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Today I'm excited to have here Katie Hamstead an awesome writer that I'm fortunate to say is my friend and CP.

As I already told all of you her book Kiya: Hope of the Pharaoh is out on stores and she’s doing a blog tour so everyone can know more about her and the book.



In this occasion I asked her to talk about why she made Kiya Hebrew. So here it's what she has to say:

Why did I make Kiya Naomi the Hebrew?

Back in High School, when I first learned about the Amarna period and Kiya, I was also studying the Old Testament and Hebrew culture. Back then, there wasn’t much known about Kiya at all, and no one seemed to know where she came from or where she went. So, I thought to myself; What if she was a Hebrew, and because they were considered a “lower” people to the Egyptians they had to cover her true origins?

While doing my research, I discovered that Kiya is believed by most historians to be a Mitanni princess. Yes, this is very different to a Hebrew girl, but there are certain qualities and beliefs the Hebrew culture holds within it that I wanted her to have. So, I made up the story that Akhenaten was given a dream telling him to take her, then he made up another story saying she was created and sent by Aten.

This as a result, gives me the room to explore not only Egyptian history, but what the Hebrews were doing in Egypt during the time between Genesis and Exodus. Using the later period theory, where the Hebrews followed Moses out of Egypt during the time of Ramses II, this places the Hebrews in Egypt during the reign of Akhenaten. So how did they go from Joseph being loved by the Pharaoh to slaves? By making Kiya Naomi the Hebrew, I was able to create a fiction world around these historical theories.

Anabel back here, isn't it interesting how she intertwined history with fiction. If you haven't read it I think you should consider doing it since it's a very interesting read.

You could buy it here:

Also follow her to know more about Kiya and all her new stories.
Blog 
Twitter - @katieteller1

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Today I’m hosting another Cover Reveal for an awesome author. This is the cover of Sleeper (Book I in the Toy Soldiers series) by S.M. Johnston.




Don’t you think this cover is an amazing work of art? I really love it.

About the Book:

Title: Sleeper (Book I in the Toy Soldiers series)
Author: S. M. Johnston
Release Date: December 2, 2013
Publisher: Entranced Publishing
Genre: NA speculative fiction

After a life saving heart transplant, eighteen-year-old Mishca Richardson is plagued by nightmares and an urgent desire to find her birth parents, which she puts down to post-operation depression. But her new heart seems to bring more than a second chance at life in the form of speed, strength and love at first sight.

About the Author:


Sharon is a writer from Mackay in Queensland, Australia who has short stories published in anthologies and was also runner-up in the Australian Literary Review's Young Adult short story contest with KARMA. By day she is a public relations executive and by night she writes weird fiction and soulful contemporaries while her husband, two sons and cat are fast asleep.

Sharon is always involved in contests and other awesome writer’s resources so follow her to know more about Sleeper and what she’s doing.
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/authorsmjohnston
Twitter: https://twitter.com/S_M_Johnston
Website: www.smjohnston.com
Blog: www.downunderwonderings.blogspot.com

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It’s Thursday so it’s the perfect day to recommend a book to read for pleasure. A book I enjoyed with all my heart and even today when I remember it I sigh and feel the urge to read it again.

HOPELESS by Colleen Hoover.


Here is the Goodreads blurb:

Sometimes discovering the truth can leave you more hopeless than believing the lies…

That’s what seventeen-year-old Sky realizes after she meets Dean Holder. A guy with a reputation that rivals her own and an uncanny ability to invoke feelings in her she’s never had before. He terrifies her and captivates her all in the span of just one encounter, and something about the way he makes her feel sparks buried memories from a past that she wishes could just stay buried.

Sky struggles to keep him at a distance knowing he’s nothing but trouble, but Holder insists on learning everything about her. After finally caving to his unwavering pursuit, Sky soon finds that Holder isn’t at all who he’s been claiming to be. When the secrets he’s been keeping are finally revealed, every single facet of Sky’s life will change forever.

Here is a trailer of the book I really think is perfect:


This book is really amazing, even when it talks of really huge issues I wasn’t grossed out by the way it showed, it is implied yes and terrifying too. But I love that it’s not about the thing but about how the character grew, change and overcame it.
The stories that make you see a character grow are the ones I love most because I grow with them too.
Be aware to have a box of tissues next to you when reading.
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I am one of those persons that believe that learning all you can about what you want to do in life is the best you can do.

I want to be a writer so I try to learn everything I can about it. I take classes, read books, interesting blog posts, etc.

Of course another important thing is to write and write and write so you can improve. One of the best ways to improve is practice.

For me the learning as I said is very important too so I want to share with you the resources I found more useful. Every time I find more helpful resources I will share them with you in this blog.

The first thing I read was Stephen King: On writing.



This is an awesome book and you’ll not regret reading every single word.

Next I’d recommend for you to read Writing The Breakout Novel and the workbook. This is an awesome book with good examples and exercises to improve your writing.




Also I recommend taking courses whether online or in person. For me is hard to find good courses close to me so I focus on online courses and workshops. The best courses I have taken were Margie Lawson Deep Edit courses.

I learnt important things that everyday improve my writing.

Last as Stephen king says in on writing Read, read lots in your genre and in others. You need to read lots to be a good writer.