My rec
ently released novel, Love on the Nile, is, rather unsurprisingly, set against the wonderful and exotic backdrop of Egypt. I have been fortunate enough to receive 5 star reviews already (thank you, thank you, lovely readers), the majority of whom have mentioned the way I have brought the setting to life, indicating that I made the writer feel as if they were actually there in Egypt or that they had been there.
Waiting for reviews to come in is always a nerve-wracking time – what if they don’t like it? What if they tell me it’s awful! I’m sure I’ll get those too, after all, we can’t please everyone and we all have such widely different taste in reading materials. However, the lovely comments about how I’ve managed to bring the ancient Egyptian sites to life has thrilled me. Egypt is something of an obsession of mine!
Ever since I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by the Ancient Egyptian culture. I remember being asked at primary school (you’ll remember that phrase “what do you want to be when you grow up?”) and I answered “an archaeologist”. Well, that ambition seemed to change over the years but I never lost my interest in history, or my fascination with Egypt, as my penchant for Egyptian ornaments, jewellery, art and books is plain to see throughout my home. Poor David – it was a case of ‘love me, love my Egyptian stuff!’
I have been to Egypt, many years ago now, and it was everything I ever dreamed of – it certainly didn’t disappoint (although I could have done without the obligatory stomach bug). I am determined to travel back there in the not too distant future but, in the meantime, I shall have to content myself with poring over my books and writing novels about it.
Love on the Nile tells the story of Natasha and her brother, Nicky, who travel to Egypt on the holiday of a lifetime. They unexpectedly find themselves cruising along the Nile with their Aunt Lucy and her friend, Kyle Richardson – a handsome but moody archaeologist. It is a truly romantic tale but, of course, the path to true love never runs smoothly – although tempted, Natasha is reluctant to embark on a holiday romance, knowing that in two weeks’ time it will all be over. Kyle has lost everyone he ever loved and (in keeping with Ancient Egypt!) believes himself to be cursed. Despite his attraction to Natasha, he is not willing to risk getting hurt again. And as for Nicky, well, I really hope my readers love this happy, gentle character – I really enjoyed writing him.
Not content with writing a contemporary romance novel, I’ve also written a young adult time-slip novel, where two teenage children, having found an Ancient Egyptian amulet, find themselves transported back to Ancient Egypt in the time of Tutankhamen. It is a dangerous time and one where the children find themselves having to make a difficult decision. Do they try and warn Tutankhamen of his impending death and therefore risking their own future, or do they leave him to his fate? The book still needs some work but I do hope to be able to look at this later in the year and start approaching agents and publishers in the hope of getting it picked up – so watch this space!
For now though, I shall leave Natasha, Kyle, Nicky and Lucy to their Egyptian adventure and concentrate on editing my next novel set in the somewhat colder and rather less exotic but nonetheless beautiful surroundings of Whitby and North Yorkshire. I’ll keep you updated with progress!
Ellie x
Ellie Gray 