News for Ancient Egypt

News for the Ancient World

March 17,2014

Two stories related to ancient  Egypt:

Stolen Egyptian artifacts were seized by Homeland Security in New York on March 16, according to Ahramonline. The artifacts are now on their way back to Egypt. The artifacts are from different periods and include: a mummy mask, part of a painted wooden sarcophagus, and Middle Kingdom wooden boats.

Egyptian Wooden Boat

Sarcophagus

The discovery of the skeletons of six cats (four of them kittens) in an Egyptian cemetery makes scientists believe that cats may have been domesticated 2,000 years earlier than first thought--according an article from Live Science.

Cat Skeleton

Author Zané Sachs--5 Question Interview

Zané Sachs stopped by today. She's created a new blog: Zané Sachs-Going Down, in anticipation of the release of her new book, Sadie the Sadist. The blog features forensic information, abnormal psychology, and Sadie's (questionable) recipes.

The interview didn't go as planned. Frankly, Zané Sachs is the strangest author I've ever met.

5 Questions:

Suzanne: Hi Zané. Why are you wearing that apron?

Zané: Hi. I've been in the kitchen--testing Sadie's recipes. Is that your first question?

Suzanne: Not really...what's that red stuff on your apron?

Zané: Ketchup. 

Suzanne: Really? It looks like blood.

Zané: Is that your second question or your third?

Suzanne: What inspired you to write Sadie the Sadist? 

Zané: Working in the corporate world. Specifically, a supermarket. Any day now, we're going to be replaced by robots. Seriously. While I was working, Sadie appeared--a full-blown character. She started whispering stuff to me, and I transcribed what she said.

Suzanne: Will you give us an example?

Zané: "Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill."

Suzanne: Kill who?

Zané: Just about everyone. That's your sixth question! You can read a chapter called SEX IN THE BATHROOM on my blog. Here's a snippet:

Sex in the Bathroom

Over the past few days a lot has changed at the supermarket.

The check stands have been moved so the contractors they hired for the remodel can redo the floor, plus they’ve rearranged the aisles again. Bandages are no longer next to macaroni; you’ll find them on Aisle 6 across from Oatmeal.

There’s this new guy in Deli. He’s about my age, not a kid, but not an old man either. His glasses make him look intelligent and I like his legs. They’re muscular and tan. I know, because he wears shorts to work. (We’re allowed to wear black, knee-length shorts from Memorial to Labor Day.) I met him on the freight elevator. I was bringing down the trash cart, after emptying all the garbage cans, when Ranger rolled in a U-boat of roasted chickens destined for the dumpster. His name is Richard, but everybody calls him Ranger. He helped me load my garbage into the compactor—the bags from the trash cans outside the store are especially heavy—and, in return, I gave him a BJ in the employee bathroom. It’s unisex, down in the basement, and the door locks.

Now the poor schmoe is in love with me. Women sense these things, and we lefties are intuitive. He’s obsessed. I feel his eyeballs on my butt whenever I walk past.

But blowing Ranger is not the big thing (no pun intended).

The big thing is: Justus is dead, and I’m not sure if I killed him.

Release date: April or May 2014

Visit Zané's blog, Zané Sachs-Going Down

Follow Zané on Twitter 

Like Zané's Facebook Page

News for the Ancient World

Today I added a new page to my blog: Ancient News. Here you'll find postings regarding the latest archaeological findings, events, films, and exhibits--about the ancient world. Thanks for time traveling with me.

March 4, 2014

Last week I rushed out to see the new film, Pompeii, in 3D. They did great research, and I felt like I'd been thrust back through time to the fateful last day when the volcano exploded. 

Watch the trailer:

Yesterday, Pompeii made the news in real time. The walls of the ancient city are crumbling due to rain. Read this article and learn some interesting facts. For example: Pompeii restaurants served giraffe. 

Pompeii

Other ancient news of interest:

An ancient gladiator school has been discovered in Austria. 

The unearthed complex includes cell blocks, a training area, and bath complex. Read more about it here.

The archaeologists constructed a 3D model of the school, and created this video.

Continuing Ed at Oxford University--A Writer's Journal

For a long time I've dreamed of attending Oxford University and studying Classics. Geeky, but true. In college I majored in Classic Theater and Ancient Religion, and I studied ancient Greek theater with an Oxford scholar. Plus I love the Inspector Morse mystery series on PBS, including all the spin-offs like Endeavour.

Oxford University, England

The trouble is I live in Colorado.

But the other morning, I woke up thinking: if I could do anything I'd study at Oxford University in England. For fun, I Googled Oxford, and was delighted to discover a list of online courses. I found one on Greek Mythology--perfect, because I'm doing research for Priestess, Book Two of my Agathon's Daughter trilogy, and I like to reference Greek mythology. Stephen Kershaw will be teaching the course, and he's written (and coauthored) a number of books on Classical topics. 

Amazon

I'm sooooo excited!

Geeky, huh?

The point is, lots of colleges and universities are offering amazing courses online. Some of them are even free. So, if you're curious about some area of study, check it out. I'd love to connect with you in my Oxford chat room and talk about Persephone, Oedipus, Medea...all those crazy ancient Greeks. 

Picking a Pseudonym...Suzanne Tyrpak aka Zané Sachs

After reading my new book, Sadie the Sadist, beta readers tell me I need to publish under a pseudonym.

Why? 

Because the book is shockingly different from my historical fiction--and I don't want readers to keel over from heart attacks. Also, the book's setting is similar to my hometown and Sadie works at a supermarket that resembles my current workplace...and I don't want to b fired. Like Sadie, I need the insurance.

So...how to come up with a pseudonym. Believe it or not, there's actually a site that generates pseudonyms. Most are bizarre, in my opinion. For example, just now I generated: Arni Risdon, Marleen Goffman, and Maxy Zajac. Granted, I haven't heard those names before...but I wanted a name that has some relationship to me.

A long time ago, when I was acting in New York, I considered using the name Suzanna Sachs, because a well known actress had my name, Suzanne Peters. When I married, I took my husband's last name and became Suzanne Tyrpak--a good name for an author, I was told, because it's unusual and fits easily on a cover. Now, in search of yet another name, I turned back to Sachs.

But Suzanne Sachs sounds a bit too proper for Sadie the Sadist. A good friend of mine calls me Zany, so I thought of Zany Tyrpak or Zany Sachs. He suggested Zane Sachs, and I added an accent for: Zané Sachs, sounds like...Hahahahaha. Perfect for Sadie. 

Here's a cool post about 8 Famous Authors Who Use SECRET Pseudonyms. They include (famous name in bold):

Agatha Christie aka Mary Westmacott

Agatha Christie: Mary Westmacott
Benjamin Franklin: Mrs. Silence Dogood
C.S. Lewis: Clive Hamilton and N.W. Clerk
Isaac Asimov: Paul French
J.K. Rowling: Robert Galbraith
Michael Crichton: John Lange, Jeffery Hudson and Michael Douglas
Stephen King: Richard Bachman
Washington Irving: Jonathan Oldstyle, Diedrich Knickerbocker and Geoffrey Crayon

I'd love to hear comments about your pseudonym, or pseudonyms of other writers.

Historical Fiction Sale

Historical Fiction Authors Cooperative (HFAC) is an international group of authors offering readers a selection of high-quality historical fiction e-books from many different time periods. Sign up to receive interesting articles and news from our authors.

This holiday season many HFAC authors are offering FREE ebooks when you purchase beautiful print editions of the books through Amazon's Matchbook program. This is a great opportunity to buy books as gifts and receive an electronic version at no charge. 

Check out books from popular authors:

Ancient World

Elizabeth Storrs

Rebecca Lochlann

Suzanne Tyrpak

Martha Marks

Medieval

N. Gemini Sasson

Sarah Woodbury

I.J. Parker

Early Modern World

Suzanne Alleyn

Karin Perkins

Suzanne Adair

Modern World

V.R. Christensen

Meg North

David Gaughran

M. Louisa Locke

Explore Your Superpowers Through Historical Fiction.

Humans have always loved the idea of superpowers. The desire to fly has been around for a long time and is explored in the story of Icarus, who flew too close to the sun.

If I could have one superpower I would choose the ability to time travel. If I could choose a secondary power I would be invisible. 

Why?

Because I'm interested in the way people think and act, and I'm curious to explore how we've evolved over time--if we really have. These superpowers would allow me to drop into private conversations, hang-out behind the scenes, notice how ordinary people lived and eavesdrop on the powerful. I don't care much about wars and politics--events that have been documented.  I'm interested in every day life and the roles women have played throughout history. That's why I enjoy writing historical fiction. And that's why most of my characters are not famous, documented people, but characters who grow out of possible situations. I also enjoy a tight story, so I lean to suspense. 

I found history in school dull, because it focused on war and politics. I got into history through acting. Part of exploring a role involves learning about time and place. For example, playing the Duchess in The Duchess of Malfi  by John Webster (writing in the 1600s), I needed to explore life during the Renaissance. This made the world of the play come alive for me.

 I became interested in ancient Greece when I read plays by Aeschylus, Euripides, Sophocles. One  of my favorite characters is Electra.Electra convinced her brother, Orestes, to seek revenge for the murder of their father. The play made me think about father-daughter relationships in ancient times, infidelity, the role women played. beliefs about the afterlife, religious beliefs. The Greek plays made mythology and the ancient world come alive for me. I became interested in philosophy and was amazed to discover that the thinkers of that time (Socrates, Plato, Aristotle and many others) still wield great influence on how western society views the world. 

Taking on a role is a form of time travel--you submerge yourself in a different time and place, ask yourself questions like: what did I have for breakfast today, how do I style my hair, what are the social norms, how am I breaking them--because, of course, the most interesting characters always come up against the boundaries of society. 

Writing historical novels takes this process a step further. As I writer, I get to play all of the characters. I rest my brain (or torture it) in the minds of kings, queens, slaves, prostitutes, serfs, merchants, sailors--anyone I choose. If that's not superpower, what is?

I invite you to play with time travel. Ask yourself, what would I be eating if I were in ancient Rome? What steps would I have to go through to take a bath in the 1700s (or would I bother)? How would I walk if this were Imperial China and my feet were bound and broken for the sake of beauty? What would be the remedy for arthritis, monthly cramps, a brain tumor (whatever you might suffer from) if I lived in ancient Egypt? England in the 1200s? (Ancient Egyptian medicine was far more advanced, by the way.) It's a fun game! And it's made me appreciate many things about my current, high tech life.

How do you play out your superpowers?