First of all, I have to apologize as I should have mentioned this last week, but I forgot with all the Thanksgiving mayhem.

Over at HipWriterMama we are having a contest and giving away an Advanced Reader’s Copy of the Theodosia and the Eyes of Horus! So if you’re interested in entering, hop on over there.

But do it quickly! The contest ends Monday, November 30 at 11:00 pm EST.  Good luck!

Recently I’ve gotten a number of emails asking me some very similar questions, so I thought I’d post the answers here on the blog. These questions are courtesy of Elise.

1. When is your birthday?

September 21

2.What is your favorite color?

It changes, depending on my mood, but usually green, blue, or purple.

3. What is your favorite food?

It’s a toss up between homemade bread, popcorn, or ice cream.

4. what inspired you to write?

I’ve always enjoyed writing, ever since I was eight years old. What inspired me to write Theodosia’s story was a combination of my love of ancient Egypt and a desire to write a book I would have loved when I was eleven years old.

5. Is there a reason you named her Theodosia?

Honestly, that name just kind of popped into my head sounding very British and old fashioned, so I grabbed it. Sometimes I have to search high and low for a name and sometimes it just comes to me, that one was a “just come to me” sort of name.

6. Will you write more Theo books after the Eyes of Horus?

Yes.

7. If yes, how many? At least two.

8. What will they be called?

Right now, the working titles are, Theodosia and the Eyes of Horus, and Theodosia and the Flame of Sekhmet.

9. Do you have any pets?

I used to have lots of pets, but now only one. (For more about my earlier pets, read here.)

10. If yes, what are they and what are their names?

One very old, cranky, demonic cat named Oreo.

11. if you met me would you treat me like a little kid or a grownup based on my writing to you?

I would treat you like an equal unless you did something that forced me to treat you like a little kid (like disrupted a school presentation I was giving.) One of the reasons I write for kids, and write a character like Theo specifically, is that I DO firmly believe that kids are much smarter, wiser, and generally on top of things than they tend to get credit for.

Ta da! Here is the cover art for the third Theodosia book, Theodosia and the Eyes of Horus!

How much do I adore these Theodosia covers?? Yoko Tanaka is a GENIUS!

For your reading pleasure…

WARNING, Theodosia and the Eyes of Horus is Book Three and the chapters MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR BOOK TWO, Theodosia and the Staff of Osiris. So if you haven’t read that yet, STOP RIGHT NOW. The rest of the chapter is up under the cut in order to protect those who haven’t read Book Two yet.

Chapter Two
Curioser and Curioser

THE SPACE WAS DARK AND SMALL and smelled of mice. Once he’d gotten his bearings, Ratsy led us through a twisting set of hallways.

Read the rest of this entry »