buy her fabulous book on Amazon, at Carina Press or other e-book shops.