Blood and Chaos – Book 2
by Nicole Sallak Anderson
Genre: Historical Fantasy
BLURB:
The second chapter of Lord Ankhwenefer’s story is one of love, betrayal, and death. The world needs to know this forgotten king’s tale so that the ghosts of the past may finally rest.
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.
The books will be on sale for $0.99
Excerpt:
The prince of Behdet gazed across the Nile River at the city of Panopolis, its bonfires flickering like beacons in the dark night. A hot wind caressed his sunburnt face. He turned to see his enemy’s army spread out before him, torchlights zigzagging across an island downriver like ants on honey, protecting their city with their mighty arsenal of archers ships. He wanted control of the island, needed it, if he were ever to return home to his lover’s arms.
“This war is taking too long,” he hissed under his breath.
“My lord,” Min, his personal guard, answered. “It has been a year. It took our greatest ancestor, Pharaoh Amhose I, nineteen years to banish the Hyksos filth from our lands. Prior to his victory, his father and grandfather also battled for independence. Their line of kings fought for over thirty years to take Egypt unto back unto native hands. Our war is young. Be patient.”
Ankhmakis turned to his friend and captain, his lips curled. “I don’t want this to take three generations, Min. I will not leave this task to my heirs. I will march upon Alexandria and kill Ptolemy IV with my own hands. We should at least be to Memphis by now. Instead we’re in Panopolis, held back by their army. For the second time, the Inundation is at our backs. If we don’t hurry, we’ll be trapped here when the river floods. Such a failure can’t happen again.”
Author Interview:
Q. What are four things you can’t live without?
A. Chocolate, wine, my husband, and beautiful shoes.
Q. What is your favorite television show?
A. Letterkenny. If you don’t know of it, you should.
Q. If you could be any character, from any literary work, who would you choose to be?
A. King Arthur. Why? His story is the great myth of the European world. The mysterious king that no one’s sure was even real. The ruler of Camelot and thus England’s heart. There’s something about being a character that didn’t exist yet has been embedded into the threads of a major culture. I would have loved to have held court with my knights of the round table—his is a story of honor and friendship as well as betrayal and magic. Doesn’t everyone want to be king of such a glorious kingdom?
Q. What have you got coming soon for us to look out for?
A. The final novel in my ancient Egyptian trilogy, Civilization’s End, will be out in October. It’s both exciting and sad to end a series like this. Exciting because it’s my favorite book I’ve ever written and I can’t wait to share it, but sad because I’ll miss Ankhmakis and Natasa now that the work is done.
Q. What books or authors have most influenced your own writing?
A. I love Tolkien, Stephen King, Marion Zimmer Bradley, and I will read anything by JoJo Moyes. It’s a strange mix of writers; I love Tolkien and Bradley for their world building, King for his ability to make horrible things happen to normal people. His character development is pitch perfect. Moyes is the best romance writer of our times. Simple plots with twists you should see coming and likeable heroines paired with men I can’t help falling for. She keeps my rather tragic soul from falling too far into darkness.
Author Bio
Nicole Sallak Anderson is Computer Science graduate from Purdue University, and former CTO for a small Silicon Valley startup, turned novelist, speaker, and blogger, focusing on the intersection of technology and consciousness. Her essays range from AI and Zen to direct democracy to the loneliness of modern parenting — featured as a top twenty story on Medium. In addition, her work on Universal Basic Income has been included on 2020 presidential candidate, Andrew Yang’s, website.
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, Twitter, Instagram, and Medium. Feel free to contact her, she almost always answers to any query or comment!
Giveaway
A randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour will receive a $50 Amazon/BN GC.
Thanks for hosting!
You’re very welcome. Thank you for stopping by.
Thanks for sharing my novel, Sadie. I appreciate it!
You’re very welcome. The books looks like a lot of fun.
Thank you for stopping by and saying, “hi.”
Thanks for a great author interview. I love getting to see behind the curtain a little bit.
I really enjoyed the excerpt.