Modern Touch on Ancient Egypt
Modern Touch
on Ancient Egypt
by Ravyn Karasu
Having recently published Akhenaten’s Gates, Ravyn talks about the process of writing and publishing her first novel, “a somewhat comical historical fiction, taking place in the lands of ancient Egypt.”
I have recently written a novel called Akhetaten’s Gates. It’s a somewhat comical historical fiction, taking place in the lands of ancient Egypt. It focuses on the Amarna Period. Nefertiti, who regales her entire life and adventures therein, tells the entire story in first person. The story focuses mostly on a plethora of strong women and their ability to endure hard times. It’s also a story about love, and what it means to truly love another.
This story was a lot of fun to write. It took a long time to complete. To be honest, the first draft was actually written in 1997, when I was a sophomore in high school. But, my writing skills back then weren’t exactly where they are now. The potential was there, but not the actual talent. After many years, I began to re-evaluate the stories I had started as a teenager, and I just so happened to find the old manuscript. I saw the potential and decided to rewrite the book with my more modern flair. I thought it would be a wonderful story to use as my debut publication.
The original concept for the story was supposed to be a third-person story about Akhenaten. When I got into high school, I had become very interested in ancient Egyptian history and mythology, and I hit the books hard. After reading countless books and articles on Amarna, and watching many documentaries on Discovery, I began to form my own opinions and instincts. I’m, by no means, an Egyptologist. I have always known my place as a fiction writer. I had nothing to offer to the scientific community by way of my thoughts and feelings of history, so I put it in writing for entertainment purposes. Granted, a lot of the information is skewed, made up, or twisted, but some are not. That’s the beauty of fiction. In the end, my hope is that readers have gained a sincere interest in these characters, and would do real research on their own for the real facts. That’s how I did it when I was growing up. If something looked interesting, I’d research it further.
Of course, my original concept wasn’t working. I just couldn’t identify enough with Akhenaten to create an interesting story. I ended up having to look to Nefertiti for ideas. I found that her history is even more mysterious than Akhenaten’s, and for me, that was fiction-worthy gold. I redesigned the entire story to focus solely on Nefertiti. And, rather than third-person, I wanted a first-person point of view to really allow readers to connect with a human being.
Being as I’m a young writer, I had to face the facts. A lot of people just would not be interested in the boring old tongues of ancient worlds. I wanted something different and really colorful. I added a little science fiction twist to the story. That opened up a whole new way to tell the story. Now, instead of a boring tone, Nefertiti had a modern and spunky way of speaking which could draw in a reader and keep them interested. Her crazy sayings and whimsical behavior made the story far more entertaining to follow. It also made Nefertiti, as well as many other characters in the story, more reachable to the young and modern reader. It was my way to make the story funny, interesting, and to bridge a gap. I guess we won’t know if I’m successful or not until the book is released.
Misfit to Majestic
Nefertiti always believed that she was destined to be a nobody, and living in her sister’s shadow. All of that changed when she was pulled from death by a mysterious entity and placed in a “modern” world to prepare her for her destiny.
Five years later, Nefertiti is returned to the land of ancient Egypt and comes face to face with a misfit prince named Amenhotep IV. Together, they form a love and bond that endures throughout spiritual adventures, political mishaps, and outrageous acts of blasphemy. Follow this semi-whimsical tale of a love that lasts throughout all hardships and throughout the tests of time.
Before I go any further, I do have to stop and give some credit to Jennifer Schricker, who is responsible for the beautiful cover art of the book. Originally, I was very worried about letting anybody take the job. I know how I am, and that’s picky and fussy. I’m a real pain to work with. But, Jennifer was very upbeat and a lot of fun. She also understood everything I had to say. I had to really admire her talent and patience. She really made the project a whole lot less stressful than I had anticipated, and she made it a whole lot more fun.
Akhetaten’s Gates is a real milestone for me. I hope that it’s an enjoyable read for many. It is available since October 2008 on the Trafford Publishing website at trafford.com. It will also be made available at all other online book sellers, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, etc. It can be purchased, if I understand correctly, in any country. I do hope anyone who picks it up has a very good time with it.
