Abu Simbel, monument to the pharaoh Rameses II
August 5, 2021
In writing articles about my homeland, Egypt, how could I miss out the stunning temples of Abu Simbel at Aswan?
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My latest blog posts
Ancient Egyptian scribes
August 2, 2021
To be a scribe in Ancient Egypt was to live a life of knowledge, respect and wealth…
Unrest in Egypt: Sewing the seeds for revolution
July 29, 2021
My novel Song of the Nile is set in 1940s Egypt, after the World War. This was a time of escapism and making hay while the sun shone. But a revolution was looming…
10 Ancient Egyptian inventions we use today
July 26, 2021
A civilisation of great advances, the legacy of the Ancient Egyptians is evident in many aspects of our lives today.
Will absence make the heart grow fonder?
July 22, 2021
In Song of the Nile, the hero and heroine have a past. Once friends, they were torn apart by a betrayal several years before. So, will absence have made the heart grow fonder – or harder?
Ibn Tulun Mosque, Cairo
July 19, 2021
The Mosque of Ibn Tulun is an iconic and famous building in Cairo – one of the oldest and best-preserved mosques in Egypt.
Akhenaten and Nefertiti
July 15, 2021
Akhenaten was a pharaoh with a vision: to shake up the Ancient Egyptian religion so that there was only one god. He and his queen Nefertiti are among the most famous royal Egyptians.
Never too late to pursue a dream? On literary late bloomers
July 12, 2021
In our modern world it seems to me that there is a great and powerful need to hurry. If you have a dream, there is no time to waste, we are told: go out there right now and seize hold of your dream! But this is not the only path to a dream; and neither, perhaps, is it the best one.
The story of Isis and Osiris
July 8, 2021
Osiris and Isis were very important deities in Ancient Egyptian religion, and their story has endured to this day.
Girl meets boy: writing the pivotal first meeting in a love story
July 5, 2021
‘The first meeting of a hero and heroine in a novel: will it be dramatic, or tender, or dreamy, or antagonistic? Whatever the scenario, one ingredient will be key: chemistry…’
Hatshepsut: The female king of Egypt
July 1, 2021
The second female pharaoh of Egypt, Hatshepsut of the 18th Dynasty was a formidable woman who ruled the country not as a queen, but as a king.
Ancient Egyptian festivals
June 28, 2021
Festivals were an important part of life in Ancient Egypt, and there were plenty of them!
Anthony and Cleopatra: an enduring love story
June 24, 2021
In a series of blog articles, I am exploring the great love stories of Ancient Egypt. First, Anthony and Cleopatra: passionate, dramatic, epic, it is one of the most enduring stories of all time.
How art inspires my writing
June 21, 2021
‘For as long as I can remember, art has fired up my imagination. I remember gazing at paintings on the wall in my childhood home for ages, dreaming up stories that would play out in the worlds inside the picture frames. When I wrote my first book, it was natural for me to turn to art for inspiration…’
Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs
June 17, 2021
Hieroglyphs – pictures to represent letters, sounds, objects and ideas – are one of the most enduring legacies of Ancient Egypt.
Ancient Egyptian art
June 14, 2021
When you think of Ancient Egypt, no doubt you think of its distinctive art: embellishments in tombs and temples, beautiful statues, pottery and papyrus.
Love in the pandemic: falling in love, staying in love
June 10, 2021
Throughout the pandemic, I have had love on my mind. Love for my family, of course, but also romantic love, about which I write in my novels. Time and again I’ve questioned: how is this difficult time affecting romance?
The heroine and the harem
June 7, 2021
‘A rare rose to add to my garden…’ How will Aida, heroine of Song of the Nile, feel about visiting a prince’s harem?
The Pharos of Alexandria
June 3, 2021
Home for me in Egypt is Alexandria, the Bride of the Mediterranean, the centre of the Mediterranean world in ancient times – and the location of the Pharos of Alexandria.
A heroine struggling to trust
May 31, 2021
In Song of the Nile, Aida is a woman who has felt the sharp sting of betrayal, leaving her wounded and wary. Dare she trust again?
Egyptian mummification: The key to eternal life
May 27, 2021
When you think of Ancient Egypt, no doubt you think of mummies. But why exactly did the Egyptians preserve people in this way, and how?
Protecting Egyptian antiquities
May 24, 2021
Running through Song of the Nile is a dark thread: the trafficking and smuggling of precious antiquities that belong, by right, to the Egyptian people.
Reasons to read ebooks
May 20, 2021
Do you read ebooks? If not, you’re missing out on some great advantages…
The discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb
May 17, 2021
There is no more renowned discovery in Egyptology than the tomb of Tutankhamun. Let me take you back to the early 1920s and tell you the story of the greatest find of our time…
‘Flying without wings’: the Arabian horse in Song of the Nile
May 13, 2021
The Arabian horse breed can be traced back thousands of years. ‘Thou shalt fly without wings and conquer without swords’ is how the Quran refers to this horse.
David Roberts: 19th-century paintings of Egypt
May 10, 2021
Inspiration for my novel Song of the Nile, the artworks of 19th-century painter David Roberts…
Coptic Cairo and the Hanging Church
May 6, 2021
A place of great significance to many people, Coptic Cairo, with its famous Hanging Church, is one of my favourite parts of the city.
The Khan el-Khalili, Cairo
May 3, 2021
In Song of the Nile, Phares and Aida explore a famous and historic part of Cairo: the Khan el-Khalili bazaar and souk.
The ancient Egyptian signs of the Zodiac
April 29, 2021
For the ancient Egyptians, there was great meaning in the heavens above. The planets and stars could help you understand who you were and what would happen in the future.
Guiding the dead: Ancient Egyptian funerary texts
April 26, 2021
How would a pharaoh’s spirit navigate to the glorious afterlife? For ancient Egyptians, the answer was simple: follow the funerary texts, a kind of ‘afterlife guidebook’.
My latest blog posts
Abu Simbel, monument to the pharaoh Rameses II
August 5, 2021
In writing articles about my homeland, Egypt, how could I miss out the stunning temples of Abu Simbel at Aswan?
Ancient Egyptian scribes
August 2, 2021
To be a scribe in Ancient Egypt was to live a life of knowledge, respect and wealth…
Unrest in Egypt: Sewing the seeds for revolution
July 29, 2021
My novel Song of the Nile is set in 1940s Egypt, after the World War. This was a time of escapism and making hay while the sun shone. But a revolution was looming…
10 Ancient Egyptian inventions we use today
July 26, 2021
A civilisation of great advances, the legacy of the Ancient Egyptians is evident in many aspects of our lives today.
Will absence make the heart grow fonder?
July 22, 2021
In Song of the Nile, the hero and heroine have a past. Once friends, they were torn apart by a betrayal several years before. So, will absence have made the heart grow fonder – or harder?
Ibn Tulun Mosque, Cairo
July 19, 2021
The Mosque of Ibn Tulun is an iconic and famous building in Cairo – one of the oldest and best-preserved mosques in Egypt.
Akhenaten and Nefertiti
July 15, 2021
Akhenaten was a pharaoh with a vision: to shake up the Ancient Egyptian religion so that there was only one god. He and his queen Nefertiti are among the most famous royal Egyptians.
Never too late to pursue a dream? On literary late bloomers
July 12, 2021
In our modern world it seems to me that there is a great and powerful need to hurry. If you have a dream, there is no time to waste, we are told: go out there right now and seize hold of your dream! But this is not the only path to a dream; and neither, perhaps, is it the best one.
The story of Isis and Osiris
July 8, 2021
Osiris and Isis were very important deities in Ancient Egyptian religion, and their story has endured to this day.
Girl meets boy: writing the pivotal first meeting in a love story
July 5, 2021
‘The first meeting of a hero and heroine in a novel: will it be dramatic, or tender, or dreamy, or antagonistic? Whatever the scenario, one ingredient will be key: chemistry…’
Hatshepsut: The female king of Egypt
July 1, 2021
The second female pharaoh of Egypt, Hatshepsut of the 18th Dynasty was a formidable woman who ruled the country not as a queen, but as a king.
Ancient Egyptian festivals
June 28, 2021
Festivals were an important part of life in Ancient Egypt, and there were plenty of them!
Anthony and Cleopatra: an enduring love story
June 24, 2021
In a series of blog articles, I am exploring the great love stories of Ancient Egypt. First, Anthony and Cleopatra: passionate, dramatic, epic, it is one of the most enduring stories of all time.
How art inspires my writing
June 21, 2021
‘For as long as I can remember, art has fired up my imagination. I remember gazing at paintings on the wall in my childhood home for ages, dreaming up stories that would play out in the worlds inside the picture frames. When I wrote my first book, it was natural for me to turn to art for inspiration…’
Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs
June 17, 2021
Hieroglyphs – pictures to represent letters, sounds, objects and ideas – are one of the most enduring legacies of Ancient Egypt.
Ancient Egyptian art
June 14, 2021
When you think of Ancient Egypt, no doubt you think of its distinctive art: embellishments in tombs and temples, beautiful statues, pottery and papyrus.
My latest blog posts
Abu Simbel, monument to the pharaoh Rameses II
August 5, 2021
In writing articles about my homeland, Egypt, how could I miss out the stunning temples of Abu Simbel at Aswan?
Ancient Egyptian scribes
August 2, 2021
To be a scribe in Ancient Egypt was to live a life of knowledge, respect and wealth…
Unrest in Egypt: Sewing the seeds for revolution
July 29, 2021
My novel Song of the Nile is set in 1940s Egypt, after the World War. This was a time of escapism and making hay while the sun shone. But a revolution was looming…
10 Ancient Egyptian inventions we use today
July 26, 2021
A civilisation of great advances, the legacy of the Ancient Egyptians is evident in many aspects of our lives today.
Will absence make the heart grow fonder?
July 22, 2021
In Song of the Nile, the hero and heroine have a past. Once friends, they were torn apart by a betrayal several years before. So, will absence have made the heart grow fonder – or harder?
Ibn Tulun Mosque, Cairo
July 19, 2021
The Mosque of Ibn Tulun is an iconic and famous building in Cairo – one of the oldest and best-preserved mosques in Egypt.
Akhenaten and Nefertiti
July 15, 2021
Akhenaten was a pharaoh with a vision: to shake up the Ancient Egyptian religion so that there was only one god. He and his queen Nefertiti are among the most famous royal Egyptians.
Never too late to pursue a dream? On literary late bloomers
July 12, 2021
In our modern world it seems to me that there is a great and powerful need to hurry. If you have a dream, there is no time to waste, we are told: go out there right now and seize hold of your dream! But this is not the only path to a dream; and neither, perhaps, is it the best one.