When writing, I am a pantser. I usually know how I want something to begin and end and go from there. Plotting doesn’t seem to work out for me. But, for the Kiya Trilogy, I had no choice but to do things differently.
I knew basically what I wanted. I wanted to begin during the time of Akhenaten and end about twenty or so years later. I knew this would be a big feat, so I broke the story into three parts; the Amarna period, book 1 (Hope of the Pharaoh), post Amarna and Tutanhkamen’s rise to the throne, book 2 (Mother of a King), then the rest in book 3 (Rise of a New Dynasty).
Once I’d decided what I wanted in each, I built a timeline of known events during this period. I also accumulated several lines ofdebatable and possible events which is where I had some room to move. I took many hours searching University and Museum websites and journals and other reputable historical sites as well as scouring through the library. Note: No wiki! I have several pages of references saved in my Kiya file on my computer.
During this building of events, I needed to spend time researching the characters as well to get a feel for their motives and possible reactions to the events surrounding them. I loved this part. I’m a huge strong characters make a strong story person, so getting to know these long lost personalities was fun.
I will admit I did take some liberties with the history, most significantly making Kiya Naomi the Hebrew. But there is a reason! Kiya has very limited information on her, and when I first studied the Amarna period, I was also studying Ancient Israel. So my overly active imagination said, “What if Kiya was secretly a Hebrew that they covered up?” That is how the story began. This also gave me the freedom to explore the little known period leading up to the slavery of the ten tribes.
I feel I did all I could to build a strong historical base for the trilogy, but ultimately, it’s still fiction. Although based on real people, the characters I built are all my own speculation conjured by what I picture when I study them. My hope is to stimulate an interest in history, not claim facts, because I believe history can teach us so much if we let it.
Oh yes, Kiya. Make him love you, make him hold you in his highest regard….
When Naomi’s sisters are snatched up to be taken to be wives of the erratic Pharaoh, Akhenaten, she knows they won’t survive the palace, so she offers herself in their place. The fearsome Commander Horemheb sees her courage, and knows she is exactly what he is looking for…
The Great Queen Nefertiti despises Naomi instantly, and strips her of her Hebrew lineage, including her name, which is changed to Kiya. Kiya allies herself with Horemheb, who pushes her to greatness and encourages her to make the Pharaoh fall in love with her. When Akhenaten declares Kiya will be the mother of his heir, Nefertiti, furious with jealousy, schemes to destroy Kiya.
Kiya must play the deadly game carefully. She is in a silent battle of wills, and a struggle for who will one day inherit the crown. If she does bear an heir, she knows she will need to fight to protect him, as well as herself, from Nefertiti who is out for blood.
About Katie
After graduating High School, she became a foreign exchange student where she met a young man who several years later she married. Now she lives in Arizona with her husband, daughter and their dog.
She has a diploma in travel and tourism which helps inspire her writing. She is currently at school studying English and Creative Writing.
Katie loves to out sing her friends and family, play sports and be a good wife and mother. She now works as a Clerk with a lien company in Arizona to help support her family and her schooling. She loves to write, and takes the few spare moments in her day to work on her novels.
http://kjhstories.blogspot.com/
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