The Mysterious Pharaoh

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By Kerry Adrienne

When I began researching Egypt for my latest 1Night Stand, I was really in heaven. Who doesn’t love to spend hours on Google just going from one interesting link to another? I knew I wanted a time period where there were kings, and where there were pyramids, and where the religion was complex and filled with many gods and goddesses.

I tracked down the time period then researched the gods, houses, boats, and foods of the time. Suddenly, the story was coming alive in my mind.

I came across an article in the Los Angeles Times (April 10, 1994) that began like this:

Otto Schaden has spent 25 years trying to unravel the mysteries of Amenmesse, a Pharaoh who suddenly burst onto the royal scene of ancient Egypt, then just as suddenly vanished.

Hmm. Well, that was interesting. Further research revealed that archaeologists didn’t know a whole lot about this king at all. He only ruled for about four years, and then vanished and was (possibly) replaced by his brother. What a story!

I began to ponder how a king could be deposed…and how his brother (possibly the rightful heir) could rule *after* him. Seti was born in my mind and this 1Night Stand is my take on why Amenmesse took the throne. I’ve a story in mind for Seti’s return to Egypt as the rightful ruler, too—a follow-up to the 1Night Stand.

Now to Bastet, and the cat in the story. Well, anyone who knows me knows I am going to be that crazy cat lady. Even my husband has resigned himself to the fact—we have five cats and often foster pregnant cats and abandoned kittens that need bottle-feeding. Anyway, I began to research Bast.

A lot of overlap exists on goddesses in Ancient Egypt and there are so many things we really just don’t know. At one point, she was a defender of the Pharaoh—so I swiped that. Of course she is the cat goddess, and I already planned to use her in that capacity. Most people know that cats were treated well in Egypt—and the royal ones often wore gold collars with jewels.

When I wrote this story, we had just rescued a kitten. She was a little waif that was going to be euthanized at the shelter—all white, with one green eye and one blue. We named her Ophelia. Now, my preference is black cats (I have two) and that fits in with Bast more, so I combined Ophelia with my alpha cat, Giselle. Ta-da. The representation of Bast in the story. And if you look at the dedication, you’ll see that I dedicated Pharaoh, Mine to Ophelia and Giselle (aka FiFi and GiGi).

It’s really interesting how starting down the research trail can lead you on a path you never knew you would take—but, in my opinion, it is one of the most enjoyable things about writing.

Thanks for stopping by! I’ll award one ebook copy of 

Pharaoh, Mine to a person who comments.