After a brutal betrayal from within Ankhmakis’s own family, the distraught prince seizes the throne and is crowned Pharaoh Ankhwehenfer, while Natasa is forced to flee across the sea to a new land, with a new magic. Broken and truly alone for the first time since their bonding, their grief threatens to swallow them whole.
A stalemate is proposed, and as Egypt becomes two nations as in the days of old, a prosperous peace falls over the south. The prophecy has been shattered by the Golden Child's death, yet the royals and their subjects find a way to survive and create an Upper Egypt greater than Ptolemy's northern rule. Alliances with Nubia and Kush bring the promise of hope on the horizon. The next generation comes of age, and the old one passes on their knowledge so that the sins of the past won’t be repeated in their future.
But evil lurks still. There are those both within the Pharaoh’s court and without that would do anything to see the king fall. Ankhwenefer must confront the pain of the past in order to preserve the future for his sons, or his civilization will end.
I love fashion. Specifically dresses, handbags, and shoes to match. Throw on a pair of earrings and a fabulous ring and I’m ready to rule the world. My grandmother Marion often said I was a clothes horse. As a software engineer I dressed this way, standing out in a sea of jeans, khakis, hoodies, and t-shirts. I can’t tell you how many times people assumed I was from the marketing department. The thing is, I work harder when I’m dressed the part.
It may seem strange that a software engineer would someday become a novelist, but as a kid my two favorite hobbies were writing stories and writing code. I taught myself BASIC when I was twelve so that I could program the computer to do my math homework. Around that same time, I began writing for the school paper and penned my first novella. In hindsight, I think I’m a person who likes to escape this world, and both coding and writing allowed me chances to create my own worlds, ones I’m in charge of and I decide which path the protagonist, whether it be a data structure or a character, will take. When I was eighteen, I told my Dad I wanted to study journalism and creative writing. He said that’s fine, but I’d have to pay for it myself. To him, college was an opportunity he could give me to be self-sufficient.
“Artists,” he’d said, “are never self-sufficient.”
So I became a software engineer instead. Decades later, when I decided to take the plunge and leave my job as CTO for a small startup to pursue my desire to write, I found that I needed to continue to dress nicely in order for the words to flow. Specifically, I write better if I’m wearing heels.
Yes, high heels. They say clothing makes the person and I’ve discovered that when wearing heels I am more committed to sitting behind the desk and writing, even if worn with jeans and a t-shirt. I have several pairs—sandals, boots, and closed toe—and since I’m writing in my closet at the moment, they’re right at my fingertips. I slide them on my feet like the prince in Cinderella and suddenly, the magic happens and the words begin to flow.
Silly? Perhaps. But we all have our quirks and mine happens to be a nice pair of pumps.
The crowd cheered. Their screams were like the howls of furious wildcats. Their nationalism was at its peak, and all he needed to do was stoke it to earn their fealty. He turned to the high priest, who held the crown over his head. The white columns of the temple soared above them, and Ankhwenefer gazed at the hieroglyph-covered walls. In spite of the war, the temple was in pristine condition. All around him were golden statues of gods and goddesses. Animals and other brightly painted forms graced the walls. His flag bearing the phoenix flew high in the wind. Everyone in the room dropped to their knees as their king approached Setep.
“By the power invested in me,” the priest called out, “on this day, the fourth month of Perit, the eleventh day, in the third year of your holy reign, I re-crown you Lord and Pharaoh Ankhwenefer, the Good Being of Isis, Golden Eagle King, protector of our lands and Horus himself. May Amon-Re protect you and our people as we rebuild our nation. Egypt shall reign in glory until the end of time.”
Setep placed the heavy crown on Ankhwenefer’s head. A second priest handed him the hook and flail. He gripped them tightly as he crossed his chest with his arms and, turning to the crowd once more, gazed down upon them.
“My people,” he called, “I pledge myself to you.”
The sun poured in from the windows and shone upon Pharaoh’s face, and the people rose from the floor and clapped. To those in the room, their new king looked like the statues of Horus himself. Ankhwenefer was master of his domain—young, strong, intelligent, and wise. He’d fought hard for many years and won. The priestesses sang as he walked past and out to the courtyard where the commoners flooded the area, crying and tossing palm branches and lotus flowers at his feet. His entourage followed behind him, leading a procession of dancing, music, and singing, toward the palace where a feast awaited them. Tomorrow, the next phase of his reign would begin—creating peace with the Lower Kingdom, rebuilding the cities destroyed by the war, and most importantly, establishing a court in Thebes, with his sons, and Natasa, at his side.
Until now.
In the year 205 B.C., after centuries of Persian and Macedonian occupation, a rebel king rises from the south to take ancient Egypt back unto native hands. He will battle the Ptolemy line for twenty years, and rule almost eighty percent of Egypt, yet in the end, history will never mention his name.
Born Prince Ankhmakis, the last in a line of native Egyptian kings, he is raised with one purpose—to help his father reclaim Egypt from the Macedonian occupiers and return their country to dynastic greatness. Fate, however, has its own plans. For lies and deceit live in the hearts of all involved, from his family to the priesthood, and the Greeks aren’t the only ones who seek to destroy him.
Natasa is in training to become the High Priestess of the temple of Isis. Her task is to strengthen the royal family with the magic of the goddess through love and pleasure. She never thought the connection between her and Ankhmakis could be so strong, or carry a power coveted by those lurking in the shadows. Nor did she know that the child they would create would have her own great destiny to fulfill.
Together, Ankhmakis and Natasa must defend the potential of their love from those who would seek to use it for their own gain. Theirs is a world of magic, power, riches, and lust, and there are those within the court who would do anything to keep Ankhmakis and Natasa apart. Between mystical forces, murder, and illicit schemes--only the gods know if they’ll survive.
PRAISE FOR ORIGINS
ORIGINS is an enthralling, cinematic tale set in Ancient Egypt, seeping with magic, intrigue, treachery, and romance. I was hooked from the beginning and holding my breath until the very last page. — Stephanie Diaz, author of the Extraction Series
Nicole Sallak Anderson's detailed research of costumes, history, and rituals illuminate a long-vanished culture and makes it interesting and she has skillfully breathed life into mere hieroglyphs turning them into vibrant people whose lives are filled with love, jealousy, intrigue, and ambition. A must-read for anyone fascinated by Egyptology or who just wants to read a great story. — Nancy Lynn Jarvis, author of the Regan McHenry Real Estate Mysteries series and the PIP Inc. series.
Prince Ankhmakis has left his beloved Natasa for war and treacherous obstacles block his path to becoming Egypt’s last native king. He is the warrior that the men revere, and his orders are followed without question. He is strong and powerful with Natasa on his side, and the fear that breeds in those around him is more dangerous to Ankhmakis than the swords of the Greeks.
Natasa has risen higher in the mystic arts than any priestess before her—and she is in more peril because of it. All she desires is to assist her lover, Ankhmakis, in his quest to take back Egypt from the Macedonians once and for all, but his jealous queen, his plotting brother, and the truest evil in the world want nothing more than to be rid of her.
Natasa and Ankhmakis fight not only against the Greeks but also those at court who will do anything to see them both dead. Together, Ankhmakis would become a great general and Natasa the mystic healer who saves him. Apart, they may not survive.
Her latest project, The Song of the King’s Heart Trilogy, is a series about the last native Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt and his quest to take back his ancestral kingdom from the Ptolemaic Empire. The first two installments, Origins and Blood and Chaos, are available on Amazon. The last novel in the series, Civilization’s End, will be released October 2021. You can keep up with all her latest writing on her website nicolesallakanderson.com or by following @NSallakAnderson on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/NSallakAnderson/) , Twitter (https://twitter.com/NSallakAnderson), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/nsallakanderson/) and Medium (https://nsallakanderson.medium.com/). Feel free to contact her, she almost always answers to any query or comment!
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ReplyDeleteSounds like a good read.
ReplyDeleteSounds great, thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteI love ancient egyptian heiroglyphs. Only thing I see potentially wrong here is her nips are exposed. lol
ReplyDeletePharaohin' ain't easy.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds really interesting. I love the cover!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like an amazing book. I think the cover is awesome!
ReplyDeletesounds so good.
ReplyDeleteWow. Sounds like an intersting and good read. How long did it take you to write the book?
ReplyDeleteSounds like an enjoyable read. Awesome cover!
ReplyDeleteThis is a piece of Egyptian history that I had never heard of--of course there are several of them, so it is always interesting to learn a little more.
ReplyDeleteLove the sound of this! Can’t wait to read it. Added to my tbr!
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