Giveaway: Spear of Seth and Author Interview with Renee Daniel

Spear of Seth by Renee Daniel

Alex Khyan, the protagonist of “Spear of Seth”, is very level-headed person, with both feet firmly planted on the ground. Or is he? What will he do when he faces a world he thought existed only in dreams of an ancient civilization? Alex is quite comfortable in his skin. He is a premed student of the Van Senmut College, so he has to be a serious young man, has he not? He now needs a summer job, and gets one. It is not what he is used to, since he will work as a translator at an archeological dig at the island of Elephantine in the Upper Egypt. Alex does not exactly care about history, but, since his mother is from Lebanon, he speaks Arabic, which gives him an edge. Little does he know what he is getting himself into. Enter Heather Van Senmut and her father, John Van Senmut, a grandson of the founder of the college and the archeologist in charge of the excavations. The dig is not just some dig; it is the ruins of the Temple of Osiris, which stands at the mythical place where Nile emerges from the Egyptian Underworld. The Temple attracts a lot of attention, some of which come from people, who would be more at home in Salem, Massachusetts, shall we say, about three hundred years ago. When John Van Senmut, falls ill and physicians give up on him, his daughter decides to search the Temple for the cause of the disease and possibly a cure. Her quest leads her, and her unwilling helper Alex, into the Netherworld, which survived the Egyptian civilization by two thousand years. They negotiate its dangers, as well as dangers, which come from their contemporaries. They do have only one guide – the Book of Gates, which decorates the sarcophagus of the pharaoh Seti. Are the demons, which are pictured there, only a product of the painter’s imagination? Will the Alex’s attitude be helpful, or will he have to change in order to survive? Will Heather realize that there is a difference between being determined and being ruthless? What did alchemists of medieval Europe know about the Underworld? Why Heather needs to find out?

Our Interview:

-- The Twitter version: tell us about your book in 140 characters or less.

It is a FALENTURE. This is what I call a mix of fantasy, legends and adventure. It is a wild ride, from ruins of monasteries all way to the Egypt Underworld.

--How did you get the idea for the story?

I enjoy reading about past mysteries. Both alchemy and a really ancient history. I like to ask myself questions what would happen, if what ancients said was the literal truth. It was only a short step from there to exploring the connections and recreating the Underworld.

--Which character would you most/least like to have dinner with?

Definitely Vladimir Lermontoff. I think he shares the passion for mysteries that I have.

--What are some of your favorite books? Do you still have much time to read?

This is an interesting question. To be brief, I really liked to read. That I somehow lost the ability to read new novels. I could get past the first page. It resulted in the crazy idea to write one’s own. That was it. I got hooked. And yeah, I can read again. I think I will explore this phenomenon a bit more in the future. About books I like: Gerald Durrell’s books, Carl Hiiasen, Christopher Moore and of course fantasies – Robert Jordan, Lord of the Rings.

--Do you have any other works in progress? Any teasers or release dates?

The sequel to Spear is called Last Secret of Nikola Tesla. It spans the period from the Egypt prehistory, called the First Time by Egyptians, all way to the late years of Nikola Tesla. A draft is already done. I hope it will come out by end of this year. It is a loose sequel, meaning you don’t have to read Spear to follow Tesla.

--If a fairy godmother told you your life could be like a favorite book for 24 hours, which book would you pick and why?

Gerald Durrell’s My Family and Other Animals. Idylic.

--Do you need anything to write (music, coffee, etc)? Are there any songs on your playlist- songs that inspired you or that were playing while you wrote?

You cannot write without coffee. It cannot be done. The more the better. About music – there are favorite songs on my website (www.thothfantasyquests.com). I like the Godfather song the best, but don’t need to listen to it to write.

--If you could have any superpower what would you choose?

Sigh. To fly.

--Besides writing, what do you like to do in your free time?

Read, if I have time. I don’t have much of that, between my job and family.

--Is there anything else you want to add or say to your readers?

If you read Spear of Seth and liked it, please let me know. That’s the best reward.

Lightning round: this or that?

Vanilla or chocolate?

Vanilla

Edward or Jacob?

Edward

Hockey or soccer?

Hockey

Ebook or paper?

Paper

Salty or sweet?

Salty

Beach or mountains?

Beach

Phone call or email?

email

Early bird or night owl?

Early bird

Dog or cat?

Dog who eats cats

Messy or neat?

Depends. I say neat, but it is a minority opinion.

Ninjas or pirates?

Pirates (Come on, OF COURSE pirates).

Contest:

Ebook (pdf or kindle) open internationally

Ends 7/5

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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