Warrior of the Egyptian Kingdom is LIVE

Yes! The newest installment of the PRINCESS KANDAKE series, Warrior of the Egyptian Kingdom, is LIVE! You can purchase your very own copy of book #3 NOW!

Warrior of the Egyptian Kingdom

Princess Kandake, youngest child of King Amani and heir to the throne of Nubia, has determined to continue her warrior training, but that is not the only thing that complicates her 14 year old life.

When the king receives a dispatch from Pharaoh Nakhtnebef of Egypt, Kandake is sent to find out why the pharaoh would need Nubia’s warriors to remain in Egypt any longer and why he has included a secret symbol within his message—help.

In Egypt, Kandake discovers treachery and a poisoned pharaoh, the identity of the bandits that attacked Nubia’s caravans, a Nubian orphan, and that Kandake may be Sakhmet—the Egyptian goddess of war.

Get your print edition today!

It's Here!

That's right, it's here! I just received the new cover of book #3 of the PRINCESS KANDAKE series, Warrior of the Egyptian Kingdom. Oh. My. Gosh. Don't you love it? It's absolutely beautiful! I know, I say that with every cover, but it is the truth! Donna Casey hits another home run. She does it every time. this cover is another great work of art. Don't you agree?

This cover whets the appetite for what's inside.

Warrior of the Egyptian Kingdom

Princess Kandake, youngest child of King Amani and heir to the throne of Nubia, has determined to continue her warrior training, but that is not the only thing that complicates her 14 year old life.

When the king receives a dispatch from Pharaoh Nakhtnebef of Egypt, Kandake is sent to find out why the pharaoh would need Nubia’s warriors to remain in Egypt any longer and why he has included a secret symbol within his message—help.

In Egypt, Kandake discovers treachery and a poisoned pharaoh, the identity of the bandits that attacked Nubia’s caravans, a Nubian orphan, and that Kandake may be Sakhmet—the Egyptian goddess of war.

So now your next question, when will it be available? Your wait is almost over. Warrior of the Egyptian Kingdom will be available new month. Yes...February, 2014. You will be able to purchase it in print or as an ebook.

Eureka! Success!

Could it get any better...the contest has a winner and the book now has a title! I am super excited, not to mention  relieved. So here it is:

Warrior 

of the 

Egyptian Kingdom

Great thanks to contest winner and title creator: 

Carrie Malinowski

The more I look at it the more I love it. It's perfect. It encapsulates every plot point of the novel. Did I say I love it? Well, I do! So Carrie, you get the first peek at the cover and an advanced copy of book #3 of the PRINCESS KANDAKE series due to be released February 1, 2014. Oh and don't forget, you will also have a huge mention in the acknowledgements of that book! Thank you so much.

Allow me to express my sincere gratitude to everyone who contributed their wonderful ideas to this quest for a title. Let me tell you that I was truly stuck. I couldn't come up with a single working idea and all of you had some really great ones! I can't thank you enough. You saved my bacon.

Whew! I can finally move on to selecting photos for the over. I guess I could have done that before now, but every time I opened that file I kept thinking, "what if this doesn't reflect the title?" So now there's nothing getting in my way. Once I get the pictures sent to the cover designer I can focus on something else...like marketing.

For me this is the most difficult part of being an author telling everyone far and wide that I have a new book out and would you please buy it. I have to come up with inventive ways to get you to fall in love with the story before you read a single word and at the same time not seem like I'm begging or nagging. So if you have any suggestions on that, I'll gladly accept those, as well.

Coming Together

I have been working like a...like a...well let's just say that I've been working really hard. I found myself seriously behind schedule on the manuscript for the third PRINCESS KANDAKE novel and my fingers have been flying across the keyboard ever since. Not to worry, I'll make my deadline. You'll have book #3 on schedule, February 1, 2014!

I told you at my last posting that I had started a creative writing course for kids and that is going very well. I am totally stunned (in a really good way) at their level f creativity. In this week's session we're utilizing a brainstorming device for finding story ideas and then creating a story-line from these ideas. Oh my gosh! What a blast that was. Their ideas were flying around the room so fast that getting them all down was a challenge. You should have heard some of them. These are some talented kids!

Next month I'm forming a book club with some very special ladies. Per their request, we are beginning with book #1 of the PRINCESS KANDAKE series. Yes! they actually asked that the first book we discuss be PRINCESS KANDAKE: Warrior by Choice...Appointed to Rule. Okay, I am seriously stoked and over the moon! Of course we'll be using the print editions, but if you're interested you can find the digital editions here.

These are the main projects that I'm working on. Apart from attending book fairs and school visits, I don't have room in my schedule to take on anything else. I know, I know, I've said that before, but I really mean it this time! ...I think

Great Way to Start the Day

This morning my cover designer, the wonderful and talented Donna Casey, sent me the finalized image for the cover of the second book in the PRINCESS KANDAKE series, Weight of the Crown.
I could not have asked for better. Nor could I keep it to myself. So here it it.




Beautiful, isn't it! The book will be released February, 2013.

As a writer I love the stories that I writer. When a designer delivers a cover that incorporates the emotion of the story it almost brings me to tears. I believe the cover sets the tone for the reader, this cover does just that...and then some.

Oh My Goodness!

Oh dear! I feel like the Mad Hatter in Alice in wonderland. I’m running around looking at my watch mumbling to myself that I’m late for this and late for that.

For that last couple of weeks I’ve been preparing for a huge photo shoot and a Mocha Moms conference that were less than one week apart. On top of that, I’m trying to get book #2 of the PRINCESS KANDAKE series ready to go to print. And let us not forget my usual writing schedule that I desperately need to maintain.

I spent today cleaning and organizing my office, double checking to make sure that I sent the right pictures to the cover designer, washing and twisting my hair, and separating laundry. Yes folks, writers have to do their own laundry.

I was in the middle of checking my hair to see if it is dry enough to sleep on when it occurred to me that I have totally blown my blogging schedule! Sheesh! So here I sit apologizing to the world for having let my schedule get completely messed up.

So here’s how I’ll make it up to you. I’m adding one of the pictures that I sent to the cover designer for the next PRINCESS KANDAKE book.

Where I’ve Been

I haven’t disappeared. I’ve been on book tour! I released PRINCESS KANDAKE in February and everything exploded! I have made several trips to California to present and sell my book and I have another planned for next month. Then I get to present in Arizona for a bit.

I had no idea there was so much work involved in being published. Talking about the history of the book and the ancient kingdom of Nubia have been a blast. I’m worn out, but I can’t wait to do more!

Now all I have to do is figure out how to maintain my writing schedule, my travel schedule and budget, blogs, Facebook, and Twitter. I’m not complaining, not by a long shot. It’s just that I had no idea the amount of work that would be involved. I’m open to suggestions, hints, and advice on that score.

Success is great! In the first six weeks of the book’s release, I’ve sold over 300 copies and the numbers are climbing. Am I excited? I’m delirious!

I’m adding a Book Tour page to my website. Check it out. Soon there will even be a picture of me with the cover model!

I Feel Like a Star

On February 15, as part of my book tour, I presented at Cal-State University of San Bernardino.  It was video taped! I felt like a celebrity!

  What a lovely audience! Here’s a picture of me posing with several of the attendees.   This young lady’s having a go at being a warrior princess.       In this shot, another one is attempting to grind enough lapis to use as eye shadow. The caution of possible corneal abrasion did not dissuade her.
What a grand time!

Today is the day…BOOK LAUNCH!!!

In Nubia a woman can be whatever she chooses. At 14, Kandake knows exactly what she chooses…Prime Warrior of Nubia. But her grandmother has said that she will follow her father on the throne.

Refusing to abandon her warrior dreams, she continues to train. When her brother is kidnapped, Kandake learns she must be both queen and warrior to win his release.

I am so excited about my book finally seeing the light of day! In 2010 I entered this manuscript in the  Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award and advanced to the semi-finals. Here is a sample of the reviews I got.
Amazon.com Review I fully expected (with a title like "Nubian Princess") that this excerpt was written by a thirteen year old with prose that left a lot to be desired. Not so. This is a writer that knows his (or, her) fiction-writing craft. The prose is smooth and mature and enjoyable ...
From Publishers Weekly This stellar historical novel brings ancient Nubia to life as one girl struggles to understand her destiny. Kandake, 14, is the youngest child of King Amani, ruler of Nubia. Her desire is to protect the land she loves as a warrior, but the decision is not in her hands. When Great Mother announces Kandake as the heir to the throne, she sadly accepts the inevitable, striving to understand Great Mother’s reasoning. Meanwhile bandits have been raiding Nubia’s trading caravans, and Egypt, Nubia’s ally and neighbor, is asking for assistance to protect its borders from the Assyrians. When Kandake’s brother Alara fails to return from a hunting expedition, King Amani makes a difficult decision: Nubia must use her resources to defend her border. Alara’s rescue must take second place. Unwilling to accept this decision, Kandake and her friends sneak away to find Alara. This skillfully crafted novel weaves cultural details into a remarkable, well-structured plot featuring a strong African heroine. The characters are fully developed, and their motivations, inspirations, and the growing maturity of these teens are believable. Readers will eagerly hope for a sequel to resolve the larger political issues facing Nubia and its future Queen.
And here is my most recent review. It’s long, but I think he understands Kandake best.
Stephanie Jefferson brings the ancient kingdom of Nubia vividly to life in this enthralling tale of a young warrior princess poised on the brink of adulthood and great power. The land, people, and culture of Nubia are described with such lush detail, humanity, and love, it’s hard for me to believe I couldn’t hop on a plane and visit it. And surely Kandake really is out there somewhere standing tall and proud, warrior strong. The next time I’m faced with a challenge and need to find an inner reserve of that measured strength and wisdom, I will close my eyes and imagine I’m Kandake. Despite her story being set so far in the past, Princess Kandake reads as a very real teenager, with the timeless growing pains and questions we can all relate to. When is it okay to break the rules? How much control do we really have over our own lives? How do you balance responsibility to others with responsibility to yourself? And Kandake makes mistakes. She has a lot to learn. But I love her for how fiercely she loves her family and her people, and for her constant struggle to do the right thing despite a headstrong nature. I was rooting for Princess Kandake all the way. This is also a story of family and the complex interrelationships between siblings, and parents and children, made even more intense by the fact that this particular family must rule and protect their beloved kingdom, which is caught in the rising tensions between Assyria and Egypt. Kandake is given an awesome burden to keep her people and their fertile country safe from war. She must meet the expectations of the role she is given, while also being true to herself. The solutions she finds are unique and inspiring, and I look forward to her next adventure.

~Tommy Kovac, Writer & Artist

Wonderland – Disney Press

The Royal Historian of Oz – SLG Publishing

Of course, now you want to run right out and buy it so you can read it for yourself. Here’s the best way. Just use this link.

Time with Friends

Yesterday I had an opportunity to spend time with my former critique group. It was wonderful! We spent time catching each other up on what was happening for them. Most of all, they celebrated with me the up-coming release of my new book, PRINCESS KANDAKE.

These are the people that were with me from the very beginning. They listened to each and every chapter offering ways to make each line better. What great friends, talented and supportive! They have even included my book launch in their blogs, tweets, and on the Facebook news feeds.  It was only appropriate that they should get the first peek.

Now that I have relocated to Arizona, I miss meeting with them and getting their input. We will forever be connected. Every time I come to town they allow me to sit in with them at their critique gatherings.

Please join with me in my excitement of the release of  PRINCESS KANDAKE, available February 1, 2012.

Search and Research

Last post I told you the story of why I wrote the novel, Princess Kandake, that will be launched February, 2012. I told you all about my granddaughter and her need for a princess that looked like her and my use of the ancient kingdom of Nubia. So now I will begin to tell you a little bit about that kingdom.

Nubia was know by several names. The more well known names are the Kingdoms of Kush (You can find a few references in the Old Testament) and Nubia. It was located in the area between Egypt and Ethiopia (then called Aksum), what is now called Sudan. Its boundaries shifted depending on what was happening at the time.
But this map can give you a general idea of its position.

Nubia, for most of its existence,  was under self rule, but having a powerful neighbor like Egypt required they maintain respectable defensive skills. These warriors were so good at what they did, Nubia was often referred to as the Ta’ Seti or  Land of the Bow. They were also given the nick name, pupil shooters. A group of warriors, called the Medjay, was hired by Egypt to fight the Hyksos and other enemies. Because of their renown, services of the Medjay were continued through 1144 BC as a sort of police, keeping the peace in Egypt. Even in death Egypt looked to the skill of the Nubian warrior for protection.

Here are 40 Nubian archers, painted wood, from the tomb of Prince Mesehti 11th Dynasty, Ancient Egypt.

Now you know where Princess Kandake gets her warrior spirit.

Cover Debut!

Breaking news!!! The cover has arrived!


                      

I just had to share. For credit information go to my website

Introducing… Princess Kandake

For weeks I have been posting about the costume I’ve been working on for the cover model of my upcoming book. I have shared the construction process with you starting with the mold and leading up to the cutting of the lather.
  Here is a picture of the leather being stretched and shaped over the mold.     This is what it looked like once it dried.  And here is the finished product after it has been dyed and assembled with the straps and fastenings.
Now for the best part. Today I met with the cover model and photographer to shoot pictures to be used in the design. I present to you PRINCESS KANDAKE!

                                 
      
               PRINCESS KANDAKE
             Warrior by Choice, Appointed to rule

A huge thank you to the beautiful and talented Makeda Beck
These are from my camera. the professional photos are much better. I will share those with you once I get the proofs.