Interview with Diana Wilder, Author of The Memphis Cycle

Diana,

First of all, thank you for spending your valuable time with us today. But more so, for telling us about the books in your fascinating Memphis Cycle. As you know, Ancient Egypt is of great interest to many in general (as it is to me in particular).

Your covers are what attracted me to your writing first. Do you design them yourself?
Why thank you.  Yes, I do design them myself.  It is a great source of grief and frustration that I can’t draw or paint because I have the perfect ideas for covers and I simply can’t make them.  So… I fall back on graphic design.

How did you wind up focusing on Ancient Egypt

I studied ancient and medieval history in college, and discovered that the Egyptians were not the weird, death-obsessed folk I had thought them.  Around that time I stumbled across Barbara Mertz’ great book Red Land, Black Land.  Her humorous, commonsense approach was delicious, and it put the seal on my affinity with the Land of the Nile.

Did you ever worry that “the experts” might contradict your research

Everything we think we know is based on someone’s interpretation of an event.  Just cast an eye over the theories about John F. Kennedy’s assassination.  It all depends on how you interpret things.

With Egypt specifically, that part of the world has been so marched over and fought over and despoiled (Cairo used Memphis and Heliopolis – Iunu -  as its quarries) it is nearly anyone’s guess what happened.  If you can ‘defend your thesis’, then by all means carry on.  But in the interest of honesty and truth, say where you have passed from the facts as we know them into the realm of imagination.

Sometimes projections turn out to be accurate.  I never published anything about Hatshepsut.  I did write some stories in which she and Thutmose got along, he governed the north under her, and succeeded to sole rule after her death.  The destruction of her monuments was done by someone other than him.  I was interested to see that later research tended to show this to be true. 

One person had written a long story about Hatshepsut that ended, I suspect, in her being murdered by her nephew, Thutmose the Great.  The discovery of her body put paid to that theory, and the poor author completely rewrote her story.  Well…  I would have settled for a disclaimer and a direction to good history books.

Did you ever write furious away and then find that the latest research superseded whatever you told in your story?

Most of the discoveries have confirmed what I already thought (thinking here of Hatshepsut, Akhenaten and Tutankhamun). 

The Crown Prince in Kadesh and Pharaoh’s Son, Amunhorkhepechef ('Hori'), disappears from the public record around year 25 of Ramesses’ reign, to be succeeded by his half-brother Ramses, who was Crown Prince for 25 years.  Pharaoh’s Son takes place in year 22, which gives Hori three years to live..  My story line had been developed already when I ran across that bit of information, so I chose to move forward.  My Afterword addresses any issues with history as we know it at the moment.

Did you settle for the Greek names of many Egyptian towns and gods, according to

Herodotus? Or did you stick to what we perceive as true Egyptian names—which can have endless interpretations?

The problem with the ‘true’ Egyptian names are that we don’t know what they are.  As I said in the Afterword  to The City of Refuge, we do not know how the words were pronounced because like Hebrew, Egyptian writing did not have vowels.  Thutmose III’s name is spelled ‘Dwty-Nt’.  Ah… Dooty-Nit?  Dawty-Nut?  Djehooty-Not?  We have a letter from the Hittites that phonetically spelled Ramesses’ and Nefertari’s names as ‘Riamasassa’ and ‘Naptera’.

I tend to do what is more comfortable.  I chose ‘Memphis’ because it has very powerful associations.  The fall of Memphis; the Memphite Theology…  Men-Nefer (WAS it spelled that way?) is more accurate, but it is not more recognizable.  To I chose to use the names that were most familiar – Ramesses, Memphis, with an edge to giving historical names when possible.  The temple of Amun in Waset (which I call Thebes because of its associations) is called ‘Opet’.  It is an unfamiliar name, but ‘Karnak’ is completely inaccurate.

Time is always of the essence. How do you manage it?

I don’t. There is never enough time.

I happen to know that you have a few more up your sleeve or – better – in your head. Can you give us a glimpse?

What is in the works?  Kadesh set in year 4 of Ramesses II’s reign, is well on the way to being finished.  It should be finished around mid 2014.  It centers on the Kadesh campaign, and deals with the desire many of us have to somehow match or exceed the doings of others, whether a parent, a sibling, a character in history.  I have some sample chapters up on my website, and some familiar people make an appearance.

Moving toward the end of the period I am writing about, I have Lord of the Two Lands, which tells the story of the last Ramesses – Ramesses XI.  This is shaping up to be a trilogy, but it involves drawing conclusions from fragmented history.  It follows some of my own deductions regarding the end of the Ramesside dynasty – kings died one after another, a king being succeeded by his son, then by his brother, then another brother… And so on.  Was there an endemic disease like malaria?  Who was Ramesses XI?   (The son of Ramesses VI, actually; but what of the rest of his ancestry?  His throne name included ‘Khaemwaset’ – the name of one of Ramesses the Great’s most famous sons, who was crown prince for five years, and who had sons and grandsons that were High Priests of Ptah in Memphis and Viziers of the north.  Hm…  Interesting…)  That won’t be out for a couple years.

There’s also a fable about a giant crocodile that I am finishing up for NaNoWriMo… That will be a short piece.

And most recently I had a mental picture of an act of random violence.  A man comes into a marketplace, set up around the gates of the Temple of Ptah.  He lifts his bow and begins to shoot arrows, moving into the temple through the hallways, through the increasingly dark corridors.  Two other archers intersect him, one an older man, another of an age to be his son.  They pursue the attacker to an outer courtyard where he is killed.  Who was he?  Why is the High Priest so upset?  What lies behind this act of violence?  I don’t know.  But I’m going to find out.  It’ll be a while, though.

When might your fans expect another to be published?

Mid 2014 is my (hopeful) date for t Kadesh, my fingers, my editors and my (very kind) beta-readers willing!

* * *

Thank you, Diana. That was so fascinating. And, as usual, you gave us excellent insight into your muse. I am inspired.

Inge, as always, it is a delight to ‘chat’ with you.  Long life to your Ka!

* * *

Be sure to check out Diana Wilder’s books on Amazon.com:

The City of Refuge:

http://www.amazon.com/The-City-Refuge-Memphis-Cycle-ebook/dp/B004XJCJ6C/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1

Mourningtide:

http://www.amazon.com/Mourningtide-Book-Two-Memphis-Cycle-ebook/dp/B00D2Y32L0/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1

Pharaoh's Son:

http://www.amazon.com/Pharaohs-Son-The-Memphis-Cycle-ebook/dp/B0055OPNHQ/ref=pd_sim_kstore_2

A Killing Among the Dead:

http://www.amazon.com/Killing-Among-Dead-Memphis-Cycle-ebook/dp/B004WLO9GY/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1

Diana Wilder’s Website: www.dianawilderauthor.com

Canadian Poet Jim Bennett

Poetry is not all about gloom and doom; mostly, it is about the beauty of our language in an expression of reflection, life and yes, loss, but also about celebration and – as here in Jim Bennett’s case – a bit of tongue-in-cheek as well regarding his moniker image.

Of course, I asked him what it meant and I am embarrassed that I didn't guess. He kindly elaborated for me:

“There is a place in Up the Organization where Townsend says, what would a Martian make of this problem, understanding everything about life on earth except anything related to this problem? Explain it to this Martian, please? Since I was Application Architect, I asked 'the Martian question' often. So, as a joke, I had a globe of Mars on my desk, with the ambiguous figure 'Mowgli' looking at it.”

* * *

Putting on his serious poet’s hat, Bennett explains: “Poetry is about experience, and has the power to transmit that experience to readers; what it means to be alive and mortal.”

Here are the published volumes of

Jim Bennett’s evocative poetry:

Cold Comes Through

Life is about loss. In the end, we all die. Yet we may face illness and reduced capacity, expected and unexpected, with fear or courage, faith or despair. These fifty poems are about that experience....

Behind the Lime Kiln

This collection is about relationships. These poems were written for human beings living in today's world, that is, for us, and thus for you.

Hard Landing   

Fifty-seven unique, sometimes scary, experiences. This selection of poems is not for children, nor is it for squeamish adults. The collection probes unique personal problems of different lives in difficult situations.

The Scroll of the Violin

These poems cover a range of philosophy, religion, belief and unbelief: religious poems, atheist poems, questioning poems, and answering ones.

Jim Bennett not only writes poetry, he also leads workshops and participates in a regular writers’ group.

He is also a prolific and conscientious reader and critiquer for the Kindle Book Review (KBR). So far, he has done 48 formal KBR reviews, and some 14 informal reviews.

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But before you rush off and send him your novels, let me tell you from experience that he is tough, honest, and very stingy with his five stars. And rightly so. We’ll never get better by being gushed over and coddled (sigh), but by receiving constructive critiques.

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Jim Bennett began his publishing career in such literary magazines as The Fiddlehead, Event, The New Quarterly, and Prairie Fire.

He started writing poetry in high school. Mentored by an English teacher, and rekindled years later by Richard Ketchum of Humber College, Jim began creating and never looked back.

With a Masters Degree in Pure Mathematics, he became a programmer, designer, and eventually application architect. You’d expect Jim to be technical rather than poetic.  But suspecting poets rarely get rich by their work; hence he remained in this field to fund his family and his other interests.

Jim also takes pictures; all the images on his website are his, as are the cover images on his last two collections of poetry. He keeps tropical fish.

Jim Bennett’s poetry books can be found at Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Jim-Bennett/e/B005HSHNLE/

Print versions are available from the Lulu Store in paperback and as e-pubs:

http://www.lulu.com/shop/search.ep?contributorId=1103364

I urge you to visit Jim Bennett’s website where you will find some great images and also a few interesting observations about life in today’s Canada.

http://jim-bennett.ca/

Lastly, thank you Jim, for giving us a glimpse of the man behind the poet. 

Ancient Egypt at Its Best

Today, I am introducing you to an author who not only writes in my own genre (Historical Fiction) but in its very sub-genre closest to my heart: Ancient Egypt. Even though our chosen themes, or dynasties, are about two-thousand years apart, I have kept a keen eye on the growing list of the titles of 

L. M. Ironside

 Passionate about history, she began devouring adult historical novels right off her mother's bookshelf at age eight and never looked back. In high school, her history teacher assigned her Hatshepsut as the subject of a report. The report turned into a meticulously crafted scale paper model of Hatshepsut's mortuary temple, and Ironside's fate was sealed: she was a confirmed Egypt nut from then on.

She has just published her third book in a series bringing to life this enigmatic She-King who dared to declared herself Pharaoh (after conveniently getting her brother-husband out of the way).

                             

The Sekhmet Bed

is the first volume of L. M. Ironside's series The She-King, a family saga of the Thutmosides, one of ancient Egypt's most fascinating royal families.

The Thutmoside dynasty saga continues with

The Crook and Flail.

In Sovereign of Stars,

Hatshepsut has fulfilled her divine destiny and taken the Pharaoh's throne.
But she knows her position is precarious.

Ironside tells me she is already working on the next in the series. “I'm still on target to finish the final book in the series around early January to have it out hopefully around the end of February, providing nothing crazy happens over the holidays.”

We all know how that can go – but I, as surely do her many other fans, wish her the very best of success.

Quite selfishly so, since we are all anxiously waiting for Book #4.

Visit L. M. Ironside at: 

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/L.-M.-Ironside/e/B00BS3C9J8

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/84655

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/l.-m.-ironside

Kobo: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/l.-m.-ironside

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7114740.L_M_Ironside

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HawkerIronside

She would also love for you to sign up for her mailing list on her Website: http://Imironside.com

"Ich bin ein Berliner"

Sadly remembering the 50th Anniversary of President Kennedy’s assassination, I thought it might be appropriate to share my poem about JFK’s June 26, 1963 visit to Berlin. The ‘cursed’ Wall finally came down on November 11, 1989.

 * * *

Peace: War’s Abandoned Grave

From its cachéd acorn womb

the seedling sprouts through pungent moss,

soon greened by a rambunctious spring’s exuberance.

The Westwind, taking pity, laughs and heaves

and trembles off the would-be devourer of tender leaves.

The sapling climbs toward the tranquil summer sky,

shading the meadow by the river,

until the Eastwind, cold and blustery,

defeats the balmy climes

and heralds in this city’s soon-to-come heart-breaking times.

Branches at half-mast, the tree holds silent vigil

against the rapings by lust-driven Ural-hordes.

Its meadow barren, flowers vanquished under iron treads,

the oak, denuded in the smoke-veiled morn’,

breathes acrid mist from the River Spree, forlorn.

Amber tears drip from the tree’s strafed bark

as the proud city, quartered by its raucous victors,

writhes in shredded ruin, a graveyard of the living dead.

A people torn apart, despaired,

as brother now must fear the brother whom war had spared.

A saw’s rasping bite takes hold;

the last tree topples at the cusp of dawn.

The oak’s green planks strain vainly toward freedom

from deep within the cursed Wall.

A fire-blackened church accuses, a grim reminder to them all.

The pendulum of time reverses.

Survivors hail their former foe.

To these living dead, abandoning their graves of war,

as if he were a citizen, but keener,

a young world leader avows peace with:

“Ich bin ein Berliner!”

* * *

From “Moments of the Heart, A Book of Poems and Short Prose”

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0073VIQY6

New Work In Progress

 These are proposed covers for my new Work In Progress:

AFTER THE CATACLYSM

It is Book 3 of the Legends of the Winged Scarab

What do you think?

A                                            or                                             B

As an interesting Aside about this cover:

For CATACLYSM, I assigned an important part to a ghost ship that supposedly still plies the Atlantic Ocean. As devotees of mysteriously vanished boats continue to search for the real  Lyubov Orlova, believing that she still haunts the high seas, I imagined another life for this ill-fated vessel.

Built in 1976, she was named after a Russian screen siren from the 1930s. In 2010, she ran aground off Newfoundland. While being towed to be sold for scrap, the towline snapped. For years, the vessel drifted unclaimed without a living soul aboard—except for the rats.

Lovers of sea lore and old ships continue to look for the 328-foot Lyubov Orlova and even dedicated a website to her search: http://whereisorlova.wordpress.com/

Unless you can prove otherwise, let’s believe that she is still afloat, her golden First Dynasty tablets  stowed below, after they were saved from the Devil Winds KHAMSIN and SIROCCO. 

* * *

For easy comparison, here are the first two volumes (already on sale):

Fussy Librarian Accepts Khamsin

It was not easy to get accepted into library of books of The Fussy Librarian; that is because she is fussy about what to showcase for her readers.

Did you know that you can get your very own librarian, for free? It's true! Choose from 30 genres, select content preferences and she'll send you daily ebook recommendations.

www.TheFussyLibrarian.com

Khamsin, The Devil Wind of the Nile, will be featured on October 30th.
Check it out under Historical Fiction.

Maybe Toth, the Egyptian god of Reading and Writing, had something to do with being accepted, although he would like to see a few more reviews!

Checking Out What is New

   I like to check out my favorite reviewers’ thoughts on other authors. Lo and behold, I came across another writer from Austria, also writing in English.

   “Oh my,” I thought, “I won’t read that stuff.”

   Naturally, curiosity got the better of me (I am a woman, aren’t I). ‘That stuff,’ turned out to be not at all what I had so hastily surmised. Although, I expected that the author had to be a lot younger than I am...actually, it is just that I am somewhat, well – prissier (I really do try not to be).

   Instead, I found these short stories to be delicious, delightful and, admittedly spicy parodies and satires. In the end, I not only laughed out loud but talked to myself. No, I am not that dotty yet. It just felt so great to be brought out of my oh-so-earnest character for once.

  I am therefore not in the least bit hesitant (that’s understated for I am happy) to present my fellow author and lands-woman, and her clever spoofs on life, lust and love.

Ida Tornovski

   Ida has bundled three of her stories into a Boxed Set.

 

Visit Ida Tornovski’s Author Pages:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Ida-Tornovski/e/B00EALNKWU

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/IdaTornovski

Blog: http://www.satires-and-parodies.blogspot.com/



Literary Self-Indulgence?

Author Christoph Fischer answers questions frequently asked by his readers.

Why I wrote THE BLACK EAGLE INN

Early feedback to my third book in the Three Nations Trilogy stated that it would probably be of most interest for people with a German heritage. As author I had to ask myself: could this novel bear relevance and interest for other people and non-German readers?  The answer is yes.

I was born 25 years after the end of the war. Our history lessons at school ended with the year 1945. One of the most urgent and important questions remained unanswered for me: How did a country with so much shame and horror in its past recover and move forward? How could it? I don’t think anything can ever make up for what has happened and nobody can forgive or atone for the collective guilt. But can the new generation ever deservedly rid itself of the stigma the previous generation has brought to the country?

Apart from the actual family story in my book I hope a great point of interest will be the way different characters carry on with their life and develop their philosophies, outlooks and politics. De-Nazification, restructuring of a political landscape and implementation of new state leaders are issues the book touches upon. Only ten years after the end of the war a wave of Italian and Turkish Immigrants filled the hole in the German employment market, but how did the Nation respond to those foreigners (named Gastarbeiter)? Ten years after that a new right wing party formed and threatened to tip the political balance and bring new shame to the nation.

The Sixties brought the Bader Meinhoff Complex, student revolts and many family conflicts instigated by the generation born after WWII. Many of those were disillusioned with politics and turned violent. It took a new generation of politicians to instigate a modernization of German society.

The year of my birth Chancellor Willy Brand famously fell on his knees in Warsaw, humbly honoring a monument for the victims Warsaw Uprising. An important symbolic gesture after previous governments tried too hastily to move on from the dark past.  My book covers a lot of ground about post war Germany and should be interesting for those whose knowledge of Germany also ends with 1945. We know about the Nuremberg Trials and the Nazi’s on the run in South America, but what about the little man, guilty or not? What does he do with this broken country?

What is your personal experience with the issues in the book?

I grew up with the first generation of children of mixed marriages and Gastarbeiter families and I experienced them being treated badly by some but also very welcoming by others. I grew up in times of a United Europe, exchange students and pop music from Italy, France, Britain and America. For me other nations and cultures were never anything but an exciting cultural enrichment and I adored the people in my generation who had a similar vision and worked hard to make such a mentality part of a modern Germany.

Of the three books THE BLACK EAGLE INN is the one that is closest to my own life experience although I was born around the time the story ends. While all three books deal with family sagas vaguely similar to some of my ancestors, this story takes place in an environment and times that I know almost first hand. Yet, there were an awful lot of facts that I only learnt about while researching the foundations for the book. I hope it helps to understand more about the path of the German people from its past to the current state.

A New Germany?

Can a leopard ever change its spots and can a Nation ever change? Is Germany trying to take over the European Union in militant fashion as some people claim? Are Germans always rigid, organized and pushy? Did Mussolini’s fascism stem from a reminiscent ‘Roman’ megalomania? Is there something inherently unchangeable in the makeup of a Nation?

Confronted with often harsh stereotypes of Nazi-esque Germans in film, television and conversations abroad it seems that a certain image sticks to us Germans in the view of other Nations. I left the country 20 years ago and often see the Germans from the outside perspective with similar eyes and cringe at some innocent remarks by my compatriots and their sometimes only misunderstood behaviors. Yet some of these stereotypes can reinforce undifferentiated ideas about German mentality and politics.

My book is by no means a glorification of the German nation. As much as I love my place of origin I am happy where I live now. By having written a somewhat political book about post-war Germany I hope to paint a more balanced and more complex picture about its past and its people. Like every country in the world Germany should remain a work in progress of continuous development and improvement.

Religion in THE BLACK EAGLE INN

Most of my characters in this book are Catholics and some of them are not portrayed favorably even though other Catholics are written with more differentiation. I would like to point out however in any case that by no means do I intend to condemn religion or Catholicism as a whole.

Implied criticism of those devout Catholic characters is directed at the dogmatism of some, which also shows in their political and other beliefs and behaviors. Certain outdated beliefs and practices are part of the historically accurate portrayal of the times and places. Misuse of religion and Bible quotes for personal gain or political goals are as old as religion itself and are not limited to Catholicism.

I would like you to know that I have the most profound respect for any responsible religious person who uses their respective belief system to become a better person and to better the world with love and tolerance of others.

Politics in THE BLACK EAGLE INN

To write about any Nation and its generational renewal party politics are difficult to avoid, even more so in the case of Germany where for 12 years one party dictated world history. In one plotline of the book I have gone deep into the rivalry between the two main parties in post-war Germany, which exists to this day.

I must apologize for any perceived bias and any offensive remarks against either of the parties portrayed. Party politics at the time were more differentiated than I could afford to showcase them in this book. The fictional party affiliation of some of my characters in the book was determined by certain ideas they stand for and which of the actual parties at the time would have fitted their profile the most.

In my view politicians of every party can be corrupt as they can be idealists. By no means would I like to imply that I favor the politicians of one party of another. My book is not a manifesto for political ideas per se but for humanitarian ideas that should be the foundation for any type of politics.

Politics can also be a frustrating and hard business and I applaud all of the idealists who go into politics and struggle hard for their visions and beliefs. I do not have the endurance for it myself and would like to thank those who have done so and who selflessly help to form and shape Germany into a modern state that has learnt from its past.

* * *

Visit Christoph Fischer’s Author pages:

On Amazon - US: http://www.amazon.com/Christoph-Fischer/e/B00CLO9VMQ/

On Amazon - UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Christoph-Fischer/e/B00CLO9VMQ/

On Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6590171.Christoph_Fischer

http://www.facebook.com/WriterChristophFischer?ref=hl

http://www.christophfischerbooks.com/

http://writerchristophfischer.wordpress.com/

Christoph Fischer Launches Book 3 of Three Nations Trilogy

"The Black Eagle Inn"

The Black Eagle Inn is an old established Restaurant and Farm business in the sleepy Bavarian countryside outside of Heimkirchen. Childless Anna Hinterberger has fought hard to make it her own and keep it running through WWII. Religion and rivalry divide her family as one of her nephews, Markus has got her heart and another nephew, Lukas got her ear. Her husband Herbert is still missing and for the wider family life in post-war Germany also has some unexpected challenges in store.

Once again Fischer tells a family saga with war in the far background and weaves the political and religious into the personal. Being the third in the Three Nations Trilogy this book offers another perspective on war, its impact on people and the themes of nations and identity.

On Facebook: http://ow.ly/pAX3y

On Goodreads: http://ow.ly/pAX8G

On Amazon- US: http://bookshow.me/B00FSBW2L6

On Amazon-UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Christoph-Fischer

Christoph Fischer was born in Germany, near the Austrian border, as the son of a Sudeten-German father and a Bavarian mother. Not a full local in the eyes and ears of his peers he developed an ambiguous sense of belonging and home in Bavaria. He moved to Hamburg in pursuit of his studies and to lead a life of literary indulgence. After a few years he moved on to the UK where he is still resident today.

The Luck of The Weissensteiners was published in November 2012; 















Sebastian in May 2013. 

Fischer has written several other novels which are in the later stages of editing and finalization.

Visit Christoph Fischer’s Author Pages:

On Amazon - US: http://www.amazon.com/Christoph-Fischer/e/B00CLO9VMQ

On Amazon - UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Christoph-Fischer/e/B00CLO9VMQ

On Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6590171.Christoph_Fischer

http://www.facebook.com/WriterChristophFischer?ref=hl

http://www.christophfischerbooks.com/

http://writerchristophfischer.wordpress.com/