Behind the Scenes: In Egypt . . . With A Lost Sarcophagus

 Now that Scattered Stones is out in the world, I'm turning to my art crime series to start writing the story that tells us what happens next to Sandra and Neil after The Seventh Tapestry!

Imagine my surprise to discover just over 20K already drafted on this new story. The Lost Sarcophagus has a working outline and snippets of scenes. In the past, I've been inspired by the hero's journey to organize my stories in a kind of quest to be more productive (and take less than three years to write a story!).

After reading through what I've got so far, I found my outlining a little hard to follow and somewhat ponderous. So, I did what many do. I jumped sideways and took an online podcast from Savannah Gilbo called "The Five Mistakes Most Fiction Writers Make and What To Do About It." Note: Savannah's website has many other resources for writers.

Here I was introduced to the difference between what bookstores use to sell books (commercial genres) and what readers expect (content genres). 

Wow! New concepts as I discovered my story is truly plot-driven and falls in the crime genre. Readers of mysteries have very strong expectations about 1) a sense of mystery and intrigue, 2) an early scene where a dead body is found, 3) scenes that help our hero uncover clues that lead to the murderer, and finally, 4) did my hero succeed in bringing the murderer to justice? These questions take me right back into my story in a very direct and compelling way.

So, just to let you know how much fun I'm having researching and drafting, here's a snippet from The Last Sarcophagus (forthcoming) to intrigue you! Neil and Sandra from The Seventh Tapestry have just arrived in Cairo -- on their honeymoon:

“April is a perfect time to visit. Cooler now.” The driver chuckled as he angled past the faded pink Egyptian Museum. “Maybe you go out to the pyramids? I know a guide.”

“We’ve already made arrangements through our travel agent, but thank you,” said Neil.

“I give you my card, just in case.” The driver pulled up with a flourish at the circular drive in front of the Royal Egyptian Hotel. An attendant in bright red at the entrance took charge of their luggage.

“This is pretty posh,” whispered Sandra. The elegant reception glittered with ornate crystal chandeliers, red carpets, and mirrors edged with gold filigree.

Neil leaned close to Sandra. “It is our honeymoon. You deserve pampering.” He nodded as he handed a tip to the attendant who helped bring their bags to their room.

“Not bad,” said Sandra. A large floral arrangement competed with a view of Cairo as dusk turned to night, and the Nile below glistened with lights. “These flowers are beautiful,” said Sandra as she leaned close to smell the white lilies cascading down the front of a large glass blue vase.

“Watch it.” Neil pulled Sandra away from the flowers. “What are these doing here? Don’t breathe deeply.”

Sandra stilled, shocked by Neil’s sudden movement. “What’s wrong?”

“Looks like that centerpiece is an Egyptian blue water lily. Could be either poisonous or psychedelic. It shouldn’t be here.”

“You mean it’s poisonous? That’s strange.”

“I’m calling downstairs.” Neil guided Sandra to the sofa near the floor to ceiling windows. “Just sit for a moment.” He grabbed his phone. “Reception? I need someone up to our suite right away. I have a problem with some flowers here. They look poisonous. Yes, thank you.” He turned to Sandra. “Someone will be here shortly, and they can just take them away – even if they are gorgeous.”

“Are you sure about this?”

“Yes.” Neil began pacing around their suite as he waited. “Something’s not right.”

Egyptian Blue Water Lily (Leandro Avelar on Wikipedia)

Thank you for reading my blog and following along this writing journey. Enjoy this end-of-summer blast of warmth, for September will be here before we know it!